Jun 27 2007
Ann Coulter vs Elizabeth Edwards
With all the crap John Edwards says about his rivals and the Republicans, she has a lot of gall to confront Ann and ask her to stop the personal attacks.
Pot meet Kettle.
For those with short memories, this all ties back to Ann and her Faggot comment about Edwards, where she employed a paraleipsis and made a zinger about Edwards using the Isaiah Washington crisis on Grey’s Anatomy.
Well on the Today show, it came up again. Newsbusters starts us off.
http://newsbusters.org/node/13750
Assume for a moment that you were a co-host on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” and you were given the assignment to interview outspoken conservative writer Ann Coulter.
With everything going on in the world – from Iraq, to immigration, even to Gore-made global warming – what would be the first topic you would ask Coulter to address?
Well, ABC’s Chris Cuomo Monday chose none of those issues, and instead decided to ask his guest about a joke she made several months ago regarding Democrat presidential candidate John Edwards’ sexual preference (video available here):
But to begin with the tough words, some tough words for you by the three top candidates in response to what you had said, some were calling it a homosexual slur, you said it was a taunt. They all came out when you were talking about John Edwards and said, ‘This was wrong. We must deny it.” Fair criticism of you or a shift towards the tolerant among the GOP?
Amazing. With one question, Cuomo was able to disparage his guest AND all the members of the political party she’s affiliated with.
Gotta give him credit, right?
Fortunately, Ann came prepared:
No, no. There were, I was denounced all over. All over. I think the one that hurt the most was, was from I’mALittleGirlInAPinkPartyDress.com… Very upsetting…Though about the same time Bill Maher said - and by the way, I did not call John Edwards the F-word. I said I couldn’t talk about him because you go into rehab for using that word.
[…]
But about the same time, you know, Bill Maher was not joking and saying he wished Dick Cheney had been killed in a terrorist attack. So I’ve learned my lesson. If I’m gonna say anything about John Edwards in the future, I’ll just wish he had been killed in a terrorist assassination plot.
No, Ann…only liberals like Bill Maher can get away with that.
I have to admit she has a good point. The liberals openly do things far worse then her and never face the outrage that she does, not just from her critics, but from fellow republicans. I noted this disparity here.
Her joke about Edwards way back when was brilliant, if you bothered to see the context and understand it. Most just made the easy connection and blasted her. I summarized it here:
Obviously her comment was geared to link to the recent controversy with the two Grey’s Anatomy stars. In an on set fight, Isaiah Washington reputedly called gay actor T.R. Knight a Fag. In an awards ceremony, Isaiah made matters worse by saying2 essentially that he never called Knight a faggot.
During a backstage interview Monday at the Globes gala, Washington denied involvement in a heated on-set incident in October during which an anti-gay remark was reportedly uttered.
“No, I did not call T.R. a faggot,” Washington told reporters. “Never happened, never happened.”
Afterwards, Isaiah simply for the use of the word was branded a homophobe. He then decided to get help, and ended up in rehab, for using the word faggot.
“With the support of my family and friends, I have begun counseling,” Washington said in a prepared statement. “I regard this as a necessary step toward understanding why I did what I did and making sure it never happens again. I appreciate the fact that I have been given this opportunity and I remain committed to transforming my negative actions into positive results, personally and professionally.”3
Washington took a break from filming Tuesday to meet with gay rights activists and offer help in educating the public about the cruelty of such words, an offer the activists called sincere.
Now the parallel is obvious. So we know what she said and why she said it.
But here is what she did not say: She did not say John Edwards is a faggot or gay. She may have used an oblique sort of paraleipsis,4 saying it without saying it directly. She might have just said it to stir the pot, and perhaps she has a good reason to.
Recently I have written two blogs about Liberals and rudeness5 and in both one sentiment was made clear: Liberals love to press the limits of what we would quaintly call old fashioned polite conversation.
But they are quick to point out that such conduct is either ok, as free speech, or needs to be evaluated depending on context. A columnist is held to a different light then a commenter, for example.
