Profiles in Ignorance
How America's Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Profiles in Ignorance
Buy Now for $19.42
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Andy Borowitz
-
Written by:
-
Andy Borowitz
About this listen
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER *WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER *
Andy Borowitz, “one of the funniest people in America” (CBS Sunday Morning), brilliantly “chronicles our embrace of anti-intellectualism” (Walter Isaacson) in American politics, from Ronald Reagan to Dan Quayle, from George W. Bush to Sarah Palin, to its apotheosis in Donald J. Trump.
Andy Borowitz has been called a “Swiftian satirist” (The Wall Street Journal) and “one of the country’s finest satirists” (The New York Times). Millions of fans and New Yorker readers enjoy his satirical news column “The Borowitz Report.” Now, in Profiles in Ignorance, he delivers “a wittily alarming polemic that tracks the evolution of American politics from grounds for gravitas to festival of idiocy” (The New York Times).
Borowitz argues that over the past fifty years, American politicians have grown increasingly allergic to knowledge, and mass media have encouraged the election of ignoramuses by elevating candidates who are better at performing than thinking. Starting with Ronald Reagan’s first campaign for governor of California in 1966 and culminating with the election of Donald J. Trump to the White House, Borowitz shows how, during the age of twenty-four-hour news and social media, the US has elected politicians to positions of great power whose lack of the most basic information is terrifying. In addition to Reagan, Quayle, Bush, Palin, and Trump, Borowitz covers a host of congresspersons, senators, and governors who have helped lower the bar over the past five decades.
Profiles in Ignorance aims to make us both laugh and cry: laugh at the idiotic antics of these public figures, and cry at the cataclysms these icons of ignorance have caused. But most importantly, the book delivers a call to action and a cause for optimism: History doesn’t move in a straight line, and we can change course if we act now.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2022 Andy Borowitz. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.You may also enjoy...
-
Weapons of Mass Delusion
- When the Republican Party Lost Its Mind
- Written by: Robert Draper
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 15 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4
The violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, was a terrible day for American democracy, but many people dared to hope that at least it would break the fever that had overcome the Republican Party and banish Trump's relentless lies about the stealing of the 2020 election. That is not what happened. Instead, “the big steal” has become dogma among an ever-higher percentage of American Republicans. What happened to the Republican Party, and America, during the Trump presidency is a story we more or less think we know.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Tribal Insanity Revealed.
- By Rick Austin on 2022-12-09
Written by: Robert Draper
-
The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory
- American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism
- Written by: Tim Alberta
- Narrated by: Tim Alberta
- Length: 18 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 21
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19
Evangelical Christians are perhaps the most polarizing—and least understood—people living in America today. In his seminal new book, The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, journalist Tim Alberta, himself a practicing Christian and the son of an evangelical pastor, paints an expansive and profoundly troubling portrait of the American evangelical movement.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Required Reading
- By Isabel McKinlay on 2023-12-23
Written by: Tim Alberta
-
Blowback
- A Warning to Save Democracy from the Next Trump
- Written by: Miles Taylor
- Narrated by: Miles Taylor
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 10
Donald Trump will be president again, whether he is on the ballot or not. That is because Trumpism is overtaking the Republican Party and will mount a vigorous comeback, potentially in the hands of a savvier successor. This prophecy will come true, according to Miles Taylor, if we do not learn the lessons of the recent past. With the 2024 election approaching, the formerly “Anonymous” official is back with bombshell revelations and a sobering national forecast. Taylor predicts what could happen inside “Trump 2.0,” the White House of a more competent and more formidable copycat.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Trump administration anti democracy exposed
- By Wilf Medweth on 2023-10-30
Written by: Miles Taylor
-
Prequel
- An American Fight Against Fascism
- Written by: Rachel Maddow
- Narrated by: Rachel Maddow
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 55
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 45
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 45
Inspired by her research for the hit podcast Ultra, Rachel Maddow charts the rise of a wild American strain of authoritarianism that has been alive on the far-right edge of our politics for the better part of a century. Before and even after our troops had begun fighting abroad in World War II, a clandestine network flooded the country with disinformation aimed at sapping the strength of the U.S. war effort and persuading Americans that our natural alliance was with the Axis, not against it.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Nazis in America
- By Chillyfinger on 2023-10-26
Written by: Rachel Maddow
-
Homegrown
- Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism
- Written by: Jeffrey Toobin
- Narrated by: Jeffrey Toobin
- Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6
Timothy McVeigh wanted to start a movement. Speaking to his lawyers days after the Oklahoma City bombing, the Gulf War veteran expressed no regrets: killing 168 people was his patriotic duty. New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Toobin traces the dramatic history and profound legacy of Timothy McVeigh, who once declared, “I believe there is an army out there, ready to rise up, even though I never found it.” But that doesn’t mean his army wasn’t there. With news-breaking reportage, Toobin details how McVeigh’s principles and tactics have flourished in the decades since his death in 2001.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Outstanding historical connection
- By SWSRTBoots on 2024-01-11
Written by: Jeffrey Toobin
-
The Destructionists
- The Twenty-Five Year Crack-Up of the Republican Party
- Written by: Dana Milbank
- Narrated by: Dana Milbank
- Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2
In 1994, more than 300 Republicans under the command of obstructionist and rabble-rouser Congressman Newt Gingrich stood outside the U.S. Capitol to sign the Contract with America and put bipartisanship on notice. Twenty-five years later, on January 6, 2021, a bloodthirsty mob incited by President Trump invaded the Capitol.
