Chris Matthews Sandbags Ann Coulter With Live Call-In From Elizabeth Edwards

NewBusters ^

[Sub-Driver]

Chris Matthews Sandbags Ann Coulter With Live Call-In From Elizabeth Edwards Posted by Geoffrey Dickens on June 26, 2007 - 19:26.

On tonight's Hardball, MSNBC's Chris Matthews blind-sided his guest, conservative columnist Ann Coulter, with a live call from Elizabeth Edwards. The wife of presidential candidate John Edwards, proceeded to demand Coulter to stop her "personal attacks" on her husband, but Coulter shot back that at least she wasn't "bankrupting doctors by giving a shyster, Las Vegas routine."

The following is the full transcript of the exchange as it occurred on the June 26th edition of Hardball:

Chris Matthews: "You know who's on the line? Somebody to respond to what you said about Edwards, yesterday morning, Elizabeth Edwards. She wanted to call in today, we said she could. Elizabeth Edwards go on the line, you're on the line with Ann Coulter."

Elizabeth Edwards: "Hello Chris."

Matthews: "Do you want to say something directly to the person who's with me?"

Edwards: "I was calling, you know, in the South when we, when someone does something that displeases us we want to ask them, politely, to stop doing it. I'd like to ask Ann Coulter to, if she wants to debate on issues, on positions, we certainly disagree with nearly everything she said on your show today. But, but it's quite another matter, to, for these personal attacks. The things she has said over the years, not just about John but about other candidates is, lowers our, our political dialogue, precisely at the time we need to raise it. So I want to use the opportunity, which I don't get much, because Ann and I don't hang out with the same people."

Coulter: "I don't have enough money."

Edwards: "To ask her, politely, to stop the personal attacks."

Coulter: "Okay so I made a joke, let's see, six months ago, and as you point out, they've been raising money off of it, for six months, since then."

Matthews: "But this is just yesterday morning, what you said about him."

Coulter: "I didn't say anything about him, actually, either time."

Edwards: "Ann, Ann you know that's not true. And, and once more, this has been going on for some time."

Coulter: "I don't mind you trying to raise money. I mean it's better this than giving $50,000 speeches to the poor-"

Edwards: "I'm asking you-"

Coulter: "-just to use-

Edwards: "I'm asking you, politely-"

Coulter: "-my name on the Web pages. But as for a debate with me, yeah sure. Yeah we'll have a debate."

Edwards: "I'm asking you, politely, to stop, to stop personal attacks..."

Coulter: "How about you stop raising money on your Web page then? No, you don't have to because, I don't mind."

Edwards: "It didn't start, it did not, it didn't start, it did not start with that. You had a column a number of years ago where you suggested-"

Coulter: "Okay the wife of a presidential candidate-"

Edwards: "Wait till I finish talking please."

Coulter: "-who's calling in and asking me to stop speaking?"

Matthews: "Let her finish the point, let her finish the point."

Coulter: "You're asking me to stop speaking. ‘Stop writing your columns. Stop writing your books.'"

Edwards: "You had a column, you wrote a column several years ago-"

Matthews: "Ann, please."

Coulter: "Okay."

Edwards: "Which made, which made fun of the moment of Charlie Dean's death and suggested that my husband had a bumper sticker on the back of his car that said, ‘Ask me about my dead son.'"

Coulter: "That's now three years ago."

Edwards: "This is not legitimate political dialogue. It debases political dialogue. It draws people away from the process. We can't have a debate about issues if you're using this kind of language."

Coulter responding to audience member: "Yeah why isn't John Edwards making this call?"

Matthews: "Well do you want to respond, while I end this conversation?"

Edwards: "I, I haven't talked to John about this call."

Coulter: "This is just another attempt for-"

Edwards: "I am making this call as a mother. I am, I'm the mother of that boy who died. I, my children participate. These young people behind you are the age of my children, particularly, you're asking them to participate in a dialogue that's based on, on hatefulness and ugliness instead of on the issues and I don't, I don't think that's serving them or this country very well."

[applause]

Matthews: "Thank you very much, Elizabeth Edwards. Well do you, you have all the time in the world to respond to that."

Coulter: "I think, I think we heard all we need to hear. The wife of a presidential candidate is asking me to stop speaking. No."

Matthews: "No, she said you should stop being so negative to people, individually."

Coulter: "Right, as opposed to bankrupting doctors by giving a shyster, Las Vegas routine-"

Matthews: "Okay."

Coulter: "-in front of juries based on science. Wait, you said I'd have as long I would have-"

Matthews: "Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead."

Coulter: "-and you instantly interrupted me. As I was saying, doing these psychic routines in front of illiterate juries to bankrupt doctors, who now can't deliver babies. And to charge a, a poverty group $50,000 for a speech. Don't talk to me about, about how to use language."

Matthews: "Elizabeth?"

Coulter: "That language of hate. And I'm, I, I'm gonna ask you, again, to politely stop using personal attacks as part of your dialogue."

Coulter: "Okay, I'll stop writing books."

Matthews: "Why do you talk about-"

Edwards: "If you can't write them, without them, then that's fine."

Matthews: "Why do talk about Hillary's chubby legs in your book?"

[laughter from audience]

Matthews: "Why do you, I mean, that, that might fall under the category of personal attacks, I don't know, but why do you do that? Why do you talk about Monica Lewinsky's chubbiness? If she were skinny would it had been okay?"

Coulter: "I don't know, read the sentence."

Matthews: "I read the whole sentence, I couldn't feel the context."

Coulter: "Well you have to give it to me and I could explain."

Matthews: "Why do you bring up the word, ‘chubby?' Why do you make fun of Hillary's chubby legs?"