And that truth still stands. So she amplified on it on the Today show and again, using the oblique comments, made her point which was that since Maher could get away with wishing Cheney dead, she would use his tactics to wish the same of Edwards if she wanted to zing him again, as that was apparently ok by the standards of the left.
Now, she had to expect this to erupt and it did. Chris Matthews tried to ambush her by letting Elizabeth Edwards call in and confront her. The video is below.
It was really pathetic as she whined and harped about political attacks and all, particularly considering the amount of attacks on the left that she does not challenge. And Ann made a good point, that the Edward’s love to use these things for donations. Hot Air noted:
From Coulter to Fox News to his wife’s health, there’s no demon too great or small that Edwards won’t attempt to exploit for a little extra campaign cash. With second-quarter fundraising totals due in five days and no one having conveniently beaten up on him lately, what’s a pretty pony to do?
Easy. Go back to the hair.
…
He’s down three points in the new Rasmussen poll out today, but that’s not the important number. Here’s the important number. Quite a shortfall for a target that’s only one-third of the amount Hillary raised in the first quarter. His campaign will limp on until January since he’s banking on winning Iowa and then riding that momentum to a national upset, but Obama’s already moving to cut him off at the pass: his campaign released its first two TV ads today, both of which will start running this week in the state. You can watch here, but be forewarned that they’re only marginally more exciting than the Republican crap we’ve been seeing.
And true to form, his campaign is using her comment yesterday to draw more donations. See this video that quotes Ann without her context to make the point, which was put up on Youtube by his campaign:
I will repeat what she actually said:
But about the same time, you know, Bill Maher was not joking and saying he wished Dick Cheney had been killed in a terrorist attack. So I’ve learned my lesson. If I’m gonna say anything about John Edwards in the future, I’ll just wish he had been killed in a terrorist assassination plot.
In context it is clear she is drawing a comparison to Bill Maher and the left not caring about his comments. Since Maher is allowed to make similar comments she implies that if she crossed that line they should be ok with it.
Obviously we know they wouldn’t. They would do what they always do: Howl, even as they try to cash in on it.
And be honest. She does not want any harm to come to Edwards, she wants him alive, kicking and ridiculous. He is far too good of a target with his $400 haircut, his $50,000 dollar poverty speeches, and his poverty foundation that raise millions for everything but poverty.
And I will again fall back on Sister Toldjah for her summary of Edwards:
Just more proof that John Edwards is a dishonest, self-serving creep who is more interested in feathering his own nest while trying make others feel guilt about not ‘doing more for the poor.’ Anyone who would attempt to channel the words of an unborn baby girl in the courtroom in order to pander to the jury, use his wife’s cancer announcement as a fundraising tool, and claim that he and his running mate would cure diseases and make people walk again if they were elected certainly isn’t beyond using a center he created to ‘help the poor’ to help advance his own political interests. I remember when I first heard about him creating the poverty center and thinking to myself “he’s up to something.” Sure enough, he was.
This man is a slick, lying snake oil salesman, and any Democrat who believes he’s an honest man is a fool.
Edwards new campaign motto should be: “Ask not what you can do for the poor, but what the poor can do for you.”
So he has now hidden behind his wife’s skirts and sent her to challenge Coulter to a debate.
Oh how I would love that debate, Coulter would eat them both alive.
As I have said before, Coulter has one of the sharpest wits in the business, even if she does carry it too far on occasion. But her point was on target. Again.
Trackposted to Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, The Virtuous Republic, Perri Nelson’s Website, Azamatteroprinciple, Big Dog’s Weblog, Right Truth, DragonLady’s World, Stuck On Stupidd, The Amboy Times, Pursuing Holiness, , Rightlinx, third world county, Wake Up America, Nuke’s news and views, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, Right Pundits, Committees of Correspondence, DeMediacratic Nation, Maggie’s Notebook, , Webloggin, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Cat, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, High Desert Wanderer, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
31 Responses to “Ann Coulter vs Elizabeth Edwards”
Leave a Reply
You can track future comments on this post via this RSS feed. You can trackback this post by pinging this URL.
