You remember "Piss Christ"
It was a photograph of a crucifix in a jar of urine
To Andres Serrano, the artist,
and many others, it was a piece of art
But to the rest of us, it was offensive
That's how I view the collected works of Coulter.
That's how I view the collected works of Coulter
Ann Coulter with her 'moxie' [lesbian slang for 'toy girl']
My best guess is that Edwards
makes an easy proxy target
Rabid rightwingers can no longer safely call
Hillary a bitch, much less call Obama a nigger
Although that hasn't stopped Rush
from calling him a Negro
But you can still get away with
calling Edwards a faggot
And apologize for it by voicing your
death wishes for him on 'Good Morning America'
Someone finally takes on the playground bullyFive Reasons why Ann Coulter Doesn't Like John Edwards
Ann Coulter is the "Piss Christ" of political pundits.
You remember "Piss Christ." It was a photograph of a crucifix in a jar of urine. To Andres Serrano, the artist responsible for it, the photograph was a piece of art. But to the rest of us, it was offensive.
That's how I view the collected works of Coulter. Her work is meant only to offend, insult, provoke. And line her pocket.
One of the targets of Coulter's most noxious venom is John Edwards. In 2003, she joked that he had an "Ask Me About My Dead Son" bumper sticker. Earlier this year, she called him a "faggot."
And last week, a "remorseful" Coulter said she would limit her comments about Edwards to just wishing "he had been killed in a terrorist assassination plot."
That was enough for at least one person. During an appearance on MSNBC's "Hardball," Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of the target of her "humor," called in to implore Coulter to stop engaging in personal attacks and hate speech. Coulter retorted by claiming that Edwards was trying to silence her completely.
"What's notable here is the way Coulter sees personal attacks and the language of hate as the sum total of what she does," wrote Paul Waldman at Tapped.
"As she sees it, asking her not to attack people personally is not just tantamount to asking her not to write and speak, it is asking her not to write and speak."
But John Hawkins at Right Wing News took Coulter's side":
"Politics is a nasty, rough, smash-mouth game and quite frankly, people on her [Edwards'] side of the aisle are primarily responsible for it being that way.
"When Elizabeth Edwards starts regularly chiding people on her side for calling George Bush Hitler or calling Republicans fascists or racists, then I'll start paying attention to her complaints about Ann Coulter. Until then, cry me a river, Elizabeth."
So who has the thin skin? It's no contest, blogged John at AMERICAblog:
"[W]hat's most telling is how thin-skinned she is ... She walks around calling people 'fags,' mocking their dead children, wishing that they were murdered, then when people respond by saying 'uh, you're kind of mean,' Ann flips out over the level of venom that's directed against her."
But why is Coulter singling out Edwards this campaign cycle? Tim Dickinson at Rolling Stone has a theory:
"My best guess is that Edwards makes an easy proxy target. Rabid rightwingers can no longer safely call Hillary a bitch, much less call Obama a nigger. Although that hasn't stopped Rush from calling him a Negro.
"But you can still get away with calling Edwards a 'faggot.' And apologize for it by voicing your deathwishes for him on 'Good Morning America.' "
Why is Ann Coulter so focused on John Edwards? It could be all sorts of reasons, but here are a few possibilities, along with some words of comfort for Ann Coulter.
Reason 1. John Edwards is Christian, and says Jesus wanted us to help the poor and powerless. This apparently runs counter to her theory of what is needed to get to heaven.
If you are a Christian, this is something to think about. Jesse Helms seemed to connect with this idea late, as he prepared to meet his maker, and he became an unlikely champion of helping AIDS patients in Africa. Ann has lots of time to repent.
Aside from the "New Testament" thing, Coulter seems jealous of John Edwards's personal situation.
Reason 2. John Edwards is a man. Coulter says she is "more of a man" than liberal democrats. She seems like "more of a man" than most right-wing republicans too, if you define being a man as being ready to insult everyone for anything.
Compared to Ann Coulter, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, and Donald Rumsfeld are sissies.
Unless she is hiding something under her mini dress, she isn't actually a man, and this seems to bother her. But she shouldn't worry too much. I think people are beginning to be less sexist in terms of whom they think can be a leader, or what leadership means.
Ann must know this, because she is clearly embraced by the anti-feminist republican community, for her ability to skewer the opposition.
They don't mind that she is not actually a man. Neither do I. I think it is refreshing that the republicans have adopted an unmarried vampy women who comes across as a dominatrix to be their chief spokesman for traditional (family) values and pious religious practices.
Reason 3. John Edwards is better looking than Ann Coulter. She seems pretty focused on this, but she should relax.
What is scary about Ann Coulter has nothing to do with her physical appearance, which is not spectacular, but fine by the prevailing standards.
Look, I know what it's like. John Edwards is a lot better looking than I am too. So is George Clooney, but I don't hold that against him as an actor, director or film producer.
That's just the way it is, and at our age, these things don't improve much. Try to find a lover willing to overlook this.
Reason 4. John Edwards knows how to buy clothes the right size. Ann seems to have some trouble in this department.
She should lighten up. Lots of us end up buying clothes that are actually too small for us, sometime for different reasons.
But she shouldn't change. By wearing dresses a couple of sizes too small, she makes the rest of us feel better about our own limited fashion sense. So this is kind of a public service.
Reason 5. John Edwards seems to have a devoted and loving family. Ann doesn't seem to even have a steady date or any good friends. Hey, there's still time. With plenty of money, you can probably buy some friends.
This family stuff is not as easy as it might look, and no one is judging Ann Coulter for her lifestyle. Nowadays there is less pressure to be the traditional couple or family.
Just ask Mary Cheney, or tons of people who don't have kids. Sometimes my kids wonder why I thought I could be a dad.
Actually, it's perfectly fine with me if Ann Coulter doesn't have half a dozen kids. Really. And I think I speak for a lot of people on this one.
James Love @ HuffPo