MadsenOMC
06-28-2007, 10:43 AM
I don't intend to start another debate about Ann Coulter. I'm curious what people think about what Elizabeth Edwards did. Some say she is attempting to change political discourse and the only way to do that is to take action, to be strong and not ignore hate speech. Others say by responding directly to Coulter, she lowers herself to Coulter's level. What do you all think about it? Also, why does anyone at a network (like MSNBC or ABC) bother having Coulter as a guest? Is it strictly a ratings thing? Wouldn't we all be better off if she was just ignored?
Edwards defends her call to Coulter
She confronted the pundit Tuesday about insults aimed at her husband.
By TONY LEYS
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
June 28, 2007
Elizabeth Edwards said Wednesday that she hopes other Americans will do what she was trying to do when she confronted conservative pundit Ann Coulter on national television this week.
Edwards, wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, said in an interview that it's time to put the brakes on the hateful speech spewed by people like Coulter. "It may take a while, but if we don't start, it'll take forever," she said.
The confrontation came Tuesday while Coulter was appearing on MSNBC's "Hardball." Elizabeth Edwards called the show and asked Coulter to refrain from using insulting language. Coulter laughed and accused Edwards of telling her to stop speaking.
Among other things, Coulter has referred to John Edwards as a "faggot" and recently said she wished he had died in a terrorist attack. In her call to the show, Elizabeth Edwards said Coulter once wrote that John Edwards probably had a bumper sticker on his car saying, "Ask me about my dead son." That was a reference to the Edwardses' teenage son, Wade, who was killed in a traffic accident.
Coulter smiled and wondered aloud why a candidate's wife was making such a call.
Edwards responded: "I'm the mother of that boy who died."
In a phone interview from her North Carolina home Wednesday, Edwards said people like Coulter trade in hurtful insults instead of honest debate. "At some point, somebody has to stand up and say, 'That's enough,' " she said.
Edwards said she did not consult her husband before making the call, though she said campaign aides tracked down the phone number for her. She was sitting in an airport between campaign visits when she saw Coulter on television and called the show.
Edwards said she knows that many people would advise her to ignore the insults instead of dignifying them with a response. But she said that is not the way to change things. She said she has been inspired by a cultural shift in the South. When she moved there decades ago, she said, it was acceptable for people to use racist language. But then people who disliked such language started making their objections known, and eventually it became unacceptable. She said she hopes the same will happen with the things Coulter and others say.
Coulter's publicist did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.
Peverill Squire, a University of Iowa political science professor, said it's unusual for a candidate's spouse to make such a public challenge to a critic. But he said she risked little in making the call. "Certainly, among Democrats, going after Ann Coulter is not going to raise any concerns," he said.
Elizabeth Mehren, a Boston University journalism professor who has followed the Edwardses, said Elizabeth Edwards' effort is admirable. Mehren said, however, that the Edwards campaign jumped to use the confrontation as a fundraising tool, which she said could be seen as "tacky."
"Aren't they just lowering themselves to Ann Coulter's level by doing this?" Mehren said. "Isn't the best way to handle bullies to ignore them?"
Edwards defends her call to Coulter
She confronted the pundit Tuesday about insults aimed at her husband.
By TONY LEYS
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
June 28, 2007
Elizabeth Edwards said Wednesday that she hopes other Americans will do what she was trying to do when she confronted conservative pundit Ann Coulter on national television this week.
Edwards, wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, said in an interview that it's time to put the brakes on the hateful speech spewed by people like Coulter. "It may take a while, but if we don't start, it'll take forever," she said.
The confrontation came Tuesday while Coulter was appearing on MSNBC's "Hardball." Elizabeth Edwards called the show and asked Coulter to refrain from using insulting language. Coulter laughed and accused Edwards of telling her to stop speaking.
Among other things, Coulter has referred to John Edwards as a "faggot" and recently said she wished he had died in a terrorist attack. In her call to the show, Elizabeth Edwards said Coulter once wrote that John Edwards probably had a bumper sticker on his car saying, "Ask me about my dead son." That was a reference to the Edwardses' teenage son, Wade, who was killed in a traffic accident.
Coulter smiled and wondered aloud why a candidate's wife was making such a call.
Edwards responded: "I'm the mother of that boy who died."
In a phone interview from her North Carolina home Wednesday, Edwards said people like Coulter trade in hurtful insults instead of honest debate. "At some point, somebody has to stand up and say, 'That's enough,' " she said.
Edwards said she did not consult her husband before making the call, though she said campaign aides tracked down the phone number for her. She was sitting in an airport between campaign visits when she saw Coulter on television and called the show.
Edwards said she knows that many people would advise her to ignore the insults instead of dignifying them with a response. But she said that is not the way to change things. She said she has been inspired by a cultural shift in the South. When she moved there decades ago, she said, it was acceptable for people to use racist language. But then people who disliked such language started making their objections known, and eventually it became unacceptable. She said she hopes the same will happen with the things Coulter and others say.
Coulter's publicist did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.
Peverill Squire, a University of Iowa political science professor, said it's unusual for a candidate's spouse to make such a public challenge to a critic. But he said she risked little in making the call. "Certainly, among Democrats, going after Ann Coulter is not going to raise any concerns," he said.
Elizabeth Mehren, a Boston University journalism professor who has followed the Edwardses, said Elizabeth Edwards' effort is admirable. Mehren said, however, that the Edwards campaign jumped to use the confrontation as a fundraising tool, which she said could be seen as "tacky."
"Aren't they just lowering themselves to Ann Coulter's level by doing this?" Mehren said. "Isn't the best way to handle bullies to ignore them?"