Ann Coulter can be brilliant and she can be abominable – but she doesn’t know the difference!
Over the last ten weeks, Coulter has reached the pinnacle of literary inspiration and she plumbed the depths of demagoguery. She has spanned the spectrum from laudable to deplorable!
Golden Girl
In March, Coulter penned a brilliant parody of Obama.[1] This was by far one of her best columns – ever! I would consider it the high-water-mark of her commentary. It spectacularly satirized the Obama administration in matters foreign and domestic, truly grasping the mindset of those she ridicules.
Truth is at the very heart of her hysterically funny parody. Coulter captured the essence of Obama’s rhetoric, worldview, agenda, and way of thinking. Indeed, while reading Ann’s words, one can hear Obama’s voice – his diction, intonation, emphasis – as if he were actually saying those words.
The best humor, after all, is rooted in reality.
Brilliant!
In April, in a passionate defense of Christians and of the First Amendment, Coulter praised Middle American Christians for their faith and courage in standing up to the forces of political correctness, while appropriately denouncing political and religious leaders who have failed to do so.
Coulter said: “These small-town owners of [Memories Pizza] have more Christian courage than most Christian leaders and certainly the Republican Party.”[2] She added, “the one thing every Christian should have is courage. … Go out and fight.”
Rape Hoaxes
Coulter also wrote a series of well-thought-out columns addressing political correctness, phony hoaxes, and the like.
Last December, Coulter admonished the media and the Left for uncritically promoting these hoaxes. She raised a good point: “If we’re in the middle of a college-rape epidemic, why do all the cases liberals promote keep turning out to be hoaxes? Maybe I’m overthinking this, but wouldn’t a real rape be more persuasive?”[3]
She made that same point on Hannity: “If we’re drowning in this epidemic of rape on college campuses, why are all the cases they keep giving us hoaxes? Could they give us a real one? And in fact, what it illustrates is an epidemic of false claims of rape.”[4]
On April 1st, Coulter asserted, “Whenever one of these conscience-shocking stories is promoted to front-page status by The New York Times and involves … a campus rape … you can be pretty confident it’s a hoax.”[5] Except …
Her latest column on rape hoaxes was well done, except its title belied its content.[6] It asked, “Can the Left Come Up With One True Story?” The answer – not addressed in her column – is “Yes!” The Vanderbilt gang rape, which has resurfaced in the news.
(It is a pity that Coulter has become the spokesperson for rape, given her own history of trivializing that vile behavior.)[7]
Absurdum Redux
Last summer, liberals and conservatives alike skewered Coulter for her polemical and outrageous commentary[8] – from diatribes against soccer[9] to tirades denouncing Christian missionaries as traitors.[10]
I thought we were past all that, but, alas, no!
Coulter recently boasted that her first soccer column was one of her best, even calling it “magnificent.”[11] She has returned to attacking Christian missionaries,[12] charging, “that these Christians would rather get praise from the New York Times, Nicholas Kristof by changing bed pans of Ebola patients in Nigeria rather than stand up to the New York Times and fight against abortion and fight against these bullies.”[13]
In her defense of courageous Christians (noted above), she attacked these noble Christians, charging, “You’re afraid of being sneered at by the New York Times?”
Coulter’s eulogy for M. Stanton Evans[14] follows her habit of capitalizing on the death of others by using eulogies for partisan purposes.[15]
Coulter petulantly denounced CPAC for not inviting her to speak at its conference this year.[16] She expected to be asked to speak at CPAC. She felt she deserved to be invited to speak. Indeed, she felt entitled to speak. Therefore, in her eyes, CPAC was obliged to invite her.
Arrogance keeps cropping up in her work and her behavior!
Romney Mania
Coulter remains fanatical in her advocacy for a Romney presidential run in 2016.[17] To this very day!
She asserts, “No, with Mitt Romney we had someone who could win, who will win again.”[18]
Coulter continually compares Romney to Reagan, claiming, “[Romney] was better than Ronald Reagan.”[19] She emphasized that Reagan made a lot of gaffes and claimed that Romney made none! “[Romney’s] alleged gaffes, and I’m just not seeing it.”[20] Coulter so effortlessly jettisoned down the memory hole scores of Romney gaffes.[21]
Continuing, “[Romney] won more of the white vote than Ronald Reagan did in 1980. So, don’t tell me he is a suck-ass candidate. He crushed Obama.”[22]
Romney crushed Obama? Crushed?
Romney ran.
Romney lost.
Romney lost to the worst president in American history!
