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Liberal Mind in Defense of Ann
Coulter
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Some years ago I quipped that one of the things I loved about classical music
– particularly as it related to its live performance – is that
it offered that singular opportunity where Republicans got all dressed up
and actually paid money to listen to a bunch of Democrats.
And so it would be with John Coulter, who – along with his wife –
attended some 30 years of performances by the New York Philharmonic, by seasonal
subscription. Ann’s father, indeed, was consumed by the common twin-passion
that several had previously merged as related interests: Classical Music
… and Volkswagen engines. What better way to celebrate Wagner?
And while he may not have been able to entirely relate to Ann’s appetite
for all things Grateful Dead, sans acid, John Coulter nevertheless would
have every reason to be proud of his daughter – whether expressed in
spoken and demonstrable terms … or not.
Ann Coulter’s father had been a lawyer and – as a matter of title
– an FBI agent, a Union Buster, and a Red (Soviet) Hunter as a collective
resume that might have made even Ronald Reagan feel somewhat deficient.
But, with this, I’m not one to entertain psychoanalysis as anything
more than a stunningly inaccurate guessing game and voodoo-like examination
of the human psyche that would proclaim Ann as someone who would, say,
“dedicate her life to winning the approval and validation of an emotionally
aloof father”. And such psycho-babble drivel would have surely made
John Coulter wince, at the least.
But beyond psychology, Ann’s father would have little respect for
sociology – even as one who would start out as a Sociology major
on a G.I. bill. In consideration of this, there would be a certain irony
that his own daughter would become – yes – a sociological phenomenon,
further encompassing academic discussion, inclusive of a college course dedicated
to ‘Coulterism’ …
 Point
of fact, to her credit, Coulter has successfully parlayed her political passion
into an entity that it every bit, a pop icon. Indeed, if Warhol were alive
today, Ann would be rendered in chromatic repetition across a series of screens
… Yes, like Jagger. Like Monroe. Like Jackie, even. And I do mean it.
Warhol, in fact, had already applied his take to well-known political figures
and leaders. From here, it wouldn’t be a far stretch to include someone
who Bill Maher has referred to – quite correctly – as the conservative
movement’s diva …
Outside of, perhaps, Bill Maher, few liberal contemporaries will ever be
able to see it, understand it – or even entertain it … Simply
stated, Ann Coulter, with far more success than any other ‘pop
conservative’ – Rush Limbaugh, included – has brought a ‘pop
sensibility’ to a genre that had been far more generally thought of
as being somewhere between staid and stodgy. She has – in a way that
few who despise her will ever comprehend – brought a ‘Cool
Factor’ to conservatism … wholly independent of jeans and miniskirts.
It is for these reasons – of both political and pop culture significance
– that I refer to Ann Coulter frequently within the ‘Left Brain’
of this website ...
As one might imagine, there are a few areas where ‘The CoulterStein’
and I aren’t entirely on the same page. And some of my own remarks,
both spoken and written – particularly as it relates to religion, would
only make Ann pop yet another tab of Nicorette (before she’d still
make the stab at ‘converting you back’, anyway).
As for me, I would go straight to the true and actual cigarette when
Ann uttered, “Darwinism is a total crock.” … Now, while I’m
fully aware that Darwin’s scientific acumen may not be quite on the
same par as Ann’s frog-dissection experiences, I still think
she should show a little more respect for a – you know … colleague.
And then there was that ‘Timothy McVeigh Thing’ … suggesting
that our very own, home-grown domestic terrorist might have been better served
at The New York Times building ... But no, Ann would not mean that
in any literal sense, naturally. Rather, for me, the suggestion was an
interesting example of Coulter, herself, falling into the trappings of
contemporary liberalism: Wishing for the eradication of opposing thought.
This, as something of a philosophical faux pas … Ann.
But as it relates to the writing, by her own admission, she writes principally
for her “own amusement and the amusement of my friends.” First
most. But I know that a great deal of that entertaining pleasure comes from
other people’s response to her personal burlesque – and that’s
exactly what I gauge it be. In fact, as this very website will attest, I
can completely identify with the notion of one part manifesto, one part operatic
send-up – with the author being the principle audience … and friends
sometimes functioning as the theatre critics.
As to the others … It’s not as if Ann Coulter had penned ‘Mein
Kampf’ and further called for the extermination of six million Jews.
It’s just that several people respond to her as if she had. Coulter,
indeed, has been pictorially depicted as a Nazi … in uniform
– and more than once. Not particularly original, mind you, as hard-line
conservatives have long been illustrated in Hitleresque terms – more
frequently than I can likely calculate. Of course, this is the most insulting
– not to Coulter or other conservatives – but to the millions of
people who had lost their lives under Hitler and the Nazi regime. For the
victims – and their families – such unfitting comparisons only
cheapen and defile their memory. But, with regret, my own liberal brethren
often doesn’t take the moment to consider such things – or worse,
perhaps even care ... I do hasten to add that there have also been conservatives
who have served up similar comparisons regarding those on the left.
But moreover, the general sentiments also cheapen hate, itself, as an emotion.
Silly me, as I’ve only applied such feelings where genuinely applicable.
But as it relates to the subject of Coulter, the applied emotion of
‘hate’ – at least as stated by those who oppose her –
is thrown about so freely, it’s been relegated to the same shop-worn
insignificance as ‘hero’ and ‘genius’ … of which
there are few. Surely, there must be better candidates for your hatred
than Ann Coulter. I know there is for me, no matter how infrequent.
