Here is a video showing a snippet that has many upset, and rightly so in my opinion. Howard Dean, who has been relatively quiet lately, is one of them. He is demanding that the GOP candidates denounce this statement, contained in the article:
"I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word 'faggot,' so I - so kind of an impasse, can't really talk about Edwards."
I am not a Republican, although I regularly get accused of it. But let it be known right here and now, I condemn this statement and I will join those that I disagree with most of the time, to say that this is deplorable and a very immature way of acting in a public speaking role.
Not only do I denounce it, I call on Ann Coulter to apologize. Not that her apology would be in the least bit considered sincere mind you, but at least it can show that the GOP will call irresponsible statements into accountability. At the very least, if I were in the Republican party, I'd certainly think twice about hiring her to speak at my function.
29 comments:
I'm a self-avowed righty, and I agree 100 percent. Coulter should apologize. Now. But she probably won't because her target audience "get's it". By target I mean the ones who buy her books, etc. If she doesn't profusely apologize she needs to be condemned and forced underground for the rest of the campaign.
As to Howard Dean calling her out, how hypocritical can one man be? As to Edwards, he'd certainly be in a better position to respond had he not hired those two bloggers.
AC
//As to Howard Dean calling her out, how hypocritical can one man be? As to Edwards, he'd certainly be in a better position to respond had he not hired those two bloggers.//
Good points, certainly. But I am not them and I find her statement appalling. That is why I advocate so much for higher standards in politics. The old adage, "people in glass houses should never throw stones", is definitely applicable here. But, as of this time, very few politicians would care to listen to me.
//As to Howard Dean calling her out, how hypocritical can one man be? As to Edwards, he'd certainly be in a better position to respond had he not hired those two bloggers.//
When did Howard Dean call anyone a faggot? Again, calling people hypocrites without reason on this blog. a.c., perhaps I could get you a dictionary so you know what it means.
Not only is Coulter out of control, but so are the goons she uses for bodyguards. According to Lydia Cornell...
Just a few hours ago, my friend Dan Borchers — a conservative Christian who is writing a book about Ann Coulter's "extermination speak" — was bodily wrestled out of CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) by four of Ann Coulter's bodyguards.
Two of these goons claimed they were CPAC security, but Borchers recognized the most hostile one as Coulter's longtime bodyguard. It appeared that they staged the whole thing, for they were following him with a camera. During the altercation, they cut Borcher's hand, tried to pry his name tag and credentials off his neck, physically WRESTLED him out of the hotel, and shoved him. Why? Borchers couldn't get a straight answer out of the four guards, except "you are not permitted to be here."
Borcher's crime: asking a question of another author (Mark Smith) about Ann Coulter's involvement in the Paula Jones case. Borchers spent money, bought expensive tickets, took time off work and traveled from Maryland as he does every year, to be at CPAC. Lisa DePasquale, the head of CPAC and Human Events, sent Borchers his tickets and wrote him a nice letter welcoming him to the conference. He is a lifelong Republican, a conservative military veteran, whose only crime is being morally offended at the way conservatism has been ruined by people like Coulter, who claims to be a Christian, but indulges in hate-speak and amoral, felonious behavior. He believes it is his moral obligation to bring attention to this, and that "evil triumphs when good men do nothing."
Borchers is the most mild-mannered, humble Christian. He is critical of the way Ann Coulter has "mainstreamed extremism" and has written articles about her. He accused her of plagiarizing her early books, and at the CPAC conference two years ago, he tried to distribute press kits calling for Coulter to stop her hate speak.
I guess it makes sense that such a hateful woman would choose criminal types for her bodyguards.
BTW, thanks LA for speaking out against this woman (term used lightly). Now lets see if the MSM pick up the story.
ME,
//Again, calling people hypocrites without reason on this blog. a.c., perhaps I could get you a dictionary so you know what it means.//
I called Gore a hypocrite, not AC. It's not fair to blame that on him.
That's true, LA. I apologize to a.c. and will give him (her?) a pass this time. (You already used your pass) ;-)
I'm just frustrated as hell when I see that word being so mis-used. I believe there are plenty of hypocrites around who deserve the title...Dems and Repugs.
That said, Dean is our Democratic leader and he was justified in defending one of our own regarding the remarks from Coulter. He would have been derelict in his duty if he didn't.
Here is the response by Elizabeth Edwards to Coulter's disgusting remarks about John. This woman has more class in her little finger than Coulter will ever have in her entire body.
When Miss Coulter spoke about John at the conservative convention in Washington yesterday, she used a word that she intended as a nasty and derogatory suggestion. John and I have long ago shrugged off the vile words of this person. When she made a joke about the exact moment of death of Charlie Dean (Howard's brother and a schoolmate of mine), and when she attacked the courageous 9-11 widows, she told you all you need to know about what she is made of: her compassion -- or lack thereof. Now we need to find out about you.
