March 15, 2007
Anne Coulter's outburst about John Edwards, calling him a "faggot", like some prissy little schoolyard brat, got more than a little undeserved media attention. And it's true that it's fun to watch. Like Borat, singing the national anthem at a Texas Rodeo.
If there is a difference, it might be that no liberal groups, that I know of, would seriously consider inviting Sacha Baron Cohen to give the keynote at a serious gathering on policy or governance. Anne Coulter would be, and is. There are conservatives who actually like and respect her and think she is a kind of prophetic figure who, inevitably, will be persecuted for her faith.
Liberals probably shouldn't take her seriously, but then again, I'm not sure liberals take the Christian Right seriously enough. If you've watched the documentary, "Jesus Camp", you might be somewhat alarmed at the militant dogmatism of this segment of the political spectrum, the absolute conviction that God is telling them exactly what to do, and that anyone who disagrees or opposes them is Satan's spawn. No, they're not burning witches at the moment. Probably they won't soon. But the U.S. is locking up people without trial, sending them off to be tortured overseas, and dismissing the need for evidence or testimony against terrorist suspects.
Anne Coulter, if you've forgotten, once urged the U.S. to invade and Christianize hostile Arab states.
She is a pimple on the forehead of American conservatism-- a big, ugly, festering red one that just won't go away.