[JCEccles]

Coulter has managed to get herself dropped from mainstream news outlets where she could convince people.

Acceptability to mainstream news outlets is hardly a virtue in the truth-seeking or declaring business.

Now she writes almost entirely for conservative news outlets where everyone already agrees with her.

There is nothing wrong with that. And believe me, her enemies seek her out even in the conservative fora where she is found. They may rage about her, but they cannot ignore her.

The function of op-ed writing is to convey ideas and persuade, not make the writer look clever.

Op-ed writing exists for many reasons. One is to serve as a lightning rod for disaffection that has little or nothing to do with persuading--especially persuading the unpersuadable. The Op-ed page may properly serve as a platform from which to blow a clarion call to battle--and to hell with those disagree.

And clever, clear writing can do much to make the call sharp and bright.

[laurav]

Obviously, we just disagree on the function of op-ed writing. That's why I was never into the firebrand campus conservative newspapers that rejoiced every time protesters stole or burned them. It struck me that these students were more interested in issuing press releases than actually changing minds. I believe minds can be changed on topics. As a former liberal, I can certainly say that mine was.

However, I'd take issue with the idea that acceptability to mainstream news outlets isn't important. What if (in Coulter's case) she was dropped because of factual errors? That happened at USA Today. She was also dropped from National Review Online (hardly a liberal rag!) for ostensibly the convert-them-to-Christianity line, but also as the culmination of too many of those one-trick-pony columns. The mainstream media is still the best way to reach people and to be taken seriously. You say her enemies cannot ignore her. I'd take issue with that. I don't know any liberal who reads her.
There is a place for clever writing. It is in making a worthwhile point, not throwing irrelevent non sequiters in at the end (see the Kerry comment) just because you want to talk about it. The woman needs an editor. Unfortunately, she's alienated most of the good ones in the mainstream press.