Children's Author the Most Hated Conservative in America?
Hillary Clinton, Alan Colmes, Andrew Sullivan among prominent liberals who assail popular kid's book, liken it to Nazi propaganda. Conservative author laughs off allegations. "What else would you expect from liberals?"
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) November 29, 2005 -- Judging from the reaction of liberal pundits and politicians, George W. Bush is no longer the most despised conservative figure in America. That distinction might just belong now to Katharine DeBrecht, a children's author and mother of three.
What catapulted DeBrecht, an unassuming housewife, to this dubious and unlikely distinction? Blame it on her recently released children's book, “Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed” (Kids Ahead; hardcover: $15.95; ISBN 0976726904), an illustrated story that portrays cartoon versions of left-wing icons Hillary Rodham Clinton and Ted Kennedy taxing and regulating a lemonade stand run by two young entrepreneurs. The book has been widely condemned as liberals have called DeBrecht everything from a Nazi to a Maoist.
But the most widely reported criticism of the book came from one of the subjects of its satire. The Congressional newspaper The Hill quoted the spokesman for Clinton -- who is attempting to appear more moderate in preparation for an expected run for the presidency in 2008 -- issuing a snippy retort. Press secretary Philippe Reines mocked the book, saying, “(I) can't wait for the sequel, 'Help! Mom! I Can't Read This Book Because Republicans Have Cut Literacy Programs!'” He later insinuated that the book had not sold well.
Contrary to the spokesman's assertions, DeBrecht's book has been a brisk seller ever since it was announced. The title has consistently ranked among the top selling children’s books on Amazon, and at one point it hit #1 on the Barnes & Noble bestseller list. The book has been on the market for only two months and a third printing is already underway.
The facts notwithstanding, Hillary Clinton's acolyte is not the only prominent liberal to assail “Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed.” Fox News talk show host Alan Colmes told DeBrecht that her book is “brainwashing,” and MSNBC host Ron Reagan said to the author on air that he wanted to do his own children's book portraying conservatives as “hating black people.”
Liberals in the blogosphere have been even less kind to DeBrecht. Blogger and former New Republic editor Andrew Sullivan incorrectly asserted that the book contained a nude likeness of Congressman Barney Frank and, though he eventually retracted his error, he went on to liken it to the propaganda of Chinese dictator Mao Tse-Tung. The popular Web site Democratic Underground named DeBrecht to its “Top 10 Conservative Idiots” list, and Daily Kos, the most trafficked left-wing blog, likened the book to Nazi propaganda.
“What else would you expect from liberals?” shrugs DeBrect. “They've been foisting their ideological agenda on children for years, and now they're beside themselves that someone would write a book for families who believe in traditional values. I guess it gets in the way of their attempts to erode personal responsibility and undermine families, faith, and free markets -- which are critical to establishing a welfare state.
“Evidently liberals think that children's books about socialist fish and gay kings are OK,” DeBrecht added, “but a story about hard work and self-reliance is too extreme.”
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*From the upcoming release, "Help! Mom! Hollywood is in My Hamper"