Elizabeth Edwards: Hate Words and Us

[benny05]

Elizabeth Edwards just posted the following at John Edwards.com blog about Coulter and the message David Bonior sent out yesterday (as I referenced last night http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3142726&mesg_id=3142726):

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 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.



To quote MLK (as referenced by John Edwards in a speech last month): Silence is Betrayal.

To see some other good diaries on this topic at Daily Kos:

Shame on Ann Coulter

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

and

to hit Coulter's pocketbook:

This isn't about Edwards, it's about Bigotry

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/3/3/113225/7858

Link EE's post to John Edwards' site:

http://blog.johnedwards.com/comments/2007/3/3/133240/03... /

The Edwards' blog just went down again, so you will have to wait a few minutes to go visit and say hello or make a comment supporting EE's post.

[Lars39]

1. As I understand it, Cheney was present at this event.

Has he made a statement yet concerning Coulter's hate speech?
I'm not holding my breath. :eyes:

[yurbud]

16. anyone who points out hypocrisy to his face gets it bitten off

[SammyWinstonJack]

35. Or shot in the face.

:evilgrin:

[MODemocrat]

42. If a Democrat were to call Cheney's daughter a faggot

He would be all over the airwaves insisting that that person make a public apology; but I'll just bet
that Cheney was one of the many sickos who laughed at Coulter's vile remarks.

Coulter is beginning to symbolize the republican party, and has really hurt the old GOP.
:evilgrin:

[yurbud]

44. or they called Bush or Cheney that

Even though there's pretty compelling evidence COUGH**bulldog**COUGH Bush is.

[Eurobabe]

2. This Skank Hoe (AC) is beneath the dignity of even giving a nanosecond

of attention to -- the more people bring it up, the more it gives this 'thing' power.

[BruceMcF]

4. That's why the fundraising drive ...

... the corporations will drop her and her kind if they think it does more harm than good to the cause of increasing corporate influence.

[yurbud]

17. they need to hold on to her type incase religion, racism, and fear-mongering fail

[InvisibleTouch]

8. Respectfully disagree.

Just being silent and ignoring it, in hopes that it'll go away, will not make it go away - any more so than ducking your head and taking it when a bully is beating on you will make him stop. The only way to make a bully stop, is to hit back, and to hit even harder.

[yurbud]

19. yeah, she already has the spotlight and microphone

[Cha]

38. And I wholeheartedly

agree with you. Let mainstream America find out how coulter's messy motor mouth affects these "conservative" conventions and just who thinks she's hilarious and figure out if they want any of those "conservatives" in office again.

[Morgana LaFey]

53. But you seem to have found her valuable for your purposes --

which is to promote your own sexist attitudes.

Here's why it's wrong: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=331015&mesg_id=334192

[Eurobabe]

55. Oh the pc police are alive and well on this thread I see

as a woman, I think I can call another woman a skank hoe if I see fit. I guess you don't value first amendment rights?

You must need something to do, if you have time to come on threads and parse other DUer's language. Gimme a fucking break.

[ldf]

57. and quite frankly

many men would take absolute pride in being called a skank 'ho. there would be high fives all around. both straight and gay.

although this statment was targeting a woman, to too many men, being called a slut would be the ultimate compliment.

sometimes the truth is the truth. not a statement of sexism.

i'm just sayin'.

:shrug:

edit, to add a comma. i'm a comma freak.

edit again, forgot to add the comma....

:blush:

[Morgana LaFey]

58. Yes, well, too damned often women are the worst offenders

The entire history of women trying to achieve simple equality has been hampered from the get-go by WOMEN trying to keep women down.

You're nothin' new. Just another example.

It doesn't do anyone any good -- except to make you and those who agree with you -- feel superior somehow by targeting another woman on the basis of a gender slur. Would you target an African American you don't like on the basis of a racial slur? WOULD YOU??????

If not, why not?

Because it's "unacceptaboe"? Or would you try to claim First Amendment rights for your racism too?

Oh, got a clue for you on that score too (You might try reading the Constitution or at least the Bill of Rights sometimes): The First Amendment protects ONLY against Government censorship of "speech." Doesn't have a thing to say about self-censorship (otherwise known as being sensitive to discrimination, and/or polite society), nor censorship by anyone else, NOR efforts to get people not to use damaging, harmful, stereotypical language which degrades and demeans whole classes of people.

[BruceMcF]

3. You can't stop the signal, Mel

Since the johnedwards site seems to be hard to reach today (took me 8 tries altogether) ... you can see it together with Mitt Romney's support for her (YouTube), and, if your a mind to join the $100,000 against Coultergeist in a week appeal John Edwards ActBlue page.

And, yes, You Can't Stop the Signal is a Firefly reference ... so sue me for being a browncoat.

[Zenlitened]

5. Wow. I think Elizabeth Edwards gets it exactly right here.

:applause:

... (Coulter) 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.

... 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.

