Addition or subtraction?: Ann Coulter and the conservative crossroads

Townhall.com ^ | March 7, 2007 | Michael Medved

[Lee'sGhost]

Dear MM,

I love you man, but liberals will NEVER come to our side no matter what we do.

Thanks for caring, though.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

There you go taking issue with certain words you deem are offensive to you.

Looks like Mr. Medved has better insight than he is given credit for.

[Ramcat]

But as a point of clarification, let me make it clear that ACU and CPAC do not condone or endorse the use of hate speech,” said David A. Keene, ACU Chairman.

Hate speech?
I'm not buying this and neither should any conservative.
Who was Ann hating in her speech?
Unless multi gazillionaire ambulance chasers are considered a protected class?
This smacks of thought control and worse.
It's becoming obvious why Republicans lost the congress.
We've been seriously compromised.
Maybe I'm just a new or different class of conservative? You know what? It feels good not to think like the herd at least you can prepare for what's coming.

[subterfuge]

So let me get this straight...you think it's intellectualism and smugness to say it doesn't do the conservative movement any good to go around calling a faithful husband a faggot?

So let me get this straight. You don't see the irony of FReeper 'highball' stating how she's a self-inflated moron who does the conservative agenda more harm than good by behaving like a left-wing stereotype of a knuckle-dragging conservative bigot, while simultaneously asking for conservatives to take the high road, which he certainly didn't?

[Mr. Silverback]

The Reagan Revolution was won with ideas, not invective.

How few understand that these days.

[concerned about politics]

Not a friendly "you faggot, you drank the last Coke". But someone they do not like, in public, where they'll hear -- can your kids call someone they don't like a 'faggot' as an insult?

Faggot means homosexual. Calling someone who is not a homosexual a faggot is an insult and no, they can't use it for that. If someone is a homosexual, yes, they can use it. That's what the word means.

[Dominic Harr]

Faggot is a normal word.

If your kid calls another kid a 'faggot' in class, and that kid punches him -- do you think your son did anything wrong?

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

The idea is to attract Moderates and Independent voters to our side.

Neither party can win by it's base alone. The Liberals will always be in the Democrat base and their radical 3rd party factions. The same goes for Conservatives. No party can win without appealing to the middle. It's a pure and simple fact.

[Rutles4Ever]

So you go around referring to black people as "Negroes"?

[Mr. Silverback]

Why don't you go ahead and answer my question first. It's more "high road" that way.

[kabar]

I think ACU and CPAC were doing some damage control and some parsing of words. If you read the statement carefully, you will see that they didn't accuse Ann of using hate speech. They also noted that, "“Ann Coulter is known for comments that can be both provocative and outrageous. That was certainly the case in her 2007 CPAC appearance and previous ones as well." You can bet she will be invited back.

I also direct your attention to these sentences, "ACU and CPAC do not condone or endorse every speaker or their comments at the conference. As such, ACU and CPAC leave it to our audience to determine whether comments are appropriate or not." I attended CPAC. It is up to me to decide, not ACU or CPAC. Sounds good to me.

[Ramcat]

May I refer you to a dictionary?

Is that all you've got?

What about your "mean and nasty people don't win elections" comment?
Care to defend it?

[Mr. Silverback]

So you go around referring to black people as "Negroes"?

Some on this thread have defended Coulter by saying she was trying to make a point about the "semantic totalitarianism" in our society. My question is, does that then mean they would support her if she had said "I won't comment on Senator Obama because white people aren't allowed to use the word [N-word]." If not, why not?

[PajamaTruthMafia]

Why did Ronald Reagan succeed so magnificently?

In what way? He got elected because the country was a mess and he was the strongest leader in the field. He made his own outrageous statements in his day going all they way back to his days as Gov and criticizing hippies and outlawing the USSR. It has nothing to do with this conversation. Ann is an author an commentator, not a candidate for President.

Trying to equate the N-word with fag is I am sure very offensive to many African Americans. If they are equivalent in your mind that's really your problem. The N-word being used by white people in describing African Americans has a very long, bitter, hateful history and has almost no equivalent in the English language. When used, the intent is unmistakable. fag, has no such history. It's been used mainly to refer to people regardless of sexual orientation to denote cowards.

[Dominic Harr]

Calling someone who is not a homosexual a faggot is an insult and no, they can't use it for that.

And that's what Ann did, so she goofed, agreed?

And all these folks saying it was *not* an insult are just playing games. Politics as a 'team sport'. Anns on our team, therefore she can do no wrong.

[Mr. Silverback]

What about your "mean and nasty people don't win elections" comment?

Two words: Ronald Reagan.

Hmmm...be like Reagan or be like Clinton...such a tough choice.../s

[Ramcat]

That sounds better than your original highlighted post.
But we're on a slippery slope headed in a dangerous direction when we throw the hate speech label around.

[SoothingDave]

Mean and nasty people don't win elections. There's nothing to defend about a self-evident statement. What don't you understand about it?

[SoothingDave]

C'mon. I don't allow my kids to swear. Faggot is a normal word.

I don't know how old you are, but I am almost 40 and it has not been a "normal word" for my entire lifetime. And not because of a political movement of homosexuals, but because it is vulgar.

[Ramcat]

What about your "mean and nasty people don't win elections" comment? Two words: Ronald Reagan. Hmmm...be like Reagan or be like Clinton...such a tough choice.../s

So from now on the only two personality types that can will national elections will be a clone of one of the above?
Your statement itself proves that either can win.
What's your point?