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Mr. Hewitt's book can most succinctly be summed up by a line from Die Hard 3, "I don't like you because you're going to get me killed." If there is only one point to this 220 page book, it is that your life as an American depends on Democrats not getting elected to public office. The great thing about the book is that there's more than one point. If you are counting them by chapters, then there's at least forty points. Fortunately Mr. Hewitt was kind enough to categorize these chapters into seven main sections:

Part I: The Stakes
Part II: A Brief History of Democratic Cheating
Part III: Parties
Part IV: Money
Part V: Message Delivery
Part VI: "Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!"
Part VII: Tone and Focus

Part I: The Stakes is the focus of the argument. It outlines the problem of national security post-9/11 and where each party, and candidate, stands on the issues. The key to the whole book is that Democrats cannot be trusted with national security. From page 2, "The Democratic part has lost its collective will and collective ability to take the national security of the United States seriously. This is not treasonous or unpatriotic behavior, just selfish and stupid behavior. But the irresponsibility of the Democratic Party extends to every major issue affecting national security, including the size and use of the American military, the deployment of national missile defense, the exploration for new resource of oil, and the conduct of domestic surveillance against foreigners."

Mr. Hewitt is arguing from information most Americans have already. Simply this: George W. Bush will do whatever it takes to defend America, John Kerry (and Edwards for that matter) will not. This point is driven home in the most compelling and direct manner possible.

Part II is a point-by-point history of poor tactics by the Democrats. Facts are stubborn things, and the facts of history, as presented in Part II, have shown that if there is a way, the Democrats will weasel and manipulate elections to get what they want. Thus, Mr. Hewitt builds his case. 1) The DNC needs to be defeated at the polls in order to insure our survival. 2) In order to win, we need to defeat the DNC in larger numbers because they have a reputation for cheating.

Before explaining how to defeat the Democrats, you need to understand how parties and voters think, operate, and convert. This is the task of Part III. Here, Mr. Hewitt outlines the importance of parties and majorities, the five main categories of voters, and the psychology between them. Since this was the first political book I've read, this is where I learned the most. This is Partisan Politics 101. No matter where you stand regarding the first two parts, you can learn something here.

The next three parts are the "How to," starting with money, that nasty "M" word. In Part IV, Mr. Hewitt seeks to dispel any apprehensions you may have about giving to candidates by drawing on key stats from previous elections and how finances impacted them. How important is giving money? Enough to warrant three chapters. 20: Give, 21: Give Until It Hurts, and 22: Give Some More. Mr. Hewitt lays out the process clearly so that there's no question how and to whom your money should go.

Beyond money, the book offers plenty of practical advice on convincing people to vote Republican. This is where Part V comes in. How do you get the key information and facts out? New media (like Fox News Channel), Talk Radio, Letters, and Blogging. Mr. Hewitt covers simple tactics in properly conveying the message and persuading people. This is especially handy to those who are unfamiliar with the latest developments in media. The word "Blogging" is so new that I just had to add it to my spell check. Yet the blogosphere has already had a tremendous impact on politics. This book helps you understand that impact and how to utilize it.

Aside from national security, there are a host of issues that stir up controversy. In Part VI, Mr. Hewitt runs through which issues one should or shouldn't discuss. For instance, if you can convince someone to vote Republican based on national security but they won't if you bring up abortion, by all means, do not bring up abortion! It all goes back to the main premise of the book. The central issue is our defense and everything else must take a back seat. We won't be around to argue about abortion, guns, or the environment if our defense fails.

Part VII concludes with some final points on tact and reiterating why it's so important that the Democrats are defeated at the polls. From page 220, "There is no rational case for the Democrats because the Democrats are going to get you killed. It is that simple.... Vote accordingly. Your life depends on it." (Add dot com to my name to read my entire review.)

The book was a wonderful read. I was consistently interested in the next chapter to see where my part fits in the big picture of politics. Mr. Hewitt's style, as on his radio show, is personal and humorous, yet persuasive and incisive. Put this in the hands of Republicans and it will motivate them. Put it in the hands of Democrats and it will infuriate them. However, if they're reasonable, it will be difficult for them to argue with the logic. Hugh Hewitt is successful on his main point, as well as many others; that the Democrats must be crushed in every election and that our lives depend on it. Grade: A-

Hugh Hewitt, a law professor at Chapman University, has written a timely book that is easy to read, filled with often overlooked truths, and stocked with practical, 'hands-on' suggestions.

"If It's Not Close They Can't Cheat" teaches several lessons. Foremost, Hewitt shows that devious and illegal tactics are tools that many Democrats have used since the beginning of our republic to maintain their own power. He provides a survey of two hundred years of Democrats' appalling cheating in elections, from Aaron Burr to Al Gore.

Another important lesson Hewitt teaches is the importance of maintaining a Republican majority in congress, even if this means voting against Republicans one prefers in primary elections. Many conservatives, he writes, don't realize that without the magic numbers of 51 Republicans in the Senate and 218 Republicans in the House, the Democrats shall have their way. Republican majorities must trump personal preferences.

One of the many practical lessons the book teaches is that of accessing information and voicing one's opinions in the blogosphere. Prior to reading this book I knew very little about the blogosphere. Now I check daily three of the blogs that Hewitt lists in the book.

Finally, in one of the appendices Hewitt lists several key talking points for the year 2004, and these can serve as ammo in debates with at least partially open-minded liberals.

I strongly recommend this book to all conservatives, and echo Hewitt's suggestion to give it as a gift to your liberal friends.

Typical necon ideology and rhetoric. Hopelessly biased to the right, which would be fine if not for the claim that it is not. Any claim that this book would appeal to anyone that is not a hardcore conservative is utter hogwash. If you are a neocon and your looking for witty sounding little catch phrases to throw out in debates though, then this book is for you!