There were a lot of stories to be told at the 33rd annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., this week. Conservatives from all over the country gathered to discuss immigration both legal and illegal, the economy, the size and scope of government, national defense and homeland security, all the favorite conservative issues. There were big ideas, big subjects, big questions of policy and basic political philosophy.
Which is why it’s such a crying shame that the big story turned out to be a few intemperate words tossed off carelessly by a speaker more interested in making a buck than inspiring her audience.
On Friday, controversial conservative columnist and author Ann Coulter — on her way to a well-attended book signing on the show floor — addressed the assembled attendees at CPAC 2006 with a speech that blogger Sean Hackbarth called bad stand-up comedy with a conservative schtick. Sean was being too generous. In fact, Coulter sailed right past the bounds of good taste, past her usual tactlessness, past the furthest extent of what could be considered socially acceptable discourse.
During her prepared remarks, on the subject of Iran, Coulter said, “Maybe they do [have nuclear weapons], maybe they don’t, but they’re certainly acting like they do. … If you don’t want to get shot by the police, don’t point a gun at them. Or as I think our motto should be, post 9/11,” Coulter said, “‘Raghead talks tough, raghead faces consequences.'”
Six words. That’s all it took. That’s all it took to derail the entire conference. That’s all it took to confirm every negative stereotype about conservatives. We’re no longer smart, driven, sincere people who are trying to raise the level of public debate and shape the future of our country for the better. Now we’re all just a bunch of bigots. Now that’s the story.
Thanks a lot, Ann.
A prominent conservative blogger who’s covering the conference with me describes Ann Coulter as a “gateway conservative.” Because she’s so controversial, Ann Coulter attracts the attention of people who wouldn’t ordinarily find themselves drawn to conservative political thought. They start out reading her, then they get exposed to columnists like Charles Krauthammer and Michael Barone and George Will, and they “mature a little in their political philosophy.”
I think that’s a valid point. I think that there’s something to be said for appealing to people who respond to vitriol and bile and righteous anger in order to get them thinking about more nuanced issues. But there are two major problems with that approach, and because of them I think figures like Ann Coulter end up doing more harm than good.
Every time Ann Coulter gets up and calls Iranians — or Iraqis, or Jordanians, or Saudis or Pakistanis or Yemenis or Afghans or Sudanese or whomever because really, aren’t they all pretty much the same anyway? — “ragheads,” she gets the attention of people who think she’s right on. She gets thunderous applause from the members of her audience who share her anger at and disgust with the Muslim fundamentalists who are presently waging their diffuse little war against civilization.
But she also attracts the attention of people from both the left and the right who think that there are better ways of expressing anger than flinging outrageous and condescending ethnic slurs around. And at that moment, she’s not just Ann Coulter. She’s an icon of the entire conservative movement. She is the conservative movement. When she says “raghead” live on C-SPAN in front of a sign that says “Conservative Political Action Conference,” she’s speaking for all of us.
And a whole lot of us wish she’d just shut up.
The other problem is even worse, if considerably less obvious. Yes, conservatism is the big tent. Yes, ours is the political philosophy of pluralism and tolerance. Yes, we advocate a marketplace of ideas, where any reasonable position deserves to be heard and included.
But seriously, do we really want to include people who think that the best way to address geopolitical tensions is to throw the word “raghead” around? Are these the people we really want to invite to our party?
There are those out there who think that controversial speech should be controlled by the government. There are those who think that saying things like what Ann Coulter said — or publishing editorial cartoons deemed by some to be sacriligious — should be against the law. These people clearly have the wrong idea. But just because Ann Coulter should be allowed, by law, to say whatever she wants to whichever audience chooses to invite her, so also should she be held responsible for saying things that do more harm than good. And calling people “ragheads” to resounding applause certainly does more harm than good. Harm to the conservative cause, harm to east-west relations and harm to the national discourse.
Ann, seriously. From now on, just stay off our side.
