Ann Coulter Walks Off the Cliff, as Followers Tumble After

Archaeologists today completed a major dig into Ann Coulter, hoping to discover the location of her soul. They returned without finding anything.

"We thought for sure we'd at least find a crumb of a soul," said Dr. Philip Vanderly, leader of the expedition, "even if just in a lower extremity, but there was nothing. It was cavernous inside there. Just one big empty space."

Yes, Ann Coulter has stepped into it big time. Hold on, it's worth the wait.

I've done my best to avoid writing about Ms. Coulter, since it's obvious to even the most obtuse rock she just likes the attention. And it's equally clear that all she wants to do is get a "reaction." Hint: it's easy to get a reaction. Spit in someone's face, you'll get a reaction. Throw a temper tantrum at bedtime, you'll get a reaction. Easy. A child can do it. They usually do. Adults tend to know better.

But sometimes, in that sad effort to get attention, people reach a level that's actually worth mentioning - not because it shows them in a bad light, but because it puts their supporters and defenders in a bad light.

And that's the level Ms. Coulter reached Monday night, appearing on "The Big Idea," hosted by Donny Deutsch.

Mere quotes don't do it justice. The whole, sad transcript must be read. Unfortunately, it's near-impossible to make it through. But click here to see it, if you must.

For everyone else, highlights will have to do. Buckle your seatbelts.

After the subject of being Christian has been broached, Deutsch asks his guest to clarify. "So, we should all be Christian?" he inquires. "It would be better if we would all be Christian?"

Are you ready for her answer?

COULTER: Yes.

DEUTSCH: We should all be Christian?

COULTER: Yes.

The stunning thing is that this isn't even the bad part. It gets worse. (And this doesn't even counts when Ms. Coulter tries to be a know-it-all and tweak Deutsch by snarking, "Well, you could be a practicing Jew, but you're not," and he answers, "I actually am.")

No, she's just warming up. Later, the host tries to get a focus on what he can't quite believe his guest has been saying, seeming to think his show has entered a worm hole and come out in another time, like, perhaps the Spanish Inquisition. Or hell.

DEUTSCH: "...you said I should not -- we should just throw Judaism away and we should all be Christians, then, or - "

COULTER: Yeah.

DEUTSCH: Really?

COULTER: Well, it's a lot easier. It's kind of a fast track.

DEUTSCH: Really?

COULTER: Yeah. You have to obey.

DEUTSCH: You can't possibly believe that.

COULTER: Yes.

Here's the thing - this isn't even the bad part. That's how bad it is. In fairness, there's a bit of insane comic relief, to give audiences a breather. It comes when she makes a point about mixed couples, which Deutsch refutes. And then, on national television, Ann Coulter actually and bizarrely says the following as her rebuttal. As her...defense.

COULTER: No. In fact, there was an entire Seinfeld episode about Elaine and her boyfriend dating because they wanted to be a mixed-race couple, so you're lying.

Yes, you read that right. She actually said that. Her "proof" was a work of fiction. From a sitcom. Try that in a court of law, and you'll be laughed off the bench. Try it in the schoolyard, you'll get laughed off the seesaw.

(The topper, of course, was the "...so you're lying.")

Years back, Vice-President Dan Quayle solidified himself as an object of ridicule by chastising the fictional TV character 'Murphy Brown' for having a child out of wedlock. But even he didn't offer that as proof. It's possible that Ann Coulter just one-upped him. If only Donny Deutsch had responded, "But you're forgetting about that episode on 'Star Trek' when Captain Kirk dates a Kardassian."

Anyway, so much for the frivolity. Back to the part where the bad finally gets worse. You see, Ann Coulter thinks she's being a provocateur when she communicates, but the sad truth is that all's she's doing is showing herself void. And so, she says -

COULTER: No, we think -- we just want Jews to be perfected, as they say.

DEUTSCH: Wow, you didn't really say that, did you?

COULTER: Yes.

Wow, indeed. Talk about being pithy. But later, after a commercial break, the ever-decent Deutsch gives his guest a chance to explain herself. Ludicrously, she tries to deny that she said what she actually said - and which is on tape - and Deutsch admirably gets her back on track.

DEUTSCH: You said - your exact words were, "Jews need to be perfected." Those are the words out of your mouth.

COULTER: No, I'm saying that's what a Christian is.

DEUTSCH: But that's what you said -- don't you see how hateful, how anti-Semitic -

COULTER: No!