Still smitten with Romney and in denial over his ignominious defeat (and her complicity in that defeat), Coulter blindly defends and promotes him as the GOP’s political savior. Even though Romney is not running, he is the only candidate Coulter will consider for nomination: “They lost the best candidate they ever had with Romney. I think they’ll call him back by acclamation.”[23]
Coulter’s presidential fantasy for 2016 is that Republicans lose – to prove Coulter right! She said, “No [I won’t give up on Romney], because I was right!”[24] In that context, she envisioned Scott Walker in a presidential debate, and said, “I just think people are going to see [Walker] on stage … and think, ‘Damn, I wish that were Romney up there.’”
Just a few days ago, Coulter commended Romney for withdrawing his candidacy: “I think Romney totally did the right thing by withdrawing.”[25] Why? To prove that Coulter was right all along. Coulter wants to gloat!
“I think Republican primary voters are gonna look up at whomever the last two are standing [at the end of the nominating process] … and say, ‘Wow! We totally blew it by not running Romney again. Then Romney gets it and, ha ha, we win.”
(Ann, that’s not the way elections work! A nominee can’t be spontaneously coronated at a convention without having already gone through the primary process.)
RINOs
Coulter’s arrogance is continually on display in how she treats those who disagree with her political views – even among conservatives.
Though claiming to be a Tea Partier, she abandoned the Tea Party during the 2012 election cycle to support Romney, whom many Tea Partiers opposed. In like manner, she has favored many RINOs for Congress, while claiming otherwise. She has recently discovered that RINOs … vote like RINOs.[26]
Coulter attacks “alleged Republican spokesmen or news analysts,”[27] “fake Tea Party groups,”[28] and “alleged Tea Party for saying that Romney wasn’t tough enough and he should have said this and he should have said that.”[29]
Even though RINOs vote like RINOs, Coulter objects to non-establishment conservatives who “consider it a measure of their purity and their integrity to only run a candidate who will lose.”[30] In other words, real conservatives can’t win an election?
Coulter continued her harangue:
“And that’s what happened with Mitt Romney. … What was it Sarah Palin had against Romney other than he could actually win? For the first time ever, it was the conservatives who had tricked the establishment into supporting their candidate.”
Except, Romney was the establishment – as everyone but Ann realizes.
Again calling the Tea Party a mob, Coulter complains, “Now I do see a little bit of this mob mentality on the Right. And that is, just to shout out at people ‘RINO,’ ‘establishment.’ Well, unlike the mob aspect of the right wing, I actually read people’s positions and what they have done.”[31]
Yes, Coulter knows better than us mere mortals. It seems that Coulter does not know what a RINO really is. She gets the Republican part pretty well, but not the In Name Only part.
Does Coulter seem confused? She is. Consider her explanation:
“But it became kind of a mark of the fake Tea Party groups, and I don’t mean regular Americans. My conversation can get very confusing. I was explaining to one of my friends: when I say Tea Partier I either mean salt-of-the-earth, regular, nice American or I mean a sleazy, conman, faker whose ripping off conservatives. So it does get confusing. So I don’t mean the regular people. You saw it with all of these Tea Party runs against suspect Republicans …”[32]
Wait! Coulter uses the same term – “Tea Partier” – to refer to two opposing groups of people? I can well imagine that her “conversation can get very confusing.” The thing is, Coulter’s confusing way of speaking about these issues derives from her confusing way of thinking about these issues.
Coulter has to morph the language to fit her thoughts so that people can reach her conclusions. Coulter has twisted language and logic for over half-a-decade to justify foisting an establishment Republican upon the Conservative Movement, hailing him a purer-than-Reagan conservative.
Coulter continues to pretzel-twist language and logic in order to square the circle.
Hillary Clinton = Ann Coulter?
Arrogance again emerges whenever Coulter talks about Hillary Clinton.[33] Coulter repeatedly calls Clinton “just really dumb. … the dumb one … so massively stupid … so stupid … she’s dumb … she is dumb.”[34]
It’s a theme she cannot turn away from, saying “It raises an IQ question that she would do this again.”[35] And, “I think probably a lot of them are starting to wonder ‘why would she do something this stupid?”[36]
Coulter disagrees with those who view Hillary’s various scandals – from Benghazi and foreign donations to deleted emails and other violations of law – as resulting from sheer stupidity and not from moral defects or psychological flaws. Coulter claims, “It’s not just arrogance. It’s not just cronyism. This is just pure, blind stupidity.”[37]
Coulter dismisses Hillary’s arrogance for one reason: it is commensurate with her own.
Coulter has been an expert on Bill and Hillary Clinton since the mid-1990s. She once said that she views the whole of life through the prism of the Clintons.
