Do people really buy this stuff?

I recently read about a new children's book on the market. It's titled"Why Mommy is a Democrat." Oh boy, I thought to myself--this ought to be a real must-read!

The website has the following blurb on it:

Why Mommy is a Democrat brings to life the core values of the Democratic party in ways that young children will easily understand and thoroughly enjoy. Using plain and non-judgmental language, along with warm and whimsical illustrations, this colorful 28-page paperback depicts the Democratic principles of fairness, tolerance, peace, and concern for the well-being of others. It's a great way for parents to gently communicate their commitment to these principles and explain their support for the party.

[It] may look like a traditional children's book, but it definitely isn't just for children. With numerous subtle (and not-so-subtle) satirical swipes at the Bush administration and the Republican party, [it] will appeal to all ages!

Finally, a portion of the profits will be donated to Democratic candidates and party organizations, so your purchase will help make an immediate difference!

So, by reading this book, I can learn exactly what makes a Dem different from a Repub, eh? Is it these deep down core values? I hope they aren't trade secrets. Well, let's a take a look, shall we?
Here are some sample pages, taken from the website.

Here is the first:

Okay, now what's going on here? The poor oppressed guy on the bench is clearly not getting his share of the "toys," I suppose. Those must be Republicans or something walking by, since by implication no Democrat would *ever* walk by a homeless guy without giving him a pat on the head, a food stamp, or some free condoms.

Mommy squirrel must be representative of the government, I suppose. It makes sense--nanny state, mommy squirrel. Of course, where did the kids get those toys, anyway? From Mommy squirrel, natch! So, I don't need to earn my own toys because dear sweet Mommy will give them to me! Thus, since they are really *her* toys (but she would never say she owns them, because "owning" them would make her a nasty capitalist), she can give them to whomever she wants!
These toys she gives us are not Babie dolls, or soldiers, or anything nasty or declasse or (heaven help us!) red-state toys like guns or knives. They are clearly educational toys, since the blocks seem to spell out "democrat"...or perhaps it's "taco me, dr" or "maced rot" or even "cadre tom"...that could come in useful for understanding Marxism, I guess.
Thanks, Mom, for teaching us how to spell, so that we can spell "victim," and "welfare" and all those important words!
Of course, Mommy could just let the homeless fellow sleep in the living room, instead of making him suffer out there on the park bench...

Here's the next one:

Whoa! Watch out! That must be a Republican walking down the road there! (Could be Rush Limbaugh, I guess) you know how those elephant guys are natural enemies of cute, helpless little fuzzy squirrels. Is that other guy a flasher, or what? I suppose that if the elephant attacks, Mommy will protect her little flock by...umm...sacrificing herself by flinging her body under its feet? shooting its eyes out with righteous wrath and protest signs? running away and screaming?
Well, I can't really tell how, other than making sure her right-thinking little squirrels don't play with elephants. But...wait! That's speciesist!

On to the last sample page:

Wow! Mommy is helping us get into that big expensive university back there! I don't know where she got the money--maybe it's a diversity scholarship or something. That black kid on the railing must not be talented enough, or rich enough, to get in.
Hey, are those parents with the happy grad the same ones from the park, earlier? You can just feel the evil non-egalitarian racist Republicanism oozing off of them, can't you? I don't know why Mommy would want us to go to school with kids like theirs, anyway--oh, but I forgot--universities educate people so they become Democrats when they get out! So that's okay, then.
That's one expensive school--where *did* the money for that come from, again? Is that a public school, or a private one? Why doesn't Mommy send us to a cheaper school, and use the money as investments for her retirement fund, or for a down payment on a house for us when we get out of school in 4-10 years?

To recap, this book is designed to show "the Democratic principles of fairness, tolerance, peace, and concern for the well-being of others."
I guess that the core values shown here on the sample pages are these:

1. Democrats share (and Republicans never do);
2. Democrats protect people (and Republicans don't);
3. Democrats educate all people (and Republicans don't)

The book pretends to use "plain and non-judgmental language," but a little innuendo goes a long way, doesn't it? If fairness or tolerance is an actual Democratic principle, it's hard to spot there here, since they are only applied to some and not to others.

And are those core Democratic principles so simplistic that they can be broken down into simple soundbites, or is the author saying that Democrats are childlike? I can't say that I find blatantly political illustrations "warm and whimsical." Squirrels are nice and warm and fuzzy, I guess, but there isn't much whimsy here. There's some "I feel GOOD about what I believe" action here, but nowhere is there any indication that this simplicity leads to misrepresentation or (dare we speak the verb that has no name?) even lies.

The blurb states, "It's a great way for parents to gently communicate their commitment to these principles and explain their support for the party." If parents have to resort to satirical distortions in picture book form to explain what they believe, what does this say about them? I think it suggests that they can't think or communicate outside of propaganda, or that their notion of what they stand for is based on childish rationale.

So...who is responsible for this sparkling prose, witty humour, backed up with scathing expose, years of research and careful fact finding?

Meet Jeremy Zilber:

A lifelong Democrat and political activist, I have been teaching and writing about American politics for over a decade. Although Why Mommy is a Democrat is my first children's book, I've previously authored and coauthored numerous political essays and the book Racialized Coverage of Congress: The News in Black and White.

After hearing for years that I should consider writing children's books, I finally decided to give it a try. But I didn't want to write a typical children's story; instead, I set out to write a book that would help parents communicate important political values to their children and offer an underlying theme of political satire for adults. The result, Why Mommy is a Democrat, reflects my passion for progressive politics, my sense of humor, and my academic training in fields such as political psychology and socialization.

Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, I received a B.A. from Oberlin College and a Ph.D. from Ohio State University. I currently live in Madison, Wisconsin, with my partner Julia, her daughter Isabella (age six), and our cat Zachary -- all lifelong Democrats.

I certainly hope the last two didn't vote in the last election. I doubt that Zilber is seriously suggesting that his step-daughter (it's his Partner Julia's, after all, and not his) and his cat are registered, card-carrying, primary-voting Democrats. But it comes across as rather "twee" to mention it.

Hmm...well, Shaquille O'Neal and Britney Spears thought they could act, and the Great One became a children's author (Madonna, I mean, not Wayne Gretzky) of some notoreity. I guess Zilber thought that he should join the crowd of people who give it a whirl. Many people think, "How hard can it be to write a children's book anyway, since we all know that kids don't read very well?" Here's a tip--it's hard. But this isn't a children's book, anyway, but a book for adults, who can pretend it's for the kids.

I can't quite see the market for this book, unless it is Democrats who are still wondering why everybody isn't one. It can't be the principles they espouse, because (those who buy this book must opine) when put in simple, black and white terms like this, why wouldn't everybody want to be a Democrat? I guess it's a "please validate me and make me remember why I am such a good person" kind of book.

Don't get me wrong--the principles might be sound, but presented like this, it becomes indoctrination. This isn't really what Democrats want for their kids, is it? And I'm not trying to be partisan--if the book happened to feature principles which were more Republican in nature, I'd still say the same things about it. Here, the medium (to distort McLuhan) is a message above the message. And it doesn't send a good one about people who purchase this medium.