Ann Coulter's Past Fake Media Firestorms Remembered

You know, it's not for nothing that I say things like, "Let's face it, she's been dining out for years now on the same set of grievances," when I talk about Ann Coulter. The only thing separating the act she takes on the road and that of Arrested Development's Gob Bluth is that you rarely get to hear Europe's "The Final Countdown" played. And some of this microwaved material isn't even her own! Here's a snip from her sit-down with Today's Matt Lauer, today:

MATT LAUER: [In the book] you also say that the liberal media and Democrats are out to accomplish the same thing: they want to destroy America. So, I mean, go ahead: why do liberals and the media want to destroy America?

ANN COULTER: Why? Their motives? Well, I'd have to be their confessor or psychologist to understand that. I'm describing the results. And a beautiful example of this--my Chapter Two of the book--is the exaltation of single-motherhood. It's promoted in the New York Times and in glossy women's magazines and in Hollywood movies. And we now know after 30 years of promoting single-motherhood, of the courts destroying the institution of marriage, that children raised without fathers are filling up the prisons. 70% of the teenage runaways, of teenage pregnancies, of rapists --

Griping about single mothers? Jiminy crickets, y'all! That claptrap was way more trenchant back when Dan Quayle was calling out Murphy Brown on teevee, to the delight of Americans who traveled by zeppelin!

But that's what Coulter is all about, a tireless champion of warmed-over shtick. Why, all of this jujitsu with the Today show is just another example of the tiresome tactics she's used in her quest for self-promotion. At the risk of being the last guy on the internet to quote the Washington Independent's Dave Weigel on the matter, here's the Washington Independent's Dave Weigel on his days as a professional Coulter-wrangler for USA Today:

Coulter handed in her first column closer to the deadline then we'd expected. She also came in short. And she came in ... well, what's the opposite of readable? The column that began "Here at the spawn of Satan convention" was a phoned-in collection of anonymous anecdotes and lazy writing. No problem, we thought: We're editors. My bosses immediately suggested fixes to the column -- some of them asking whether Coulter could touch up her jokes, some correcting bad writing, and some asking for more content.

Coulter flipped. She refused to answer all of the edits. The next thing we knew, she had left Boston. The next thing we knew after that was that Matt Drudge and other conservative news site editors had learned that we had "fired" Coulter. She was in New York hours later to bash us on Fox News' "Hannity and Colmes."

This is all a way of saying I don't believe that NBC News "banned Coulter for life" for one second. She doesn't really worry about taking advantage of news organizations' standards and confidentiality to paint herself as a victim.

Precisely. And this week's Grievance Tango is just another example of this: a tired act that would have really played swell back in the days of vaudeville. But vaudeville's dead, dead as disco, dead as doormice.

Comments

[zoozey]

Oh, Jason, you did a fine job on this. I didn't know about the USA Today thing. Is it also true that she was fired from MSNBC a few years back after being nasty to a disabled Vietnam Vet?

I got so carried away trying to answer Daniboy's ravings, I forgot to tell you how good your article is. I always enjoy yours.

I just wish I didn't have this compulsion to answer the tr.o.lls with their inane comments, and then maybe we could have a lively informed debate.

[BruceHNV]

I feel ya.

[mmgbizgirl]

"Let's face it, she's been dining out for years now on the same set of grievances,"

Right and our ambulance chasing media keeps letting her regurgitate the same garbage again and again.

Who's the smart one here?

[banja]

It's the mandatory minimum sentences causing the massive prison population, they must be unconstitutional. Are you listening Coulter, not single mothers. Jim Webb is working on well needed prison reform, now that takes courage.

[Freesia2]

P.T. Barnum would admire her. She found her niche - she's managed to find a way to make money selling what she has- being obnoxious. Ann Coulter knows every angle on how to market everything from sour gossip to temper tantrums to bigotry. I imagine as a baby she figured out how to work cholic to her advantage.

The thing is it only works as long as people are still buying it. Or feel hostage to it. That's rapidly disappearing except for her "base" (I got so tired of that word during the election) readership, but the base is rapidly shrinking into Appalachia and some lonely ranch country and they don't as a whole much like to read political books. It should be fascinating to see if she's clever enough to turn this hawking in a new direction or if she keeps up the same routine that isn't working so well. She's used to getting away with it and I've never had the impression that other than doing the Vassar drawl that she actually has any real intellect other than the ability to imitate a thinker in a 2 dimensional way. Time will tell.

[dandypuddin]

She is not a deep thinker. She is a spewer. I don't mind an intelligent debate on issues with an intelligent, thoughtful person with opposing views, but she is just plain ig norant and full of nasti ness.

[Freesia2]

I know what you mean. I like talking to people (unless I'm in a foul mood myself) who have a different view. Unless they're defending filth, if they can talk or write their thoughts without going to 7th grade, I think it's kind of fun to spar. But Ann as you say is just ignorant and nasty is the first thing she reaches for. I think she believes it makes her sound arch, or highbrow or witty. It just makes her sound dumb. And very often, downright indecent. (Her comments about the 9/11 widows comes to mind.) She was always a cartoon but now she's not even very good at that. Worse - she's boring.