Coulter called Hillary a prostitute for marrying Clinton[38] and an unfit mother for staying married to Clinton.[39] For Coulter, it was always a character issue with Hillary: “Her whole persona is a lie. Her being is a lie. She’s a lie.”[40]
Suddenly, in 2015, Coulter has had an epiphany. It is no longer a character issue. Hillary is merely stupid?
In a remarkable twist of fate, Ann shares many traits with Hillary.[41]
Perhaps it is for that very reason that Coulter rejects Clinton’s psychological dysfunctions (which she shares) – hubris, sense of entitlement, corrupted by power, etc. – and opts for dismissing Clinton as simply too stupid.
Immigration = ISIS
Proffering a particularly provocative perspective, Coulter dismissed concern for ISIS and claimed illegal aliens are more dangerous than ISIS.[42]
With unmistakable clarity, Coulter said, “The common enemy are the Democrats! Haven’t I made that clear. I don’t even care about ISIS!”[43]
Very insistent – and wrong in her assertions – Coulter contends, “I don’t think we are vulnerable to ISIS. I can protect any American from ISIS right now, don’t go to Syria. Problem solved. ISIS is not 9/11. Stop talking about ISIS.”[44] And, “all we hear about, day in, day out is ISIS.”[45]
Coulter even asserted a conspiratorial argument, claiming, “Whenever the media starts obsessing with ISIS, I think you’re hiding something. And you’re hiding something on the Democrats, who themselves, when they’re running for office, say, ‘Oh, no, of course I don’t support Obama’s executive amnesty.’ Now they’re down there filibustering it! Do Americans even know that?”[46]
Remarkably, conservatives gave her plenty of uncritical attention, in stark contrast to that given Bernie Chambers, Nebraska State Senator, who claimed, “Nobody from ISIS ever terrorized us as a people as the police do daily.”
For instance, all of the co-hosts of The Five chastised Chambers:[47]
- Julie Roginsky: “They take it to an insane point where, instead of making your case, you start comparing people to ISIS.”
- Kimberly Guilfoyle: “It’s just so insulting and so disrespectful. I mean, this kind of rhetoric, why does this guy even have a job? I don’t understand why people tolerate this kind of nonsense.”
- Dana Perino: “Use your words, use your reasoning and your logic, bring your facts, bring your statistics. The thing is, reckless and irresponsible rhetoric like this could lead to him needing protection.”
- Greg Gutfeld: “There’s always somebody comparing somebody to Hitler. That will never go away. They’ll say you’re worse than Hitler. No matter what, that’s what they’re going to say.”
- Eric Bolling: “Look at everyone – it’s coming from the left. It’s coming from liberals.”
Sorry, Eric, but your friend, Ann, frequently makes ISIS and Hitler comparisons without regard for truth.[48]
Liberals’ Nazi Propaganda and Tactics
While making valid arguments opposed to various race hoaxes, Coulter employed Nazi illusions,[49] writing,
“Is this the kind of society we want to live in, where a student can record his intoxicated friends singing a nasty song, and the whole country applauds the Nazi block-watcher and joins in the denunciation of his marks?” Lest we miss her point, Coulter called this student an “aspiring Stasi member.”
In a repellent column (which made some good points in a bad way), Coulter attacked ABC news anchor David Muir for his looks and accused him of being a Nazi.[50] Calling him a “pretty boy,” Coulter argued that Muir’s summary of an event was “nothing short of Goebbels-like propaganda.”
Coulter concluded her diatribe: “A prettier face, but the same old propaganda.”[51]
Coulter on the Offensive
Coulter boasted in 2006: “A word to those of you out there who have yet to be offended by something I have said: Please be patient. I am working as fast as I can.”
Yet, she claims, “I don’t think my opinions are controversial.”[52]
Squaring the circle can be difficult at times.
But, Coulter’s prime directive since the turn of the millennium has been to offend. Coulter is adept at offending.[53]
She compared libertarians to special needs children: “The problem with libertarians is – and it’s perfectly illustrated in Rand Paul’s case – is they’re like special needs children. They need extra work because they take these wild-eyed libertarian positions.”[54]
(Meanwhile, she ludicrously asserts, “I’m not a Libertarian, though I’m more libertarian than most libertarians.”)[55]
She continues to employ elimination rhetoric:[56] ““I would totally take the Chinese approach and kill them [liberals] all”[57] and “we’ll have to do is organize the death panels for the people who destroyed America, and map out whose graves will be desecrated.”