Hey Jeff,
Lighten up and stop taking yourself and the conservative cause so seriously…that’s the liberal Dems job. Ann’s got it right – they ARE ragheads Jeff…who, well, essentially want to KILL US! You, me and any other western infidel. And if we can’t laugh at ’em Jeff, we might start wringing our hands, and trying to rationalize and apologize…but oh that’s right – it’s the liberal Dems and their lapdogs the MSM who do that for us right Jeff…?
Great piece; describes exactly how I felt when I heard about Coulter’s comments.
Jeff,
Leave Ann alone. What the hell’s wrong with you?
I am a hard-core conservative. I have tried reading Ann Coulter’s books. After the first chapter or two, I start wishing she would shut up and stop whining. Then I remember it is a book, close it and return it to the library (I wouldn’t spend my own money on her).
I think we need more people like her that aren’t afraid to stand up and speak their mind.
While it’s not appropriate for Ann to use a cultural slur in her speech, I can’t help but notice that the same liberals who now have their panties in a knot over Ann’s language seem to have no problem at all when their own minions refer to devout Christians as “fundies” and “christers.” Or when Howard Dean declared that all Republicans “look alike.” Or when Robert Byrd casually tossed out a phrase like “white n****r” during a TV interview.
So Jeff, it’s nice that you’re trying to disavow the comments of Ann Coulter, who has done as much as anyone to poison the discourse in this country. But so far from the comments I’d say your notion that she doesn’t represent conservative thought is just wishful thinking.
Lighten up and stop taking yourself and the conservative cause so seriously…that’s the liberal Dems job. Ann’s got it right – they ARE ragheads Jeff…who, well, essentially want to KILL US!
This statement is one of the reasons I could never be a Republican.
Racism sucks.
So what race are ragheads, then?
Ann may be dangerous, but at least she hasn’t decapitated anyone…yet.
The Mobys are out in force today.
Call a raghead a raghead. I think it’s a perfect derrogitory term for people who subjugate their women by forcing them to cover their face, for fear of being raped. I agree with Ann whole-heartedly. If more conservatives “had the balls” to say half the stuff Ann says, perhaps we’d be better respected.
Was it a demeaning thing to say? Yes. Do they deserve it? Absolutely. Could she have said it worse? Aboslutely. I can think of quite a few other epithet’s to throw out that would probably get me banned from the comment system. Raghead is one of the most tame, and I don’t see what the big deal is.
At least she didn’t call them liberals. That would be unforgivable 😉
So Jeff, it’s nice that you’re trying to disavow the comments of Ann Coulter, who has done as much as anyone to poison the discourse in this country. But so far from the comments I’d say your notion that she doesn’t represent conservative thought is just wishful thinking.
That’s true. Conservatives do have a problem with this sort of thing, and if it gets progressively worse, one day we’ll be nearly as poisonous and hate-filled as liberals.
OK … I stand corrected … I went and read Ann’s latest column and there right at the end … she does call them liberals.
That is absolutely terrible to use such a foul word. To call someone a liberal is just horrible. Ann needs to apologize for that immediately …
OregonMuse,
It would take us decades of falling in the gutter to get that bad.
-syb
Now we’re all just a bunch of bigots. Now that’s the story.
Hang on a second. I’d be willing to bet MOST Americans, left or right, have said “ragheads” (or worse–Google it and things like “camel-f*cker,” “goat-f*cker,” etc., just for the internet talk), especially right after 9/11. Ann Coulter just didn’t lose the post-9/11 rage like so many others have. And obviously, in a statement like “Raghead talks tough, raghead faces consequences,” she’s referring to the Ahmedenijads and Saddams and Mullah Omars and bin Ladens of the world. I’d call that bunch something a whole lot worse than “raghead.” I just don’t see how she was talking about Joe Schmo Muslim.
I’m tired of making excuses for people on the right because we’re worried about what a bunch of f’n barking moonbats who say MUCH WORSE will think of us. No matter what we say about others’ derogatory remarks, it’s not going to change their minds.
