Ann Coulter at CPAC

National Center for Public Policy Research ^ | 2-4-07 | Amy Ridenour

[SJackson]

Ann Coulter at CPAC

I'm sorry to see that Ann Coulter once again made certain news coverage of CPAC would be focused upon her instead of upon the conservative movement's goals and principles.

The National Center for Public Policy Research is one of very many co-sponsors of CPAC, and has been for some years. After Ann Coulter's offensive speech last year, we telephoned the organizers and strongly suggested that Ann Coulter's behavior was harmful to, and unrepresentative of, the conservative movement. We said we were considering pulling out our co-sponsorship because of Ann Coulter's "raghead" comment, and asked them to not invite Ann Coulter to speak in CPAC 2007, or, at the very least, only invite her if she was told to can the offensive speech, and explicitly agreed to do so. I had 90 percent decided to stop our co-sponsorship for CPAC 2007, but the sponsor seemed to be taking our concerns about Coulter's 2006 remarks seriously and with what seemed to us to be appropriate sympathy, so the National Center co-sponsored CPAC again this year.

(I am, by the way. under no illusion that CPAC's main sponsors lose sleep over possibly losing the National Center's co-sponsorship. We do pay a fee to co-sponsor, and all the fees paid by all the co-sponsors together do add up to quite a tidy sum, but I'm sure any one co-sponsor is quite expendable.)

As has been widely reported, Ann Coulter not only once again went out of her way to use a nasty epithet, she pushed her offensiveness up a notch, using a word that is even more universally reviled than the derogatory term she hurled last year.

So, CPAC's sponsors either invited Coulter back without first getting her pledge that she would speak without using demeaning epithets, or they obtained her pledge, and she broke her word.

We'll ask.

It would be better, in my opinion, to not have a CPAC at all than to have one that presents conservatism as a hostile, people-hating ideology. We conservatives have enough trouble overcoming the false things that are said about us without paying for a platform upon which we shoot ourselves annually in the foot.

Some of my past commentary on Ann Coulter can be found here and here.

Here's a roundup of other conservative (and moderate) commentary on the Coulter situation:

"With Friends Like These... (re Ann Coulter)," JonQuixote

"CPAC is Shocked--Shocked!--by Ann Coulter's Remarks," Jon Swift

"Coulter Screams for Attention, Again - Losing Whatever Supporters She Still Had," Patterico

"Ann Coulter Doesn't Speak For Me," Wizbang

"Coulter Said What? (Bumped)," Captain's Quarters

"The Shame Of Ann Coulter," The Moderate Voice

"Ann Coulter at CPAC," Betsy's Page

"Ann Coulter calls John Edwards...," Right Thoughts

"Count Me Out," Lone Star Times

"Ann Coulter Calls John Edwards The 'F-word'," Gay Patriot

"Coulter Needs A Rehab," Riehl World View

"Apologizing for Ann Coulter," MyDD

"On Ann Coulter, John Edwards, and Civility," historymike

P.S. A hostile liberal blogger issues a challenge to conservatives:

Reality: [Ann Coulter] is your biggest star. The people you claim to speak for feel she speaks for them much, much more than you do -- and they're right. She is modern conservatism's id -- she's the one who says what the rest of you would say if you didn't feel it would cost you your standing as reasonable, responsible people.

Want to prove me wrong? You cut her off. You boycott the sponsors of TV shows that still invite her on as a guest. You show up at her book signings and campus appearances and hand out flyers quoting her nastiest bon mots. You boycott CPAC next year if she's invited, and demand that others do the same. Or if you have a problem with boycotts as a matter of principle, at the very least urge your fellow conservatives, on college campuses and elsewhere, to stop extending invitations to her, given the profound harm you say she does to your movement.

But you won't do that, will you? In that case, shut the hell up, hypocrites, and acknowledge that while Coulter may be the bad apple in the family, your door is always open to her.

Well?

[longtermmemmory]

Gee, a person who supports a candidate who is Pro-homosexual marriage, anti-secondamendment and is a typical lawyer candidate.

Of course rudy supporters dislike ann, she also said that she did not like Rudy or McCain.

The fact is this faux shock ties into the MSM fauning over a Hilary Clinton clone on the republican primary.

[longtermmemmory]

Not only should Ann Coulter be invited back to CPAC,

SHE SHOULD BE A HEADLINER AT CPAC!!!!!!

[CJ-50]

Those terms are not banned. They are however disrespectful and when there are used, it causes a huge storm, like what we are seeing now. Ann knew what she was doing and got exactly what see wanted!

[freekitty]

LOL

[freekitty]

True; but any kind of publicity seems to doom those that fall into it.

[freekitty]

PC the epidemic of the century. The dumber they are; the more they afflicted with it.

[hophead]

"Those terms are not banned."

Bullsh1t they are not banned. Who wants to face this fury over the use of those words? Use fagot or nigger in a sentence when you are running for office and see where it gets you. Or even better how about "macaca". Does that ring a bell? Who the hell knew what "macaca" meant?
Children have been suspended from school for these words. If they are not banned, then why is there punishment?

[Candor7]

Use fagot or nigger in a sentence when you are running for office and see where it gets you. Or even better how about "macaca". Does that ring a bell? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Yes, but you miss the point, Ann as the court jester among the MSM anointed NOBILITY is NOT running for office.

Bearding the Mountain Kings in their own lair is an accomplishment, revealing the triviality of these spineless MSM candidates.

Those who support these middle of the road Democrat liberal clones as Republicans are offended by Ann's remark, and those who are conservatives are not offended. Ann applied a type of one line fractional distillation, and if people are STILL raving about Ann's contretemps, wit and humor, then it merely tells everyone where their politics are.

So vote RINO, but do not insult intelligence with this continuing witless babble.

[CJ-50]

You won't be breaking any laws when you use them, but you have to be ready for the reaction. When you disrespect someone, they are not going to like it.

I don't want people to use them but I will not stop anyone from using them. I never want to see books being burned of citizens locked-up for what they say.