Posted on 10/12/2007 8:55:24 PM PDT by Quiet Man Jr.
(CNSNews.com) - "We're going to show you what [Ann Coulter] said, and then you decide if you think maybe she should be taken off the airwaves permanently," NBC's Meredith Viera told Today show viewers on Friday morning.
"Some people are actually saying she should not be on television any more," Viera told viewers.
But as it turns out, no one said any such thing on the Today show. In fact, Donnie Deutsch, the CNBC host who prompted the latest Coulter controversy, told Viera on Friday that "of course" Coulter should be allowed to appear on the air.
The controversy stems from Coulter's comments on Monday that Christians consider themselves "perfected Jews." She made the comments on CNBC's "Big Idea" program with Donnie Deutsch, after Deutsch asked Coulter what an ideal nation would look like.
"It would look like New York City during the Republican National Convention," Coulter said. Coulter said that's her idea of heaven: a place filled with "happy" people who are "Christian" and "tolerant" and who "defend America."
Deutsch, picking up on Coulter's comment that everyone would be Christian, asked her if she really meant it. "Yes," she said -- and that's when Deutsch pressed her for an explanation.
Coulter obliged: "We just want the Jews to be perfected, as they say... That's what Christianity is -- we believe the Old Testament, but ours [New Testament] is more like Federal Express, Coulter said. "You (Jews) have to obey laws. We (Christians) know we're all sinners..."
Coulter later told Deutsch, who claimed to be personally offended, that she did not mean to offend him. "I don't think you should take it that way, but that is what Christians consider themselves -- perfected Jews," Coulter said.
Coulter noted that Christians believe the Old Testament, and they also believe the New Testament, which says Christ came and died for our sins. "Christians believe the Old Testament, you don't believe our Testament," she told Deutsch.
As Deutsch continued to harp on Coulter's "perfected Jews" comment, Coulter kept trying to explain what she meant.
"You said -- your exact words were, 'Jews need to be perfected," Deutsch said.
"No, I'm saying that's what a Christian is," Coulter replied.
"Don't you see how hateful and anti-Semitic that is?" Deutsch asked. "No," Coulter protested, "that isn't an insult at all."
Media 'critters'
NBC's Today show interviewed CNBC's Deutsch in person on Friday morning, stoking his professed outrage to keep the controversy going.
Deutsch told Viera he put Coulter on his show to "celebrate" what he called her "successful" business model.
He also compared Coulter to Britney Spears, who "doesn't exist" until she crashes her car again. It's the same thing with Coulter, Deutsch said. "We're creating these critters in the media, that until she does that, she doesn't exist."
Deutsch called it "scary" that Coulter wasn't being controversial on purpose. "We're playing with dangerous words in our society -- there's no accountability, there's a glibness that we in the media kind of elevate," Deutsch said. He said he's personally tired of it, and he thinks Americans are, too.
"So you're saying she should not be allowed on the air?" Meredith Viera asked.
"Of course she should be allowed on the air, it's free speech," Deutsch responded.
Dautsch also expressed the opinion that people with controversial opinions will be heard less and less on the nation's airwaves, as fed-up viewers tune them out.
The Today show apparently did not make any attempt to present Coulter's side of the "tempest in a talk show" controversy.
Meanwhile, the National Jewish Democratic Council this week launched on an online petition to have the conservative Coulter dropped as a network commentator.
A number of conservative groups are increasingly concerned about attacks on freedom of speech in this country, given the recent uproar over Rush Limbaugh's misinterpreted "phony soldiers" comment, which prompted a number of U.S. lawmakers to denounce him.
Copyright 1998-2006 Cybercast News Service
As far as I’m concerned, if Hugh Hewitt doesn’t want you on his show you’ve either done something very right or very wrong.
I don’t know what it was about Coulter that would have led to that prouncement, but given it’s him, she probably stood up for some conservative philosophy in blunt terms he’s too cowardly to defend.
And this comes from someone who’s not a big “fan” of Coulter, but I have no problem defending her when she’s actually right even if she doesn’t use PC terms.
It might interest you all to know that it was he and that agency (before I worked there; I was there from 1998 - 2002) that came up with the entire "Man from Hope" ad campaign for former president Bill Clinton....
Some say paaa taa toe and some say potato... it’s the thought that counts.
It might interest you all to know that it was he and that agency (before I worked there; I was there from 1998 - 2002) that came up with the entire "Man from Hope" ad campaign for former president Bill Clinton....
I'm shocked I tell you, shocked. ( Just kidding)
I’m starting to think Coulter is a plant...
One thing I have noticed about Ann C when she makes remarks that she sounds very sarcastic in her tone.
Yes. And neurotic Savage bit the hook to the eyelet.
His loss.
Ann Coulter just said in effect that Christianity is the true religion and that the others aren’t. Is this a revelation?
She also said in effect that the “Israel of God” is the Church. However, the Apostle Paul said it first.
I'd say it's close enough for media work. "Perfect" means "complete"—literally, "done through." That's from the Latin, but even in modern English, something perfect is something complete (done fully).
Ann hasn't distorted anything by using one word rather than the other. It's the idea of Christianity itself that shocks. Shocks arrogant, shallow media-mouthpieces, that is.
My thoughts exactly. She nailed this within the first couple pages.
Must be. This happened Monday? I didn't hear about it until this evening.
“She should stay away from the Theology though, deep answers require more then a 15 second response.”
What is that old saying about avoiding “religion & politics”? unfortunatly, much of the time, in todays world you cannot avoid either topic, and a lot of times they are interwoven. While I am not a believer, if this was a core belief of hers I can understand it. She is certainly not calling for conversion at gunpoint or anything like that. That method seems to be reserved for islam. But yeah padre35, you are right in that it takes more than a 15 second response.
What kind of plant? A fern? A Lilac?
Because Media Matters didn't put it on their website until Wednesday. Liberal press outlets beholden to the Clinton campaign trumpeted it on Thursday and conservative outlets are responding today. It's a total hit piece set up by Media Matters.
These MSM types are always shocked to find out that this stuff really is in the Bible. Did Jesus really go too far this time?
Ann is a master marketer. She deserves every penny she gets!
Ann Coulter and all Americanesque Christians are the best thing to happen to Judaism on the planet—I was a Christian for the 1st 17 years of my life, and Jews are portrayed (quite logically of course) as God’s chosen people.
Judaism—Jews—get carte blanche in any
overwhelmingly evangelical population. They should thank their lucky stars it is this way in this country. We’ve got politicians in Iran saying things like “Hitler saved Europe...” and Jews in general ought to keep in mind that it is fundamentally the Evangelicals that support their causes here. It’s not some amorphous Jewish/Israeli lobby. That lobby would be impotent without the firm, implicit support Evangelicals offer by way of respect for Jesus having been a Jew.
There is no way the ethnic or religious Jewish community is so stupid as to to p!ss off their best allies. They see it. Whatever complaints are made, I would never believe it to be coming from Jewish folks.
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