4 Reasons Why Ann Coulter Has No Business Mocking Michelle Obama

A headline caught our eye recently, about some nasty things Ann Coulter said about Michelle Obama in a new book. At the risk of giving free publicity to the book, we felt it necessary to set the record straight about Coulter and the general subject of mocking.

Mocking usually hits its peak in junior high school, and then mercifully wanes as people reach the soaring heights of maturity exhibited in high school sophomores. Coulter is living evidence that it's possible to maintain a pre-pubescent level of emotional development well into middle age (and make a pretty good buck at it, too.)

Need proof? Believe it or not, in Coulter's book she apparently criticizes the way Michelle Obama dresses and wears her hair. In our junior high school, the tall blonde girls with a mean streak sometimes made fun of the hair-dos of the African-American girls, but most of them stopped doing that sort of thing by the time they graduated from the eighth grade. We're saddened, but not surprised, that making fun of the future First Lady's hair and clothing is the best thing Coulter can come up with. It does not bode well for the level of thoughtful policy criticism we can expect from Republicans over the next few years.

Here's the bottom line about Coulter and mocking:

Ann Coulter says nasty things about Michelle Obama because she envies her. Coulter would happily give up every drop of venom that drips off her lips for one moment of knowing what it's like to be a genuine, loving woman who's making a real contribution to the world. Coulter is rich and gets lots of media face-time, so why would she be envious of Michelle Obama? Here are several reasons Coulter has no business mocking anybody, much less Michelle Obama.

1. Michelle Obama has raised two beautiful healthy children. They are polite, articulate and fun to be around. By contrast, we picture small children shrieking, clutching their pets and running in terror from any room Ann Coulter enters.

2. Michelle Obama has maintained her own career while giving remarkable support to the career of her husband. That's a remarkable feat, given how far they have come so quickly. To our knowledge, Ann Coulter has never had a thriving long-term relationship with any man or woman, possibly for the same reason mentioned in #1.

3. Michelle Obama exudes positive energy, on stage and off; Ann Coulter is where good vibes go to die. Her sneer and sarcastic tone seem to have become permanent features of her personality.

4. Michelle and Barack Obama like each a lot: they have often been photographed in public displays of affection. By contrast, Coulter's career is based entirely on public displays of rejection.

There are plenty more reasons, but we'll stop here, for the same reason that we reach for the remote control any time we see Coulter's twisted grin or hear her sarcastic tones.

A while back we heard that Ann Coulter's jaw had been wired shut, due to an accident. This seemed like a direct wink from a just and merciful God. However, her jaws have apparently broken free now, and it has not made the world a better place. Rather than the forced restriction of a wired jaw, she (and the rest of us) would be a lot better off if she learned instead to speak honestly about how lonely it must be to have a life in which sarcasm is the best idea she can come up with.

Comments

[RobinSeattle]

The only reason anyone pays attention to Ann Coulter is because this is the era of debate as food fight and Ann is its Bluto Blutarsky, a veritable ninja of emptyheaded rancid pie hurling as catharsis geared to childishly settling some perceived slight . This is despite the fact that Coulter is either: a) a complete loon or, b) the kind of performance artists who makes even Andy Kaufman seem like an amateur.

And HuffPo and the rest of the media just keeps on stoking it by recapitulating the inane play by play of Coulter's cunning stunts as if they were Iran and Ann was Salman Rushdie.

[YouGoGirls]

Well done! Amen to that!

[faithnj]

Amen to all of that.

[JScott]

Sadly Ann needs to read this but probably won't.

[JScott]

'....we picture small children shrieking, clutching their pets and running in terror from any room Ann Coulter enters.' Hmmm wonder if that was her upbringing it would explain why she is the way she is-sad really (not). Wasn't there a similar scene in Steel Magnolias with Ouiser and Ashley's toddler?

[ucla matta]

Fantastic arguments, great read!

[fosterandco]

What ever happened to the old rule Beauty is as Beauty does?

There seems to be quite a few people these days who never learn that rule.

[dessertsfirst]

Hello, Hendricks,
I loved your post, and I particularly liked this quote:

We're saddened, but not surprised, that making fun of the future First Lady's hair and clothing is the best thing Coulter can come up with. It does not bode well for the level of thoughtful policy criticism we can expect from Republicans over the next few years.

Coulter is a pathetic example that riches can't necessarily bring one the joys in life that are realized in meaningful, loving relationsips. And beauty is from within.
Meanwhile, hopefully the rethugs (old, rich, white guys) will come to the "party" and figure out just where it's at! We can do w/o the h@te-$peak, and the lies. Looking forward for 2009, we have hope!

[Hope42day]

Thank you for speaking up and finally putting this person into the proper perspective. I have heard her speak her meaness for some time now, and make a living off of this point of her view. Why the media gives her air time, I do not know.

As for the junior high "mean girls". They do exist well past high school. In fact, they exist in every 55+ community in America today. I see them daily where I live. They "comment " on what people wear, how they look, what they do and the list goes on. I often comment, "Didn't we leave that all behind us in junior high school"? Guess not! Envy and low self esteem follow you to the grave.

[Ed and Deb Shapiro - Huffpost Blogger]

Kathlyn and Gay, You betcha!

I have to say as great as you guys are and write you have missed your profession.

You should have been comedy writers.

Cheers,

Ed

[picard922]

Oh *snap*

[DragonMama]

I love your writing style. Thanks for the laughs that are appropriate instead of just mean. You're the only HuffPost blogger that felt worth signing up to get notifications for every post. Please post more often. I signed up for your online courses because of your posts here.

[happyblubird]

Ann makes a lot of money being sarcastic and probably has whatever material girls want but she pays the hight price of being made fun of herself and being lonely. Who would want a friend that makes fun of nice people for a living?

[DragonMama]

"Who would want a friend that makes fun of nice people for a living?" - you nailed it very succinctly. People want to be true friends with people who are kind. Anyone who does not display kindness on a regular basis and still has people flocking to be their friends has to question why - what other motivation do the "friends" have for wanting to know them. Most likely it's because of their money or social status or political power or something, and hence not a true friendship because loss of that trait would result in loss of the friendship.

I really pity the Obamas that now they can't know who of new people they meet just want to be their friends because of what they are instead of who they are. I heard Michelle speak back in February and thought then that I'd really like to be this woman's friend, even if she was a "just" stay-at-home mom of modest means, because her intellect and wit would make her a great conversationalist. Now I am afraid to extend the hand of friendship if the opportunity arose because realistically she would immediately have to think it was just because she's the new First Lady. It's a shame. I would dearly love to spend a few hours with all our kids present baking cookies or something. I feel the same way about Barack - he'd be welcome to bake cookies with us any time.

[Briarcircle]

We respond to the unspoken signals others display. So I would believe the Obamas are so tuned in, that they would pick up on any falseness and so would love to bake cookies with you. And add to that people might just consider being better people to be able to be around the Obamas. If AC had a true friend they would sit her down and straighten her...poor unfortunate woman.

[bjefrz]

That was AWESOME! You hit the snarkiness just right without overdoing it.

[blaqntelligence]

Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks,
I always read and enjoy your articles.....Today you win my personal Huffpo pick.
Every word you've written is true and plain as the nose on her face, yet she and her ilk are blind.