So Ann Coulter Is ‘Mean’?

06 Sep, 2002 by John Hawkins

Print this article Font size -16+

So Ann Coulter Is ‘Mean’?: Despite the fact that Ann Coulter sells a lot of books, she is not all that popular around the blogosphere. The general rap on her is that she’s “mean.” I can’t say that I disagree with that assessment although if it were honestly applied it would probably take in a 1/3rd of all the big-name liberals and Democrats out there including Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Al Franken, Michael Moore, Robert Byrd, Bill Clinton, James Carville, Robert Fisk, Noam Chomsky, Cynthia McKinney, etc, etc, on and on, for 5 or 6 more lines at least. In fact, I have long said that Ann Coulter has generated so much attention because she “argues like a Democrat” albeit with a lot more logic thrown in than you’ll ever hear from any of the people I listed above.

Now Ann was recently fired from the “Centre Daily Times” and the editor took the time to make public his reasons for firing her. I think his letter proves part of my point about Coulter “arguing like a Democrat” (or at least arguing like a left-wing journalist). Let’s take a look at some select excerpts starting with the reason why he fired Coulter…

“Your Friday column, in which you declared that liberals are “no good,” then trashed the entire Kennedy clan as a collection of “heroin addicts, convicted killers, cheaters, bootleggers and dissolute drunks,” crossed that line. I’m not going to defend the Kennedy family or liberals; either group can argue with you if they’d like.

But, Ann, you’re mean — vicious, really — which is why we do not believe that you in any way serve the public good.”

The fact that he’s getting offended that Coulter called liberals “no good” is hilarious. Do you know how regularly Republicans and Conservatives have been vilified as racists, warmongers, as anti-old, anti-poor, as haters (this will be relevant in a second), as the type of people who would let terrorists fly planes into the WTC to make more money for our buddies in the defense industry, etc? It’s an every day thing but if Ann Coulter says liberals are, “no good”, then, “woah, she stepped over the line.” As far as the Kennedy stuff goes, it’s all common knowledge, and it’s all true. Maybe it might be impolite to say so, but I’ve never heard and Democrats pulling back from mentioning that GWB got a drunk driving conviction. It’s the same thing. But now I’m going to repeat the last line and then I want you to check out this next line from Unger…

But, Ann, you’re mean — vicious, really — which is why we do not believe that you in any way serve the public good

On a late summer morning almost a year ago, all of us — Republicans, Democrats and everyone else — witnessed what hate is capable of.

So now he’s comparing Coulter saying liberals are, “no good” and her accurate slaps at the Kennedy clan to the people who carried out the terrorist attacks of 9/11?!?!? And Ann Coulter is the “vicious” one? Geeze…but he goes on…

“Hate is easy; love is hard.

Our great nation gives you the freedom to hate all you want and even to make a buck off it if you can. But, even better, it gives us the right not to have to listen.”

“Hate is easy; love is hard?!?!?” What sixties peacenik rally did this guy pick that up at? I am now picturing this guy with a shaggy unkempt beard, wearing tie dyes and typing up this editorial while listening to “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” Also, yes this, “great nation gives you the freedom to hate,” and it also gives you the right to show absolutely no class by publicly firing someone for writing an editorial you disagree with while slandering them as a “hater.”

Also, while you’re reading today’s self-congratulatory editorial from Unger where he declares that everyone loves him for firing Coulter, I’d like you to consider what would have happened if the ideological poles were reversed on this one. I wonder what Unger and the rest of the left would say if the Washington Times were to publicly fire a left-wing editorial writer for saying Republicans were “racists” and criticizing the Bush clan, while comparing them to the 9/11 terrorists?!? Can’t you just hear the gnashing of teeth now and the cries of “censorship”? Personally, it doesn’t bother me that Unger fired Coulter because having the freedom to hire and fire who you want to is part of the free-enterprise system. But listening to this blowhard trying to castigate Ann Coulter for being “mean” while writing a tacky and nauseatingly hypocritical editorial is a wee bit much even for someone as jaded about the media as yours truly.