Coulter compared Obama to would-be assassin John Hinckley: “It’s like, you know, ‘Has John Hinckley called to congratulate Ronald Reagan yet?’”[58]
Coulter is now a proponent of widespread nuclear attacks: “I am now a pacifist in favor of the liberal use of nukes.”[59] And, she’s not joking!
“I’ve become a pacifist in favor of lots of nukes and daisy cutters. … We oughta just deploy nukes far and wide when necessary and not waste any more American lives.”[60]
Recently asked, “How do you come up with this stuff?” Coulter candidly replied, “Blind rage!”[61] This comes as no surprise to anyone. Coulter has been motivated by blind rage for most of her professional career.[62]
Coulter on Coulter
In much of her commentary, Coulter is sharp, incisive, spot-on. But in far too many areas, the chasm between Coulter’s perception and actual reality is far too wide. Coulter’s self-perceptions are particularly divergent from reality.[63]
Coulter has always wanted to believe herself among the crème-de-la-crème.[64] She has always envisioned herself better than the rest.[65] Consider these remarks:
- “I’m always … I’m always right.”[66]
- “My thought is that everyone should just listen to me because I do”[67]
- “I write about it in my very first New York Times’ best-seller, High Crimes and Misdemeanors.”[70]
- “I’m thinking we may have to move [the release date] up. The country needs [my new] book. … this is the best one ever.”[71]
- “I’ve been finishing my page proofs for my magnificent new book that comes out June 1st.”[72]
Coulter’s inaccurate perceptions about herself, others, and reality itself; her inability to either repent or to forgive; her purposeful character assassination of others; her eager employment of elimination rhetoric; and her refusal to do what she knows is the right thing to do – these are all emblematic of and a consequence of her vanity.[73]
Coulter current speech title is “Republicans Could Win, If They’d Stop Doing Some of the Things They’re Doing.” Yeah, they could stop listening to Coulter!
Endnotes:
[1] Ann Coulter, “Barack Obama: A Man for the Ages!” 3/11/15.
[2] Ann Coulter, O’Reilly Factor, FNC, 4/2/15.
[3] Ann Coulter, “The College Rape Club, 12/10/14.
[4] Ann Coulter, Hannity, FNC, 12/9/14.
[5] Ann Coulter, “Hands Up, Don’t Discriminate Against Gays!” 4/1/15.
[6] Ann Coulter, “Can the Left Come Up With One True Story?” 4/8/15.
[7] See “Ann Coulter Trivializes Rape” at http://wp.me/p4jHFp-3M.
[8] See “Ann Coulter Screws Up Again” at http://t.co/IfJD3YVG3o.
[9] See “Coulter’s Soccer Flop – Part Trois” at http://t.co/uy7FDPu79v.
[10] See “Ann Coulter to God: “STFU”” at http://t.co/avKhlc4yVv.
[11] Ann Coulter, Stevens Institute of Technology, 2/19/15.
[12] See “Ann Coulter’s Xenophobic Anti-Gospel of Hate” at http://t.co/aQGhLuWwtD.
[13] Ann Coulter, O’Reilly Factor, FNC, 4/2/15.
[14] See “Coulter’s Ghastly Eulogy” at http://wp.me/p4jHFp-52.
[15] See Chapter 8: “The Lost Art of the Eulogy: It’s All About ME!” Vanity: Ann Coulter’s Quest for Glory, 2012, available as a free PDF download at www.coulterwatch.com/vanity.pdf.
[16] See “CPAC Shuns Coulter, Ann Incensed” at http://wp.me/p4jHFp-4M.
[17] See “Coulter Stumps for Romney – Again!” at http://wp.me/p4jHFp-4V.
[18] Ann Coulter, Joyce Kaufmann Show, WFTL, 2/2/15.
[19] Ann Coulter, Stevens Institute of Technology, 2/19/15.
[20] Ann Coulter, Joyce Kaufmann Show, WFTL, 2/2/15.
[21] For a partial list of actual Romney gaffes, see pp. 154, 157 of Propaganda: Orwell in the Age of Ann Coulter, 2014, available as a free PDF download at www.coulterwatch.com/propaganda.pdf.
[22] Ann Coulter, Good Day, LA, KTTV, 3/17/15.
[23] Ann Coulter, Joyce Kaufmann Show, WFTL, 2/2/15.
[24] Ann Coulter, Good Day, LA, KTTV, 3/17/15.
[25] Ann Coulter, Hannity, FNC, 4/6/15.
[26] See “Coulter Discovers RINOs will be … RINOs” at http://wp.me/p4jHFp-56.
[27] Ann Coulter, Hannity, FNC, 2/18/15.
[28] Ann Coulter, Mark Simone Show, WOR, 4/8/15.
