Socialist Infelicity? (DC Bookstore that Banned Drudge Bans Another Conservative)

The Washington Post ^ | May 21, 2002 | Lloyd Grove

[Timesink]

Washington bookstore Politics & Prose -- which two years ago refused to host a reading for cybergossip Matt Drudge because, in the words of co-owner Carla Cohen, "he's a rumormonger and a troublemaker" -- is once again ruffling conservative feathers.

This time, American Enterprise Institute scholar Joshua Muravchik says the independent bookstore agreed to sponsor a signing for "Heaven on Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism." But then, the author complains, the store's events coordinator withdrew the invitation when he belatedly realized that the book is critical, not laudatory, of the leftist ideology.

[Timesink]

Since it's a Post story, you'll have to go here to read the rest of it. Typical liberal style: You can't defend yourself against the truth, so you ban it.

[arkfreepdom]

Idiots, but it's their store. Let them stay stupid.

[robjna]

your premise is wrong to claim drudge as a conservative. he is nothing of the sort. he hangs with libs and gets his news fed from libs.

[beckett]

The New York Times on May 5, 2002: "People are coming in every day, asking, 'What can I read that can give me some understanding of what's happening [with the war on terrorism]?'" said Virginia Harabin, the floor manager at the Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington. "This [Noam Chomsky's book 9-11] is the one I recommend."

Ms. Harabin's taste in books tells you all you need to know.

Here's the Politics and Prose email address in case anyone's feels the urge to express themselves: books@politics-prose.com

[Timesink]

Thanks for her email address, but if I had a desire to get into an argument with a moron, I'd get a DU account. I'm more than content to spend all my money at giant chain bookstores and watch these "independents", which are almost 100% left-wing, slowly die off.

[Noumenon]

Right. Never argue with an idiot. They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

[jalisco555]

I'm more than content to spend all my money at giant chain bookstores...

You're not alone. Our local Barnes and Noble parking lot is always packed, particularly on Friday night. It's my favorite place to hang out. I'm really tired of these indy bookstores with their pretensions of superior virtue and so are lots of other people.

[Restorer]

Independent businesses don't ban books. They instead choose to carry them or not. If they make the wrong choices often enough, they will go out of business. Welcome to the free market.

[Big Bunyip]

Any Freepers in the neighborhood might want to "buy" a couple of hundred dollars worth of books at this joint and then, after they've been scanned, ask when the Muravchik book-signing is being held?

When the answer is negative, walk out and let them painstakingly return the unpaid-for books to the store's shelf inventory.

After a while, they'll get the message.

[Timesink]

No, they literally BANNED Matt Drudge himself from the bookstore.

[Celtjew Libertarian]

The irony being this is a good old capitalist practice: Niche marketing. This is great publicity that will make Politics & Prose THE left-wing book store of D.C. It almost makes me want to applaud.

[Restorer]

They chose not to invite him. Banning implies coercion.

[moyden]

Every liberal is a thug.

[rohry]

Fox's The Big Story will cover this sometime in the next hour...

[Katya]

The rest of the article is pretty good reading too...including Condi's reception at bethesda chevy chase commencements by the peaceniks...and blurb regarding a morning drive talk radio host who has abruptly left a very popular show after having a disagreement with knee pads founding member Bill Press.

[AlaskaErik]

McCarthy adds that "students deserve better than someone who advocates, as Rice does, sending U.S. pilots to kill human beings mad rabid dogs in Afghanistan."

[rmlew]

Barnes and Noble is no friend of Conservatives. It regularly fails to promote any conservative book unless it has already hit the top 10. It has also been my experience that they regularly carry books by every crackpot leftist, but never have copies of conservative books.

Amazon dot Com, changes reviews of conservative books.
Only the market pressure keeps these stores sane.

The indies in NYC are horrible. I imagine they are better in Bush country.

[jackbill]

including Condi's reception at bethesda chevy chase commencements by the peaceniks

As you no doubt know, from reading the whole article, it is that everlasting wimp, Coleman McCarthy, who is instigating this brainwashing of our youth. I just hope that I outlive this piece of garbage so that I can perform a ceremony over his grave.

[Chuckster]

Free enterprise.

If I owned a bookstore I would damn well invite or not whomever I pleased and stock only those titles that I wished.

I may not agree with what you have to say but I would defend, to the death if necessary, your right to say it. Conversely, based on private property rights, the owner of any property (or place of business) may extend or not an invitiation to promote a particular point of view purely at his own discretion.

In my town there is a bookstore called "The Revolution Bookstore" near the university campus. There is a large red banner with the familiar portrait of Che Guevara in the window. Do you suppose they stock copies of the Federalist Papers or any of Horowitz' works? Do you think they bring in conservative authors or speakers? Do you think some government agency should compel them to?

Free speech, free press, free enterprise.

[thucydides]

Saw Carla Cohen on C-Span Booknotes over the weekend. She is a big fat left wing slob.