Although her words did not hurt us, they may have hurt some in the gay community. We are all sick and tired of anyone supporting or applauding or introducing hate words into the national dialogue, tired of people thinking that words that cause others pain are fair game. And we are sick and tired of people like Miss Coulter thinking that her use of loaded words about the homosexual community in this country is remotely humorous or appropriate.
John gave a graduation speech at NC State several years ago, and in it he said that none of us can stand by when words of bigotry and division are used. It is only when the rest of us stand up and say that this is not acceptable that we drum out the hate-mongers from amongst us. The first reaction in the room at the conservative convention yesterday was a gasp -- a horrified gasp, even -- but it did not last. In a few seconds, those who were not horrified started clapping and drowned out the gasps.
Now it is our turn to drown out the hate. Find a way -- whether it is contribution here that sends a message to Miss Coulter and those who applauded her (which, of course, I prefer) or whether it is a statement on this blog or others or all of the above -- but please find a way not to sit silent in acceptance. It doesn't change until we say we will not be silent when this happens.
That's true, LA. I apologize to a.c. and will give him (her?) a pass this time. (You already used your pass) ;-)
I'm just frustrated as hell when I see that word being so mis-used. I believe there are plenty of hypocrites around who deserve the title...Dems and Repugs.
I don't fault Dean for speaking up since he's the party chair, but based on some of his own outrageous generalizations about the right I think he's treading very close to that pot/kettle thing.
I don't fault Dean for speaking up since he's the party chair, but based on some of his own outrageous generalizations about the right I think he's treading very close to that pot/kettle thing.
What outrageous generalizations about the right had he made? Be specific.
ME,
Here are just a few of Howard Dean's quotes that got him shelved for a while by his fellow Dems:
"You think people can work all day and then pick up their kids at child care or wherever and get home and still manage to sandwich in an eight-hour vote? Well Republicans, I guess can do that. Because a lot of them have never made an honest living in their lives."
"I hate the Republicans and everything they stand for."
"They [Republicans] All Behave The Same. They All Look The Same. It’s Pretty Much A White Christian Party."
"I still want to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks."
Then, there was the time he used the term "brain dead" to describe Republicans.
No he never called anyone a derogatory slur, but one does not have to in order to be considered, "over the top".
Let's take this one for example...
"I still want to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks."
As usual, the right wing took that quote out of context. It was used in many of his speeches and a good portion of it was left out. This was the whole quote in context...
I intend to talk about race during this election in the South. The Republicans have been talking about it since 1968 in order to divide us, and I'm going to bring us together. Because you know what? White folks in the South who drive pickup trucks with Confederate flag decals on the back ought to be voting with us because their kids don't have health insurance either, and their kids need better schools too.
As usual, the right wing loves to take snippets out of context and make it sound different than was intended.
You also admit that Dean had never used such a derogatory slur as calling someone a faggot. That, however, doesn't stop you guys from calling him a hypocrite. You make excuses for your swiftboating instead of looking at the facts in an "Independent" manner.
Here is another time that Dean used that reference to the Confederate flag.
Dean has said 2000 Democratic nominee Al Gore lost the election because he failed to win Southern states, where disaffected Democrats who favor gun owners' rights were reluctant to support him. "I still want to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks," Dean said Friday in a telephone interview from New Hampshire. "We can't beat George Bush unless we appeal to a broad cross-section of Democrats."
Nothing in the quote indicates any departure from the rationale Dean has expressed all along: He wants the votes of these people despite their fondness for the Confederate flag, not because of it.
That's over the top? Give me a break! If you want over the top, I'm sure I can find plenty of stuff said by Republicans, including Ken Mehlman that were a lot worse than the stuff you cited.
Let's look at this statement by Dean that you quoted, "I hate Republicans and everything they stand for".
Now, let's look at the rest of what he said afterward. He was speaking to a Democrat crowd.
"I hate the Republicans and everything they stand for," former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean told Democrats gathered at a Manhattan hotel, in quotes picked up by the New York Daily News.
He and six other candidates came to address the final DNC forum before the Feb. 12 vote for chairman.
Dean said that despite his hatred for the GOP, he "admires" their discipline and their organization.
But he cautioned his Democratic audience that their party shouldn't become "Republican lite."
"We can talk about our faith, but we cannot change our faith," he said. "We need to be people of conviction."
So, he spoke the truth, and I would say the same thing, I hate everything the Republicans stand for...because I'm a DEMOCRAT! He also said that he admired their discipline. Ooops! Forgot to add that to your little repertoire of quotes. Again, cherry picking...a favorite right wing game.
ME,
//Give me a break!//
That was with the break included.
;)
ME,
//Again, cherry picking...a favorite right wing game.//
Lefties do the very same thing. It's politics. That's what politicians do, they've been doing it for years. That's why strategists try to get their candidates to pick and choose their words carefully. They know that poorly chosen words can end up in the spin cycles of the opposition.
