Does Ann Coulter help the GOP

A political poll. Does Ann Coulter Help or Hurt the GOP?
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http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/06/26/236484.aspx
Elizabeth Edwards vs. Ann Coulter
Posted: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 6:54 PM by Mark Murray
Categories: Democrats, 2008

From NBC's Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro
The wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards called into MSNBC’s “Hardball” on Tuesday to confront Ann Coulter on her personal attacks on her husband and family.

Coulter, the controversial conservative commentator, appeared on an outdoor set with host Chris Matthews -- and also with dozens of supporters and detractors waiting to ask questions. But there was another person waiting to pose a question to Coulter: Elizabeth Edwards.

According to an Edwards campaign aide, Elizabeth Edwards wanted to call into the show when she heard that Coulter would be taking questions, and she called a Hardball producer to get the phone number needed to dial into the show. The result is the exchange below:

Chris Matthews: You know who's on the line? Somebody to respond to what you said Edwards yesterday morning -- Elizabeth Edwards. She wanted to call in today we said she could. Elizabeth Edwards go on the line you're on the line with Ann Coulter

Elizabeth Edwards: Hello, Chris.

CM: You wanna say something directly to the person who's with me?

EE: I'm calling you … in the south when we -- when someone does something that displeases us, we wanna ask them politely to stop doing it. Uh - I'd like to ask Ann Coulter -- if she wants to debate on issues, on positions -- we certainly disagree with nearly everything she said on your show today -- um but uh it's quite another matter for these personal attacks that the things she has said over the years not just about John but about other candidates -- it lowers our political dialogue precisely at the time that we need to raise it. So I want to use the opportunity … to ask her politely stop the personal attacks.

Ann Coulter: OK, so I made a joke -- let's see six months ago -- and as you point out they've been raising money off of it for six months since then.

CM: This is yesterday morning, what you said about him.

AC: I didn't say anything about him actually either time.

EE: Ann, you know that's not true. And once more its been going on for sometime.

AC: I don't mind you trying to raise money. I mean it's better this than giving $50,000 speeches to the poor.

EE: I'm asking you

AC: Just to use my name on the Web pages…

EE: I'm asking you politely…

AC: … but as for a debate with me, um yeah, sure. Yeah, we'll have a debate

EE: I'm asking you politely to stop personal attacks.

AC: How bout you stop raising money on the Web page then?

EE: It didn't start it did not

AC: No you don't have cause I don't mind

EE: It did not start with that you had a column a number of years ago

AC: OK, great the wife of a presidential candidate is calling in asking me to stop speaking

CM: Let her finish the point...

AC: You're asking me to stop speaking stop writing your columns, stop writing your books.

CM: OK, Ann. Please.

AC: OK

EE: You wrote a column a couple years ago which made fun of the moment of Charlie Dean's death, and suggested that my husband had a bumper sticker on the back of his car that said ask me about my dead son. This is not legitimate political dialogue.

AC: That's now three years ago

EE: It debases political dialogue. It drives people away from the process. We can't have a debate about issues if you're using this kind of language.

AC: Yeah why isn't John Edwards making this call?

CM: Well do you want to respond and we'll end this conversation?

EE: I haven't talked to John about his call.

AC: This is just another attempt for –

EE: I'm making this call as a mother. I'm the mother of that boy who died. My children participate -- these young people behind you are the age of my children. You're asking them to participate in a dialogue that's based on hatefulness and ugliness instead of on the issues and I don't think that's serving them or this country very well.

APPLAUSE

CM: Thank you very much Elizabeth Edwards. Do you want to -- you have all the time in the world to respond.

AC: I think we heard all we need to hear. The wife of a presidential candidate is asking me to stop speaking. No.

 

I answered "yes" for the simple reason that no matter how foolish her statement might be, they do draw out the very best or the very worst in the person they are reflecting upon. Take the example you just gave, just how stupid could Elizabeth Edwards be to have called in, in the first place. What did she expect.
This is how Coulter makes her money, and she is laughing all the way to the bank.
Now....why I said 'yes'. It's not in the message she carries, but in her ability to draw out the 'cooks' in the Democratic party, along with her donations of $$$$$$ to the Republican cause.

If you doubt me, just listen to some of the responses you will receive in this thread. There will be some real duzzies!

 

Precisely why I posted the question. You'll notice I haven't voted yet...

 

IMO she is the worst that politics (and those who make their money off of it) has to offer....just an opinion...people like her (on either side: Al Franken) do not help anything but their bankbooks.

 

I responded that she hurts the GOP. AC is a neoconservative commentator, not a party insider, who is out for herself just as other commentators on both sides of the aisle are. IMO, all neoconservatives, whether they are commentators, party advisors/consultants, or office holders, hurt the GOP and the entire [real] conservative movement. But it was stupid for the democrats to pull a stunt like having EE call her on TV and ask her to stop doing what she does for a living. Candidates and spouses should address their counterparts and not media figures. They can't win and frequently lose because Coulter isn't a candidate for anything so fighting with her is a losing proposition by definition.

 

Ann Coulter is a massive b****, end of story. Obviously she does what she does in order to further her own ends, but other than that, she's a self-loathing, misogynistic psycho. How can that help the GOP? People just equate her with more moderate conservatives (who are NOT neoconservative, as Cloud said), just like most Americans equate Michael Moore with all liberals.

 

OMG, LMAO....

 

I think something happened to her as a kid, and that's why she hates girls so much. Maybe she was teased a lot and could only make friends with boys on the playground. Seriously. She should take her own advice and be a stay-at-home mom with 15 kids.

 

Just keep in mind that AC is a hard-core neocon who is out for herself, and then what she says and does begins to make sense even if you disagree.

 

Oh, it makes sense within that context, yes. OUTSIDE that context, well, it's just raving.

 

I think the main point is that Ann Coulter only has a following because there is a audience on the Right for her simple-minded, self-promoting, hate message. I don't care what she says, writes or thinks about any issue but it is of some concern that she has such a following of Republicans that take her seriously. Whether she is good for the GOP or not is irrelevant, the fact that she is saying what many on the Right are actually thinking is enough to make the rest of us wonder why the GOP not only loves her but happily parades her around and tolerates her negative message. This whole situation says far more about the GOP than about Ann Coulter herself.
It does lower the standard for everyone and keeps the conversation about non-issues at a time when we need to address some pretty serious topics. People like Ann Coulter not only adversely affect the GOP but the entire nation all in an effort to promote her own interests.

 

Andy Kaufman faked his death and came back as Coulter

 

She's just another self serving, self promoting piece of Mass Mediatainment. Just like Rush. Just like Franken. Just like Hannity. Just Like Moore. And on and on.

 

Moens post with slight variation

Seems to work both ways, doesn't it?

 

she creates arguments and discussions and that is good

 

Good observation.

 

Better be careful Old Dan or he'll get angry that you misquoted him and put you on ignore...

 

Way ahead of you...

 

I bet she is WILD in bed. mmmm

 

I bet she is gay.