[1IrishdeAztlan]

I love it! "work cholic to her advantage."

[Freesia2]

:-) I bet she was a cranky little thing, don't you?

[zoozey]

I agree with you. But it is easy to find ones niche if one has absolutely NO ethics.

The right wing rails on and on about "morals," but never do I hear them mention ethics--the thing that universally ties us to all places and times. Moral codes change with times and location; but ethical codes never do.

Seems that she had no ethical code ingrained her .

[yomamadrama]

Just ask Blago about ethics

[Freesia2]

I agree with you. Ethics would be a guide for how she deal with people who's morals, or beliefs, aren't in line with her own. She automatically slams without any ethics to restrain her.

[readmewell22]

P.T. Would not want to loose money on a loser!

[readmewell22]

P.T.Barnum would not want to lose money on a nutcake. The book sell will fade away! NBC should never have scheduled her, but in doing so it was easy to see how delusional and prejudiced her views are about EVERYTHING! She should be on a Federal Watch List...she sounds dangerous!

[chin075]

Ann Coulter is indeed a victim - of her own inability to accept responsibility, that most Republican of pathetic hypocritical traits, always blaming the "others" (blacks, hispanics, gays, Muslims, liberals, etc.) Ann Coulter is a victim of her own stupidity.

[Daniboy]

Joe Biden gave only $3000 to charity over the last several years-a real hick conservative-he expects the government to help the poor. Rich people don't need to help,

[bigbingtheory]

And do you know how much Joe is worth? Unlike most politicos he hasn't used his position to enrich himself or family members. You're barking up the wrong tree on that one.

[majii]

Biden is the poorest senator in the U. S. Senate because he did not use the office to get rich.

How much did you donate to charity?

Did you volunteer to serve dinner to the less fortunate during the holidays?
I'm sure you would have wanted to do this to show your Christian values.

[bigbingtheory]

In the conservative mind, helping single mothers means you prefer single mothers. They are really simple minded folk. Not too complicated.

[Daniboy]

Her books have no reason or logic. But wait-none of you have ever read them. How would you know?

[BruceHNV]

Sadly, I have. It was line after line of lies, misrepresentation and poison. I was only able to finish it because I was determined to do so.

[bigbingtheory]

It takes about 20 minutes at the book store and you are correct, her books have no reason or logic. Would you extend the courtesy of addressing my posts directly, or are you afraid of something. You seem hesitant to address me directly. There's nothing to be afraid of.

[Daniboy]

You've read her books then. Any satire in them? Please respond.

[JScott]

I have read some pages of her books in the bookstore (when I can find them, they don't seem to stock many of them-is that telling right there) her writing is very hard and tiresome to read on top of the no reason or logic, wonder how her scholarly works were graded by her professors in college----oh that's right we NEVER HEAR ABOUT THAT (hey you Cornell professors out there let's hear from you was there an 'Ann Coulter' in any of your classes?), or do we hear from co workers when she worked in law, (NO we don't do we) hey you coworkers how concise and precise were her legal writings/briefs etc., what was she like as a coworker? Probably because she a creation for the media.

[2008CaliforniaFan]

It's VERY hard to read Anything when it is written in a 'Palin - speak" style.
AND....
Meant to create some sort of a mind-meld interpretation thought process...
by a 6th Grade education student

(no offense to the Other... 6th graders though)

[Daniboy]

Coulter attacked McCain! But then many think he is a Lib too!

[bigbingtheory]

.....only conservatives.

[joshuachayne]

Ann Coulter attacks single mothers yet fellow Right Wing Lunatic, Laura Ingraham is a single mother (due to adoption).

[helbent]

Great blog on Ann Coulter. She has run out of tricks for sure. I think she's going to find it much more difficult to use the old ideas on our new pres. By the way, I believe it's "dead as a door nail" not, "dead as a doormouse." Dickens coined the phrase in Christmas Carol.

[thaneb]

Sorry to appear the "concern troll" but isn't it "dead as a doornail"?

[Daniboy]

She attacks Libs! Has anybody here ever attacked a conservative? Naw-probly not.

[bigbingtheory]

Are you implying something? Show me the liberal equivalent of Ann Coulter please. I don't know of anyone on the left who so boldly and arrogantly misrepresents conservatives. We don't need too. The fact that she constantly tries to pin every social ill on liberals is apparently lost on you as long as she attacks. There's the difference. We criticize and call conservatives on their lies but we don't demonize and vilify what isn't already there.

[BruceHNV]

To say nothing that the "liberal" "attack and vilify and blame" book genre is something like a hundredth the size of the same genre generated by "conservatives."

If you removed the bile and poison from conservative talk radio, You'd be left with too little content to fill a single weekly show - and that show wouldn't be called conservative talk radio any more.

[Daniboy]

Keith Oberman-chief hater of President Bush. Don't need a reason-just hate him. so bad-should have been impeached 10 times-but wasn't. Why? Why? Why?

