Decision ‘08

Three GOP Frontrunners All Denounce Coulter’s Slur Of John Edwards

Oh, dear, what have we here? I was assured by Glenn Greenwald that every major political figure on the right was a craven coward who would never take on Ann Coulter, that intellectual powerhouse who epitomizes the modern conservative movement:

The people feigning upset over those matters are either active participants in, or passive aiders and abetters of, a political movement that, at its very core – not at its fringes — knowingly and continuously embraces the most wretched and obvious bigotry and bloodthirsty authoritarianism. They love Ann Coulter — and therefore continue to make her a venerated part of their political events — because she provides an outlet, a venting ground, for the twisted psychological impulses and truly hateful face that drives the entire pro-Bush, right-wing spectacle.

The more delicate ones will claim to repudiate her comments in the most limited terms, but their actions speak far louder than their cursory and reluctant words. Anyone who went to this event — and that includes Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, and Dick Cheney — knew exactly what they would be getting. Coulter’s face was prominently plastered on the promotional material. The right-wing political candidates who accepted the invitations to speak there knew exactly the type of people would be there - namely, the type who continously cheer on Ann Coulter’s bigoted and nakedly hateful screeds. Anyone who makes themselves a part of that event is purposely associating themselves with those sentiments.

My God, Glenn - in all seriousness, that’s just a bad parody of an argument. You’re not even in the right ZIP code - and furthermore, your point is, well, 100% incorrect:

Three of the leading Republican presidential candidates on Saturday denounced one of their party’s best-known conservative commentators for using an antigay epithet when discussing a Democratic presidential contender at a gathering of conservatives here.

…Of the major Republican candidates, only Mr. McCain did not attend, but he denounced her remarks on Saturday morning. “The comments were wildly inappropriate,” said his spokesman, Brian Jones.

Mr. Giuliani said, “The comments were completely inappropriate and there should be no place for such name-calling in political debate.”

Kevin Madden, a spokesman for Mr. Romney, said: “It was an offensive remark. Governor Romney believes all people should be treated with dignity and respect.”

Mr. Romney preceded Ms. Coulter at the event and mentioned that she was speaking later — he jokingly referred to her as a “moderate.” But he was not in the room when she spoke, Mr. Madden said.

Well, that’s three out of three - who all called the remarks either inappropriate or offensive. Hmmm…well, I’m sure the conservative bloggers are all out in force taking up the cause of Coulter. Big shots like, say, Captain Ed:

Yeah, that’s just what CPAC needs — an association with homophobia. Nice work, Ann.

At some point, Republicans will need to get over their issues with homosexuality. Regardless of whether one believes it to be a choice or a hardwired response, it has little impact on anyone but the gay or lesbian person. We can argue that homosexuality doesn’t require legal protection, but not when we have our front-line activists referring to them as “faggots” or worse. That indicates a disturbing level of animosity rather than a true desire to allow people the same rights and protections regardless of their lifestyles.

Hmmm…well, okay, let’s try Michelle Malkin:

Ann Coulter just finished her riff on Al Gore, tossed out some cute jokes (”You can understand why Hollywood is concerned about global warming. You know what heat does to plastic.”), and ended with a cheap one-liner about John Edwards being a “faggot.” (Paraphrasing) She said she would refrain from commenting on Edwards because “if you say faggot, you have to go to rehab.”

A smattering of laughter.

Not from this corner.

Crickets chirping.

How about Terry Moran’s brother, Rick Moran, of Right Wing Nut House?

I am sick to death of this woman leading people to believe that she speaks for conservatives. She doesn’t speak for me. And if you believe that she speaks for you, or if you were one of those mouth breathers who applauded when she used that disgusting epithet deliberately to hurt other people (not just John Edwards), then you are hopelessly beyond the pale yourself and would do well to examine exactly what you believe a conservative is and what is acceptable political discourse.

Hmmm again…well, something is seriously wrong here, because I know conservatives are hateful bigots, every last one of them, but I can’t find a single major candidate or blogger defending Ann Coulter…must be slow pipes in the Internets, or something, I guess…

7 Responses to “Three GOP Frontrunners All Denounce Coulter’s Slur Of John Edwards”

1 too many steves Says:
March 4th, 2007 at 6:45 am
Mark, you have fallen for a cheap political trick. As others have said, when we peer into the souls of these conservatives we KNOW that they agree with and secretly support Ann Coulter. I mean, Romney sends out a spokesman? What does that tell you? McCain calls the remarks “wildly inappropriate” instead of just plain wrong? And Giuliani, well, he spoke most clearly but, of course, he’s a cross-dresser so he has to prove his non-homosexuality.

Wake up man!

P.S. Like sarcasm, facetiousness is often misunderstood in the internet ether.
2 The Heretik : An Endorsement Says:
March 4th, 2007 at 8:34 am
[…] Does anybody care what Coulter says anymore? One or two people: Hot Air, Outside The Beltway, Argghhh!, TPMCafe blogs, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Liberty Street, The Reaction, Taylor Marsh, Jon Swift, Decision ‘08, Iowa Voice, Blog P.I., Michael P.F. van der Galiën, Wizbang, PowersPoint, QandO, Daily Kos, skippy the bush kangaroo, Donklephant and CorrenteWire […]
3 mikebdot Says:
March 4th, 2007 at 9:01 am
I suppose it goes without saying then that she WON’T be invited to speak again next year? If that’s the case, great, but even so, it’s not as though this is the first controversial thing she has said at the very same conference. That is his point, hyperbole aside. Not sure how it makes him 100% incorrect.
4 Minor Ripper Says:
March 4th, 2007 at 9:45 am
More proof that Ann really isn’t the sharpest knife in the shed…(see video)
http://minor-ripper.blogspot.com/2006/12/ann-coulter-gets-owned.html
5 Scott Says:
March 4th, 2007 at 10:56 am
And why do you suppose that CPAC invited her?? She continues to one of the chosen faces of your ideology. You can’t have it both ways my friend. I can’t recall Mark, did you support the part of the 2004 Republican platform that explictly stated the party was against civil unions? Props to you if spoke aganst it, but you would have been in the minority. Why give gays the right to make medical decisions or visit their loved ones in the hospital, after all, they’re only “faggots.” Nice ideology:(

It is nice however, that Rudy G’s values moving into the lead of the new Conservative ideology among the public. George Bush has done to the party what no Democrat could have done.
6 Mark Says:
March 4th, 2007 at 11:30 am
Now hold on, Scott - first of all, don’t presume to know my ‘ideology’. Second, you can oppose civil unions or gay marriage without being a bigot who calls gay people ‘faggots’ (my own preference: let the voters decide, and not the courts). Third, I’m not a big fan of CPAC - it’s full of people who are the ideological mirrors of the kind of people who would attend “Yearly Kos” - I’m suspicious of activists, on either side, as they tend to be overzealous, often in pursuit of the wrong causes, and in general, tend to harm their respective parties more than they help them, in my view…I guarantee you, had I been invited (and I wasn’t - I’m too small a fish, I guess), Ann Coulter would have been on my ‘must-skip’ list. It would be a nice gesture if CPAC refused to invite her back next year, but time will tell…
7 peter Says:
March 4th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
Well said.

Activists may be overzealous but, to quote one of them, extremism in pursuit of liberty is no vice and moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.