Slamming Ann Coulter

[muchacho]

I came across this critique of Slander quite by accident. It's an enjoyable broadside to DU's favorite...er..broad.

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Calling Names
by Michael Abernethy
PopMatters Television Critic

Senator Edward Kennedy is a traitor. So are Presidential candidate Howard Dean and Reverend Jesse Jackson, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, Jimmy Carter, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. Liberals, all of them. And, according to Ann Coulter, traitors.

In her new book, Treason, Coulter makes the blanket assertion that all liberals are disloyal to the United States. Don't bother Coulter with a list of liberals' accomplishments in service of their country. She doesn't like to be bothered with facts. And besides, she's always right. Just ask her.

Coulter makes her assertion that liberals are treasonous early in her book: "Whether they are defending the Soviet Union or bleating for Saddam Hussein, liberals are always against America. They are either traitors or idiots, and on the matter of America's self-preservation, the difference is irrelevant" (16).

In order to make this argument, however, Coulter must apply the most liberal interpretation of the legal definition of treason, clearly stated in Article III of the Constitution: "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort." Coulter focuses on the last word, "comfort." To her, opposing the Administration's foreign policy decision offers "comfort" to enemies of the U.S. The millions of Americans who opposed the war in Iraq or question Bush's truthfulness regarding the need for the war are traitors, Coulter argues, because such opposition "comforts" Saddam Hussein. If he is still alive, Hussein must sleep better at night because Americans have the audacity to expect their Commander in Chief to be truthful.

The fallaciousness of Coulter's logic is perplexing not only because of its incredible leap in causality, but because Coulter is an attorney and so, one might assume, has been versed in a more strict legal definition of such crimes as treason. A graduate of Cornell and the University of Michigan Law School, Coulter has worked as a legal aide to the House Judiciary Committee, clerk to the Honorable Pasco Bowman II of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, litigator for the Center for Individual Rights, attorney for the Department of Justice Honors Program, and legal consultant for Human Events magazine. According to her website, she has been honored by the Clare Luce Booth Policy Institute and was named one of the Public's Top 100 Intellectuals by Judge Richard Posner. She's best known as a syndicated columnist, best-selling author, and regular on news talk television.

And, according to her columns and interviews, she is so much more. Coulter is a psychic who can read the thoughts of others: " Biden thinks if he gets applause from a student audience, he must have made a legal argument" ("Democrats Don't Have the Constitution for Racial Equality," 23 January 2003; unless otherwise noted, all Coulter quotes are from articles published on her website). She's an historian bent on reframing public perception of Joseph McCarthy: " were systematically undermining the nation's ability to defend itself, while waging a bellicose campaign of lies to blacken McCarthy's name" ("I Dare Call it Treason," 25 June 2003). Or, Coulter the fashion trendsetter: "Originally, I was the only female with long blonde hair. Now, all have long blonde hair" (CapitolHillBlue.com, 6 June 2000). Or again, Coulter, the physician: "Anorexics never have boyfriends... That's one way to know you don't have anorexia, if you have a boyfriend" (Politically Incorrect, 21 July 1997). And don't forget Coulter the dominatrix: "I really want to hurt . I want him to feel pain" (Hartford Courant, 25 June 1999).

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http://www.popmatters.com/features/030912-anncoulter.shtml

[Ilsa]

1. Any intelligent right-winger

Oh. That's an oxymoron. Sorry about that.

But I was going to say that any intelligent right-winger would shed her, her poor logic and nonsensical critical thinking skills, and her hatred of everyone for next year's election, but I guess hatred is a prominent plank in their platform.

[LoZoccolo]

2. This "aid and comfort" thing...

If protesting a war verbally or with demonstrations gives aid and comfort to the enemy, then you could say that critizing the government verbally or with demonstrations could be construed to be levying war against them, and you can't criticize the government.

Nice try.

[FloridaPat]

3. She brings new mean to the phrase "dumb blond". If fact, she

is so - whatever - I would not even put her in that class because it's an insult to real dumb blonds that are not evil people.

[trogdor]

12. All that peroxide must be going to her head.

Anyone who believes AC is a real blonde probably believes * won fair and square. But we all knew that already.

[sduncang]

4. Queen of the Damned.....

While we laugh and make fun of Anne Coulter....the right wing wacko's take her seriously, as she parrotts what they really think. This is some scary stuff. It concerns me that anyone would take her seriously, but she's if you think about it, she represents the best advertising AGAINST Bush.

[GCP]

5. Here's an old Guardian article on her

This guy had her number

http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,3605,956452,00.html

edited for spelling

[amber dog democrat]

6. I am sure there are millions

of ditto heads that feed off her sociopathic rants -
She is a dangerous nut case

[LeahMira]

11. Yes he did, but...

This guy had her number

http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,3605,956452,00.html

Interesting article, marshallplan. Still, I'm not sure WHY the U.S. is turning right. I agree that conservatives seem to feel that they are under siege, but I wonder why. What are they afraid about and what are they afraid of losing?

The article mentioned Michael Moore's book Stupid White Men. Obviously I don't think Michael Moore started all this fuss, but I see that a lot of white males are feeling put upon, and put down these days. It doesn't help to remind them that for centuries in this nation they literally ruled, to the disadvantage of women and minorities.

Maybe they are afraid that if they share power the minorities will treat them the same way that they have treated minorities over the years? Maybe it's something else... I don't know.

Whatever it is, I don't think it's enough to ridicule their blonde mouthpiece, well though she may deserve ridicule. Somehow, I think we have to dig deeper to get at what ails the right wing and reassure them that we are all looking for the common good. Getting back to Michael Moore... in his book he criticizes some of the things that President Clinton did as well as what this administration has done. Maybe it's not a bad idea to admit when the Democrats have let us all down and see if we can't find some common ground that we can all agree about.

[Fovea]

7. By her logic

Prescott Bush should be dug up and hung.

[swinney]

8. Coulter Pathological Liar--please quote me

I documented 117 LIES on 155 pages in her book "HI SLIMES" amd her writings in JWR.

I checked 62 pages of her junk in JWR and found 61 LIES on just 62 pages.

My gosh how many could I find in Slander and Treason books?


This is a sicko boob who happens to get TV exposure by Right Wingnuts for her HYPERACTIVE ORANGUTAN APPEARANCE. Paint her face Orange! Orangutan.

[swinney]

9. WWW.ANNCOULTER.COM

ATTACK ON HYPERACTIVE ORANGUTAN

[Richardo]

10. What;s the website that meticulously debunks everything that spews

out of the mouth...??

Anyone?


Bueller?


Bueller?

[JHB]

13. Used to be Anticoulter.com...

...but the host threw it on a backburner. Frankly, he had better things to obsess over.