Here’s a short clip of what Ann said at CPAC on Friday:
Yup, she called John Edwards a "faggot", using that word.
Progressives like me are used to this sort of vile from Coulter, but this time, the outrage is coming from the right as well.
And with good reason. This was a forum for conservatives and their presidential nominees, and Ann totally upstages them by dropping the f-bomb. Some selected reaction from the right:
- Robert Bluey: "When you have eight presidential candidates in your presence but the top story is [Ann Coulter], there’s something very wrong with the rightosphere."
- Michelle Malkin: "With a single word, [Coulter] sullied the hard work of hundreds of CPAC participants and exhibitors and tarred the collective reputation of thousands of CPAC attendees. … Not all of us treat the communication of conservative ideals and ideas as 24/7 performance art. … You can joke without becoming the joke."
- Hugh Hewitt: "I cannot imagine [Coulter] being invited to any panel or television appearance on which I would want to appear. Colleges and universities must also stop inviting her to appear as a representative of the conservative movement in America. She is not."
- Townhall‘s Dean Barnett: "I guess you could say that Ann loves to shock us, but at this point, who’s shocked? She obviously can’t behave well enough to attend a respectable political gathering. It’s not a lack of intelligence. It’s an indifference to self-control and a preening sort of narcissism that compels her to need the spotlight, even if it’s unflattering."
- Bryan at Hot Air: "And, what’s the big headline coming out of CPAC? … The headline coming out of CPAC is that [Ann Coulter] said an awful thing. Which is what she wants, since it’ll keep her profile up and help her sell books. … It’s all about [Ann]. And that’s the problem."
- Ace of Spades: "They could be talking about their biographies, their values, their vision for the future. Instead they’re talking about a cable-news clown. I’m just tired of it.
- RedState‘s Leon Wolf: "I’m not going to willingly feed the ego of a person who cares nothing for the movement she claims to associate herself with, all so that they will (apparently) reinforce that very same ego. Au revoir, [Ann]. This time, at least, I hope you start to reap the rewards you’ve been sowing for the last couple years."
- The Directors of RedState: "[Ann Coulter] doesn’t speak for us. And we hope and expect that this is the last time a candidate for public office willingly accepts her endorsement or appears on the same stage with her.
As Glenn Greenwald writes:
“Several right-wing bloggers have created and signed onto a commendable petition which, among other things, calls for the CPAC to cease inviting Coulter to speak. Several of the more decent pro-Bush bloggers have signed on, though, at least as of now, most have not (and Sean Hannity expressly refused to condemn Coulter when asked about the remark).”
Ann’s defense? "It isn’t offensive to gays. It has nothing to do with gays." Somehow, I think the gay community might disagree with you, Ann.
Mr. Edwards has commented on the situation as well:
“I think its important that we not reward hateful, selfish, childish behavior with attention,” Edwards told reporters in Berkeley, Calif. “I also believe that is important for all of us to speak out against language of this kind; it is the place where hatred gets its foothold, and we can’t stand silently by and allow this kind of language to be used.”
At least three major companies want their ads pulled from Ann Coulter’s Web site, following customer complaints about the right-wing commentator referring to Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards as a "faggot."
And the GOP candidates themselves have denounced Coulter.
Could this be the end of Ann?