DEUTSCH: How do you not see? You're an educated woman. How do you not see that?

COULTER: That isn't hateful at all.

DEUTSCH: But that's even a scarier thought.

And so it is.

Now, no doubt there is a directionless cadre of people reading this thinking, "But, no, that isn't hateful at all. And she's right. We should all be Christians. Jews should be perfected."

And that's the scary thought, too.

Because ultimately this really isn't about Ann Coulter being needy for attention and showing herself to be divisive or hatemongering. Again. That's on the record. No, this is about people who actually agree with everything she said - and think there's nothing hateful, anti-Semitic or wrong with it.

(NOTE: Just because you don't know you're being hateful and anti-Semitic, doesn't mean you're not. It's like an ostrich sticking its head in its butt and thinking it's safe, as a caravan of steamrollers rumbles towards it.)

This isn't about Ann Coulter. Ann Coulter by herself is meaningless. A lone voice braying against the moon. The world has long had such people, wandering through the village, howling and tolerated for their eccentricities, but then passed by. Shakespeare had his eloquence: "A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." It's only the people who stop to listen and give the ramblings an ear who can carry the virus, and not just to others, but harming themselves, as well. Because in the end, if this is how you associate yourself without disapproval, if you accept such things, if this is what you close a blind eye to, it doesn't disappear unnoticed, and you can't yourself help but be tarnished.

At some point, however, the core decency inside people will win out, and at least the better spirits of some will drift away from the worst.

All that lingers is the image sitting in a chair of a shell from which words out of step with the human soul drip, graspingly. To Donny Deutsch's credit, he didn't steer away from criticism, closing out one segment of his show bluntly -

"Ann Coulter, author of If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans, and if Ann Coulter had any brains, she would not say Jews need to be perfected. I'm offended by that personally. And we'll have more Big Idea when we come back."

But the question remains - to everyone but those who somehow support such things that Ann Coulter gibbers - why in the world do people of good will keep putting her on the air?? Why keep giving her a platform, a microphone?? You know she needs the attention and will get it by saying things that offend. You know it. But was nothing learned from Chris Matthews's debacle devoting "Hardball" to this one person? You're not exposing her. She's long been exposed. You're pumping up her volume. I'm glad Donny Deutsch was blunt with her; I'm glad he said to her face how offended he was. But it's unfortunate that he gave someone the airtime to offend him - and offend any decent person - who he knew was going to do so. Such people as his guest have a right to say what they want. But no one has an obligation to give them yet another giant bullhorn.

And people have a right to believe her, drinking their acid-laced Kool-Aid, thinking it will bring them peace, when all it does is rot out their insides until they've expired. But more, these very same people have every right to say out loud just how intolerant they are, as some may do here, right now, opening their mouths and, with every word, showing the world for all to see their small-minded lack of common, human decency.

But we're supposed to be better than that. Fortunately, most people are.

Comments

[luziannagirl]

Y'all know that scary movie scene where the true identity of a character is revealed when he or she passes by a mirror, and for one quick frame, we glimpse the reflection, and instead of a normal human face we're shocked to see a ghoulish, grinning skull?

And, for a few more scenes that character continues the charade of being a normal person, but all the while WE know there's a monster underneath, waiting to devour the next innocent victim?

Provided they're true, with these comments Ann Coulter has provided us a fleeting glimpse of the true horrific identity of the Christian Right/Moral Majority. We should stop thinking this crowd, probably 30% of the Republican voters, is capable of making decisions based on fact or logic.

As Maya Angelou says, when people tell you who they are, listen to them.

[mrmi52]

Parents should know it, teachers should know it, police should know it, and Huffingtonpost and other news reporting media should know it. There are those who do silly, wrong, outragous, and just plain stupid things for attention. If you want them to stop, the solution is to ignore them. If reporting media feel they have to mention these things they should have have a preset story, "Another asinine statement by an asinine person." No names, no repeat of the statement.

[Ndw]

After a long run of these people, like Coulter & Limbaugh, all representing Christianity as they claim, and embraced by far too many from that religion - I find that I begin to see it as an evil force. Which, I suppose, if you follow the logic, means they are actually Satanic? Because they've certainly presented that face to me. I am absolutely certain that if Jesus returned to earth, these people would be the first in line to send him right back to the grave. No question. They also make me rethink my wishful hope there's no such thing as 'evil.'

