Liberal authors triumphant as US bookshelves lean left

[RamboLiberal]

I've noticed this lately after several months mumbling on my frequent trips to a bookstore. Hope this is a sign.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2003/09/14/liberal_authors_triumphant_as_us_bookshelves_lean_left/

In a sales surge that surprised politicians and booksellers alike, five liberal books will be among The New York Times's top 15 hard-cover nonfiction bestsellers on today's list, mounting what some sales specialists see as a left-wing assault on the conservatives' decade-long hold on popular culture.

Until now, book publishing -- like talk radio and opinion magazines -- was dominated by right-wing political titles, including polemics by the leading radio and television pundits. The airwaves, bestseller lists, and the opinion press were widely viewed as links in a network that helped prompt investigations of President Clinton and assisted the elections of a Republican House, Senate, and presidency.

The extent of the conservative dominance of popular culture so alarmed Democrats that former vice president Al Gore, among others, proposed earlier this year creating a new television network to promote liberal causes.

This week, "Treason" by the popular conservative agitator Ann Coulter clocks in at number five, but no other right-leaning political book appears anywhere in the top 30. The top position belongs to Al Franken's "Lies (and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them)," a satirical body blow to the conservative punditry. A more cerebral attack on the same conservatives, Joe Conason's "Big Lies" registers at number eight.

[DIKB]

1. one question

does Fascist Ann still have a (+) by her title letting the world know corporations are buying it in bulk ?

[w13rd0]

2. yes, believe...

...she does, as does every RW author that appears for the most part...

[RainDog]

3. A guy who looked like an ex-football player

remarked, within my hearing, after picking up the Franken book, "I never knew Franken was so paranoid."

I said, hey, I think Franken is spot on.

He said, yeah, figures...because people in the state where I live think the town where I live is freakish because it is so liberal, compared to the rest of the state.

(and not because I have tattoos and a nose piercing or anything else...I don't...I also don't have helmet hair and pastel sweat suits.)

Anyway, I just smiled like, you're an asshole, aren't you, and it burns you that people aren't buying the bullshit, obviously, when so many liberal titles are best sellers in the US.

It gives me hope to know that people all over the country are getting informed and/or confirming their thinking about the neo-cons.

If we can just make sure we AT LEAST have non-partisan exit polling at the voting booths, we might be able to get rid of the nasty junta which is taking our country down the wrong path.

As Krugman said in his column on Friday, it's going to get worse, and we can expect to see the nastiest, meanest election fight in history.

I believe he's right about this, and I believe it will backfire on Bush and all of his base.

The big question is whether the checks and balances we have in place are so compromised that we cannot enforce the will of the people against what is, philosophically and in practice, a fascist regime.

[groovedaddy]

4. All well and good, but...

only about 20% of the American adult population read! The rest get their (dis)info from TV.

[Beetwasher]

5. Liberals Read Books, Morons Watch Fox

'nuff said...

[groovedaddy]

6. Is there ever enough? "Not all conservatives are

stupid people. But all stupid people are conservative."

[LeahMira]

7. Come on...

In a sales surge that surprised politicians and booksellers alike, five liberal books will be among The New York
Times's top 15 hard-cover nonfiction bestsellers on today's list, mounting what some sales specialists see as a
left-wing assault on the conservatives' decade-long hold on popular culture.

Come on! How many conservative right-wingers buy books for themselves? Maybe for their kids they'll buy Harry Potter, but they listen to news and commentary. They don't read a lot, and they seem to have terribly short memories besides.

Best thing to do is to read what Ann Coulter is saying (get the book in the library or find out on the internet... I'd not want anyone to actually pay good money for it!) and find out where she lies and what the facts really are. Then, again, figure out WHY she's so appealing to the right wing and try to speak to that.