Coulter: "I, I don't know, you're going to have to give me the sentence. And I think-"

Matthews: "It's in the afterward of your book, I just read it this morning."

Coulter: "Well read the sentence!"

Matthews: "We'll, we'll be back and read the entire sentence. We're gonna come right back, I don't know why we're reading, the full intellectual context will be coming in a moment."

Coulter: "Thank you."

[tgslTakoma]

Video of the Coulter/Liz Edwards showdown HERE.

Also, you can watch more clips from Ann's appearance on the show; look for the link to more on the sidebar.

[pablo H]

Don’t like her, don’t listen to her.

We need all kinds of Conservatives. And she isn’t “representing” you or anyone except herself.

What other conservative do you dislike? Rush? Maybe Cal Thomas is more your type.

[Conservative Youth]

“By the way, if Ann is an idiot, she’s a best selling idiot”

Britney Spears is a best selling idiot also. Your point?

Notice you didn’t even address my ad hominem point. why? Because it’s true. This is also how Ann responds to intelligent arguments. She ignores them and debases her opponents personally.

[Star Traveler]

Ann is certainly one to hold up high as a good role model for dealing with the dummycrats, for sure...

[Conservative Youth]

I like conservatives that know how to argue their points intelligently. Rush Limbaugh, Pat Buchanan, Newt Gingrich, Tom Tancredo, etc etc etc.

Ann Coulter is not one of those people.

[Baladas]

Yes, Christ Matthews is a former democrat party operative, a paid one. Rumors are he still is. Yo,"ConservativeYouth", the 11th Commandment?:

Thou shall not speak ill of a fellow conservative...

Do you think Chrissy and Lizzie's little ambush on Coulter was "immoral"? After all, they knew what was going to happen.

[rusureitflies?]

Bingo! Libs can NOT think with Wisdom...so,don’t argue with a fool, state your case and leave....
9, 10, or 11yr old brains do have their place and they usually make a mess of it. They couldn’t comprehend AC if they tried.

[KingLiberty]

Ummmmmm. Britney Spears. Now you attack Britney Spears? See, the point you make is undermined by your last few posts. You call names, you tear down Ms. Spears, a Southern gal just trying to make a living in this cold cold world, and you continue to ask respect for “ad hominem”. When you begin living your words, then the discussion can start. P.S. Ms. Spears can’t sing a lick, sounds like a frog if you really listen to her, but her fans love her. And we love Ann. Are we all idiots?

[RonDog]

Thanks, tgslTakoma!

Was the DC Chapter able to get in to the taping of this show?

[tgslTakoma]

You haven’t read her books then.

[Rider on the Rain]

Matthews is becoming more or a lowlife SOB every day.

[Conservative Youth]

“Do you think Chrissy and Lizzie’s little ambush on Coulter was “immoral”? After all, they knew what was going to happen.”

Yes. What does that have to do with Ann’s personal attacks?

Are her personal attacks somehow justified because they attack her too?

That’s funny, I thought Jesus always said to “love those who hate you.”

She shouldn’t talk about Christianity because she’s miserable at following its teachings.

[JustaCowgirl]

If you can creep out Jon Cary with insincerity and hypocrisy you’re really beyond the pale.....

No kidding. That would take some major, major talent.

[Radix]

A product of the Public Schools Systems are we?

We are being attacked from all sides, regularly, and our attackers are shameless and without honor.

I understand that you may wish to be civil in every way, and that is commendable.

Meanwhile, the Beast is lurking at your back door, and no mercy will be shown to you.

In days to come you will find enemies of all sorts lurking about, aiming to slay you, not least among them will be the sons of Amelek.

You’ll see.

Advice....talk the talk, walk the walk, but carry a big sword.

You’ll need it.

[pablo H]

As I wrote, don’t like her, don’t listen to her.

We need all kinds of conservatives.

Don’t like bomb throwers? Why don’t you attack the 10 liberals on TV who attack us daily in the nastiest manner possible?

Instead, you have to join the left-wingers and attack Coulter.

You, Phil Donahue,Geraldo, and Dan Rather would love to shut up Coulter. I guess so you can go back to watching MSNBC and NPR.

[tgslTakoma]

Yes. Trueblackman, BufordP (whom Ann, I am told, was very happy to meet in person today), Christopher Lincoln and Kristinn (you can hear Kristinn yelling out, while Mrs. Edwards is whining on -air, [para]"Why isn't John Edwards here, himself?" and then Ann said, "Yes! Why isn't John Edwards here?")

Matthew appears to have been his usual boorish and boring self, today.

There are photos. I have to go through them and post them. I wasn't able to attend. Good thing, I suppose; Matthews would have certainly gotten my Irish up.

[Radix]

Definitely has not read her books.

[JustaCowgirl]

Next Edwards will probably send his son on TV to say “Why are the bad people so mean to my Daddy?”

Or send his daddy. You know, the poor man who worked so hard at the mill to put food on his poor family's table.

[KingLiberty]

I’m sitting here reading an Ann book, Brit Spears, the little minx, singing in the background, and I’ll sign off now with thoughts of Ann sugerpluming in my mind.

[Freedom4US]

"Edwards: "This is not legitimate political dialogue. It debases political dialogue. It draws people away from the process. We can't have a debate about issues if you're using this kind of language."

Fair enough. Since when, however comma did the lefties start worrying about civility and decorum? They WROTE THE BOOK ON DECONSTRUCTING CIVILIZATION REMEMBER?? Hell, I'm old enough to remember when no self-respecting woman would be caught dead in public WITHOUT GLOVES fer cryin' out loud. It's getting a little long in the tooth to get all exercised about some things. Not saying I like it.