During Monday’s edition on Bloomberg’s With All Due Respect, co-host Mark Halperin and guest Donny Deutsch tackled one of the day’s hard hitting questions, “Okay Mark, when it comes to the publishing industry, why is this counterintuitive in certain ways, why are Clinton bashing books out there versus zero Trump?” Deutsch was curious about it because, “At this moment, the top three nonfiction books on the New York Times Best Seller list are all [about Hillary Clinton].” And neither one of them could figure it out.
“I’m surprised an anti-Trump book hasn’t worked yet,” stated Halperin, before noting there were a handful of anti-Trump books slated for release that had the possibility of “catching on.” But Halperin did have a rather simple explanation, “Number one, conservatives just buy more books. I mean, they dominate the best seller lists generally.” He also pointed to the fact that a Democrat now inhabits the White House. Yet, he was still shocked by that “kind of incredible disparity.”
On the point that conservatives buy more books Deutsch agreed, but he also claimed there was another reason. “He is a private citizen. The mostly litigious person in the United States,” he claimed, “I think people—any publisher is afraid. It's different than writing about Hillary Clinton, who’s in public office.”
Halperin didn’t quite buy Deutsch’s explanation, but had another question to raise:
HALPERIN: But go back to this. Why do conservatives buy more books, cause they're alienated by the liberal media?
DEUTSCH: I think they’re just basically more—
HALPERIN: And don't your liberal friends read books?
Bringing his point back around to an earlier claim he made, that liberal media bias claims were now credible, “I agree in the old days newspapers were maybe liberally biased and so conservatives might turn to books, but now there are plenty of liberal stuff and conservative stuff.” “Other than the litigious thing I actually can’t figure it out,” Deutsch replied. And it seemed Halperin was not satisfied with the few answers the segment left him with, saying, “It’s a bit of a mystery to me.”
Their shock could be because liberals seem to underestimate the buying power of conservatives around the country. This kind of surprise is similar to when liberal Hollywood is caught off guard when a film about the power of faith and Christianity becomes a blockbuster.
Transcript below:
Bloomberg
With All Due Respect
August 8, 2016
5:16:59 PM Eastern
DONNY DEUTSCH: At this moment, the top three nonfiction books on the New York Times Best Seller list are all— see to my point— are all about Hillary Clinton, not one of them is positive. The number of anti-Trump books that have cracked the top 20 in the past few weeks, Mark, is zero, interesting. Okay Mark, when it comes to the publishing industry, why is this counterintuitive in certain ways, why are Clinton bashing books out there versus zero Trump?
MARK HALPERIN: I’m surprised an anti-Trump book hasn’t worked yet. And there are some coming that maybe will catch on. Number one, conservatives just buy more books. I mean, they dominate the best seller lists generally. And two, we got a Democrat in the White House. But still, to have three anti-Clinton books atop the best seller list, kind of incredible disparity.
DEUTSCH: I think there is another reason. The main one is that conservatives buy more books just like they listen to more talk radio. He is a private citizen. The mostly litigious person in the United States.
HALPERIN: And people are afraid to write anything—
DEUTSCH: I think people—any publisher is afraid. It's different than writing about Hillary Clinton, who’s in public office.
HALPERIN: But I'm surprised there isn't like a… like a comedy book.
DEUTSCH: Kitty Kelley. A Kitty Kelley book, or something like that.
HALPERIN: Yeah. Or not Kitty Kelley. That they could get sued for. I'm talking like a… like a, you know, quotes, you know, Trump quotes, whatever.
<<< Please consider helping NewsBusters financially with your tax-deductible contribution today >>>
DEUTSCH: That’s not that’s going to sell a million issues.
HALPERIN: But go back to this. Why do conservatives buy more books, cause they're alienated by the liberal media?
DEUTSCH: I think they’re just basically more—
HALPERIN: And don't your liberal friends read books?
DEUTSCH: Um, my liberal friends read tweets from you and people like that. That’s what they’re doing right now.
HALPERIN: But there tweets about Hillary too. There is so much media about Hillary that’s not books that’s— I agree in the old days newspapers were maybe liberally biased and so conservatives might turn to books, but now there are plenty of liberal stuff and conservative stuff.
DEUTSCH: I— It is— Other than the litigious thing I actually can’t figure it out.
HALPERIN: It’s a bit of a mystery to me.