Allowed HTML: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
The Coulter Ambush…
Elizabeth Edwards Attempts To Ambush Ann Coulter With No Discernable Results
Chris Matthews tried unsuccessfully to catch Ann Coulter off guard with a call from Elizabeth Edwards during a live broadcast of Hardball on 6/26/07.
Ann Coulter De…
A Phoenix From the Ashes…
The USS New York. built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center .It is the fifth in a new class of warship - designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. The ship’s motto? “Never Forget” I have another u…
The Knucklehead of the Day award…
Today’s winner is Sally Quinn….
See, they both suck. Extremists like Ann Coulter… well, I’ll just say it. She’s a bitch. She’s no credible source of information because she attacks people for a living, and bitches, bitches, bitches. Once in awhile, she should take all her bitching and maybe come up with a solution to a problem… then again, why become a part of the solution when you can make more money commenting on it.
Amnesty Cloture Passes…
By a wide margin, 64-35. Coincidently, that is almost exactly the opposite of how America feels about this bill. According to a Zogby poll, 65% are opposed. But just 3 percent of Americans approved of Congress’s handling of the immigration…
Ismail Haniyeh has no intention of stepping down…
Palestinian President Mahmood Abbas dismissed the Hamas government after the take over of Gaza. However it seems that Ismail Haniyeh intends to keep his position, with a few changes… “Hamas prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, has no intention of steppi…
Iran Beano Use Up; Gas Shortage…
No links available, but two major Iranian newspapers regarding gas station torchings: ** E’TEMAD-E MELLI- Gasoline rationed unexpectedly** AFTAB-E YAZD- Gasoline ration ……
Paul Newman Forgot How Democrats Acted…
The Democratic Senatorial Committee has a new spokesperson and that person is none other than the has been actor and current food aficionado, Paul Newman. In the recent beg for money email, Newman discusses how he was proud to be involved with Democra…
The Tragedy of Chris Benoit…
WWE Pro Wrestler, Chris Benoit, his wife and 7-year-old son were found dead in their Fayetteville, Georgia home on Monday afternoon. The deaths have been rules a double murder suicide….
Major Media Play Up Mrs. Edwards Decrying Coulter’s ‘Hate’ — But What About Marcotte?…
Tim Graham will tell you:
More importantly, no one seems to be questioning Elizabeth Edwards attacking Coulter for the “language of hate” when the Edwards campaign hired Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan as official bloggers, who attacke…
Update to Lugar’s New Highway of Death…
Senator Dick Lure Lugar’s announcement yesterday that:
‘In my judgment…
Great Moments In Conservative Hypocrisy…
Let me preface this with a few statements:
- I’m a handgun owner, and I really enjoy shooting. I would have no problem shooting someone to defend my family or myself.
- I’m pro-life and I believe abortion should be restricted. Most wome…
WTW: Poor F’ing Illegals From Honduras…
Morning, y’all, Jebediah Murphy, here to tell you the truth. And the truth is, it is rather tiresome that the liberal media buries real stories of importance within liberal bleeding heart dogma
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Almost every day, an…
Jena 6: Jury Selection in Mychale Bell Trial…
The Chicago Tribune, who was the first paper to give this story coverage outside of the local area, follows up with Charge reduced in ‘Jena 6′ case - Change made on day jury was to be picked
HOUSTON — The district attorney prosecutin…
Japanese No Longer Miffed at the Absence of a Low-Skill Illegal Alien Workforce…
…labor pool of low-skill illegal aliens to drive down American wages, Japan has solved the problem with high technology…
……
Democrats and Iranian Riots…
The Democrats also came to power promising great things, but instead stepped up their anti-American and anti-Israeli foreign policy agenda. A word to the wise….
Worse? Sorry, I could go along with Liberals having said just as bad…but she has never been outdone in hatefulo rhetoric. And in context she was trying to use a homophobic slur against Edwards without actually saying the word. Hardly “brilliant” or “funny”. “Occassionally” crosses the line? I could say the same about anyone on the left…no, she does not get a pass, because usually, when a person puts her words into proper context, it turns out her critics were right all along.
Sorry no.
Her comment was clearly multi barbed.
