Kid Lit Goes Political

Kornacki: It's surely coming, and it will surely be overblown

(NEWSER) - Steve Kornacki provides a preview of what's in store for Democrats in the wake of Tuesday's election by looking back at 1994. That's when Newt said (of Bill and Hillary): "They really are left-wing elitists and they really thought the country didn't get it and therefore it was their job to give the country the government that they thought the country needed ..." Rush Limbaugh labeled Clinton's first two years a "belch," and George Will opined that Clinton would never win a second term in the newly conservative nation. More»

She's a tiara-wearing opponent of free enterprise

(NEWSER) - Help! Mom! The Radicals Are Ruining My Country! sounds like what it is: A picture book aimed at conservative children—or maybe the children of conservative parents. In any case, a tiara-wearing Nancy Pelosi features prominently, and she ain’t a Santa Claus figure, notes Boing Boing . The book, which follows the travails of two boy entrepreneurs who run into big-government roadblocks, is a sequel to Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed! More»

Chrysler ad a political football

(NEWSER) - God bless America ... and the Chrysler bailout ... seemed to be the message that left football fans misty-eyed after Clint Eastwood's Super Bowl Chrysler ad. It's "halftime" in America, and we're all pulling together for a brighter economic future, says the gravelly-voiced star. But Eastwood was opposed to the bailout that made the Chrysler turnaround possible, and now the ad has become a political football as Dems score points with it and the GOP tackles it, notes ABC News . “Saving the American Auto Industry: Something Eminem and Clint Eastwood can agree on," crowed White House spokesman Dan Pfeiffer on Twitter, referring to Eminem’s Chrysler ad during last year's Super Bowl. "Powerful spot," chimed in Obama re-election strategist David Axelrod. But George Bush's political maven Karl Rove snapped that he was "offended" by the ad, which he argued was orchestrated by the administration to paint a rosy future. More»

The public doesn't like either, but they get election wins anyway

(NEWSER) - Back in 1951, a political analyst came up with the theory that at any time in America there’s a Sun Party, which drives the agenda, and a minority Moon Party that shines by reflecting its rays. But these days, “we are living in the era of two moons and no sun,” writes David Brooks of the New York Times . “Neither party has been able to rally the country behind its vision of government.” More»

If you're more partial to Mel Gibson films, you might be a Republican

(NEWSER) - Not only are lefties and righties split on their politics and what kind of food they like —they're split on their entertainment choices as well. A recent poll for the Hollywood Reporter finds that a whopping 45% of Tea Partiers consider a celebrity's politics before paying to watch his or her movies, compared to 35% of Republicans and 20% of Democrats. Among the differences between the parties:

• Democrats are more likely to go to the theater: On average, they have seen 5.7 movies in a theater in the past six months, compared to less than four for Republicans.
• Democrats don't like Charlton Heston: Many have avoided films starring the National Rifle Association president. They're also not a fan of Mel Gibson: 36% have avoided his films. As for Republicans, about 40% try to avoid Sean Penn and a whopping 60% reject Michael Moore.