Ann Coulter is laughing. I can’t see her, but I’d bet money that she is. The right- wing columnist known for her controversial remarks about – well, anybody – is taking heat for her recent comment about Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards.
In a March 2 address to the American Conservative Union’s Political Action Conference in Washington, D. C., Coulter stated, “I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate, John Edwards, but it turns out that you have to go into rehab if you use the word ‘faggot,’ so I’m kind of at an impasse.”
The conservatives who heard Coulter’s comment first appeared to take it as the outrageous stab it was meant to be, responding with gasps, laughter and hearty applause.
The liberals who heard her remark later echoed the same mantra as the miffed media buzzing about Coulter’s latest shenanigan. This time, she went too far, they said.
A word to the left: When you’re Ann Coulter, there is no too far.
Partisan types never hesitate to capitalize on their opponents’ controversies. Coulter is the liberals’ Godsend. Last summer, Hillary Clinton reamed Coulter for writing in her book, “Godless: The Church of Liberalism,” that 9/11 widows were “enjoying their husbands’ deaths.” After the Sept. 11 attacks, Coulter was denounced for a column in the “National Review” urging the invasion of Muslim countries and the forced conversion of their citizens to Christianity.
Yet again, left-wing politicians are using Coulter’s words as ammunition for the argument that conservatives are hatemongers. Edwards has posted a video clip of Coulter’s remarks on his Web site as an incentive for voters to donate and “fight back against the politics of bigotry.”
Republican presidential candidates John McCain, Rudolph Giuliani and Mitt Romney have also all made it clear that they don’t agree with Coulter’s comments.
But in a culture that is steeped in damage control, Coulter is not only welcome, she’s also necessary.
As college-age intellectuals, we’re taught to be cynical about the spin that permeates our society. But in reality, most of us are too concerned with political correctness to express what we think for fear of offending someone.
I’m not saying I agree with Coulter’s opinions, nor am I encouraging people to go around calling each other derogatory names. But I do think people like Coulter, who wittily say the things everyone else is afraid to, serve a key role in democracy.
These pundits spark discussions and arouse passions. They help engage even the most politically apathetic citizens in debate. They remind us that speech, no matter how negative or inflammatory, has a right to be out there. No one – conservative or liberal – has the right to say what is going too far.
So while politicians scramble and the media plays up the Coulter controversy, she’s getting the last laugh. I’m laughing with her.