On of her constant complaints has been the hypocrisy surrounding the vitriol on the left. The left feigns outrage in some cases and then ignores it in others. This latest comment clearly addressed that.
Also barbed was the hollywood rehab mentality. That whole faggot deal was a farce and still is.
And yes, she was making a joke about him using a paraliepsis, which I noted, and that had to do with Edward’s pristine effeminate wimpy image.
And I said she went over the line. It was a crude joke. But hardly worse then anything.
But when Edward’s wife calls her on it, and then ignores all the leftists, including her husband, who engage in personal attacks, then I see is as it truly is: theater. It was staged outrage nothing more.
And Matthews loved the chance to try and get her, but I think she handled it fine. She is unnder no obligation to do anything Liz Edwards demands, and since she is not a candidate for anything, people can vote with their wallets about what they think about her.
Judging by her sales, she is not suffering by this any more then Edwards is.
Her critics aside, she still has the sharpest wit and the most telling political points in more cases then not. It is really a shame that she sometimes presses over the line in trying to be humourous. I would prefer she stick to the serious issues.
Occupational hazard?…
Since when are there Ham-asses that aren’t “militant”?..
……
ALERT: Samnesty Outrage: the $4.4 billion in funding appropriated under the Immigration Security Account could be used to fund the processing of Y or Z visas under Titles IV and VI of S. 1639…
Thanks to HOT AIR for this link:
Conclusion
In response to your question concerning whether the $4.4 billion in funding
appropriated under the Immigration Security Account could be used to fund the processing
of Y or Z visas under Titles IV and VI of…
President Eisenhower Put Americans First and Close…
President Dwight Eisenhower championed legal immigration, and his benevolence toward those wanting a homeland in America is an important part of his legacy .but let’s time travel back to the early 1950’s as he geared up for his first Presidential ca…
Palestine: The Pigeon’s Response…
FIRST, THE ADMIN NOTE: I won’t be running the OPEN TOPIC OF THE WEEK for the month of July; per my note on 22 June I’ve simply got too many deadlines in the next few weeks to afford writing myself…
If Yogi Berra were a Muslim…
So I wondered, what would Yogi sound like if he had a Muslim cousin Yogi Terra [with apologies to Yogi Berra]….
When did we become a nation of pussies? When did we let our fears overwhelm us? I think we have. I think our fear is what is driving the right wing opposition to the current immigration bill. I think we are fearful for our jobs, our economy, our society and our culture.
I may not be right but I do not share that fear. I see great opportunity in tomorrow.
I’m having a little surgery…
I’m having a little surgery on Thursday. Nothing life-threatening, unless the butcher lets the scalpel slip! Oops! Just kidding. But never fear, my good friend Layla of The HILL Chronicles and Dhimmitude News Network has graciously offered to take cha…
WE CAN NEVER GO BACK TO BEFORE…
Why did we become a nation of cowards? Why did we let fear dominate our lives? Why did we let confidence cease being the driving force of this nation? Why did we decide that government action was the source of our salvation regarding illegal immig…..
Debbie @ Right Truth - Get well soon…
So, Debbie over at Right Truth was having surgery today.
I wish her the best and hope all is well. The world needs more bloggers like her!
……
Just a correction here. Bill Maher did not “wish” for Dick Cheney to be assassinated. What he said was that it would save lives if he were, which is logically sound. It’s possible to believe that, however, and not “wish” for him to be assassinated. Comparing Ann Coulter’s vitriol with what Bill Maher has said is pretty terrible comparison.
How is it terrible? It is exactly the same.
And the point stands that when liberals do it, its free speech, and when conservvatives do it, it is hate filled viitriol.
You dont get it. The whole reason she does it, is to make that point, and you with your outrage are making her point for her.
Oh, and point in fact, it is not logically sound that if Cheney died people would be a live. I dont by the crap theories that DIck is the power behind the throne and all that.
The war is a product of Bush and congress, and Killing off Dick Cheney wouldn’t make a bloody difference as the next VP would also support Bush’s agenda, and the result would be Moot.
Hi your post is funny. I will definitely read your blog.. thank you again