Written by: Dana Milbank
-
Weapons of Mass Delusion
- When the Republican Party Lost Its Mind
- Written by: Robert Draper
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 15 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4
The violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, was a terrible day for American democracy, but many people dared to hope that at least it would break the fever that had overcome the Republican Party and banish Trump's relentless lies about the stealing of the 2020 election. That is not what happened. Instead, “the big steal” has become dogma among an ever-higher percentage of American Republicans. What happened to the Republican Party, and America, during the Trump presidency is a story we more or less think we know.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Tribal Insanity Revealed.
- By Rick Austin on 2022-12-09
Written by: Robert Draper
-
The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory
- American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism
- Written by: Tim Alberta
- Narrated by: Tim Alberta
- Length: 18 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 21
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19
Evangelical Christians are perhaps the most polarizing—and least understood—people living in America today. In his seminal new book, The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, journalist Tim Alberta, himself a practicing Christian and the son of an evangelical pastor, paints an expansive and profoundly troubling portrait of the American evangelical movement.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Required Reading
- By Isabel McKinlay on 2023-12-23
Written by: Tim Alberta
-
Blowback
- A Warning to Save Democracy from the Next Trump
- Written by: Miles Taylor
- Narrated by: Miles Taylor
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 10
Donald Trump will be president again, whether he is on the ballot or not. That is because Trumpism is overtaking the Republican Party and will mount a vigorous comeback, potentially in the hands of a savvier successor. This prophecy will come true, according to Miles Taylor, if we do not learn the lessons of the recent past. With the 2024 election approaching, the formerly “Anonymous” official is back with bombshell revelations and a sobering national forecast. Taylor predicts what could happen inside “Trump 2.0,” the White House of a more competent and more formidable copycat.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Trump administration anti democracy exposed
- By Wilf Medweth on 2023-10-30
Written by: Miles Taylor
-
Prequel
- An American Fight Against Fascism
- Written by: Rachel Maddow
- Narrated by: Rachel Maddow
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 55
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 45
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 45
Inspired by her research for the hit podcast Ultra, Rachel Maddow charts the rise of a wild American strain of authoritarianism that has been alive on the far-right edge of our politics for the better part of a century. Before and even after our troops had begun fighting abroad in World War II, a clandestine network flooded the country with disinformation aimed at sapping the strength of the U.S. war effort and persuading Americans that our natural alliance was with the Axis, not against it.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Nazis in America
- By Chillyfinger on 2023-10-26
Written by: Rachel Maddow
-
Homegrown
- Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism
- Written by: Jeffrey Toobin
- Narrated by: Jeffrey Toobin
- Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6
Timothy McVeigh wanted to start a movement. Speaking to his lawyers days after the Oklahoma City bombing, the Gulf War veteran expressed no regrets: killing 168 people was his patriotic duty. New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Toobin traces the dramatic history and profound legacy of Timothy McVeigh, who once declared, “I believe there is an army out there, ready to rise up, even though I never found it.” But that doesn’t mean his army wasn’t there. With news-breaking reportage, Toobin details how McVeigh’s principles and tactics have flourished in the decades since his death in 2001.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Outstanding historical connection
- By SWSRTBoots on 2024-01-11
Written by: Jeffrey Toobin
-
The Destructionists
- The Twenty-Five Year Crack-Up of the Republican Party
- Written by: Dana Milbank
- Narrated by: Dana Milbank
- Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2
In 1994, more than 300 Republicans under the command of obstructionist and rabble-rouser Congressman Newt Gingrich stood outside the U.S. Capitol to sign the Contract with America and put bipartisanship on notice. Twenty-five years later, on January 6, 2021, a bloodthirsty mob incited by President Trump invaded the Capitol.
Written by: Dana Milbank
What the critics say
"Andy Borowitz, writer, humorist, actor, and creator of the often bitingly satirical “Borowitz Report,” which skewers contemporary politics and politicians at every turn, has in his new audiobook set his sights on the rise of ignorance in American politics. In a sharp turn from John F. Kennedy's classic PROFILES IN COURAGE, which highlighted bravery and integrity in politics, Borowitz's PROFILES IN IGNORANCE features a cavalcade of politicians who, Borowitz argues, are sorely lacking in the knowledge necessary to govern. Borowitz’s narration enables him to inject a measure of sarcasm and irony into the material. His convincing parodies of the vocal cadences of various featured politicians add a further humorous touch."—AudioFile Magazine