Messing with kids' heads - what the Right is good at

Do you remember the monstrosity that is Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed!, a blatant Republican propaganda disguised as a children's book?  I have linked to some good reviews here and here.

Well, another one came out, just as bad: Help! Mom! Hollywood's in My Hamper! All those marginal types that the Right loves to portray as representative of the Democrats, like Michael Moore, Barbra Streisand, Susan Sarandon....hey, where is Ward Churchill?

But there is now one that is even more insidious: Why Mommy Is a Democrat (it is not on Amazon yet, if it is not an Internet hoax to begin with) that masquerades as a kids' book positive of Democrats, yet it seems to be a plant from the Right.  The "values" portrayed in there are not liberal, but the straw-men that the Rightists always put up as being liberal.  It is awful!

Nick Gillespie from The Left also thinks it is a plant.  So does Headmistress, zookeeper whose political affiliation I did not catch.

Only the American Digest from The Right thinks it is serious - well, when did the Right ever have a sense of humor?

(Cross-posted on Science and Politics)

Comments

[neil]

This is obviously satire. Look at the sample pages. The first one, "Democrats make sure we all share our toys," has a picture of two rich people turning their nose up at a bum in the background, and the last, "Democrats make sure children can go to school" has a big sign saying "ADMISSION $160,000" in the background. Anyone who cannot tell this is sarcastic is probably not paying too much attention.

Here are the author's political donations, which show he was an avid Democratic donor until 6 years ago when he pretty much dried up.

[gordo]

I'm not ready to say that the book is an attempt at satire. The fact is, there are a few people who live up to the Republican stereotype of the "Mommy Party."

However, I think that it's significant that this book isn't even offered on Amazon. It seems Democrats as a whole are not willing to indoctrinate their kids with propaganda that demonizes their Republican neighbors.

But the right-wing screeds you mentioned ARE selling at a brisk clip. And the ridiculous American Digest article compares the "Mommy is a Democrat" book with Nazi propaganda books that were produced for children, without realizing the fact that the "Help! Mom!" books are much closer in tone and content.

Maybe being a right winger requires that one have the ability to see only what one wants to see.

[Brandon Berg]

As someone who has in the past spent far more time than is prudent arguing with Democrats, I have no trouble believing that this book is seriou--or at least trying to be. I hear it all the time: Republicans and libertarians hate the poor. If they get their way, only the chlidren of the wealthy will be able to go to school, and the middle class will disappear. In fact...it's happening already!

For most people on both sides, this is about as sophisticated as political debate gets.

Also, Nick Gillespie's a libertarian, not a leftist.

[DuWayne]

I find this terribley amusing, through no fault of my own my four year old has only recntly gotten over his fear that there might be republicans in his closet who want to eat him. He's gotten better about it now but he did grill one of the repubs in our church about why he doesn't want him (my son) to have the same freedoms that he (repub) had when he was growing up? Or why doesn't he think that his Papa (me) doesn't deserve to see a doctor or get medicines? Funny thing is that he picks it up from conversations he overhears (occasionaly joins) and his obsession with air america radio - he loves Randy Rhodes. For him that's as sophisticated as the argument needs to get - really for any of us because it's the truth. And I'm not a democrat or an atheist.

[marli]

Note the Trogan horse in the cover illustration.

[Two Dishes]

That is a nutty book indeed. The squirrel-kids are horrifying.

[Vanderleun]

You need to look at Technorati more if you think I am the *only* one on the Right that thinks this is a "serious" effort. A few clicks and you'd see. But lest I be misunderstood, I also think it is very very funny. Nearly as funny as the great zinger "Analytic philosophy and liberal politics."

[coturnix]

I did not say you were the only one, just an example. If it is true that others on the Right also take it seriously, that just supports my thesis that Right is too uptight to have a sense of humor.

[gordo]

coturnix--

Of course people on the right have a sense of humor! For example, Vanderleun's joke about liberal politics being antithetical to analytic philosophy was...er...

[James]

Judging by the content, a more apropriate caption for this blog might be 'liberal politics and liberal politics and liberal politics and analytic philisophy.'

I have no idea if this book is for real or not. But the government:subject::mother:child analogy seems to be as good a model of the democrats I know as anything else.

[DeputyHeadmistress]

Do you really not see the irony of making sweeping generalizations about the right's complete lack of a sense of humour in a post complaining of the strawmen the right always put up?

And if the book turns out not to be a hoax, does that let a tiny glimmer of light in, enough to let you see there are idiots on the left just as there are on the right, and just about as many?

The author *is* a lifelong democrat, and he was interviewed on a podcast:
http://powerlineblog.com/archives/013249.php

[coturnix]

Yup, there are nutties on the Left. They are marginalized by us. They have always been marginalized by the Democratic Party.

Nutties on the Right, however, are the core of the GOP, they write the platform, write the laws, and nobody EVER denounces them. Taking a jab at them in the form of a sweeping generalization is called "using their own weapon against them".

A Democrat giving an interview on Powerline! And you expect me to believe that is serious? No real Democrat would stoop so low. Why don't you denounce Powerline - that would be a good start.

[gordo]

coturnix--

If I wrote a book, I'd consent to an interview on Powerline. Why not?

Again, I think the issue of whether or not the book represents the author's true point of view is irrelevant. What's relevant is how many Democrats actually buy the book, and the fact is that not many have. I conclude that it's not a fair representation of most Democrats' perspective. Meanwhile, the "Help! Mom!" books are flying off the shelves.

James--

Lindsay herself concedes that the politics have mostly crowded out the philosophy on this blog, mostly because of popular demand.

I was glad to hear that she was on John Gibson, because I've found that the conservatives who come here tend to be more thoughtful than on other liberal blogs. If you come back, I think you'll find that the disagreements here tend to consist of exchanges of ideas, rather than the food fights you find elsewhere.

[DeputyHeadmistress]

No, the Democrats do not marginalize their nutcases, they seat them next to Jimmy Carter, among other things.

About the Mommy/Democrat I really do not know whether it's satire or not- I think it's so stupid that it *should* be, but it's certainly looking more like it isn't. You're making case on the belief that it is satire, even though there are others on your side of the political aisle who think it's a great book, I've read their blogs- so if it turns out to be genuine, then you ought to rethink some of your sweeping generalizations and rather predictable bigotry.

As for the Liberals under the bed book, I never heard of it until I saw it mentioned here. That it sells proves nothing, because we don't know who buys it or why (it's 3673 in sales rank, and I think it's rather amusing that the poster claiming it is so terrible links to it with an Amazon affiliate link so she can profit from the sale of the dreadful book). The thing is that an awful lot of folks on the right are buying the Democrat book because they think it is so funny or so awful they just have to have it to show people, so the same may well be true of the Liberals Under the Bed book. We don't have enough evidence to make the sweeping generalizations that you're making.

I've also been told that the Liberal book is much more tongue in cheek than the Democrat/Mommy book, but whether it's true or not, I don't know, and I suspect you could not tell. Looking at it at Amazon, the drawings certainly seem more like political cartoons aimed at adults, unlike the illustrations of the Democrat/Mommy book.

And while this has been mildly interesting, I guess there's really no point in trying to discuss the definition of 'nutties' and extremists with somebody who thinks Powerline is extreme and should be denounced, but thinks promoting DIY abortions is a virtuous activity well within the mainstream.

[coturnix]

Powerline IS the ultimate in nuttiness, dishonesty and stupidity. They are the obvious target of all the humor from the Left because they make it so easy.