Why let them–those who slander “us”–frame the debate? As far as I’m concerned, the REAL racism is practiced in left-wing policies, no matter how pretty they talk. The low expectations, the nanny state, forbidding the poor to get a decent education with school choice and school vouchers, calling REAL “progressives” (those who advocate doing things differently) things like “Uncle Tom,” “Aunt Jemima,” “house n****r,” and other inexcusable, blatantly racist euphemisms, just because they don’t follow the left-wing Party Line. Which is worse? Saying “ragheads” about despotic Muslim leaders and terrorists, or using racist language against Americans serving their country?
I’d seriously be interested in hearing how many Americans (or Europeans, for that matter) haven’t said “ragheads.” And remember, this stuff is just the way things are in human nature–people said “gooks” about the Vietnamese, remember? In every war, there’s a slur for the enemy. We’re not going to stop it by playing the politically correct game, either. If it’s troublesome, then don’t say it yourself.
Ann wouldnt have the popularity she enjoys if she wasn’t saying what the Right was at least thinking or murmuring under their own breath.
There is no excuse for Coulter to use that term. She’s a lawyer and knows exactly what phrases are leaving that mouth, especially during a prepared speech.
I don’t care that leftists are hypocrits on this basis. They have to live with more ideologically bad ideas then mere criticism. But those right of center should never let ourselves be defined by their hypocrisy.
And we should never let such base collectivism such as racism be go unchallenged when it rears its ugly head within the conservative/libertarian camp.
It is time to stop inviting Coulter to events for grown-ups.
It’s refreshing to see some conservative bloggers here denouncing Ann Coulter, but unfortunate that more of you are defending her (DJFelix comes to mind). She’s as much an asshole as any left wing know nothing talking head. It’s too bad that voters don’t realize that people like Ann Coulter are getting very rich creating a divisive electorate, and that it has real and negative repercussions on what will happen to this country down the road. And it isn’t very difficult to go on the web and see how much of what she says is misleading and false.
Comment to Mike: as a liberal Christian, not once in my life have I heard anyone ever make a reference to “fundies” or “christers”. I think it’s just another myth to believe that all religious people in this country are conservatives.
I would now point to the idiocy mouthed by CarScenic as the fallout to be expected by the deliberate asshattery uttered by Coulter.
I think Jeff has a valid point about how Ann’s comments will be interpreted, but I think that he and anyone else who ‘doesn’t get it’ will cause as much trouble as the remarks themselves. She could have used ‘terrorist’ instead of ‘raghead’, but terrorist could refer to the likes of the IRA, who clearly her comments aren’t aimed at. Is she referring to all arabs/muslims as ragheads? No. It was clearly referring to those who threaten Western civilization and intended to be offensive to them. It’s no different to using a racial epithet rather than a swear word against someone who is stealing your car. It doesn’t make you a racist, it just allows those who don’t take into account the context to block themselves off even further from the intended message.
Scott
We have enough of Coulter’s context, for several years ago, to know she is being racist in this regard.
The Left enables Gore, Uncle Teddy, Dean the Scream in their addled, degenerate rants with the excuse of “hey, look at the context..they are really saying ….” I refuse to play that game just because a person claims to be conservative.
We are all so politically correct now a days that everyone seems to be “sensitive”. Everyone is offended by everything.
Sticks and stones….
Grow up.
Callous up.
What a bunch of cry-babies.
Go ahead and call me a kraut or any other name.
And – If the shoe fits…
Mommy, Mommy, Billy threw sand in my hair.
For Ann it is just about making money. She has learned that the more outrageous your statements, the more talk shows you are invited to and the more books you sell. Follow the money.
I’m convinced, no more “raghead” remarks for me. How about “death-cult murderers”? Like that better?
No, dchamil, I like “Moon-God Death Cult” better. 😉
Why is “raghead” so much more offensive than the Mohammed cartoons? (It’s not, to Muslims.) How many who are pissed at Coulter were pissed at the cartoons?
This is really funny. Is you guys’ answer to everything “at least we’re not as bad as the liberals?” Besides the fact that that’s just not accurate, the bigger question is, is that really how you define yourselves?
