MSNBC: Bush's Book Is Popular Because He Was So Hated

Newsbusters.org ^ | 1-1-11 | Noel Sheppard

[Justaham]

A Salon political writer gave MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell Friday for why Bush's book is selling better than Clinton's.

NORAH O’DONNELL: And one had the highest ever approval rating for a President, leaving the White House, 66 percent. The other, one of the lowest at 22 percent. So, you would imagine or you might imagine that the popular Bill Clinton’s presidential memoir would far outsell the one written by the very unpopular, unpopular George Bush. Well, guess what? In the two months, in just two months President Bush's “Decision Points” memoir has sold almost as many copies as President Clinton’s “My Life” sold in two years. Alex Pareene is political writer for Salon, and he’s going to tell us why. Alex, so why is that? Why has Bush’s memoir “Decision Points” sold so well?

ALEX PAREENE, SALON: Well, obviously we can't say for sure because we don't know why those two million people have bought it. But, there are, I’ve speculated a couple reasons. It may be the fact that he was hated by so many people actually helped fuel his book sales because people wanted to hear him actually justify himself and explain some of his decisions that he made. And, you know, there are, I mean you can imagine that some people bought it as a gag or some people got it, received it as a gift and didn't really want it. And also the fact is like there are Kindle copies now, there are ebooks that are much more popular and not that’s a much cheaper way to buy a book. But my favorite speculative reason is that it's just half as long as Clinton’s book. Clinton’s book is like 1,000 pages long and George W Bush got his presidency done in 500 pages and then he's out.

[edpc]

A lot of conservatives had legitimate issues with some of Bush’s policies. However, considering we could have had Gore or Kerry.....we should be thankful.

[JohnBrowdie]

I’m reading his book right now. it’s fascinating. GWB bears no resemblance whatsoever to his dumb as dirt media caricature. but I already knew that.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Got it - just like global warming is making it colder. You really can’t beat liberals for stand up comedy.

[Eddie01]

Tioga,

Leftist leaders are not delusional in the least and the group members they manipulate appear delusional because they believe what their charlatan leaders tell them.

Groupthinkers prefer group acceptance over the truth.

MSNBC and other MSM outlets are groupthink leftist mindguard organizations devoted to preventing leftist followers from reassessing their assumptions upon which are built their collective entrenched ignorance.

With apologies to Irving Janis, here is their template cast as commandments:

I Thou shalt create an illusion of invulnerability shared by most members to foster excessive optimism and encourage extreme risks taking

II Thou shall not allow any member to question the group’s inherent morality, instead members shall be encouraged to ignore the ethical or moral consequences of their decisions

III Thou shalt promote collective efforts to rationalize in order to discount warnings, or other information that might lead members to reconsider their assumptions before they recommit themselves to their assumptions

IV Thou shalt reinforce stereotyped views of enemy leaders as too evil to warrant genuine attempts to negotiate, or as too weak and stupid to counter whatever risky attempts are made to defeat their purpose

V Thou shalt self-censor any deviation from the apparent group consensus, inclining each member to minimize the importance of their doubts and counterarguments

VI Thou shalt create and maintain a shared illusion of unanimity concerning judgement conforming to the majority view

VII Thou shalt apply direct pressure on any member who expresses strong arguments against any of the group’s stereotypes, illusions, or commitments, making clear that this type of dissent is contrary to what is expected of all loyal members

VIII Thou shalt appoint mindguards to protect the group from adverse information that might shatter their shared complacency about the effectiveness and morality of their decisions

Regards,
Eddie01

[NonValueAdded]

I was going to say you left off the barf alert tag but then see you started out with “MSNBC” - a barf alert would have been redundant.

[bunkerhill7]

“MSNBC: The Bible is by far the bestselling book of all
time Because it is So Hated”

[GrouchoTex]

My thinking exactly. I do not believe I’ve ever purchased a book by an author I disliked.

