Did Republican spew-queen, Anne Coulter wimp out?, page 1

“Tough-talking Ann Coulter wouldn't say a word last night.

At the last minute, the conservative pundit canceled her appearance opposite best-selling "Big Lies" author Joe Conason on CNBC's "Kudlow & Cramer" - this after having programmers change the debate to fit her schedule.

One might think the roundtable, which featured Wall Streeter James Cramer and Reaganite Lawrence Kudlow, would be a breeze for Coulter. Could she have been afraid of facing Conason, whose book presents evidence that her arguments are ill-researched and calls her lifestyle hypocritical?

Coulter didn't answer our E-mail.”

www.nydailynews.com...

I have no respect for Ann Coulter. She takes comments out of context and then buries her sources in endnotes. Why can’t she footnote like every other political writer? I’ll admit, I have not read her new book and have no plans to. I’ve seen and heard enough. McCarthyism is good…? You’ve got to be joking. Is this how far our political discourse has come in 50 years? If it weren’t for her short skirt, she wouldn't have sold a single copy. Anyone care to disagree?

I apologize. I have misled the reader. I have read parts of Treason. At least the excerpts that are online for free.

www.msnbc.com...

Why don’t we take a look at the list a partial list of sources in this excerpt. There 35 total for the section including 9 ibids. 9 ibids in 20 paragraphs? Any way lets continue.

1. Arthur Herman. Direct quote from McCarthy, no problem there.
2. Lynn Smith, “Patriotism: One Size Does Not Fit All; A New Generation of Americans Must Assess What It Means to Be Loyal,” Los Angeles Times, October 9, 2001. Here’s a link to the article.

www.latimes.com...

Here’s the quote Coulter uses:

“University professors called patriotic Americans “naive” and described patriotism as a “benign umbrella for angry people.”(2) Is it more patriotic to love your country or to ridicule those who do as “naive” and “angry”? These are not questions impenetrable to human logic.”

Ann would have you think that ALL university professors think ALL patriotic citizens are naïve and angry. Not the case.

Here’s the quote in the article:

“Patriotism also has historically served as a "benign umbrella for angry people," Appleby said. Timothy McVeigh considered himself a patriot. Frank Roque, an Arizona machinist, was said to have shouted, "I stand for America all the way," after his arrest in the drive-by shooting death of Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh, who was one of dozens of Arabs, Muslims and Sikhs reportedly attacked since Sept. 11.”

The university professor that she quotes was speaking of Timothy McVeigh and Oklahoma City bombing, offering her rationale for why Tim did it. The professor wasn’t making a statement about conservatives in general, but those that act out with a vengeance. Again Coulter uses quotes out of text to make generalizations.

3. Phil Gailey, “Bush Campaign Takes a Disturbing Turn with Attacks on Patriotism,” St. Petersburg Times, September 11, 1988.

Here's the article.

"WASHINGTON - George Bush says one of his goals as president would be to lead "a kinder, gentler nation." But Democrats complain that the campaign Bush is waging against Michael Dukakis is keyed to a set of emotional issues that seed intolerance, distrust and suspicions.

In the America that emerges from Bush's Republican campaign speeches, there would be less tolerance of those who, for religious or political reasons, object to patriotic oaths. Supreme Court rulings to the contrary, Bush speaks of a country where states could sanction school prayer and require students and teachers to recite the Pledge of Allegiance…

Dukakis finally struck back last week, condemning Republican attacks on his patriotism as "garbage." He compared the charges to Sen. Joseph McCarthy's Red-baiting during the 1950s.

In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, William Leuchtenburger, a historian at the University of North Carolina, said of Bush's attempts to make an issue out of the Pledge of Allegiance: "I don't recall anything like this before. I don't think there has been an issue like this - an issue so irrelevant to the powers of the presidency. When patriotism has come up before, it has been related to the powers of the presidency."

Flag-waving and patriotic speeches are a traditional part of American political campaigns, but some historians say they have not seen patriotism used with such cynical force since 1952, when Richard Nixon, the GOP vice-presidential candidate, called Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic presidential nominee, "a Ph.D. graduate of Dean Acheson's cowardly College of Communist Containment."

Here’s Coulter’s statement;

In the 1988 presidential campaign, Vice President George Bush pointed out that his opponent Michael Dukakis had vetoed a bill requiring students to begin their day with the Pledge of Allegiance. Liberal heads spun with the dark reminders of the McCarthy era. Dukakis instantly compared Bush’s dastardly trick of citing his record “to Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s Red-baiting during the 1950s.”(3) Despite this slur against his patriotism, Dukakis said, “The American people can smell the garbage.(4).

There’s three points to make here.1. Why the heck does Ann need to use two sources when the first article she cites includes the second set of quotes. I’ll tell you why. She pads her research like this so people look and see, oh cite #349, she must be right. 2. Again taken out of context. Dukakis’s comments came after multiple Republican attacks that varied much further than just his comments on the Pledge of Allegiance, which just to note, were based on Supreme Court decisions. 3. Her statement is actually false. Dukakis made the garbage comment first then the McCarthy comment. Why did she do that, it fit better. Are we taking notes yet TC?

4. Peter Applebome, New York Times, October 30, 1988.
Here’s Dukakis’s comments un-Coultered.

''Those Republican tactics haven't changed,'' Dukakis said. ''Just as they did to Franklin Roosevelt and Sam Rayburn, they're now attacking my patriotism. And just as they did in the 1930's and the 1950's, the American people can smell the garbage.''

Here's Anne's writing;

Despite this slur against his patriotism, Dukakis said, “The American people can smell the garbage.”(4)

I guess I can go and on but I think you see what I’m talking about. My free excerpt ends with this fairly easy question.

While consistently rooting against America, liberals have used a fictional event forged of their own hysteria-”McCarthyism”-to prevent Americans from ever asking the simple question: Do liberals love their country?



TC, I actually agree with about half of what you post. But on Coulter I’m going to have to disagree. Her writing style maybe colloquial and enticing but it is also misleading. I ask you to check some of the references yourself. As far as the premise to the book, I think that last paragraph tells me everything I need to know. Do liberals love their country? WTF? Do you really think all liberals hate the US TC? We may all differ in viewpoints but I don’t think 50% of the nation is hell-bent on destroying the country, as Coulter would have you believe.

If Coulter isn't afraid of Conason, then why is Bill O'Reilly?

www.nydailynews.com...

As far as the short-skirt comment. I just wanted some blood pressure increases. Looks like it worked.


[Edited on 22-8-2003 by kukla]

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