Posted on 07/09/2002 7:38:31 AM PDT by mikeb704
This week’s New York Times bestseller is Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right. The author is Ann Coulter.
Miss Coulter is well known to regular viewers of the cable news networks. Long blond hair. Long legs. Short skirts. Big attitude and a quick wit that slashes Leftists down to size faster than you can say I feel your pain. Clearly, she qualifies as a pinup girl of the vast right-wing conspiracy.
Using computer searches and other research, Miss Coulter has delivered a 205-page tome that stunningly (for those who haven’t been paying attention) establishes how Leftist politicians, newspapers, television shows and news magazines have turned truth on its head. Those poor mislead souls may point to the supposed perils of conservatism, but they’re the real purveyors of hate. The almost 800 footnotes persuasively document her case.
Despite its number one ranking on their own list, the folks at the New York Times are undoubtedly astounded at the success of Miss Coulter’s book. Indeed, Slander points out how often liberals are flabbergasted at the success of books targeted to conservatives. Examples are provided, and here are just a few.
The Washington Post found Senatorial Privilege: The Chappaquiddick Cover-Up a "surprise national bestseller." United Press International (UPI) took note of ". . . such surprise bestsellers" as Illiberal Education and The Real Anita Hill. Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: Modern Tales for Our Life & Times was deemed "a surprise best seller" by USA Today.
Robert Bork’s Slouching Toward Gomorrah was a "surprise best seller" according to the Chicago Tribune. National Public Radio branded retired FBI agent Gary Aldrich’s Unlimited Access, a book detailing the sleaziness of the Clinton White House, a "surprise best-seller."
It’s understandable that conservative books being bought – and read and discussed – come as an unwelcome shocker to the deep thinkers who’ve propagandized Americans for decades. They are so detached from reality that they simply can’t fathom that some people still prefer to think for themselves. Why, they must wonder, aren’t customers scarfing up all of those riveting Jimmy Carter volumes instead?
I found a particular passage of Slander especially relevant: "Leaving nothing to chance, liberals also hide conservative books. The hiding books trick – long well-known to conservatives – eventually became comical enough to be written up in the New York Times."
Last Sunday I visited a bookstore located in a mall and looked for Ann Coulter’s book. Not finding it, I asked for assistance from a clerk who located it fairly quickly. The reason I hadn’t seen the book was because, in contrast to most of the other books displayed, it was shelved with only the side of the book opposite of the spine showing.
The clerk gave me a copy and commented there was only one left. "Guess we should have ordered more," he said cheerily. Not that I think there’s a conspiracy afoot or anything like that.
Some conservatives may take issue with a few of Miss Coulter’s conclusions. She doesn’t think, for example, that Bill O’Reilly of Fox News is a conservative. She cites his opposition to the death penalty, his support of gun control, his warming up to the notion of global warning, and his belief Elian Gonzalez should have been sent back to the prison that is Cuba as evidence.
She also doesn’t accept Pat Robertson as a genuine conservative. Here she points out his endorsement of Dole over Buchanan in the ’96 primaries, his calling for an end to Clinton’s impeachment, his endorsement for Most Favored Nation status for China, and his apparent acceptance of China’s forced abortion policies.
Perky Katie Couric, who is unfavorably mentioned in Slander, introduced Ann Coulter using the phrase "right-wing telebimbo." Not that Perky Katie thinks that, but someone else does. With enemies like Mz Couric, you just have to love Ann Coulter. Her book is terrific and will confirm – if you need additional confirmation – that your suspicions of media bias are grounded in fact.
If 1/500 people buy a book it is the #1 best seller going away. TV ratings, radio ratings, and movie grosses are the same way.
The movie industry is a great example of this. They combine the canada and US grosses. There are over 300 million people combined. A movie has a huge opening of 36 million dollars. At around 6 a ticket... that means 6 million people tickets were sold. 294 million people didn't go to the movie. Even less, because some fans went to the movie multiple times in the same week-end. But it is a HUGE opening. Now if 100 million people rushed out to buy any book other than the bible, I would find that impressive. Until then... yawn.
I was just responding to the "tone" of the article....
Yeah, and a curmudgeon too. Ann doesn't benefit from the establishment media plugging her book and serving as cheerleaders, as they do with their (Leftist) faves.
Does your use of "so-called" mean that they really aren't conservatives?
yet hard-line conservatives readily admit. . .
Gee, are there any soft-line conservatives?
Thanks for the grins.
Consider also, the Nobel Literature Prize -- Ayn Rand's 1958 classic, the philosophical novel "Atlas Shrugged," is the world's all time second place best seller (the Bible is number one); but the Nobel Literature prize goes to such as V. S. Naipaul (2001 Nobel Literature Prize winner), writing about basic things such as "Guerrillas."
"hard-line conservatives"
I'm pretty sure holdenmcneil2002 was just being kind. He really meant knuckle dragging right wing wackos, but is trying to get along with folks in his first post.
I think I am hostile, too.
Most people are not born that way. It comes from decades of being marginalized and trivialized by the Media ELite, by the (Not really very smart) Cambridge and Berkley axis. It is born out of frustration, revulsion and disgust.
BTW, they used to hide Rush's books, too. People reported The Correct were going into bookstores and turning them binder side out.
Book Burning was a big sport in Berlin, once, and in Bejing, also, and reveals much of the leftist character.
She sure is...he's a loudmouthed, arrogant and egotistical populist. Whatever he thinks the people want to hear...that's what he says.
It's funny...I lobbied my cable company to start carrying Fox News becasue of all the buzz about O'Reilly and becaause I wanted to see Hannity and COlmes. Now I get Fox and I've discovered that I can't bear to watch either show and Fox has hired Geraldo and Greta Van Sustern. Sheesh.
Almost all talk radio is dominated by so-called "conservatives". (Be sure to thank Reagan for helping to repeal the FCC's Fairness Doctrine.)
Fox News trumpets itself as "fair and balanced" at every opportunity, yet hard-line conservatives readily admit that it's their TV news of choice because it has a GOP-favorable slant.
(Just for a moment, use that vaunted 'common sense' which you fine folks claim as the exclusive province of the right; would a news program which was ACTUALLY "fair and balanced" feel it necessary to blare out the phrase ad nauseam?)
Not to mention that Bush's and Cheney's questionable financial dealings have received the merest fraction of Whitewater media coverage...or media coverage of Clinton's Penis. (You remember, right? The penis that single-handedly corrupted our nation? At least according to the "liberal" media.)
The mainstream media has become so obviously "conservative", yet you people continue to squawk "liberal media!" at every turn.
Myopia, like ignorance, truly must be bliss.
Troll.
Typical logic that takes the few areas where liberal bias is not so entrenched that the media outlets can't even see it and profoundly claims that:
"The mainstream media has become so obviously "conservative", yet you people continue to squawk "liberal media!" at every turn.
How do we get from one slightly conservative viewpoint (Fox) coupled with some conservative radio to the opinion that the mainstream media is obviously conservative?
My guees is 50/50 myopia and ignorance.
You just got here today - already making judgement calls about how often a phrase is used?
Wassa' mattah' - slow day at DU?
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