[jeffc]

Well, obviously we can't say for sure because we don't know why those two million people have bought it. But, there are, I’ve speculated a couple reasons.

Well, at least he admits he hasn't asked them why they bought it, but I'm sure if he did, he'd only keep the negative comments. But it still begs the question: if he didn't try to find out why people bought the book, why is he on a TV show speculating as to the reason why? Is he an "expert"? Is he on just to spout the liberal line and make it into news?

[Billthedrill]

...we don't know why those two million people have bought it.

Try asking, Alex. You're supposed to be a journalist.

[AlexW]

“I have a sneaking suspicion he did not write it. However, for argument’s sake, lets say he did.”
______________________________________

Bill Ayers has already admitted to haveing written it.

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

Bill Clinton’s presidential memoir...

Interns, secretaries, and the "fun" he had with them... hee-yuck!

George Bush's presidential memoir...

Serious matters ranging from 9/11 to Iraq and Afghanistan decisions.

Which one wold anyone not on drugs, or forced to while in Gitmo (torture), read? Did Bill Clinton include phone numbers, email addresses, and ratings (1 through 4 stars) of the women?

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

"But, there are, I’ve speculated a couple reasons."

1) MSNBC employees bought all of them for their nut-job leftist friends as Winter holiday presents?

[castlegreyskull]

Either way, I still purposely bought a book from an author that I hate. Although my motives are atypical of those of a normal reader, when purchasing a book.

I did buy and read Bush’ “Decision Points”, which was far better written, enjoyable and more sincere than that of “Dreams”.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I saw the video on Breitbart, and after actually hearing the explanation (the title had me howling with laughter), I could see where some Bush-haters, out of a certain morbid fascination, would buy the book to see how he explains himself.

PING!

[R0CK3T]

Yes, that makes complete sense!

They HATE him soooo passionately that they are willing to spend 20-30 dollars of their own hard earned money to stick it to him!

That makes total sense -— to a complete Moron.

There you go W, take my money because you are such an evil person I just need to send in to you!!

That’ll show ‘em!

[Verginius Rufus]

I don't really trust that 22% figure for Bush--a lot of people were unhappy with how he was handling things toward the end, but that doesn't mean that all but 22% of the people hated him.

Bush got over 62 million votes in the 2004 election. 2 million copies of his book being purchased means 1 in 30 of those who voted for him (at least once--many of those people also voted for him in 2000) bought the book (assuming no one bought it who was under 18 in 2004, or not a US citizen, or voted for someone else in 2004, or didn't bother to vote).

[Twinkie]

Yeah, the media painted G.Bush as stupid and dumb as dirt. We had all the information on him, his grades, all of it. We have NUTHIN’ about Obama. No grades, no IQ, nuthin’. Just Katie Couric’s and Tom Brokeoff’s word that Obama is a GENIUS! - (and, of course, so are they, just take their word for it).
Why you reckon that is?

They paint Governor Palin that way, too. As stupid. Up is down. Down is up. Black is white, White is black.

[The Comedian]

The myth that George W. Bush was hated by normal Americans was parroted by the sub-normal American media, and all the sub-normal Americans believed it, even if they didn't personally hate George W. Bush.

Bill Clinton's book didn't sell because everyone, and I mean *everyone* from the anarcho-capitalists to the moonbat Marxists knows that Bill Clinton is a professional liar, and his book would contain nothing of consequence, because it would be full of self-serving lies.

The "Bush Lied" meme was a projectionist attack on GWB from the Left, who worship Satan with lying as a sacrament.

There is no attempt at a "Clinton told the truth" meme, because even Hell knows there isn't anyone stupid enough to believe it.

Hence the book sales differential.

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[crazydad]

Loons all of them. Liberals do not think rationally. It sometimes makes me wonder. Where that many babies dropped on their heads by their mommies?

[Cheburashka]

Garsh, this means President Bush could probably double sales of his book by simply announcing that he eats kitten sandwiches three times a week.