The American Mind

I haven’t encountered any mainstream conservative webloggers apologizing for Ann Coulter associating John Edwards with a gay slur:

Mike Krempasky:

Is she actually on OUR team? Is that the best foot we could put forward?”

I do wish she’d just shut the hell up. Our side would be better off.

Nathan Nelson:

You know, the conservative movement features a lot of brilliant men and women. Erick Erickson, Michelle Malkin, Sean Hannity, Ann Althouse, Glenn Beck, Laura Ingraham - these are names all of us know, and there are so many more. Ann Coulter used to be one of those brilliant conservatives. But now all she does is come out on the national stage once every few months, say a few outrageous and indefensible things, and proceed to make the conservative movement look like the horrible ogre that liberals say that it is. Now all she does is say these awful things that increase her celebrity and her book sales but do nothing to further the interests of American conservatism. Yes, it is high time for the conservative movement to move on. Ann Coulter’s got to go. I hope every single one of the Republican presidential candidates disown her, I hope Vice President Cheney disowns her, I hope President Bush disowns her, I hope CPAC disowns her, and I hope every single conservative in America disowns her. The conservative movement will only be the better for it.

Joe Gandelman (who isn’t a conservative):

The larger issue is that in our talk-radio, cable talk shows, weblogs, blog comments, the 21st century shows that we’re in the era of shock language. The idea is to throw an audience red meat.

In this case, Coulter didn’t just throw red meat. She hurled the entire cow.

And there is little sign that there is any serious rising up to repudiate this trend or ensure that she doesn’t speak there in the future. With all of the SOLID and THOUGHTFUL conservatives, Coulter took the stage. The bottom line: the people who do it just get bigger and bigger audiences and fatter and fatter bank accounts.

And surely young people are taking note. Why bother to be issue- and solution-oriented and thoughtful when the attention and money is in slurring those with whom you disagree?

Dan Riehl:

However, the clearly too self-centered and all too self-promoting Coulter should be denounced for her selection of venue. And the group or individuals responsible for having the reckless, attention craving publicity whore at CPAC should denounce her and make it clear she won’t ever be invited back.

Forget about the speech, even if the Left won’t, what Coulter did amounts to the hijacking of an event meant for, evidently, far more serious minded individuals than she. It isn’t about you, Ann. In fact, a great many conservatives couldn’t care less if you breathe, curse, cavort, or simply pose.

Your actions at CPAC did nothing to advance the cause of conservatism in America; they accomplished just the opposite. I hope you’re proud, you insufferable self-indulgent political media equivalent to Anna Nicole. There but for the grace of a few hundred pounds go you, Ann. Eat more. Hell, you can choke on it for all I care.

Dean Barnett:

Idiotic. Disgusting. Stupid. Moronic.

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.

John Edwards must be loving Ann’s f-bomb. He’s asking supporters to toss some “Coulter Cash” his way. Bravo Ann, you’re keeping him (and his hair) in the race a little longer.

Imagine William Buckley using the f-word. It wouldn’t happen. Buckley has more decency and civility and a lot more talent. He would have tossed a barb a Edwards that would have been smart, witty, and funny. Ann Coulter is simply the lousy shock jock of the Right.

She has enough of a following that CPAC doesn’t need her any more. She adds no value to the conservative movement. Let her have her Fox News apperances I hope she’s never invited back to CPAC. We won’t miss her.