The closing of Borders book stores isn’t that newsworthy, but The Washington Post on Monday somehow turned it into a celebration of how liberal books sell well (and conservative titles don’t) in blue Maryland. Reporters Larissa Roso and Michael Rosenwald began at a store at Rockville’s White Flint Mall:
Many shoppers, such as Francie Kranzberg, went straight for the political stuff: a copy of "Blowing Smoke: Why the Right Keeps Serving Up Whack-Job Fantasies About the Plot to Euthanize Grandma, Outlaw Christmas, and Turn Junior into a Raging Homosexual," by Michael Wolraich. "I’m looking for Keith Olbermann’s book, too," she said.
At the White Flint store, there were enough copies of Jonah Goldberg’s "Proud to Be Right" to supply at least a dozen book clubs. But there was only one copy of Walter Mondale’s autobiography, "The Good Fight: A Life in Liberal Politics."
It's not quite relevant to the story to note that Goldberg isn't really the author of that book -- it's an anthology of under-30 conservative writers -- except it suggests that Goldberg's byline doesn't have appeal. Obviously, in liberal Montgomery County, it's easier to sell a book attacking conservative "whack job" fantasies. But guess what? It's also a much easier market for liberal Washington Post legends:
...At the Wisconsin Avenue store in Friendship Heights on Friday, Glenn Beck was not moving, even for less than 6 bucks. More than 60 copies of "Broke: The Plan to Restore Our Trust, Truth and Treasure" were still available.
"It’s good to see it in the bookshelves," said Anthony Green, a shopper who left with "Obama’s Wars," by Bob Woodward.
Roso and Rosenwald found Beck was selling better in D.C., so they turned to mocking unsold Christian thrillers:
In downtown Washington at the Borders at 18th and L streets, Beck’s "Broke" was doing much better. Only one copy remained. Rochelle Schweizer’s "She’s the Boss: The Disturbing Truth About Nancy Pelosi" — four copies.
But there were dozens of "The Twelfth Imam," an evangelical Christian spy thriller by Joel C. Rosenberg, on the shelves.
"If you don’t buy it today, it may not be here tomorrow," a poster nearby said.
It didn't occur to them that one reason there are large stocks might be because Rosenberg's written several best-selling thrillers.
