28 July 2004
Coulter Reveals More Than She Thinks
I realize the very thought that Ann Coulter might "think" anything is in itself a bit of a contradiction in terms. To this day I find it shocking that she is published anywhere, to be frank, or that anyone considers her opinion of any value(though the fact that even USA TODAY spiked a piece of hers on the Democratic convention because, among other reasons, it was "unreadable," a charitable assessment of her usual work), but at the same time, if that's the best the conservatives can muster, let her rant. She makes the GOP look worse every time she starts typing or talking.
But ever since she was ejected from the NATIONAL REVIEW she has tried to reposition herself as some kind of conservative voice in the wilderness, a lone, valiant keeper of the conservative flame. See, it can't be that her opinion is even too radical for the right wing that runs this country, or that she embarrasses them by speaking their actual beliefs without the relative intelligence of tact, or that she's just a very bad writer and a many-times-proven liar to boot and, in a more professional media world, they'd have burned press credentials before tossing them anywhere near her.
No, she finds herself estranged from the conservative mainstream because they're too liberal for her. Coulter is the brand of conservative that can only have the slightest relevance in crisis, because her brand, fascism, is an overreaction to crisis. So the premise that all her "work" focuses upon is that liberals run the media and the country...
Of course, Democrats have never had to face the sound chamber of an all-conservative media. (They will in my gulag.)
...and that, in order to remain in office, Bush is trying to appeal more to liberals in some way. Or so she claims in this idiotic column from last week.
Specifically she seems to be saying there are now serious rumblings in the GOP camp about replacing Cheney, whom Coulter appears to consider a like-minded conservative.
This is what Republicans are like today. They swear up and down not to trust the liberal media, but as soon as that very media demonize some Republican, half our party is ready to dump him. Currently the Republican liberals would most like to see gone is Dick Cheney. There's a basketful of Republicans I'd be very pleased to see removed from office. Dick Cheney ain't one of them.
Never mind the paranoia of the idea that liberals of any kind have any power over what the Bush camp decides to do. But read between the lines. Much of the rest of the column is a somewhat lame defense of sticking to the hard right and saying to do otherwise would be gutless. Examples of candidates thought too hard right for the mainstream but were good for the GOP in the end, like Reagan, are given. Conservatives are told not to lose heart against the liberals in the media and in their party.
We can therefore assume that there is enough of a split going on, whether Cheney is re-selected(he will be) or not to scare Coulter into giving such a "don't lose heart, comrades" speech. You can tell the desperation when she names Ken Starr as another thought too hard right, and says this:
Ken Starr -- who was responsible for the impeachment and utter humiliation of Bill Clinton
You can practically hear her lick her lips after that last part. Actually, after all Ken Starr's efforts and despite impeachment, Clinton remained and served out the rest of his term, and to this day inspires fierce love and respect in a great many people, as witnessed as recently as Monday night. (I keep wondering just what it was about peace and prosperity we're supposed to look back upon badly) To these jaded eyes, for Starr's part, that looks like failure. But it did result in the political destruction of the man she mentions right before Starr:
Newt Gingrich -- who produced the jaws-of-life to tear Congress from the Democrats
In any case, it's great to know that her side is panicky. Without Ann Coulter it'd be much more difficult to interpret the GOP id.
I realize the very thought that Ann Coulter might "think" anything is in itself a bit of a contradiction in terms. To this day I find it shocking that she is published anywhere, to be frank, or that anyone considers her opinion of any value(though the fact that even USA TODAY spiked a piece of hers on the Democratic convention because, among other reasons, it was "unreadable," a charitable assessment of her usual work), but at the same time, if that's the best the conservatives can muster, let her rant. She makes the GOP look worse every time she starts typing or talking.
But ever since she was ejected from the NATIONAL REVIEW she has tried to reposition herself as some kind of conservative voice in the wilderness, a lone, valiant keeper of the conservative flame. See, it can't be that her opinion is even too radical for the right wing that runs this country, or that she embarrasses them by speaking their actual beliefs without the relative intelligence of tact, or that she's just a very bad writer and a many-times-proven liar to boot and, in a more professional media world, they'd have burned press credentials before tossing them anywhere near her.
No, she finds herself estranged from the conservative mainstream because they're too liberal for her. Coulter is the brand of conservative that can only have the slightest relevance in crisis, because her brand, fascism, is an overreaction to crisis. So the premise that all her "work" focuses upon is that liberals run the media and the country...
Of course, Democrats have never had to face the sound chamber of an all-conservative media. (They will in my gulag.)
...and that, in order to remain in office, Bush is trying to appeal more to liberals in some way. Or so she claims in this idiotic column from last week.
Specifically she seems to be saying there are now serious rumblings in the GOP camp about replacing Cheney, whom Coulter appears to consider a like-minded conservative.
This is what Republicans are like today. They swear up and down not to trust the liberal media, but as soon as that very media demonize some Republican, half our party is ready to dump him. Currently the Republican liberals would most like to see gone is Dick Cheney. There's a basketful of Republicans I'd be very pleased to see removed from office. Dick Cheney ain't one of them.
Never mind the paranoia of the idea that liberals of any kind have any power over what the Bush camp decides to do. But read between the lines. Much of the rest of the column is a somewhat lame defense of sticking to the hard right and saying to do otherwise would be gutless. Examples of candidates thought too hard right for the mainstream but were good for the GOP in the end, like Reagan, are given. Conservatives are told not to lose heart against the liberals in the media and in their party.
We can therefore assume that there is enough of a split going on, whether Cheney is re-selected(he will be) or not to scare Coulter into giving such a "don't lose heart, comrades" speech. You can tell the desperation when she names Ken Starr as another thought too hard right, and says this:
Ken Starr -- who was responsible for the impeachment and utter humiliation of Bill Clinton
You can practically hear her lick her lips after that last part. Actually, after all Ken Starr's efforts and despite impeachment, Clinton remained and served out the rest of his term, and to this day inspires fierce love and respect in a great many people, as witnessed as recently as Monday night. (I keep wondering just what it was about peace and prosperity we're supposed to look back upon badly) To these jaded eyes, for Starr's part, that looks like failure. But it did result in the political destruction of the man she mentions right before Starr:
Newt Gingrich -- who produced the jaws-of-life to tear Congress from the Democrats
In any case, it's great to know that her side is panicky. Without Ann Coulter it'd be much more difficult to interpret the GOP id.
Labels: cheney, newt gingrich, politics
¶ Wednesday, July 28, 2004
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