Alphecca

Why Mommy Is An Idiot

Not content to teach our children Why Heather Has Two Mommies, now there's a new children's book out titled, Why Mommy is a Democrat. I'm not making this up. Written by Jeremy Zilber, "A lifelong Democrat and political activist...," the book shows children how wonderful Democrats are (stop laughing). I suppose the not-so-subtle implication is that Republicans are horrible ogres. Here are sample pages given on the site:

Let's see... "Democrats make sure we all share our toys, just like Mommy does." Sure sounds like socialism to me. Or does this just mean that if I call up Senator John Kerry and ask to borrow his wind-surfer board he'll gladly agree to share it with me? Will Donald Trump share his penthouse apartment with me? Barbra Streisand her personal jet? Hey, Ted Turner! How about sharing those million acres of land with the rest of us?

I guess the message of the book is that -- unlike the squirrels depicted in the drawing who in real life are known to work hard to save nuts and other foods all Summer so they have something to eat in the Wiinter -- Zilber thinks that no one is entitled to the spoils of their labors. Everyone should just give what they have away. Especially if they're wealthy, I'm sure.

Hmmm, then there's "Democrats make sure children can go to school, just like Mommy does.". Ah yes, because there's nothing Republicans believe in less than education. Bush, for all his faults at least tried to impose some standards on our nation's public schools. Come to think of it, didn't Republicans also support school vouchers so parents (or guardians at any rate) had some choice of where their inner-city children went to school rather than being stuck with the failed public schools in their district?

The Democrats are famous, of course, for unfunded mandates regarding education (granted, the Republicans haven't been much better lately) during the Clinton years.

Leftist liberal "progressives" such as Zilber no doubt follow the "fail no child" creed where it doesn't matter how a kid does, just don't criticize him or his/her self-esteem will suffer.

What nonsense! To put out a book like this implying that Republicans are against education is the most dishonest form of brainwashing I've seen in a long time.

"Democrats make sure we are always safe..."? How? By ignoring terror threats around the world? By trying to appease insane tyrants in Iran, North Korea, Lebanon? By decrying or tying the government's hands when they attempt any program designed to ferret out what terrorists are planning? By broadcasting those programs in the liberal media? By decrying any feeble attempt to obtain information from enemy combatants within our capture?

Or perhaps he means how liberals and other Democrats constantly attempt to disarm the law-abiding of America so that only criminals will have guns...

Maybe I'm reading this last one wrong. It could be Zilber loves all the endless regulations and endless safety laws that insulate kids from any possible bump and bruise. Sad, really, because that's the only way they'll learn that later in life -- when they're on their own -- the real world is going to have bumps and bruises aplenty waiting for them, both physical ones and mental ones.

Anyway, you get the drift of this sorry exercise in mental cruelty to children.

By the way, there are testimonial letters of praise on the site including one from Columbus, Ohio Mayor Michael B. Coleman which says in part:

"Why Mommy is a Democrat is a warm and wonderful story of commitment to family and community..."

Yeah. That's what I see in all the Democratic strongholds of large inner-cities.

Then, it seems the book also gets a favorable review from the National Center for the Study of Children's Literature:

Should you happen to be a Democrat, you’re going to like this book. I liked it a lot. Mommy is a tufted-ear squirrel who embodies and makes visual all the good things Democrats like to think they do, like playing by the rules, treating everyone fairly, and sharing their toys. The picture book starts out, “Some Mommies are called Democrats,” and follows a “Democrats do such-and-such…"...

[...]

As a running contrast to the positive scenes in the foreground of the detailed 2-page drawings are background scenes juxtaposing the heartlessness of non-Mommylike people and the woe of the poor. The elite characters are never named “Republican” but they’re identifiable. Items like the newspaper the headline of which reads: “Tax Refund,” carried by the cigar-smoking escort of a snooty woman totting a poodle, are dead giveaways. So is the representative multicultural-looking down-and-out young man who is barred from an expensive school, sleeps under a tree in the park, or looks in trash cans for dinner. Every Democrats’ heartstrings will vibrate with joy as Zilbert picks all the acupuncture points for our pain and pleasure—like the reference to the 2000 election.

A very smart, enjoyable collaboration and highly recommended.

She likes it a lot. I guess she just happens to be a Democrat. I wonder if she'd be as willing to endorse a similar book going by the name, oh gosh, let me think a moment... Got it! How about Why Mommy is a Republican! Since when are partisan politics a suitable topic for children's literature recommendations?

Judging by the pictures and simpleton text, I gather the book is written for [and by... -- ed.] someone about the age of 5-years-old? Would they even understand the concepts of politics and political parties?

I suppose it's all a moot-point since most liberal, progressive Democrats are busy having abortions or otherwise not having any kids. There's almost nobody to buy the book for!

Posted by Jeff Soyer at August 23, 2006 03:47 PM