Mar 08 2007
Coulter does it again…
Obviously unsatisfied with her second straight slur at CPAC, Ann Coulter is now trivializing murder.
Is this acceptable discourse? I don’t think so.
This is why I find it harder and harder to remain aligned with conservatism. As Michael Medved pointed out, this is not just about civility – although that is important in and of itself. Daily Kos may say “Screw `em” about contractors killed in Iraq. Comments at the Huffington Post can wish that Dick Cheney was killed in a terrorist bombing in Afghanistan. But conservatives are supposed to be above such things.
Not only has she engaged in gutter politics, Ann Coulter has handed NARAL the basis for a major fund-raiser, just as she did with John Edwards at CPAC. Her self-promotion is helping the left raise money for its causes and candidates. Is this conduct that we should reward? I think the answer to that is not only no, but it should be HELL, NO!
As someone who believes that abortion should only be legal in cases of rape, incest, or circumstances in which the mother faces imminent and otherwise unavoidable risk of death or grave bodily harm (the same justification for self-defense), I do not see that goal being any closer as a result of Ann Coulter’s ill-advised comments (and that is being charitable). To the contrary, she has reinforced the worst stereotypes of pro-life activists in the media and pop culture. She has also given those who favor the status quo ample ammunition to raise funds and attack those who seek to end it.
This is not about political correctness. It is primarily about common decency, but also it has become obvious that Ann Coulter’s mouth is something that is helping the opposition far more than it helps us. That can no longer be tolerated when we already have trouble getting anything resembling fair coverage from the media.
If conservatism will not deal with Ann Coulter, then it will leave a lot of decent people. People who vote, I might add.
I am beginning to think there is something wrong with this woman. But then again, she is making a lot of money and she is being talked about…so maybe that is all she wants.
She makes the movement look bad.
What bugs me more than Ann Coulter are her fanboys. Did anybody really read through the comments on that Michael Medved column? There are people who clearly do not understand the distinction between being tough and being an asshole. I agree that there are moments — well, a disturbingly large number of moments — when Republicans turn the other cheek when they ought to fight back instead, or at least point out what their adversaries are doing. But apparently fighting back, to some people, means you need to yell “faggot” at people. A few posts on that thread defended Coulter by yelling “Edwards IS a faggot!!!!!!!” But what ticks me off is that these people lash out at you if you express your opinion that civility calls for limits on crap like this, and the implication is that people who are turned off by Ann throwing words like “faggot” around at public events must themselves be faggots, or at least liberal pansy bedwetters. The very first comment on the thread, the FIRST ONE, was a rant by some woman who attacked the masculinity of Ann’s male critics and insisted we were terrified of an assertive woman. Well, gee, if a woman is just being forthright by using the word “faggot,” do manly men throw around words like “slut” and “c*nt”? Are we wimpy males falling down on the job by not making loud comments about how Coulter’s enemies suck c*ck? If the people in Washington are corrupt, lazy, stupid, heartless, arrogant, mendacious, spoiled, incompetent, wasteful, petty little Quislings, somehow the word “faggot” doesn’t quite spell out what these people are. It’s like dragging out a runaway prosecutor, but you don’t say anything about the lives he’s destroyed or the injustice he’s spread like bubonic plague; no, instead you make jokes about his harelip. It’s stupid. It’s playground politics. But what do I know? Maybe real men are supposed to act like schoolyard brats.
So it isn’t just Coulter. I don’t give a damn how many books she sells or how much she appears on TV; I don’t have to read her books and I don’t even watch TV. My main beef is with the hyenas who are her fans. I don’t want to fight in the same political foxhole with these people. They have the stink of someone who has a lot of anger and is just looking to bite somebody, and they will turn on YOU if you make the wrong move. I got a good whiff of that stink during the Harriet Miers and Dubai Ports World affairs, I get a good whiff of it on some of the immigration threads I’ve read, and I got a noseful on that Medved thread. I am seriously done with these people.
Heh. Thanks for giving me the excuse to rant, Harold. That felt GOOOOD 🙂
Aitch:
I agree.
This has nothing to do with being tough. Coulter is not tough, she has probably never even done a load of laundry in her life. She is rich. She is privileged. She is spoiled. She is pampered… and she is starting to remind me of Paris Hilton in politics. Me rich, me spoiled, me outrageous. Me brat.
No, this does not help conservatives, anymore than Michael Moore helped John Kerry. It just reinforces stereotypes by giving people the impression that conservatives are self righteous bigoted homophobes, who in this case seem to think that shotgunning abortion doctors is way cool.
When Ann called Edwards a faggot, she was not insulting him so much as she was deliberately and publicly using an insulting term to demean homosexuals who had done nothing to her. Nothing. It would be like saying nigger and then feigning ignorance, outrage and innocence when someone called you on it. This is not tough, it is stupid.
