Ann Coulter and Al Franken had a high-priced debate out here in Los Angeles this week. Here’s a bit of coverage of the event from Rob Eshman in The Jewish Journal. Haven’t seen much other coverage out there, though I haven’t looked too terribly hard. Please feel free to post links in comments if anything else of note on it out there.
Otherwise, Ryan M. McCaffrey, publisher of the conservative Harvard Salient takes down Coulter from a more academic perspective in an article titled “Ann Coulter’s Treason:
Killing the future of the conservative movement” as published a few weeks ago. It followed on the heels of her infamous “Ragheads Speech” embarrassment at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in DC. Not that any of those in attendance who greeted her with a standing ovation were embarrassed in the least. Neither were the pols who shared the limelight with her like Cheney, Frist, Santorum, and other America Haters of the same ilk.
The title of McCaffrey’s piece should give you an idea where he — a seemingly real conservative (versus the phony Coulter et al) — stands on the Republican Rockstar, but here’s a few quick licks:
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Miss Coulter’s obnoxious simplicity makes conservatism into a parody of itself, at least for any educated audience that listens to her.
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Coulter uses contempt for other people as her motivating factor, rather than contempt for a priori principles in general. Notice how almost all of her rhetoric involves an “us versus them” mentality. Miss Coulter is essentially rallying people behind the demonization of other human beings—a dire sin.
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Ann Coulter’s attempts to use simple abstractions to promote a quasi-conservatism are only dimly connected to reason, and her use of the tool of contempt is a violation of truth. In the end, they will likely result in the strengthening of the liberal movement, rather than a weakening.
Both links come courtesy of Dan Borchers of Citizens of Principled Conservatism, and our our resident Conservative Coulter-o-phile who covered her CPAC appearance for The BRAD BLOG last February.
Coulter is like every other neo-Nazi pushing the Bush Delusion. She ignores all the EVIDENT negligence and CRIMINAL corruption, and focuses on her narcissistic aggrandizement — another unindicted con-artist who thinks getting people killed is somehow funny. Her security argument is entirely racist — which she pretends is nationalist. She’s not a nationalist — she sells America down the river at every opportunity.
Al Franken is hilarious, in between being boring. He needs a Katherine Lampher to keep him from droning. He should pair with Randy Rhoads, if she’d have him.
The idea of inviting a white supremacist transvestite to a Jewish gathering, expecting to be, what, entertained? What a weird contradiction. Coulter should be protested on the facts, but ‘listening’ to racists pretentiously prattles lies and bile is nothing I will sit for. I’d be in the aisles telling her to GFH.
Hate mongers like Coulter, Limbaugh, Hannity, O’Reilly, and Faux News, damage America.
Hate, when the bottom line is considered, is a loosing proposition.
It fools only the fools. Those who not only cannot articulate an issue, cannot even frame the issue.
Listen. The mind can be molded, shaped, bent, broken, or enlightened. When hate is the agent that molds, shapes, bends, or breaks … there is no chance for enlightenment.
Only darkness lurks there in the realm of hatred. That is why Ann damages all Americans, especially those who cannot see thru to her deep hatred.
DREDD ,
Your post says it all !
and isn’t it ironic that mAnn Coulter writes books about Treason and scandals > COUGH – COUGH !
And here we are 🙁 with America’s credibility and respect in the crapper because of fascist Republicans !
America is failing because of these treasonous Warmonger Republicans !
Anybody that listens to this bitch (sorry Mike J. but that’s really the only word that fits) very much should consider checking into a deprogramming clinic. She is nothing but a hate monger. How much clearer can it be? (S)he’s a phoney that’s only in it for the money. Hate, like sex, sells.
test
OT I tried to post earlier and got a message I was banned by the site. Thats why I tested in #5. What I wanted to tell everyone was to catch Meet the Press if at all possible today.Retired General Zinni was on today and oh boy I was just blown away by how courageous he was in speaking out against this administration. This man has INTEGRITY and is a Truth Teller. I hope the tide is turning and people will listen to this man. Especially after reading on Anti-War.com-War against Iran, April2006 Biological Threat and Executive order 13292 By Jorge Hirsch. Scary!
It seems that "real conservative" means "people who hate all the things we hate.
if you mean corporate abuse, unsecured borders, military adventurism, civil liberties violations, big government intruding on our personal lives… then yes, that is what "real conservative" means.
Definitions? said –
It seems that "real conservative" means "people who hate all the things we hate.
Not at all. For a start, real conservatism doesn’t have anything to do with hate.
Next, the writer of the Harvard piece (linked in the article) says a bunch of things I wholeheartedly disagree with. But he supports them, he believes them, they are ideas of merit as opposed to personal attacks on other human beings.
I have much more in common with *real* conservatives than most folks might think. What I can’t abide is the phony "conservatives" who are anything but conservative, use the label solely as an opportunistic political trick to disguise their bludgeoning of political opponents (as opposed to political *ideas*).
Not at all. For a start, real conservatism doesn’t have anything to do with hate.
Well, then the real "conservatives" better come out and emphatically denounce the conservative poseurs.