[Gregorian]

12. The Edwards are great.

That's all I had to read in her letter. I now realize who they are. And what a magnitude of difference. I no longer think of the Edwards as slick. They are thoughtful, compassionate, and big people.

Thank you Coulter for showing me who the Edwards really are.

[Zenlitened]

15. Honestly, her comments have made quite an impression on me, too.

Combined with John's call last week to end "don't-ask-don't-tell"... suddenly I'm not so adamantly 'undecided' in this primary race.

:hi:

[Dispassionate Lib]

22. Just the right tone

Don't just sit there, do something! Stand up to the hate and fascism.

[ultraist]

34. Agree, Elizabeth is exactly right!

She nailed it.

Here's a link to the first diary posted in the main entry where the link seems to be broken:

Edwards Campaign: "Shame on Ann Coutler" http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/3/3/104750/7249

[madfloridian]

6. Recommended. Site was busy last night.

Good for her.

:hi:

[Vinnie From Indy]

7. The GOP must be made to wear COULTER next election!

Each and every media outlet (and their advertisers) that would dare to present Coulter as an on air commentator should be relentlessly reminded of her words and their obligations.

[Jacklyn75]

9. I love Elizabeth Edwards! This is the correct way to respond to this! n/t

[JohnnyRingo]

10. Bottom line:

By accepting Coulter's endorsement Mitt Romney must be making the statement that he doesn't welcome votes from the gay community.

By proxy, the entire republican party, by their refusal to alienate Coulter, must be turning a corner and announcing a policy change since the days when even Cheney brought his "gay daughter" onto the campaign bus in a half hearted attempt too woo those with alternative lifestyles into the Republican fold.

Fine

The party has already pushed aside non-whites,
Made clear that only Christians are needed for votes,
Told gun control advocates to seek other candidates,
Expressed no desire for low wage or welfare voter interest,
Shunned the disabled veteran bloc,
And told those with union affiliation to take a hike.

With spokeswoman Ann Coulter, the party has assured that the "big tent" has become a bit more exclusive.
The sign out front should read: "The right crowd with no crowding".

[tblue37]

11. That's like advising John Kerry to ignore the Swift Boat Liars

so they won't get the attention they want. Like the Swift Liars, Ann WILL get all the attention she wants, all of it positive, no matter what we do. We must at least try to balance that by responding quickly and fiercely about such outrages, so that at least some of the truth might trickle down to the distracted American public.

It is much harder to get our message into the MSM, but if we press relentlessly enough it does get in a bit. Think of the Clinton War Room, based on the idea that a scurrilious attack or a lie should not be allowed to stand for even a single news cycle without a powerful response.

The advice to ignore Ann is just plain wrong. It's like saying no one should have finally called out Joe MCarthy.

[Vinnie From Indy]

13. I agree !

Ignoring this type of hate, especially because of WHERE it was uttered, is exactly the WRONG thing to do.

[Zenlitened]

21. Did you mean to respond to another reply, rather than the OP?

The OP, by quoting Mrs. Edwards, seems to be a clear call to fight back, IMO.

... Now it is our turn to drown out the hate. ... Find a way not to sit silent in acceptance. It doesn't change until we say we will not be silent when this happens.

:dem:


(edit spelling)

[asjr]

14. Coulter is pretty darn lucky we stopped

burning witches in the 16th or 17th century. She is merely one reason the Republican party is known as the party of mean.

[Dispassionate Lib]

23. Witches?

I think you spelled that wrong :-)

[asjr]

27. Just hit the wrong key. At least it rhymes.

[niyad]

31. she isn't one of THOSE, either, thank you. when I am called that (which is pretty often, since I

live in the heart of fundieville) I just respond, "you say that as if it were a bad thing." usually wearing my "I am not A bitch, I am THE bitch, and to you I am MS. Bitch"


Being
In
Total
Control of
Herself

[WiseButAngrySara]

28. Welcome to DU Dispassionate Lib! Good response. ....n/t

[Kurovski]

24. But Coulter's not a witch, or even a midwife or herbalist

as were the woman who were put to death in those maniacal purges.

Coulter's only religion would appear to be her own ambition and personality disorders.

But I know what you mean. Were she a witch, she would choose evil. What am I saying? She HAS chosen evil.

[omega minimo]

32. Thank you K, great post

:yourock:

Another reason some were murdered was for being women-- women with power, property and status in the community.

[AndyTiedye]

39. Not Sure Coulter is Even a Woman

[niyad]

29. please do NOT refer to that hate-filled wretch as a witch, thank you. THAT is an insult to all who

practice the craft of the wise (and whose central tenet is, "An it harm NONE, do as thou wilt."

[Morgana LaFey]

52. So Coulter is wrong for her homophobic remarks, but it's okay

to resort to rank misogyny to criticize her?

Somehow I don't think that's what Elizabeth Edwards had in mind when she wrote:

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.

It's no more acceptable to engage in sexist talk like this than the bigotry Coulter engaged in. And DU needs to come to grips with that little fact.

