Last modified on March 11, 2007, at 19:08

Ann Coulter

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Ann Coulter (b. 1961) is a bestselling author of books that present conservative views in a polemical way.

Some of her books include Godless: The Church of Liberalism, Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right, and Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terrorism. Ann Coulter has earned a strong following among conservatives for what many believe is her patriotic stances against liberals, her outspokenness against all those who wish to hurt America, and her strong defense of family values against abortion and same-sex marriage.

Edwards controversy

On Friday, March 2nd, 2007, speaking to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), she said:

I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word '[slur for homosexual]'[1] so I'm - so, kind of at an impasse, can't really talk about Edwards."[2]

No leading conservative group criticized Ann Coulter for this remark. A few less prominent and liberal-leaning groups did distance themselves from this statement. Amy Ridenour, president of a libertarian group that was one of numerous supporters of the conference, commented:

We conservatives have enough trouble overcoming the false things that are said about us without paying for a platform upon which we shoot ourselves annually in the foot."[3]

A coalition of "Credentialed CPAC 2007 Bloggers," none affiliated with a major conservative group, petitioned CPAC not to extend further speaking invitations to Coulter. Their demand to exclude Ann Coulter was rejected or ignored by leading conservative groups.[4] Following the incident, Verizon, Sallie Mae and NetBank were reported as saying they want their ads removed from Ann Coulter's website.[4]

In response to the criticism, Coulter said "C'mon, it was a joke. I would never insult gays by suggesting that they are like John Edwards. That would be mean."[5] In a March 5th interview on Hannity & Colmes, an unapologetic Coulter stated that the word "isn't offensive to gays. It has nothing to do with gays. It's a schoolyard taunt, meaning wuss."[6]

Notes and references

  1. ↑ The American Heritage Dictionary lists two meanings for the word: "Offensive Slang Used as a disparaging term for a homosexual man"[1] and a variant spelling of a word meaning "A bundle of twigs, sticks, or branches bound together"[2]
  2. ↑ Coulter under fire for anti-gay slur, CNN, March 4, 2007
  3. ↑ Ann Coulter at CPAC, Amy Ridenour's comments at website of the National Center for Public Policy Research
  4. ↑ An Open Letter to CPAC Sponsors and Organizers Regarding Ann Coulter, The American Mind website
  5. ↑ New York Times, as cited in CNN story[3]
  6. ↑ Ann Coulter Defends Edwards Comments, Fox News, March 6, 2007]