The response? Well if you mind using the word faggot then you don’t vote Republican anyway. I guess someone should have told us that before the last election.
BTW, one of the founders of Pajamas Media Roger Simon made a point of posting about this. It seems his son is gay and he considered this an insult to his family. But what the hell, Republicans don’t need people like that. Right? screw ’em as Daily Kos would say. In truth Coulter is very much like Kos.
But these guys are too busy screeching Edwards is gay like a bunch of juvenile delinquents to stop and think about the fact that Ann Coulter and people like her are considered pretty damn obnoxious by the majority of the population.
And by me. I will not be a party to this. I will not excuse or condone it.
These people can go be some nasty foul tempered little minority without me.
Realize that this stuff is going to keep happening, because it’s Coulter’s schtick. I’m not going to spend my time defending Coulter’s statements, and I have no time for her defenders, either.
This is why I find it harder and harder to remain aligned with conservatism.
When someone makes a statement like this, I wonder if that person were ever aligned with conservatives.
I am a conservative and I will remain a conservative regardless of what anyone that is a conservative or liberal says. The reaso is, what any other individual does or says, does not reflect on what I will do, or say or believe.
There is, in my opinion, many more assholes of a liberal persuasion than there are conservatives. So, if someone is not going to stay aligned with their conservative beliefs because of what one conservative might say, what is the alternative, align with liberals That’s not a viable option. How about remaining true to your own beliefs, regardless of what someone says.
But back to my original thought, would someone that would change their beliefs because of what someone says(as in this case) really have any moral compass or backbone to begin with.
I happen to enjoy reading Ann Coulter’s books, i’ve bought each one she’s written and will buy them in the future. That doesn’t mean I like everything she says. I don’t believe Edwards is gay, but anyone has the privilege to say what they want about a public figure, if he can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. He’s a big boy, he can defend himself. I don’t personally feel like she called him a faggot, I think she was making lite of the ‘going to rehap for pc speech’ bruhaha that the libs have made popular. I don’t care much for name calling, but face it there are a lot of assholes in both parties and idealogical camps.
Those these same people that get all bent out of shape with conservative speech get all bent out of shape when libs call Pres Bush Hitler, why hell no. They think it’s appropriate.
Stay true to your beliefs, don’t sway in the wind.
I have nothing against Ann Coulter or her conservativism, but I’m not going to waste time defending what she says. Heck, I don’t agree with everything every conservative says, and it makes perfect sense that I shouldn’t have to agree.
dennisa
I’m not going to spend my time defending Coulter’s statements, and I have no time for her defenders, either.
But by taking the time to write this, you are putting her and her defenders down. Why not be constructive and put down the BDS sufferers and America Haters.
Conservatives are much more critical of conservatives than they are of liberals.
and Liberals of course never criticize liberals, they only criticize conservatives. So the libs get a pass while the conservatives get a double whammy.
I respect your opinion, and I’m not knocking other conservative minded people. I just think there are much more important matters facing this country and facing conservatives, and I don’t think we should spend our time debating this.
Actually Dennisa, that is pretty much the point I was making, and since it isn’t worth spending the time on, that makes it even worse that you do take the time to knock a conservative. The time would have been better spent on some important issue, like knocking a lib. If not worth the time, don’t spend the time negatively is what i’m saying.
And, I too, certainly respect your opinion.
As I posted on the previous Coulter thread, it’s too bad that someone as insightful & witty as Ann enjoys throwing bombs and the notoriety more than advancing the conservative agenda she espouses.
I agree with Enforcement. I enjoy reading her, she’s often quite funny and makes excellent points. And if you really read what she says here, I don’t think she’s out of bounds (of course I wasn’t there, so I don’t know gestures, inflection, etc.). Trivializing murder? That’s the point — with the lefty libs. By using euphemisms and other slick phrasing, they mask the bottom line reality. Pro choice? Give me a break — it’s pro abortion, on demand and right up until moment of birth. Just like they “support the troops”, except they oppose the CINC and every decision he makes, and they oppose the mission, and they want to cut the dollars and equipment and training, etc., etc., etc. , but make no mistake, they “support the troops”. And the whole ESCR debate, such as the misleading Missouri amendment that fooled voters about cloning legalization.
I think the Edwards “joke” was worse (more inflammatory), but still was making a valid point about how absurd the lefty libs have become with “rehab”, she just went too far in using pretty-boy Edwards as the set-up.
Enforcement:
You act as if there are two rigid camps, conservatives and liberals and since Coulter calls herself a conservative we have to support her no matter how obnoxious and offensive she may be.