One thing I notice is, both sides (GOP and Dems) use the same tactics that I consider to be deplorable. And you cannot deny that, just because you belong to one party or another.
LA
I never said that Dems are angels, in fact I said that in one of my comments above. However, Howard Dean never came close to calling a person from the Republican party a faggot.
I'm glad to see that some of the Republicans are speaking out against Coulter. But there is no comparison over the hateful remarks that Ann Coulter has made in the past and anything that Howard Dean has ever said. He tells it straight, and I know the Republicans don't like that, but he is doing his job for the Democratic party and did a damn fine job in getting the vote out in the last election. His 50 State get out the vote program is an amazing success and is getting stronger. In fact, it was his work in getting the people out to the small counties in Missouri that got us that Senate seat.
Okey Dokey...off to Church and have to get dinner made for the family....German cuisine today. There goes my diet.
ME,
//German cuisine today. There goes my diet.//
Wow. Since my time of living in Germany, way back when, I have had a a strong affinity for German food. My favorite dishes are (in no particular order) Rouladen, Jaegerschnitzel, and Sauerbraten mit Knoedellen.
Is it my imagination, or is Coulter becoming even more strident the past several months? I often read her column, but I'm finding that her "off the cuff" remarks are over the top.
Coulter is doing damage to the Right. I now find myself hesitant to recommend her books--not because some of them aren't good, but because of incidents like this one at CPAC.
She thinks of herself as being satiric and funny, but she's missing the point that she's unnecessarily alienating lots of people now.
Get some dignity, Ann!
My late mother worked for Edwards during the last presidential election. He also was the ONLY American politician to even ask about my well being when I was being held in Poland. I understand that those two things were connected, but my mom was in his camp before what happened to me happened, so only the E-mail about how I was would have been asked for. She believed that he was a good man.
AOW,
//Is it my imagination, or is Coulter becoming even more strident the past several months?//
I don't think it's your imagination. Honestly, I have to say, I have never really liked her much. I have always thought that she presented a very smug and arrogant image, more or less the Republican version of Maureen Dowd. It's the same reason I have never cared for much for Mary Carville, either.
Democrat or Republican, it matters not. There are always going to be people in both parties that rub me wrong. Political affiliation has very little to do with certain personality types. You find all kinds on both sides.
BH,
//He also was the ONLY American politician to even ask about my well being when I was being held in Poland. //
I am not trying to be nosy, or anything like that. But, if you are up to it, I'd like to hear about the circumstances that led to you being held in Poland. If you have already written about it, could you link to it? But, only if you are comfortable doing so, because I would understand completely if you didn't.
I just read your blog, BH. Amazing. I had no idea that anything like that was going on in Poland. I'm so sorry for what you had to endure, and my heart breaks for the two guys that you wrote about who are still dealing with their nightmare. I'll read through the blog a little more later on.
In Coulter's case, I guess, apology simply won't cut it. She is foul all over. A living caricature almost. According to fashion, she may go into alcohol or drug rehab though. That'd make it a real comedy.
Thanks Mary Ellen, I am glad you could finally see the site. There was a piece of code that firefox couldn't read but IE could. I wrote the site using IE7 so I never noticed that it was a problem until you and few other people told me about it.
But about // I had no idea that anything like that was going on in Poland.//
This is a bigger issue. My story, as with the secret prisons and many other Polish corruption scandals, was suppressed and therefore never got covered outside of Poland. Believe me, the number of people strangled by the Polish judicial system is into the thousands.
And after, when I tried getting BEING HAD, the book about what happened published, in exactly the words of a literary agent: "Books are written to be sold. I don't think Americans want to hear about dark subjects like Polish corruption."
There is a lot more to be said about this, but it is too much for a blog comment. I have been blogging for several years but I just started the website. I hope to finally rip this thing open and settle the issue once and for all.
No Ann Coulter is not out of control, she is simply being Ann Coulter. This is the only way she knows to publicize herself. As they say, all publicity is good publicity Judging from the pictures on her website she is not very attractive and seems to try to make herself out as being so. Judging from her weight she is anorexic which definitely signals some deep emotional problems inside the mantle of brimming self confidence. I regret that this has become the accepted way of criticism in some circles in America and believe me I support freedom of speech to a certain limit but this "woman" goes too far just in the interests of selling Ann Coulter.
I would like to see how she would react in the face of personal tragedy. Probably victimization
Here are some words of wisdom from the stick woman over the years
http://tinyurl.com/988d
Does it make me a bad person if I laugh at Coulter's incredibly crude and disrespectful humor? Oh well. I have a Thursday night poker game/beer swill that she would fit into perfectly.
Seriously, she must just be trying to sell books.
Does it make me a bad person if I laugh at Coulter's incredibly crude and disrespectful humor?
Yes it does. Now go stand in the corner. ;-)
Now go stand in the corner.
Geez. I'm back in grammar/high/law school all over again......
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