A quick note - I'll be on KNX1070 all-news radio out of Southern California tomorrow morning, in my usual 7:20am (Pacific) Sunday spot, interviewed by Todd Leitz about Elizabeth and John Edwards v. Ann Coulter on MSNBC's Hardball.
Links to blog posts with my views are below - I think Coulter got what she deserved...
The interview will be live-streamed everywhere at www.knx1070.com ... 7:20am Pacific, 10:20am Eastern, you can do the math for all the other time zones...
My blog posts on the Edwards v. Coulter:
Real Hardball: Elizabeth Edwards v. Ann Coulter
Hardball II: John Edwards about Ann Coulter
Showing posts with label Elizabeth Edwards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elizabeth Edwards. Show all posts
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Hardball II: John Edwards about Ann Coulter
A day after Ann Coulter wondered why Elizabeth Edwards, not John Edwards, was calling her out about her personal attacks, Hardball made the good move of bringing John Edwards on to give his views on this important matter.
Firs, to reiterate what I said earlier - Elizabeth Edwards had every right to confront Ann Coulter about the personal attacks, since they were, indeed, personal attacks directed not just against John Edwards but his family. Elizabeth would have had every right to take Coulter on, politically, too, but the personal nature of Coulter's attacks made Elizabeth's responses especially appropriate.
John Edwards made the important points in his Hardball appearance a few minutes ago: people, candidates included, have to speak out against the kind of vicious attacks that Coulter and others regularly dish out. The attacks have not been limited to Edwards. As he pointed on Hardball, Hillary's appearance and Barack Obama's name have been Coulter targets.
These kinds of attacks are not the end of the world, but there is no reason that people have to keep silent about them. If we want political campaigns to be more focused on issues, we should join the Edwards in speaking out against Ann Coulter.
And why shouldn't Edwards use this issue to raise money for his campaign? Campaigns against vicious commentators like Ann Coulter cost money...
Next, it would nice to see a little less of her on television. Will the 24/7 all-news cable stations have the courage to rise to that challenge? As things stand now, they're enablers of Ann Coulter's invective.
See also: Real Hardball: Elizabeth Edwards v. Ann Coulter ... John Edwards' Favorite Book
Digg
Firs, to reiterate what I said earlier - Elizabeth Edwards had every right to confront Ann Coulter about the personal attacks, since they were, indeed, personal attacks directed not just against John Edwards but his family. Elizabeth would have had every right to take Coulter on, politically, too, but the personal nature of Coulter's attacks made Elizabeth's responses especially appropriate.
John Edwards made the important points in his Hardball appearance a few minutes ago: people, candidates included, have to speak out against the kind of vicious attacks that Coulter and others regularly dish out. The attacks have not been limited to Edwards. As he pointed on Hardball, Hillary's appearance and Barack Obama's name have been Coulter targets.
These kinds of attacks are not the end of the world, but there is no reason that people have to keep silent about them. If we want political campaigns to be more focused on issues, we should join the Edwards in speaking out against Ann Coulter.
And why shouldn't Edwards use this issue to raise money for his campaign? Campaigns against vicious commentators like Ann Coulter cost money...
Next, it would nice to see a little less of her on television. Will the 24/7 all-news cable stations have the courage to rise to that challenge? As things stand now, they're enablers of Ann Coulter's invective.
See also: Real Hardball: Elizabeth Edwards v. Ann Coulter ... John Edwards' Favorite Book
Digg
Real Hardball: Elizabeth Edwards v. Ann Coulter
I was half-glancing at the early edition of MSNBC's Hardball yesterday, and Chris Matthews' somewhat fawning interview of Ann Coulter. Matthews was asking her some tough-ish questions, but these were interspersed with big smiles and camaraderie, and the tone was positively cocktail-party in comparison to what Matthews did to Michelle Malkin a few years ago.
Then a call came in from Elizabeth Edwards. John Edwards' wife was calling Ann Coulter to account for her persistent personal attacks on John, ranging, as per Coulter's style, from stupid to vicious. (You've no doubt all heard about the "faggot" comment. Now Coulter has switched to rhetorically wishing John had been "killed in a terrorist assassination plot.")
Predictably, Ann Coulter didn't give an inch, and jumped on her high horse about not being about to stop writing books, or change what she writes, because a Presidential candidate's wife asked her.
But Coulter also made another point, which highlights the value of Elizabeth Edwards' call. Coulter chided Elizabeth for calling, instead of her husband, the Presidential candidate, John Edwards making the call.
Coulter's point would have been better taken if the call had been about a political attack she had levied. But Elizabeth was calling about personal attacks, which have no place in political campaigns, and every moral ground for family members to call out and answer.
So kudos to Elizabeth Edwards for standing up for her husband and decency in dialogue and making this call. Let people like Ann Coulter know, if you attack candidates personally, expect their families to come after you.
As for Chris Matthews and Hardball, good that the show put through Elizabeth Edwards' call. But, next time, show a little more outrage when you're interviewing Ann Coulter. Humor and good spirits have their role on 24/7 all-news stations, but Ann Coulter is far more than a laughing matter.
Here's a videoclip of the call, from YouTube:
========================================
See also Hardball II: John Edwards about Ann Coulter and John Edwards' Favorite Book
Digg
Then a call came in from Elizabeth Edwards. John Edwards' wife was calling Ann Coulter to account for her persistent personal attacks on John, ranging, as per Coulter's style, from stupid to vicious. (You've no doubt all heard about the "faggot" comment. Now Coulter has switched to rhetorically wishing John had been "killed in a terrorist assassination plot.")
Predictably, Ann Coulter didn't give an inch, and jumped on her high horse about not being about to stop writing books, or change what she writes, because a Presidential candidate's wife asked her.
But Coulter also made another point, which highlights the value of Elizabeth Edwards' call. Coulter chided Elizabeth for calling, instead of her husband, the Presidential candidate, John Edwards making the call.
Coulter's point would have been better taken if the call had been about a political attack she had levied. But Elizabeth was calling about personal attacks, which have no place in political campaigns, and every moral ground for family members to call out and answer.
So kudos to Elizabeth Edwards for standing up for her husband and decency in dialogue and making this call. Let people like Ann Coulter know, if you attack candidates personally, expect their families to come after you.
As for Chris Matthews and Hardball, good that the show put through Elizabeth Edwards' call. But, next time, show a little more outrage when you're interviewing Ann Coulter. Humor and good spirits have their role on 24/7 all-news stations, but Ann Coulter is far more than a laughing matter.
Here's a videoclip of the call, from YouTube:
========================================
See also Hardball II: John Edwards about Ann Coulter and John Edwards' Favorite Book
Digg
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