Sadly, everyone in power from hte scotus to the corporate media is "conservative"
SO, I guess, the real "conservatives" have their work cut out for them.
I don’t expect any real "conservative" to start denouncing anyone soon.
Like I dopn’t expect any real "christians" to start denouncing the crazyass nazi asswupes who hug the cross and droll over baby jesus.
They are all full of shit – the so-called "christians", the "conservatives", or whatever they are calling themselves these days.
Just nazis in different cloth.
Fuck them and the women that gave them birth and the priest that blessed their evil souls.
Ice to see you, Mr. Franken…
Here, here, Brad. Liberals, progressives, and real conservatives have a lot in common, and more and more every day. And they all hate the Bush administration. AFP is a conservative newspaper, and they fry Bush worse than we do. They know this man and his neo-con cabinet are NOT conservatives. I have never seen better anti-Bush columns than AFP’s Paul Craig Roberts. His last column, he’s predicting another black-ops Bush admin terror attack, because of his slipping polls and real conservative base leaving him. Now, THAT is almost LIBERAL!
Brad, I know you like Paul Craig Roberts, because you ran a few of his columns before…
Paul Craig Roberts
Posted by Roger,
America’s credibility and respect in the crapper because of fascist Republicans
I know that the posters aren’t the site but I don’t see people taking issue with that comment or others like it.
America is failing because of these treasonous Warmonger Republicans
The Democrats agree with almost everything the Republicans do and have done. And Clinton’s administration committed so manycrimes, it’s difficult (but not impossible) to list them all. Why do people think America went bad with the Republicans?
This country was founded on genocide. Is that some kind of open secret we’re all supposed to pretend we don’t know?
I think we have to continue to remind ourselves and others that it’s NEOCONSERVATIVES that are causing the problems. The people in charge of our government right now are Republican, but they are by NO means conservative.
Our Congress critters who are NOT neoconservatives, who are Republicans and Democrats, have not done their job, in that they’ve failed to check the power of the executive branch.
BUT, there is no denying that it’s the REPUBLICAN party, by nature of majority, that has the power to change what’s been happening for the past several years, and they’ve blown it – completely. Unfortunately they seem to have bought into the "dissent is disloyalty" bs put forth by the PNAC people, and they refuse, in most cases, to stand up for what they know is right.
Some on both sides of the aisle have tried and failed, and to those we say, thank you – now KEEP TRYING.
Those who rolled over and allowed all of this to happen, and ESPECIALLY those who helped get us into this mess, need to be fired.
With few exceptions, most of them will have to be forced to take responsibility for their actions – that’s where we come in. They made their choices – they own the mistakes. Keep reminding them of that (especially when they’re asking for your support)
That’s why it’s so important to make every vote count – with the neocons in control of elections, there’s no way we’re going to fix what is broken.
Smitty re: #14 – I think I answered your question in my last post, but the obvious and shortest answer would be, because the country was much better off in so many ways under the last President – who happened to be a Democrat – and it’s gone to hell in the past five years, while the Republicans have had the majority of power.
Do you really need a list?
KestrelBrighteyes #16
The "majority of power" is a kind way of saying republican dictatorship. Perhaps that will sit better with some of the folk here who voted for Bush in 2000 or 2004.
As you know I call it the republican dictatorship, because they control every aspect of the war government. They have made America a pariah, when once we were looked up to for concepts of decency.
A LOOK INTO THE REPUBLICAN
CHASM BETWEEN BUSH’S EARS
John Steinberg writes, at RAW STORY:
"Like Mark Gaffney, I recoil from my own logic. No sane person can look at the possibility of such horrors and not shiver with revulsion. But recent history shows that there are no sane people making these decisions. When sanity again prevails in the White House, I will gladly dismiss the unthinkable as impossible. For now, I fear Armageddon" (link here, bold added).
Somewhere I read, "Bush looked into Putin’s eyes and saw his soul, and Putin looked into Bush’s ear and saw daylight on the other side." A majority of us now undersatnd what’s happening and agree that enough is already enough – now the question is, what are we gonna do about it? Have another Sam Adams, or act like the real Sam? While you’re cogitating that, I’ll pour me another one. Get back to me…
Anne Kolter look like a crazy he-she and to top it off her little experiement with stand up comedy was in fact a stab at conservatives. she must be a liberal who pretends to be conservative for the sake of saying things that make conservatives look bad.
Dredd: Keep in mind, the Republicans got the majority by stealing it via e-vote machines, fraud, and disenfranchisement.
In a nutshell, a small group of neo-cons stole our government, and now are using our tax money and our military to employ their agenda that no one wants and didn’t/wouldn’t vote for. And we’re staning by watching.
The amazing hypocrisy of this element of the rightwing is continually stunning – the only element worst than Ann’s cohort is the religious right (a recent post on that here: hairytruth.blogspot.com).
Al’s opening statement at the ‘debate’ was terrific – its posted on his new blog and well worth the read. If anyone comes across additional coverage – particularly a transcript – PLEASE post that as well – I’d love to read the whole thing.
does anyone have a transcript of man coulter’s speech? i have read al’s and would like to read what the idiot man said