These comments are providing more insight than you realize. This notion that we all use racial epithets is just false. I was as pissed as anyone after 9/11, and it just didn’t occur to me to call anyone a “raghead.” Not that I’m particularly pure, I just don’t remember anyone I know using the term. And if a black guy’s stealing my car, I don’t call him nigger. I guess the logic is, if someone’s bad we’re free to use racial epithets. So let’s call Tookie a nigger, and explain that we don’t mean all black people. That will really help your cause.
And Darleen, it’s kind of stupid for you to refer to CarScenic’s comments as idiocy, when virtually every other comment on this board is bearing him out. Look at the number of people who are defending using racist terms. Just keep telling yourselves that everyone does it, so you don’t have to face up to what you really are.
It’s refreshing to see some conservative bloggers here denouncing Ann Coulter, but unfortunate that more of you are defending her (DJFelix comes to mind). She’s as much an asshole as any left wing know nothing talking head. It’s too bad that voters don’t realize that people like Ann Coulter are getting very rich creating a divisive electorate, and that it has real and negative repercussions on what will happen to this country down the road.
You know what’s cool about this is that we’re actually having this discussion here on this conservative blog. What would be even cooler, though, would be to see similar self-examination on, for example, the DailyKos or Atrios blogs concerning the more or less continuous stream of invective and hate rhetoric coming from their side of the aisle.
I would no more use the term “raghead” then I would “nigger” “kike” or “wog”. The terms are irredeemable, regardless of context.
Islamists are fascists. Theirs is a bloody ideology that extends beyond Arab stereotypes (Indonesia, anyone?!). The Danish cartoons easily demonstrate the violence and evil at the bottom of this particular ideology (modern echo of Krystallnach).
Let’s not obfuscate the moral argument of defeating this evil ideology with appeals to racism.
Darleen, “But those right of center should never let ourselves be defined by their hypocrisy.”
I’m saying we shouldn’t be defined by their slander. I sleep soundly at night knowing that we are not the racists–although in EVERY group, there are exceptions. I just refuse to accept their characterization of us as racist because of what ANN COULTER says.
And the context does matter. It’s not like she said “kick out all the ragheads” or something; she was talking about the Iranian crisis. I’d call that crazy Ahmedenijad and those like him something a LOT more offensive than “raghead.”
And to you leftards like CarScenic: you’re not fooling anyone, you morons. We don’t “murmur things under our breath” like you cloaked racists do. We say what we think, because we have nothing to be ashamed of. That’s the difference between us. You scumbags say things under your breath and to each other, but talk in PUBLIC with the politically correct voice/Party Line, and you know it. Liars. If you leftards had that bleeding heart, you’d stop lying to those you mock amongst yourselves with your racist beliefs and policies.
Murmur that sh*t under your breath, moonbats.
Yes, Chris…”every other comment on this board” is all of the Right.
meshugga
Beth
I meant that this argument over what is/is not acceptable adult behavior should be ours to make regardless of what the morally bankrupt babies of the Left Cult have to say.
Ann is no silly ninny so I must assume her remarks were deliberate. I find them unacceptable because I assume she would be perfectly aware of their reception to most people who reject the collectivism of racism.
She was fired from National Review for good reason. This event just underlines the wisdom of NR.
It is more than a bit instructive that while there are all sorts of conservative voices raised against Ann Coulter and her performance at CPAC, from John Hinderaker to Ed Morrissey to Jeff Harrell, etc., I can’t recall any similar leftwing voices raised against the Democrats’ more hateful, virulently-tenored adolescents.
And even at here most “inappropriate” or “intemperate”,” Coulter does not descend to the potty-mouth level of rhetoric made so famous by the angry left. It should be a well-accepted fact that in most areas of public behavior, conservatives are far, far more principled than are our leftist brethren.
The commentary of Jeff Harrell, Rick Moran, and all the others merely proves the point.