[lisa12345]

It is a shame that Coulter can't suggest solutions that would benefit people. Instead of having ideas, she blames and insults liberals/p­rogressive­s. She is very good at complaining and blaming--but where are the ideas? Further, she misrepresents liberals. Does she really believe that all liberals simply have no problem at all with "promoting" single parenting? Many people on the left are married and have kids. I do not know of many people on the left who are trying to encourage people to have kids without being married! She also does not realize--or does not care to know--that many people on the left are strongly supportive of dads being involved. There is a pretty big movement to keep dads involved with kids. We want dads involved. Perhaps some promote completely getting rid of marriage--even dads--but that is a fringe. Hey, there are even a few on the left who make fun of "illigitimate" children and unmarried moms. They sure do not seem to be supporting single parenthood, either--albeit they aren't going about it in the right way!

[SteveDenver]

Insulting and blaming liberals is her entire tack. She and the rest specialize in dreaming up talking points and then shouting them until they take root in weak minds.

[BruceHNV]

"Many people on the left are married and have kids." Really? "Many?' How about (among adults), "MOST?" Among the liberals I'm closely acquainted with, ALL are married (except the occasional gay person), have been forever, most to their FIRST spouse, and NONE of their unmarried kids have kids.

Why? Because education, information, reasoning, safe sex, commitment, and personal responsibility are bywords with them.

[bigbingtheory]

She can't be bothered to be mired down in reality! People like Daniboy wouldn't be as excited if she actually used reason and logic. They don't sell books!

[Daniboy]

Another best seller! She's going away real quick! Keep dreaming. Live in Lib Lib Land!

[bigbingtheory]

You might want to educate yourself on just how a book becomes a bestseller. It is based on preorders. Her books tend to not sell nearly as many as you might think.

[sheikwil4]

Books get on the best sellers list also when someone buys them in bulk, then give them away for free, just to make it look like a lot of people bought the book. This was the same trick that the Repugs and their thugs who put out that sleezy book about Barack Obama, Amazon said that the book was bought in bulk and then the idiots that sponsored the book bout the book themselves in bulk, which made the list to say it was a best seller, so no individual readers bought the book. It was paid for by those supporting McCain and the Repugs, then given away for free. Like Ann Coulter would do, buy her own book to make it hit the best seller list, then probably sell it back to stores at a discount rate for the "real Americans' to buy and read.

[dandypuddin]

Uh, check the remainder bin in about 6-8 weeks. The rate this woman comes out with books filled with drivel and nastiness is alarming. She can't possibly have that much in that pretty head of hers.

[BruceHNV]

Pretty? Please see an optometrist.

[BruceHNV]

Ahhh, yes - "best seller." A testament to either deceptive order loading by author and publisher, and/or the death of American reason.

Probably a bit of both.

[BannedFromCommenting]

WE ALL KNOW DANIBOY WOULD HAVE NO CARE FOR COULTER IF SHE WAS A PLAIN OVERWEIGHT WOMAN.

Flat out. Only reason she has any audience is being thin and blonde and tall. (Albeit fake blonde).
But come on, women have a hard enough time being listened to in the media. Name one plain average looking, slightly overweight woman who gets the same attention as Ann Coulter in the conservative arena? ONE! Name ONE!

[BruceHNV]

In the conservative arena? None.

In the liberal arena? Dozens. In academia? Hundreds. - But that's not entirely fair. Those women are judged by the VALUE of what they publish.

[Daniboy]

Don't feel sorry for me? Come up with an idea to help poor black people break the cycle and get out of the ghetto? Just don't tell them that single motherhood will help break this cycle. Tell them marriage is not important.

[bigbingtheory]

I don't know why you'd say "tell them marriage is not important." Must be smoking something illegal. And I do feel sorry for you, whether you recognize it or not you are a pretty pathetic individual.

[zoozey]

Oh, you mean Blacks like the Obamas or the Palins?

[Jess27]

Actually the important part you are ignoring is education and next important is available health care that includes affordable birth control.

[myfatherschild]

You need to come up with a way to educate yourself. You will be the minority soon enough, if not you, then your kids. If hate is all you leave as an inheritance, they will be in the same position you now ridicule.

[majii]

You know very little about African Americans judging from your comments. I hail from an African American family that has never had to break any cycle. My family has never been on the welfare rolls. We are all educated and gainfully employed. I have degrees from two of the best colleges in the southeastern US., own my own home, am economically solvent, and possess all of the "perks" that many conservatives think African Americans lack. I have am the parent of a child who was born in wedlock who is also a summa cum laude graduate from one of the best private colleges in the southeastern U.S.
Many of my African American friends have post-graduate degrees, as do I, and are gainfully employed. Some of them are even the bosses of conservatives, have nicer homes than some conservatives and make more money than some conservatives.
The fact that you spout lies as talking points is a clear indication of your lack of knowledge and your life in Wonderland.
BTW, how is Alice?