Interestingly, these sentiments have extended outside the bounds of political
debate, when Coulter is involved. It’s more recently dovetailed into
Pop culture, as well …
I can’t recall the reason I uncharacteristically checked into TMZ.com
– a tabloidian entertainment site with an emphasis on the ‘Celebrity
Trash Fest’. But toward the right-hand column, there was a video being
featured on this day. One of Ann Coulter …
Ann had just emerged from an automobile, walking her way to a speech she
was presenting in Washington, D.C. … A handicapped man in a wheelchair
had awaited her arrival out front. And upon seeing him, Coulter walked towards
the man to speak with him and sign a personalized autograph. She was notably
cordial, gracious and engaging, without falsehood or pretense. End of story.
End of video stream.
The TMZ video would be headlined and titled … ‘Ann Coulter is a
Skinny Bitch’ …
Naturally, the video was likely titled by a TMZ staffer under the influence
of Milk Duds and Pringles. But still, it’s contextual mismatch demonstrates
just how eager much of America, pop media inclusive, is eager to keep Coulter
on its perpetual Shit List. But, if to its chagrin, it’s part of what
makes Ann … a formidable pop icon … yet again.
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Ann sits in for a live remote at the CPAC gathering
in Washington, D.C. with my longtime friend and radio talk host, Joyce Kaufman
– the imperfected Jew
girl.
Joyce had long been a New York liberal, now turned
conservative after Coulter slipped something into her drink. Ann does
shit like that.
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But those who despise Coulter are not her principle concern – pie-pitching,
aside. Rather, it’s the ones … who ‘love her’
– perhaps just a little too much. I speak of the obsessive, stalker
fan. This is a tragic and sadly serious situation for Ann that has necessitated
a sit-down with the FBI, in fact. And it doesn’t help that those who
have no particular love for Coulter openly publish the whereabouts
of her residences – often within the guise of online articles regarding
her current voter registration status or some other irresponsible excuse
to circulate addresses. This … is not good. And certainly not
cool. It is an act of intellectual cowardice, at the least. And one that
could, in theory, potentially result in a consequence that only the most
warped among us could celebrate.
I mean, come on, people – she’s a writer, for Christ sake.
She may express an opinion – indeed, an entire worldview – that
differs from your own. But if you were as liberal as many of you purport
to be … you’d defend her. Not necessarily her positions –
that’s okay. But rather, her liberty to express herself – and in
most any way she sees fit. As for me, I not only defend her … I buy
her fucking books – and read them (actually, I’m missing
two, but they’re on my list). This wouldn’t make me the first from
the liberal camp to do so. But I don’t flip through the pages
merely to find some sort of nitpicked, factual error as part of a ‘Seek
and Destroy’ mission – even though some one of her books contained
more referenced and sourced footnotes than pages ...
Ann is a fine wordsmith and consistently entertaining. And these
attributes make her ideas worthy of my consideration, if for
just the moment, whether her arguments ultimately compel or not.
It’s always a good read – and that’s what matters most …
to me. Enlightenment, if any, would only be a bonus.
Still, there are those who argue that Coulter deserves to be the object of
abhorrence – even if intellectually unwarranted, technically
– because she, herself, is a ‘hate monger’ … I can only
suggest that if you regard Ann as one who promotes hate, you either have
lived a limited existence, have read little of history … or both. And
if you think of her as a monger of hatred because of an emotional contempt
she has managed to stir in you, that may well say far more
about you … than Ann Coulter.
Funny thing, as I place Ann side-by-side with her friend, Bill Maher –
who I also like very much … Maher can say pretty much anything he pleases
(post ABC-Disney), and voice it in the most snide and mocking of terms …
But while Bill Maher may not be held in particularly high esteem by those
of the Conservative Right (Coulter, aside), he nevertheless doesn’t
seem to inspire such outright hatred as Ann Coulter. While this may
seem to imply that conservatives are somehow more liberal than …
liberals … there’s more to it – aside from the
undeniable fact that liberal humorists have always enjoyed a freer reign
(if you can even cite a comparable conservative ‘stand-up’, in
the first place) …
No matter how he may be categorized – even by himself – Bill Maher
is principally a social commentator in the guise of a comic.
It is this stance that has given him a pass-go liberty not enjoyed
by Coulter.
But, as for me, I have often regarded Ann as a humorist … in the guise
of a socio-political commentator. I say this with a limited stretch. This
perspective is not to diminish or make light of a genuinely felt worldview
on Coulter’s part. Bill Maher, after all, stays true to his
perspectives as a ‘stand-up’. Rather, I believe that there are
many who simply ‘don’t get’ Coulter (inclusive of several
conservatives, in truth). View her as a humorist, and she is often
funny. And entertaining.
Point of fact, taking away their respective presentations, if one were to
compare the non-personified written transcripts of Maher and Coulter,
Bill is far more ‘over the top’ as it relates to the outlandish
than Ann has ever been. But, again, Maher has an enviable license as a
‘comic’ ... while Ann can’t even be granted a learner’s
permit. I nevertheless believe that Coulter has the very same right to the
road.
On a personal level, it never really mattered to me where one stood politically.
Opposing thought would often make the interactions more fun, at times. Sometimes
more engaging. But it never – in my experience – tested a friendship
… not a genuine one, at least. And that’s really the only kind
of friendship worth having.
There are those whom we encounter in our time – whether personally or
by way of their works – who have graced and enriched our lives. Authors,
directors, composers … friends. For me, as one who hails from liberalism
– or who is of ‘liberal mind’ – Ann Coulter has only
enhanced my existence … not diminished it. And in consideration of this
… I can offer no higher compliment.
Write on, Ann.
Joseph.
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