[JoeMax]

"Which, I suppose, if you follow the logic, means they are actually Satanic?"

Makes sense to me. I mean, it's a devilishly clever plan to corrupt the souls of Christian believers, isn't it?

Well, he *is* Satan, after all.

If there is a Christian Satan, he's doing the happy dance in Hell right now.

[plains]

Was born and raised in Minnesota and South Dakota. Have lived in North Dakota for twenty years. Based on my 54 years of being surrounded by Christians, I have to believe that Coultergeist truly reflects the majority of Christian opinion in this country. IOW, if you're not Christian you must be "saved" else you have no hope of being "saved."

[cadavra]

Funny, but I always though that since Jesus was Jewish, all "Christians" are thus Jewish, also...

[knowhelpnow]

She knows exactly what she is saying and she says it to make money, the woman is not stupid she knows where the bread and butter comes from.
She knows how stupid she sounds and how hateful she can be it's her trademark and people buy it so what can you do nothing except don't take her seriously.

[illogic]

I'm not sure why this is outrageous. I find many of Ms Coulter's statements odious but Christian teaching is clear about the fate of the unsaved (including Jews). You would get very similar answers from all of the Republican presidential candidates and probably most of the Democratic ones. Further, in the case of Evangelical Christians, there is an obligation to actively "spread the Good News". So, yes, there are millions of Christians who think that Judaism is fundamentally flawed and would prefer that all Jews converted to Christianity.

Is this anti-semitism? Hardly. Christians don't prosletyze Jews exclusively. The Christian mindset views all non-Christians in the same light; children of God but fatally misguided. Besides, Jews have very little room for criticism on this point. All of the major monotheistic faiths are exclusive of the others and teach their own superiority.

[CrimsonTom]

I imagine you could be more wrong, but I can't get into the headspace to construct that scenario.

As Ann admitted, even the headcase Falwell admitted that Jews go to heaven. When the editors of the Bible decided to keep the Old Testament, they had to concede that Jews are the chosen people according to that text. It's down in black and white.

There is no way a Presidential candidate says this out loud. They would say--and watch it happen--judge not yada yada yada.

[Mrrar]

Cardassian.

And they didn't appear for the first time until Next Generation.

:(

[wldnswmmr]

There's a pattern to what Ann Coulter does, and it isn't that difficult to follow along once you're on to her game. While her comments look nuttily spontaneous, in fact they're calculated. With the Edwards gaffe, she offended gays. With her comments about the Jersey girls, she offended women who have become vocal critics of the Bush Administration. With this latest, she attacks Jews. She doesn't "believe" any of this stuff. It's her shtick, her act. I don't know who buys her books, but I imagine a large part of her readership can be found in those megachurches she talks about in the other part of the transcript. Each of these groups would buy into each outrageous attack: they're often homophobic, pro-War & Bush, and believe in the exclusivity of Christians in Heaven. She won't go wrong with them with her "courage" in saying out loud what they say to each other. She works a vein of small-mindedness in America that has proved profitable to her. She's not really an "analyst," she's not a lawyer, she's not a journalist. She's an act, and her brazen willingness to keep pushing the boundary farther and farther out seems to ensure she'll get airtime. She seems to know that Americans just can't resist rubbernecking the latest Coulter outrage. Much as we'd like to look away, there she is, 6 feet tall, 90 pounds, and spraying venom in all directions.

[Beatitudes]

And yet, the great publishing industry keeps publishing her "books" and they're all over the bookstores - would that be right next to O.J. Simpson's? because someone is buying her hate. Everytime I see one of her books prominently displayed I want to cover the damn things up....but I don't....because unlike the wicked witch of the USA "Ms" Coulter, I believe in free speech and the first amendment.
Yousa....
Lyn LeJeune
The Beatitudes Network - Rebuilding the public libraries of New Orleans at www.beatitudesinneworleans.blogspot.com

[samp426]

It's really very important that we continue to tolerate Coulter and the rest of the right wing lunatic fringe on the public forum as their insanity and intolerance must be seen to be believed. They are the embodiment of what's most bass-ackwards about America today, and although it may be personally distasteful and bordering disgusting, every time they show up they blow up. We have to watch: like a train wreck, it's just impossible to ignore.
The really interesting part is that they don't have an inkling of how totally clueless they sound, and ultimately, are.

[shaggles]

It's not surprising that AC uses a Seinfeld episode to support her argument. A Supreme Court justice used 24 to support his.