She's not had the chance to read the book of course, but The Daily Beast's Michelle Cottle took to her keyboard on Tuesday to slam Rush Limbaugh for daring to publish his forthcoming children's book Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims. Cottle denounced the conservative radio host as a "degenerate rodeo clown" and compared buying one's child a copy of the book to letting "Howard Stern come in to lead your preschooler’s circle time." [Wait, she realizes Howard Stern is one of the four judges on a popular family-friendly talent program on NBC, right?]
"I am hoping to be surprised. Often, political types court kids as a way to soften their image," Cottle insisted, before continuing her venom-laced screed headlined, "Rush Limbaugh Has No Business Teaching History to Our Kids." "That said, I’m not holding my breath," Cottle huffed. "And, no matter how diluted the story’s ideological rhetoric, it’s already clear that it will be, at its core, a crass and pompous mixture of self-marketing and self-mythologization. (“Rush Revere”? The man should be reading children’s books, not writing them.)" Cottle groused, concluding:
The release date for Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims is set for October 29, two days before Halloween, which seems entirely appropriate. After all, it’s tough to think of a cultural development more frightening than one of conservatism’s most age-inappropriate personalities peddling his ideas specifically to young kids.
Except maybe for Rush’s on-air musing that, if the book sells well, he plans to expand it into a series.
I'm sure Rush is thankful for such free press from liberals like Cottle, which no doubt will help move copies of the book.
P.S.: The way Cottle describes it, you'd think Rush's new book is geared towards kindergartners or first graders. But according to Amazon.com, it clocks in at 224 pages long. It's clearly intended more for the middle-school/junior high set.