The truth is if you combine both conservatives and liberals their numbers are roughly the same as moderates who make up almost half the electorate. And moderates think the woman is way over the top.
I lost all respect for her during the Harriet Miers thing. She did everything but call that woman white trash. She was elitist. I found that offensive in a way that has nothing to do with conservative or liberal or anything else. She was just a bitch.
Wiley:
Pro choice is not always pro abortion all the way. That is not simply not true.
There are a lot of people who think that abortion should be available under certain cicumstances but do not feel comfortable with the idea of abortion on demand. They also do think that it is ok to shoot abortion doctors, which is pretty much what Coulter is saying.
They also do NOT think it is ok to shoot abortion doctors, is what I should have said. preview sheview.
But it is not true to say prochoice is just a slick way of saying they support abortion all the way to birth. That is silly.
The vast majority of abortions are done very early in term and the vast majority of abortions done later are done because something is wrong with the fetus or the mother. I knew a woman who had to terminate a pregnancy after years of trying to get pregnant because the baby was so damaged it would never leave the hospital if it survived to full term at all , which was doubtful. It broke her heart. It was not some cavalier decision made for the sake of convenience.
I wish all the “high-and-mighty” conservatives who always clamor about “longing for civility” in our “political discourse” would give it a rest.
First you want to “Ban Ann” from CPAC. Then you blame all conservative woes on little old Ann, much like the Muslim extremists blame all of their woes on Israel and the “Great Satan” (America).
What next? Start throwing pies in her face?
I have a better idea. Instead of belching all of this truly fatuous righteous indignation towards Ann Coulter and having apathy for the real enemy within, how about focusing some of your crass civility towards the real opposition.
I am so sick of the “Ann Coulter hurts conservativism and reinforces the worst stereotypes” crowd. Their pretentious arrogance is so presumptuous.
Got to agree with this Coffee Guy – Ann Coulter is GOOD for conservatism because her inane rants and total lack of angre management highlight the irrationality and perversity of conservative political opinions.
Nothing like a small-government conservative advocating spreading a particular religion – Christianity – around the world at the point of a gun!
Now, that’s hypocrisy!!
terrye you said
That’s not what I intended to convey. Forget about moderates, they are only uninformed people that blow with the wind and are extremely easily influenced by the formerly MSM.
Other than that you have approximately 4 camps, far left, libs, conservatives, far right.
Ann is probablay in the far right, Kos would be far left.
Now say Kos says something out of line, like Pres Bush is worse than Hitler. He takes no hits from anyone. The libs and far left say he’s probably correct. the conservatives and far right say ignore him.
Ann Coulter makes a far out statement and she gets hit by the far right, conservatives, libs and far lefties.
Pres Bush easily gets as much criticism from conservatives and far righties as he does from the other extremes.
when clinton was Pres, he didn’t get waterboarded by the libs and lefties. they gave him a pass.
My point then is: If Ann says something you don’t agree with, ignore it, but don’t crucify her. Let the lefties do that, they will anyhow.
The conservatives lost out in the last election because the conservatives deserted them, The lefties never do that to their side.
if Ann Coulter ran, I would vote for her ahead of any democrat I know.
So spend your time, if you will, criticizing the left side rather than the right side.
It is factually correct that people on the Left say outrageous things all the time, and are never taken to task for it.
Each commenter makes a good point:
Except Sooth:
“conservative advocating spreading a particular religion – Christianity – around the world at the point of a gun!”. -Comic book reality!
Terrye,
Agree Coulter betrayed her elitism by criticizing Myers’ education for not being Ivy League. But don’t agree with your take on abortion.
FE,
Agree that moderates”blow with the wind.”
Wiley,
Agree on hypocracy of the Left.
Coffee,
Agree on need to save our ammunition for the “enemy.”
Terrye,
Strictly speaking, of course pro choice is not necessarily pro abortion. Indeed, majority of americans favor restricting abortions and support measures to reduce it, but also don’t want to make it illegal. That being said, there is almost no reason to allow partial birth abortions to remain legal (life of mother the exception). But it still is (legal) and the left and most dems will go down fighting to ensure abortion is legal anytime, anywhere, anyhow. As gruesome as partial birth abortion is, the left/dems substitute phrasing — Coulter’s point — to make it what it isn’t. You obviously don’t know satire and/or Coulter if you really believe she’s trivilaizing the murder. Her seemingly cavalier comment on the rifle and killing of abortion doctors is simply the method lefty/dems use to mask the hideous brutality of partial birth abortion.
On the heels of her Edwards put-down, which was really a liberal put-down on the use of “rehab”, most simply brushed aside this latest commentary as another whacko-right hit job … I diasagree.
I don’t always agree with what Ann Coulter says, but I would rather defend her than the liberal nutroots in this country.