It’s been a few months since [tag]Ann Coulter[/tag] sparked a media frenzy, and I get the impression hate is to Coulter what air is to mammals. So, when Coulter addressed a packed house at yesterday’s Conservative Political Action Conference, she probably felt it necessary to offend as many people as possible.
Speaking [yesterday] at the Conservative Political Action Conference, right-wing pundit Ann Coulter said: “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 ‘[tag]faggot[/tag],’ so I — so kind of an impasse, can’t really talk about [tag]Edwards[/tag].” Audience members said “ohhh” and then cheered.
Now, there’s really no point to complaining about [tag]Coulter[/tag] specifically. She’s a pathetic circus clown struggling for relevance. That said, her [tag]CPAC[/tag] appearance — which was reportedly one of the most popular of the event so far — has far greater political relevance.
I’m trying to imagine a comparable liberal situation, but I’m at a bit of a loss. There is no progressive version of Coulter and there is no liberal slur akin to “faggot.” But let’s stretch our imaginations a bit and picture John Edwards, alongside nearly all of the Democratic presidential hopefuls, giving a speech at the Campaign for America’s Future conference. After his remarks, he introduces Cindy Sheehan, who proceeds to call John McCain a “Hilter-like fascist,” a comment that draws laughter and applause from the liberals on hand. Shortly thereafter, she endorses Edwards’ presidential campaign.
What do you suppose would happen? What might the media reaction be? How might the Republican establishment respond? Such an occurrence is ridiculously unlikely, but I suspect it’d be a media firestorm for days. Edwards would denounce Sheehan, the groups sponsoring the Campaign for America’s Future would publicly apologize, and Edwards’ Democratic presidential rivals, nearly all of whom were at the same conference, would criticize Sheehan and denounce that style of politics.
These seem to be the “rules” by which Democrats play. A month ago, Edwards hired bloggers who had some intemperate remarks about fundamentalists. The media pounced, and Edwards backpedaled. Two weeks ago, Barack Obama inadvertently said American lives were being “wasted” in Iraq. The media went berserk, and he apologized. This week, a small handful of anonymous Huffington Post blog commenters welcomed an attack on Dick Cheney. The media went nuts, and the HuffPo played defense.
And yet, we’re reminded once again that the “rules” are different for the right.
CPAC welcomed Coulter and gave her a high-profile platform to say disgusting things. She spoke from the same dais as dozens of Republican officials, lawmakers, and candidates, including every GOP presidential hopeful or one of their surrogates. She spoke to an audience that hung on every word — and reveled in her ugly slurs. Coulter was introduced by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R), who told the audience towards the end of his remarks, “I am happy to hear that after you hear from me, you will hear from Ann Coulter. That is a good thing. Oh yeah!” During her own remarks, Coulter praised Romney, saying, “I think he is probably our best candidate.” Romney probably thought this was a positive development.
The DNC, the Human Rights Campaign, and Edwards’ campaign have all called for apologies, which almost certainly won’t come. Romney can’t risk losing Coulter’s support, and can’t risk angering the right-wing base that seemed to enjoy Coulter’s remarks.
Frankly, the apologies are kind of irrelevant. Make no mistake, this isn’t just about Romney’s cowardice or Coulter’s repulsiveness; it’s about a problem with the right in general. This was their conference, their audience, their candidates, and their applause for Coulter’s hate, which they share. As Andrew Sullivan put it:
When you see her in such a context, you realize that [Coulter] truly represents the heart and soul of contemporary conservative activism, especially among the young. The standing ovation for Romney was nothing like the eruption of enthusiasm that greeted her. One young conservative male told her he was single and asked for her cell-phone number. Other young Republicans were almost overwhelmed in her presence. […]
She is the new Republicanism. The sooner people recognize this, the better.
Maybe some GOP candidates will apologize today, maybe not. Either way, it won’t change the fact that Coulter is the voice of the right in America, which says more about the Republican Party and its movement than it does here.
Ideally, this would dog every Republican hopeful who shared center stage with Coulter. Giuliani would be asked, “You spoke on the same day as Coulter. Do you denounce her comments?” The White House would be asked, “The president dispatched Dick Cheney to appear at the same conference. Does the White House endorse Coulter’s message?”
I know, it won’t happen. It’d be against the “rules.”