[29] Ann Coulter, Fox & Friends, FNC, 4/4/15.
[30] Ann Coulter, Mark Simone Show, WOR, 4/8/15.
[31] Ann Coulter, Good Day, LA, KTTV, 3/17/15.
[32] Ann Coulter, Mark Simone Show, WOR, 4/8/15.
[33] See “Ann Coulter – Smartest Person in the World” at http://wp.me/p4jHFp-59.
[34] Ann Coulter, Justice with Judge Jeanine, FNC, 3/7/15.
[35] Ann Coulter, Hannity, FNC, 3/30/15.
[36] Ann Coulter, O’Reilly Factor, FNC, 3/13/15.
[37] Ann Coulter, Hannity, FNC, 3/30/15.
[38] Ann Coulter, Rivera Live, CNBC, 5/18/99.
[39] Ann Coulter, This Evening with Judith Regan, 2/6/00.
[40] Ann Coulter, Rivera Live, CNBC, 7/10/99.
[41] See pp. 143-147 of The Beauty of Conservatism, 2011, available as a free PDF download at www.coulterwatch.com/beauty.pdf.
[42] See “Immigration More Dangerous Than ISIS” at http://wp.me/p4jHFp-5e.
[43] Ann Coulter, Stevens Institute of Technology, 2/19/15.
[44] Ann Coulter, Fox & Friends, FNC, 2/21/15.
[45] Ann Coulter, Hannity, FNC, 2/25/15.
[46] Ann Coulter, Hannity, FNC, 2/18/15.
[47] The Five, FNC, 3/26/15, http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/2015/03/26/prosecutor-co-pilot-deliberately-crashed-germanwings-jet-in-french-alps/.
[48] See “Ann Coulter and ‘the Democrats’ Thousand Year Reich’” at http://t.co/PqizvIp4Xa.
[49] Ann Coulter, “Sanctimony and Grandstanding are More Fun Than Free Speech,” 3/18/15.
[50] Ann Coulter, “Hey, Pretty Boy: Do You Actually Know What’s in the News?” 4/25/15.
[51] For an examination of Coulter’s own propaganda techniques, see Propaganda: Orwell in the Age of Ann Coulter, 2014, available as a free PDF download at www.coulterwatch.com/propaganda.pdf.
[52] Ann Coulter, Stevens Institute of Technology, 2/19/15.
[53] See “Coulter, Simply Offensive” at http://wp.me/p4jHFp-5i.
[54] Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity Show, Premiere Radio Networks, 4/6/15.
[55] Ann Coulter, Stevens Institute of Technology, 2/19/15.
[56] See Appendix 1: “Sampling of Coulter’s Elimination Rhetoric,” The Gospel According to Ann Coulter, 2012, available as a free PDF download at www.coulterwatch.com/gospel.pdf.
[57] Ann Coulter, Stevens Institute of Technology, 2/19/15.
[58] Ann Coulter, Hannity, FNC, 3/19/15.
[59] Ann Coulter, Fox & Friends, FNC, 2/21/15.
[60] Ann Coulter, Mark Simone Show, WOR, 4/8/15.
[61] Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity Show, Premiere Radio Networks, 4/6/15.
[62] See Chapter 8: “Polemics R Us,” The Beauty of Conservatism, 2011, available as a free PDF download at www.coulterwatch.com/beauty.pdf.
[63] See “Delusional – New Ann Coulter Book” at http://wp.me/p4jHFp-3z.
[64] See Chapter 1: “Rising Crème: Narcissism – A Primer,” Vanity: Ann Coulter’s Quest for Glory, 2012, available as a free PDF download at www.coulterwatch.com/vanity.pdf.
[65] See “Ann Coulter – Smartest Person in the World” at http://wp.me/p4jHFp-59.
[66] Ann Coulter, Good Day, LA, KTTV, 3/17/15.
[67] Ann Coulter, Joyce Kaufmann Show, WFTL, 2/2/15.
[68] Ann Coulter, Hannity, FNC, 4/6/15.
[69] For specific examples of Coulter’s … see pp. 70-72 of The Beauty of Conservatism, 2011, available as a free PDF download at www.coulterwatch.com/beauty.pdf.
[70] Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity Show, Premiere Radio Networks, 4/6/15.
[71] Ann Coulter, Joyce Kaufmann Show, WFTL, 2/2/15.
[72] Ann Coulter, Mark Simone Show, WOR, 4/8/15.
[73] See Chapter 3: “Pride – All is Vanity,” Vanity: Ann Coulter’s Quest for Glory, 2012, available as a free PDF download at www.coulterwatch.com/vanity.pdf.
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