Edwards calls Coulter Slur hateful, selfish, childish behavior

[RamboLiberal]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/03/05/BAGUHOFHC01.DTL

...The measure of Edwards' appeal came Sunday as members of an overflow crowd sat on fences, jammed sidewalks and even filled parking lots near the Berkeley YWCA where he addressed 1,000 activists and potential voters.

"I want to say something about my party," he said. "I'm so tired of incremental, careful caution. Where is our soul? Where is our soul? We are our most powerful when we speak from here" -- he touched his heart -- "and not from a poll."

.....

In a news conference afterward, Edwards talked about the scathing attack last week by author Ann Coulter, who dismissed him as a "faggot" in a speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington -- whose members laughed and applauded the slur.

Edwards said Coulter's comment was "hateful, selfish, childish behavior."

"What I've learned is that if you don't have the courage to speak out against it -- no matter who says it, and no matter who it's leveled at -- then it becomes tolerable," he added. "And it's not tolerable, any more than the language I heard leveled at African Americans when I was young."

[AshevilleGuy]

1. Perfectly put.

That was fine, and enough for now. He can't get into a piss fight with the likes of her, it would degrade him.

But if her attacks continue, his surrogates CAN do that, and should verbally blast the living shit out of her. :evilgrin:

[MethuenProgressive]

2. Will he donate his "Coulter Cash" to a Gay Rights group?

I typed the other day that Edwards (in my opinion) should've responded to Couter's hate-speech with a request for his supporters to send donations to a group that directly defends gay rights instead of asking people to donate to him. After all, the remark insulted them, not him.

Elizabeth Edwards: "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."

[RamboLiberal]

4. He's in the middle of a presidential campaign

And needs the cash - I don't see any reason to donate it. Be a nice gesture, but since the slur was aimed at Edwards and a presidential campaign needs tons of cash why shouldn't he use this as a fundraiser?

[MethuenProgressive]

12. I think there's a more important aspect than raising cash...

He's in third place - but was for a day or so in first place media-attention-wise.
He missed the chance to make real news in response to her hate-speech.

[JNelson6563]

7. Ever run a campaign MethuenProgressive?

Or be even remotely attached to one? It would appear not.

Julie

[MethuenProgressive]

9. Why so snotty? Can't handle lateral thinking?

I've 'attached' to campaings from Ken Curtis and Ed Muskie to Jimmy Carter to Paul Tsongas to John Kerry. You?

[JNelson6563]

16. Perhaps you recall then

how desperately every penny was needed....?

It's fun to sit on Mt. Olympus and make lofty proclamations but in a race when Edwards is up against the likes of Team Clinton I can't believe anyone can suggest funds be diverted to another cause. At least I can't believe it of anyone with a clue in regard to real world politics....

Sorry if my being aghast sounds like snottiness...I am still a bit shocked....

Julie

[Catchawave]

17. I made a "special donation" to the Coulter Cash Fund...

because nothing $peak$ louder to the wingnuts!

[MethuenProgressive]

18. No doubt you would be shocked, up there on Mt Olympus...

... but the situation called not for itchy palms, but largesse.

[NDP]

8. That would be a dumb move for him to make, legally and politically

[MethuenProgressive]

10. Did you read the content, or just the subject line?

"I typed the other day that Edwards (in my opinion) should've responded to Couter's hate-speech with a request for his supporters to send donations to a group that directly defends gay rights instead of asking people to donate to him. After all, the remark insulted them, not him."
-------------
That's neither illeagal nor "dumb", in my opinion.

[NDP]

15. Yeah, that's a rational suggestion. If money didn't dominate U.S. politics maybe all of the

candidates would go around trying to raise money for other groups.

[Bicoastal]

11. Didn't insult him? I disagree.

Like any number of epithets, "faggot" is meant to debase the person it's aimed at--at its mose basic level, it says, "you're lower than dirt, and deserve my ridicule and scorn." If she had just said "Edwards seems gay to me," I might have agreed with you, even though that would have been an equally obnoxious thing to say to a man married to the same woman for 30 years.

In another era, bigots would sometimes insult people (especially in traffic) with words like "kike" and "yid," whether or not the other person was in fact Jewish. Being on the receiving end of any of these ugly words is pretty degrading, even if nothing about them is even remotely accurate.

What Coulter clearly intended to do was insult both Edwards and gays, and if the Edwardses remain unphased, more power to them.

[MethuenProgressive]

13. I agree with Mrs Edwards's comment:

Elizabeth Edwards: "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."

[Bicoastal]

14. Probably John's best asset.

There's no denying that, in many ways, she's even more likable than her husband.

[GreenArrow]

3. "I'm so tired of incremental, careful caution"

Like your mandatory health care scheme, John?

[BayCityProgressive]

5. Or

opposition to gay marriage?

[Supersedeas]

6. what we have come to expect from Repig that are given a National platform to spout hate