Yesterday, the right-wing group Focus on the Family released “The Attack on Christmas 2007, a list of businesses that advertise during the holidays. Barnes & Noble (B&N) is listed in the “Ugly” category for “censor[ing]” Christmas in holiday advertising.
On The O’Reilly Factor yesterday, the group’s Carrie Gordon Earll and Bill O’Reilly — a fighter in the War on Christmas — slammed the business community for “avoiding using the word Christmas.”
But when Earll criticized B&N for “intentionally removing the word Christmas” and “using that holiday theme,” O’Reilly cowered. “We got – now Barnes and Noble, they say to be fair to them, because they sell a lot of book at Barnes and Noble,” he said:
EARLL: And I’m going to spend my money some place that’s not scared to wish me a Merry Christmas.
O’REILLY: And I think a lot of people feel the same way, which is why we reversed the trend, but I’m not going to come down hard on Barnes & Noble. I think, you know, Dick Sporting Goods, you know, they may want to rethink this.
Watch it:
O’Reilly, author of seven books, recently released Kids Are Americans Too. Over the years, he has bragged about a chummy relationship with America’s largest bookstore:
– The Riggio brothers, who run B&N, are good guys and are doing the right thing. Corporate dignity is important and never ridiculous. [8/21/07]
– Barnes & Noble has been great to us, as are all the retailers. [10/3/06]
– I have a good relationship with the CEO, Len Riggio, and he wouldn’t do anything underhanded. [10/25/05]
After giving B&N a pass, O’Reilly ended the show shilling for his books: “Finally, time for the mail. Tons of it last night. But first, a big thank you for making the paperback of Culture Warrior a huge hit.”
Do O’Reilly’s personal book sales take precedent over fighting the “War On Christmas?”
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