HiddenMysteries: Ann Coulter: Fraud, Fake And Hypocrite

By: Chris Freind

There are only two possibilities that can explain political pundit and television commentator Ann Coulter's offensive outburst this past weekend that Democratic Presidential candidate John Edwards was a "faggot":

1. She is a really, really ignorant person who just illustrated to the world that she has no business being on that or any other stage, or

2. She is a smart but unyieldingly mean-spirited and arrogant person, who, quite calculatingly, knew exactly what she was doing.

Let's see if we can figure out the real Coulter.

Perhaps in a state of ignorance, Coulter somehow concluded that former Sen. Edwards resembled a bundle of sticks. Or, since he hails from the tobacco state of North Carolina, maybe she was referring to him using the shorthand nomenclature with which the Brits call cigarettes.

Because as a married man with children, referring to him as a homosexual just makes no sense whatsoever.

The truth of the matter is that the second option fits Ann Coulter to a tee. She has been around the national media circuit for years, is a syndicated columnist, and has written several best-selling books. In short, anyone familiar with her work could conclude many things about her, but ignorance and stupidity would not be among them.

Consequently, Ann Coulter must be genuinely condemned and chastised by the very movement which she purported to lead for so long. Failure to do so will result in yet another nail in the coffin of the Conservative Republicans, further estranging them and their ideas from Middle America, the very people they are constantly seeking to capture because they swing national elections and ultimately decide the control and direction of the country.

Coulter is perhaps the only person in the country who could make us feel sorry for a trial lawyer who makes millions of dollars a year. In doing so, she injected new life into Edward's campaign, handed him millions in free media in which he can get his message out, and most certainly provided a "bogeyman" for him to raise money. Edwards is already successfully raising boatloads of so-called "Coulter Cash."

Are we to believe that Coulter was so calculating as to purposely do this to muddy up the Democratic field, which at this point is a race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama? That's a spin that we will no doubt hear, but it is simply not credible.

Why then would Coulter make such a statement when she knew that TV cameras were rolling and that her comments would create a huge flap?

For starters, it's always been about Ann Coulter. She is a shameless self-promoter, and thrives on making "blonde bombshell" remarks to generate publicity - and increase ratings and book sales. Whether taking on widows of Sept. 11 victims or releasing a book about a godless America on June 6, 2006 (a ridiculous reference to 666, the devil's number), Coulter always strives to be the center of attention.

That's fine, as long as she realizes that she is in the "entertainment" category.
But it's not acceptable when she willingly established herself as a leading public figure of the Conservative Movement, a position whereby she represents and symbolizes the values of millions of Americans. She exhibited classless and hypocritical behavior that threatens those very values and makes a mockery of the movement, and that is intolerable.

Coulter and Company have always stressed that labels and name-calling are "tactics of the other side." The theory is that the leftist liberals are hypocrites who don't practice what they preach. Accordingly, since they have to avoid any open discussion of the issues, they resort to personal, ad humanum and slanderous attacks on the right to get off point.
That is what makes Coulter's sin mortal.

Her comments reflect a deeply mean-spirited woman whose success has made her so arrogant that she believes she is "untouchable." In her infinite wisdom, she failed to take into account the fact that in today's world of mass communication, one purposefully delivered slur is enough to erase a lifetime of good work and destroy the credibility capital that has been built up over the years.

From this point forward, no matter what else she attempts to do on a national stage, her slanderous and totally inappropriate comment will be constantly replayed and her critics will enjoy unlimited network airtime to bash her and everything for which she stands.

Wow. This situation is eerily reminiscent of Sen. George Allen's "macaca" slur and the Republican implosion in 2006 as their arrogance finally caught up with them. The result? They lost control and prestige, and became irrelevant.

In summation, its acceptable and even encouraged to be a flamethrower in the political arena - as long as it focuses on issues, not people. When one deviates from that script and delves into mean, bigoted and even hateful speech, that person's issues and persona are marginalized to the point of losing all effectiveness, credibility and the power to persuade.

To show that the Conservative Republican Movement has grown up, it would be fantastic to see its leading figures disassociate themselves not just from Coulter's comments, but also from Coulter herself, at least until an appropriate and sincere apology is issued. This applies not just for politicians, but radio talk show hosts, television commentators, organization heads and columnists. Only then will Coulter and her unwanted brand of conservatism be put in its proper place.

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Ann Coulter: Fraud, Fake And Hypocrite

Tuesday, March 06 2007 @ 11:47 AM CST