« The Anti-GoreSurrender With Credible Force vs. Threat of Violence »

Shameless Opportunity

Wizbang makes a great point in defense of Coulter. Not the ”Edwards = faggot” part, but the notion that every unpleasant remark today requires rehab.  

 “I’d say that we’re losing a fundamental right here — the right to be an asshole.”  

Basically, ”freedom of speech.” Pursuit of happiness, that kind of thing. Of course, the  right to be an asshole is not absolute, any more than freedom of speech is. It’s a great academic argument, but Coulter is just the latest in a long line of people who show its possible to make a career out of being an asshole. 

She’s suffered nothing. Rights intact. CPAC is not obliged to invite Coulter back, nor are people obliged to attend her speeches or buy her books. Edwards could probably sue for defamation, except then he’d have to state in court that being called a “faggot” was harmful to his reputation, and that would be politically damaging. Edwards shrewdly chose capitalize on it otherwise. Within hours of the hatefulness spewing from Coulter’s mouth, Edwards was emailing for Coulter cash:

Dear [Supporter],

Did you hear about Anne Coulter’s speech this afternoon attacking John? A friend just forwarded me the video and it’s one of the worst moments in American politics I’ve seen.

I can’t bring myself to even repeat her comments. Her shameless display of bigotry is so outrageous you actually have to see for yourself to believe it.

This is just a taste of the filth that the right-wing machine is gearing up to throw at us. And now that it’s begun, we have a choice: Do we sit back, or do we fight back?

I say we fight. Help us raise $100,000 in “Coulter Cash” this week to show every would-be Republican mouthpiece that their bigoted attacks will not intimidate this campaign …

Thanks,

David Bonior
Campaign Manager
John Edwards for President

It would be tragic and hurtful if John Edwards were intimidated by such a great opportunity to vault into the hard Left’s consciousness and raise money. Those twin lights must have gone off in his head immediately. 

“She said what? … why, this is one of the worst moments in American politics … I can’t believe the filth the right-wing machine is throwing at me! Is there is reason I can’t hear you typing yet, David?”

That shameless display of bigotry was the best thing that’s happened to the Edwards campaign all season. This time next year, he’ll be thinking wistfully of what it could have been like, if every other would-be Republican mouthpiece had only tried to intimidate his campaign … just a couple more bigoted attacks and he’d have been a player in New Hampshire. 

But for now, Edwards’ reaction, on top of Coulter’s undoubted glee at having made headlines again, makes it a win-win.

Meanwhile, waiting for the outrage about this one:

“I’m just saying if he did die, other people, more people would live. That’s a fact.”

… (tap tap tap, yawn)  …  still waiting.

Topics: pols, shameless opportunism

  Posted by Jules Crittenden at 11:40 pm on Sunday, March 4, 2007

6 Responses to “Shameless Opportunity”

1. Bill's Bites Says:
   March 5th, 2007 at 2:03 am

   Nibbles // Open Post — 2007.03.05

   Just read ‘em. Maybe I’ll find time to do more with ‘em later. (And some things that are too short to excerpt and too good to not mention.) Please feel free to use this post for comments and trackbacks not

2. Old War Dogs Says:
   March 5th, 2007 at 2:03 am

   Bill’s Nibbles // Open Post — 2007.03.05

   Some Bill’s Bites posts, some things I excerpted and linked but I’m sending you to the original post. I may rearrange the order of the items within this post as I add new things that I think belong above the

3. saltydog Says:
   March 5th, 2007 at 5:59 am

   She is absolutely correct to make that particular point. Too bad she didn’t do so with more discretion and circumspection, because it is an important point and badly needs to be made. Instead of giving people something to think about, she gave Edwards, and the Dems in general, a little boost.

4. Terrye Says:
   March 5th, 2007 at 6:17 am

   Ann Coulter’s only point is that when she runs her mouth she gets publicity and that helps her sell her books. The whole rehad remark was assanine. BTW, I do not watch TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy so the comment sounded even more stupid to me.

   To try and defend Coulter by saying she was making a remark about going into rehab for language…blah blah blah….is not helping.

   Who knows? If they let her come next year she might completely destroy what little prestige the event has by calling Obama a n***er. Just to be daring of course. Not that she would really mean that.

   I vote for Republicans in spite of people like Ann. Needless to say the Democrats are often worse but that does not make it ok. It is kind of juvenile to use someone else’s bad behavior as an excuse for your own.

   It was a stupid thing to say and if this woman needs help it might be for her constant need to be the center of attention. But I doubt if there is anything anyone can do about that, including Ann.

5. RebeccaH Says:
   March 5th, 2007 at 8:38 pm

   I’m in total agreement with the “right to be an asshole” part, and absolutely despise the “rehab every time you say something stupid” part. I’ve done battle with assholes, and hated them for being assholes, but never disputed the fact that they could be assholes if they wanted to be. That is true free speech. “Rehab” is doubleplus ungood unfreedom.

6. J.M. Heinrichs Says:
   March 6th, 2007 at 2:29 pm

   I’ll go out on a limb, that Miss Coulter will not use the dreaded (-) word for Mr Obama, but merely point out that he’s a 254 vice 255.

   Cheers

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.