Beth:
You seem really angry. Here’s something that (if you’re honest with yourself) should get you really pissed off. But can you turn that pent-up anger you have on the White House? Read on…
Nuking the Economy
By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS
Last week the Bureau of Labor Statistics re-benchmarked the payroll jobs data back to 2000. Thanks to Charles McMillion of MBG Information Services, I have the adjusted data from January 2001 through January 2006. If you are worried about terrorists, you don’t know what worry is.
Job growth over the last five years is the weakest on record. The US economy came up more than 7 million jobs short of keeping up with population growth. That’s one good reason for controlling immigration. An economy that cannot keep up with population growth should not be boosting population with heavy rates of legal and illegal immigration.
Over the past five years the US economy experienced a net job loss in goods producing activities. The entire job growth was in service-providing activities–primarily credit intermediation, health care and social assistance, waiters, waitresses and bartenders, and state and local government.
US manufacturing lost 2.9 million jobs, almost 17% of the manufacturing work force. The wipeout is across the board. Not a single manufacturing payroll classification created a single new job.
more…
Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and Contributing Editor of National Review. He is coauthor of The Tyranny of Good Intentions.He can be reached at: paulcraigroberts@yahoo.com
And before anyone starts ranting about “liberal” this and that, note this information comes from a former Reagan official and Wall Street Journal editor. Now, how angry are we at Bush for lying about the economy?
This notion that we all use racial epithets is just false. I was as pissed as anyone after 9/11, and it just didn’t occur to me to call anyone a “raghead.” Not that I’m particularly pure, I just don’t remember anyone I know using the term. And if a black guy’s stealing my car, I don’t call him nigger. I guess the logic is, if someone’s bad we’re free to use racial epithets.
I didn’t say we all say nigger, nor do I approve of it out of anyone’s mouth, under any circumstances. It’s funny how YOU immediately thought of “stealing my car” as an example, though. Talk about enlightening.
I still believe most Americans HAVE said “raghead” (or some variation), regardless of whether people will admit it. I know I said “motherf*cking ragheads” on 9/11, and I’d say it again.
I guess the logic is, if someone’s bad we’re free to use racial epithets.
When it refers to murderous people who want us all headless (or nuked) or praying to their moon-god five times a day, well, YEAH. I’ll excuse it. I think “raghead” is a lame word compared to what I call them, though. But pardon me for dehumanizing the enemy; I didn’t mean to hurt their feewings.
The ones who don’t care who we pray to, if at all? NO, not at all, and my actions in life are entirely consistent with that. But call me a racist if you want, then, if that’s what it takes to make you feel superior. I really don’t care, because (warning: “God” alert!) my God and I know the truth. I guess I’m also a “fundie” since I mentioned God, huh?
Actually, Rachel, I’m far from angry. I’m merely amused at the left’s hypocrisy.
I’m not wasting my time on your attempt at thread-hijacking, either. Get your own blog and take it there.
What I get out of this discourse is that the Republican Party is filled with angry white males who sit around and resort to childish name calling.
This just doesn’t do anything to promote what the Republican Party is suppossed to be about.
After all, didn’t you free the slaves and were you not the party of John Brown, the militant abolitionist?
You all need to grow up and do some reading on what your party is really about.
So if all of you who think Ann Coulter is right when she calls middle easterners “ragheads”, why are our young men and women dying to “bring democracy” to the middle east? It’s disgustingly unpatriotic.
It’s funny how right-wingers call liberals unpatriotic for being against the war, but lots of bigots here seem to think it’s ok to support the war AND call them ragheads at the same time. Hypocrites all.
I’m not wasting my time on your attempt at thread-hijacking, either. Get your own blog and take it there.
Posted by: Beth at February 13, 2006 12:06 PM
Or maybe you’re not responding because you can’t. I don’t care if you admit it to me, but hopefully in the quiet of your own mind, you’ll admit that Bush really sucks, and you’re being taken along for the ride
sit around and resort to childish name calling.
Whatever. Any opportunity you can get to use that line works for ya, huh? Like you weren’t saying the same thing before?
