Coulter: McCain a "Lickspittle" Unworthy of "Kissing Bush's Behind"

In her newest syndicated column, right-wing pundit Ann Coulter calls the U.S. occupation in Iraq "a stunning success," awards President Bush the status of "moral giant," and trashes Sen. John McCain as one of "the weakest members of the herd."

Since 2001, right-wing pundits have increasingly used offensive and violent rhetoric to humiliate Democratic Party candidates and politicians and to undermine political debate of important issues. Coulter's attack on Sen. McCain confirms a rising trend of right-wing pundits using this tactic of humiliation and violent language to brand Sen. McCain a danger to the safety and well-being of the country.

Coulter's column was penned in reaction to the Democratic Party's argument that a McCain presidency would be tantamount to a third term of the Bush administration. Rather than defending Sen. McCain in the face of Democratic Party criticism, however, Coulter praises Bush as "a great President," then lashes out at both liberals and Sen. McCain as "lickspittles" not "worthy of kissing Bush's behind."

Coulter leaves her readers to do the final step of calling sen. McCain a 'liberal' through her oft-used propaganda technique of guilt-by-association. In this case, the final paragraph of her column makes it virtually impossible for readers to miss the larger associated she wants them to draw:

There is not a liberal in this country worthy of kissing Bush's rear end, but the weakest members of the herd run from Bush. Compared to the lickspittles denying and attacking him, Bush is a moral giant -- if that's not damning with faint praise. John McCain should be so lucky as to be running for Bush's third term. Then he might have a chance. (link)

Sen. McCain is going to lose the election, Coulter is arguing, because his lack of praising Bush makes him a liberal.

Beyond the critique of McCain, Coulter's column is a bellwether of how right-wing pundits plan to use their influential media platforms to drive political debate up to the general election.

Rather than back McCain, right-wing pundits seem poised to turn Sen. McCain into a cartoon effigy of all they claim is wrong with American liberalism. In this way, pundits like Coulter and Limbaugh will be able to argue simultaneously that McCain lost because he was 'too liberal,' and that a Democratic victory will bring disaster because a President Obama will be 'too liberal.'

By supporting McCain, right-wing pundits risk the loss of prestige that comes with backing a losing candidate. By turning against McCain, they can blame Republican defeat and predict doom for the country with the same argument. Anti-McCain right-wing pundits, in other words, can advance their goal of staying relevant in a rapidly shifting media environment where their access to the White House and to Congress will likely be limited relative to what it was during the Bush years.

Only time will tell if this full scenario is in the cards, but for now Americans can look forward to plenty more 'John-McCain-is-a-Liberal' tirades from the likes of Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, and all the right-wing pundits trying to emulate them.

Comments

[synthfiend]

Basic reverse psychology 101. McCain need to distance himself from the idea of Bush even if he's still touting Bush ideas. How do you do that? By getting the party's most vicious advocate to denouce him publicly and as only she can. "Hey he's nothing like Bush! Do you see how much Ann Coulter hates him?" and therein lies the rub.

[mediawatcher1975]

I wonder where she has lived for the last 8 years that she has such a high opinion of the Bush presidency. Has she even heard of the Constitution?

[leftbehind2000]

This is just all a bunch of phony pretense to make McCain out to be far less conservative than he actually is.

Coulter, Limbaugh and all the righty jackboots in the press are singing this song from the vile republican hymnal to serenade Independents, Moderates, conservative Democrats and anyone at all troubled by the idea of an African-American in the White House, hoping to convince them that McCain isn't Bush resurrected.

[Anciano]

Yes! Yes! Yes! All TRUE CONSERVATIVES on election day please write in RON PAUL or maybe better, KARL ROVE. Don't waste a vote on John McCain.

[we0z]

Poor Ann Coulter..She no doubt is as delusional and detached from reality as the owner of the ass she is Kissing, G.W. Bush.

[parryisle]

Liberals can be thankful that one of the "Blonde Wicked Witches of The West" Anne Coulter is on the other side allied to Laura Ingraham and Monica Crowley. Maybe we soon see the other member, Condi Rice, dye her hair to fit into their club.

[Indubio]

I dislike using ad hominem attacks but with Coulter I'll make an exception. The woman I think is missing a few important genes in the sequence. I would love to offer speculation why this is so but that would be coarse and vulgar. Suffice to say, Coulter is despicable and only a pea wit like her could imply a man with a near impeccable conservative voting record is a liberal. This nation has endured 28 years of ruinous pseudo-conservative policies and I suspect real conservatives have had it with the policies Coulter and her media friends espouse.

[jonathanu]

Ann Coulter is furious that John McCain supported campaign finance reform and was (formerly) against torture, (formerly) supported a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, and (formerly) criticized the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy among other things. As you know, he has gone flippy-floppy on many of these issues, so he is now more in alignment with her positions. Still, if Ann wants to weaken John McCain for the general election, she has my full support.

[GaryWolf]

Ann Coulter is an idiot! Like her conservative compadres Sean Hannity and Michelle Malkin, she resorts to tactics of cheap emotional exploitation over any kind of serious examination of the issues.

No intelligence to be found here, folks! Please move along!

[ebanks84]

She is as venomous as he is arrogant and ignorant. The republicans have a lot to be desired in this campaign. They are total losers.

[SharonWantsToTalk]

She is also a fact less hack . What do you suppose drives her? I bet shes a freak in real life. With huge freaky skeletons in her closet.

[BryantG]

It's probably wirth mentioning that "venom, arrogance and ignorance", make her and her ilk potententially dangerous to us all in a very real way.

[gettysburg]

If you hate and run down everybody, then you can never be wrong. These hate mongers hate even their own and will eat their own. It's a brilliant defense. However, after awhile they will have painted themselves into a corner. They will bury McCain just because they know he will get his ass hammered. It is more important for these people to be right than to stand behind any principle.

[wmbear]

WORTHY OR NOT...

Isn't that pretty much what McCain's been doing for the past couple of years?...

[MsDoc]

Can someone tell me where all these neo-cons get their hatred and vitriole?

Years ago, I was an upstate NY Republican ( don't hurt me ) but we members of the farming community were Republicans because most Democrats were NYC folk who really didn't pay any attention to the needs of rural America.

But now, listening to the viciousness of the Republican party...the deviousness, the pure hatred they spew...I'm at a loss. I don't recognize these people. Even the Nixonites, as reprehensible as they were, are clearly no match for the Ann C brand of Republicanism.

My naivete' may be showing, but what, then, do they gain?

[Cookie100]

Barry Goldwater was a Republican, neo cons are not Republicans. Republicans by nature are fiscally conservative. George Will is a Republican and cannot stand this administration. They threw in with this group, Wolfowitz, Bush, Rove, etc and look where it got them, same for Christians. They've all been duped, at our expense.

[SharonWantsToTalk]

Goldwater would be branded a liberal today by Coulter and her cohorts.

[BryantG]

Where does the hatered come from? It's a good question and I don't have an answer, but it seems to be connnected with thier religeon.

[AlteSoldier]

McCain caught in debate with McCain:

http://www.jedreport.com/2008/06/mccain-2005-vs.html

[Venise Alstergren]

Sorry, my previous comment was addressed to Jeffrey Feldman. Hang in there Jeffrey.

[hoodrat]

Here I was, talking about the two, "two-dollar" hoes on Fux News - come here, and have to be subjected to the opinion of a two-dollar crack-head hoe? Movin' on.