[LWolf]

18. Well said; a great response. n/t

[HardRocker05]

20. best thing to do is speak out when you personally hear comments like this. imagine

what a difference it would have made if coulter's audience booed her off the stage.

[calmblueocean]

26. I was thinking the same thing...

Sometimes how you react shows a glimpse into your true nature, and the GOP showed theirs in spades.

[OneAngryDemocrat]

25. LTTE: The politics of Bigotry

I submitted the following LTTE to the three newspapers in my local area. By all means feel free to use a variation of this Letter To The Editor, to send off your own, to your local papers.

''All of the GOP's 2008 presidential hopefuls, with the exception of Senator John McCain, recently appeared at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, last week.

Not one of those candidates has yet spoke out against guest speaker Ann Coulter's pejorative and slanderous reference to Democratic candidate John Edwards, as a ''faggot.''

Coulter's horrible comments were receieved by those attending the Conservative Conference with laughter, and cheers.

If the GOP candidates expect to hear anything other than laughter on election day, then they must distance themselves from the politics of smear, and scandal, and denounce Ms. Coulter's commentary as un-true, and mean-spirited, and un-worthy of an event at which a future President would ever attend, and speak.''

[The Backlash Cometh]

30. The Christians are persecuting us!

[omega minimo]

33. So-- Coulter's mad cuz John Edwards is prettier than she is?

:spray:


Thanks much for posting this today-- this is what I've been thinking about. What if ALL the Democrats just refused to play these games and quit getting suckered into the vileness and bile-filled pukespeech of the Republicon Hate Wing. What if ALL on the Left (including us) focused on communicating about-- and working on-- what matters rather than always being deflected by hateful antics on the Right?

"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."

Being positive, focused and dignified about CHALLENGING HATE SPEECH and Reich Wing lies does NOT mean being "pink tutu," "ballless," "faggot" or any of that.

The Bullies on the Right are pathetic. Their only strength is in getting a reaction and in distracting us from the real work, the real topics.

Both John and Elizabeth Edwards are shining examples of how to speak truth with strength AND compassion.

btw, did anyone see Prince and Bono on the NAACP image awards last night? :yourock:

[yurbud]

45. acknowledge, say it's pathetic and childish, and move on. Repeat every time until public gets it.

[yurbud]

47. ANOTHER GOOD RESPONSE: "Did she say anything about how GOP is going help your kids go to college?"

"No? I guess she didn't have time. But what's going to affect your family more in the long run, her insults or what the president and his party actually do for your family?"

[omega minimo]

49. Spot. On.

:applause: very effective

[Cha]

36. "Conservative" convention..

"miss coulter"..what a bunch of euphemisms we have to use when refering to this festering boil on American society.

I'm estactic that Elizabeth and Dean have spoken out about this "vile rhetoric" of the challenged one because the republicons who lap this up need to be held accountable. America needs to hear what they find funny coming from coulter's messy mouth.

[spooky3]

56. "Miss" Coulter makes me wonder whether Ms. Edwards was using

a sly tactic...to politely call attention to Ms. Coulter's marital status and point out the irony of her slurring the long-monogamous Mr. Edwards.

[malaise]

37. Great response from a classy lady

Fugg Ann Coulter! She is the lowest type of scum.

[rodeodance]

40. " find a way not to sit silent in acceptance." very nice!

[mnhtnbb]

41. I made a donation. I'd been intending to wait until the first Dem debates

but as the mother of a gay son, Coulter's hate speech is not just an intellectual exercise; she also trashed someone I love.

I also sent an e-mail telling her I made a donation. You can reach her here:

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/anncoulter/archive.shtml

[benny05]

43. Good job!

That's putting your words with your mouth...and money.

[Beelzebud]

46. Elizabeth Edwards towers over the toxic sludge that is Annthrax Coulter and the right wing.

[EFerrari]

48. Run, Elizabeth, I'd VOTE FOR YOU, TOO!

:toast:

[chimpymustgo]

50. Perfect comeback and putdown. Coulter will rue the day she took on John and Elizabeth

Edwards.

They would be wonderful in the White House. Good for us all.

[benny05]

51. I agree Chimpy

Did you see what Coulter's responses were today?

From my blog, Benny's World:

But instead of apologizing, and in which GOP pols even had to say her comments about gays was wrong, the NYT printed an article that read (albeit I'm not crazy about the reporter, but it's better than no article at all):

Ms. Coulter, asked for a reaction to the Republican criticism, said in an e-mail message: “C’mon, it was a joke. I would never insult gays by suggesting that they are like John Edwards. That would be mean.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/04/us/politics/04coulter.html?ref=politics

On her site, in which she calls herself, Chairman Ann (whatever that means, chairman of her chair I guess), her comment is, " I'm so ashamed, I cannot stop laughing."

Right.

[huskerlaw]

54. Excellent response, Elizabeth!

:applause: