WisPolitics Budget Blog

A few weeks ago, I happened to be at a Wash DC lunch with my vast right-wing conspiracy friends when Ed Klein joined us. He had been dropped from appearing on a number cable news shows to promote his book, The Truth About Hillary, and he wanted to enlist conservatives in his cause.

Klein carries an impressive liberal portfolio -- a former editor at the NY Times and Newsweek, a bestselling author on the Kennedys with access to family sources -- so why throw a wild punch at the Democrats' new version of a Kennedy?

The best answer Klein offered was because, she has no principles.

OK, so, it is not about tapping into conservative venues to sell a book with more hype than new material?

No principles? How principled is it to carry a manuscipt to a publisher known for marketing to conservative audiences, manufacture a sales buzz with a titillating subtitle, What She Knew, When She It, and How Far She'll Go to Become President, and then, commit the sales crime of offering no new content.

Publishers, and now liberal news editors, understand the power of conservatives in the marketplace. They don't need to read Rush Limbaugh's arbitron ratings to see the potential to make a quick buck.

Exploiting the conservative passion that is generated by mere mention of Hillary Clinton is not a principle that should be rewarded with book sales of Mr. Klein's compilation of old material.