UPDATE: Mark Levin announced on Twitter that Target has reversed course and will indeed make his book available to its customers:
Target just informed my publisher that it has reversed course and will be taking my new book in its stores upon its release.
You folks are an immense force for free speech and market capitalism, and conservative authors and audiences everywhere will benefit from your patriotism.… pic.twitter.com/sCesaXgRKB
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) July 6, 2023
ORIGINAL POST: Popular conservative talk radio host and Fox News personality Mark Levin (pictured above) informed his followers in a tweet on Wednesday that retail giant Target notified him that it will not sell his upcoming book, The Democrat Party Hates America. Newsweek reports:
It comes after Target was the subject of backlash and calls for a boycott over its LGBTQ+ Pride (merchandise), which the retailer said was forced to scale down following threats to staff. The controversies sit at the heart of the culture wars, and appear to pit Target against conservative shoppers.
However, Levin’s upcoming book remains available for pre-order on Target’s website, as of 5:35 a.m. ET on Thursday (it was still on the site at noon on Thursday when NLPC checked). Newsweek has contacted the retailer for comment and clarification on its position via email on Thursday.
Target has informed my publisher, Simon & Schuster, that it will not carry my new book when it is released on September 19. It claims that certain customers might be offended by the title. Imagine that! So, the corporatist leftwing censorship begins. I will discuss this in…
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) July 5, 2023
In an op-ed last month for RealClearMarkets, NLPC chairman Peter Flaherty wrote that “clueless” Target CEO Brian Cornell has led the company down a divisive path:
To Corporate America, it’s as if half or more of the country does not exist. Until now, there has been little risk… As long as CEOs check the boxes of certain social and political causes, they are immune to media criticism and safe from the activists who would otherwise be their critics.
The list of causes, however, gets longer and weirder. Anheuser-Busch decided that the Bud Light brand could use a little freshening up with the help of Dylan Mulvaney, celebrating his 365th day of womanhood. The reaction has been an unprecedented, spontaneous boycott that has spread across social media. It has no real leaders, only participants, some famous and most who are not.
Now it’s Target’s turn. This time it’s not a brand that’s in jeopardy, but an entire enterprise. The company has 1,948 stores and was #32 by revenue on the 2022 Fortune 500 list.
When asked about the firestorm, CEO Cornell retreated to familiar territory. “The things we’ve done from a DE&I (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) standpoint, it’s adding value,” Cornell said. “It’s helping us drive sales, it’s building greater engagement with both our teams and our guests, and those are just the right things for our business today.”
Oh really? Cornell has failed to fathom that he is on the wrong side of the cultural revolution that is being foisted on the American people. As the moral anarchists’ demands become more extreme, the reaction will become more furious.
“Pride” merchandise aimed at toddlers and “tuck-friendly” bathing suits are not just controversial, they embody evil. Gender is neither a cultural construct nor a form of oppression. Cornell made $17.6 million last year. For that money, shareholders might expect a simple grasp of biology.