See? No matter what our side says, criticizing Ann Coulter, condemning racism, whatever–it doesn’t matter to our political opponents. That’s the problem with politics; you can’t discuss ANYTHING without intellectual dishonesty (if not outright lying) intruding.
Robert, there’s a world of difference between racism against blacks (or others) and calling terrorists names as a way of expressing hatred (yes, hatred) for their goals and actions. If you can’t see that, it’s a damn shame and it says more about you than anything.
Rachel
STFU.
Oh, here comes angry Darleen again. Sadly, we’ve seen Darleen quoting scripture, and now telling people to “shut the fuck up”. As I said, hypocrites all.
Dar, have you taken those meds yet?
Rachel
Sometimes the morally bankrupt like you only need four short words in reply.
I quote scripture?
I thought Peter Jennings had passed away. Excuse me while I get into my spaceship and return to a known universe.
Rachel,
The analysis of segments of the economy is worthwhile but hardly conclusive proof of the entire economy.
“Goods producing” and “manufacturing” are related, if not the same thing, and have been in decline in the US for a good deal longer than five years. Increasingly, we are a service economy.
FAX and copier sales are down too, from which a critic might extrapolate all sorts of bad things if one had a mind to. Buggy whips remain sluggish while housing and lending are booming.
Are you saying that the 4.7 unemployment and 3-4 percent growth rates are fiction?
Rachel, she didn’t call ALL of them “ragheads,” but I guess context doesn’t matter. And I guess you missed my comment above where I said quite the opposite from what you imply. Read it again. I don’t know why this concept is so difficult for some of you to understand.
I used to have neighbors who were Afghani, and they babysat my daughter on occasion in their home. AFTER 9/11. I lived in Turkey for a year and a half and had plenty of Turkish (and Kurdish) Muslim friends. I would never, ever call them “ragheads,” or any other people like them. Those who kill “the infidels,” strap on bomb vests and step onto Israeli buses, chop off heads, and try to get nuclear weapons so they can “wipe Israel off the map”–YES. I don’t care if people call them ragheads, although I PERSONALLY think it’s a weak euphemism. It’s not the word I would use (I prefer “pig-f***ing splodeydopes” or “pedophile worshippers”), but I understand it.
GET IT?
So if all of you who think Ann Coulter is right when she calls middle easterners “ragheads”, why are our young men and women dying to “bring democracy” to the middle east? It’s disgustingly unpatriotic.
It’s funny how right-wingers call liberals unpatriotic for being against the war, but lots of bigots here seem to think it’s ok to support the war AND call them ragheads at the same time. Hypocrites all.
Posted by: rachel at February 13, 2006 12:11 PM
Rachel:
You go girl! You’re right. A few weeks ago, many of these same bloggers were critical of anyone who opposed the war, saying they weren’t being respectful of our troops, and now they’re defending Ann Coulter when she calls middle easterners “ragheads”. Unfortunately, they can’t seem to see their own hypocrisy. What disrespect they show for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for these troop’s families.
Disregard Darleen. I’ve never seen her post anything worth debate on this site. She’s obviously a very frustrated, sad person.
robert
Don’t underestimate depth of denial of reality that the Left cult members can engage in.
Robert, there’s a world of difference between racism against blacks (or others) and calling terrorists names as a way of expressing hatred (yes, hatred) for their goals and actions.
But Beth, I just want to know, what really does it accomplish to call people names? I just don’t get it. Are you any better off doing it than I am and not doing it? Does it add money to your paycheck? Does it help pay your mortgage? Does it enrich your life and enhance it in any way.
As it is, Beth, most of you Republicans are holier than thou Christians. So, does this type of behavior come in line with the Word of God? What would Jesus do? You should be asking yourself that, not me.
Oh “WAAAAAH!”.
Someone called terrorists “ragheads”. “WAAAAH!”
Ann is acerbic. No surprise, and I hope she remains that way.
There are bigger issues… For goodness sake, people are blespheming the Prophet in cartoons!