The Xsociate Files

Apparently Ann Coultergeist was envious of all the attention that Stalkin', Balkin' Malkin was getting from the Frost fracas. She hasn't really had much in the way of attention of late and her desperation was showing in spades. Her insufferable comment about womens suffrage didn't make waves. Nor did her titillating tabloid tattling about a possible John Edwards extramarital affair meet with anything but giggles.

But now she has finally found a way to elbow her way back into the limelight. Unfortunately, the vampiric she-demon might have wished to avoid the harsh light of bigotry she chose to espouse this time 'round.

Appearing on Donny Deutsch's CNBC show, "The Big Idea," on Monday night, columnist/author Ann Coulter suggested that the U.S. would be a better place if there weren't any Jewish people and that they needed to "perfect" themselves into -- Christians.

It led Deutsch to suggest that surely she couldn't mean that, and when she insisted she did, he said this sounded "anti-Semitic."

Asked by Deutsch whether she wanted to be like "the head of Iran" and "wipe Israel off the Earth," Coulter stated: "No, we just want Jews to be perfected, as they say. ... That's what Christianity is. We believe the Old Testament."

I'm not sure why everyone is getting upset about this. Indeed this isn't the first time Coultergeist has suggested that those of a particular religion should be "perfected". Then again, she was only talking about those Islamofascist, Jew hatin' ragheads at the time. But now that she's taken on the Jewish community, suddenly everyone is rushing to denounce her comments.

I'd like to think it is because we've gotten to the point that we as a society have chosen to repudiate bigotry in all it's forms but the selectiveness of outrage leaves me to wonder. I know such a suggestion will no doubt earn me the ostracizing label of "anti-Semite" but then so should it be in Coulter's case as well. That there are many still willing to stick up for her even now only seems to suggest there is literally nothing a conservative can say to warrant true pariah status.

Blog Thanks: Salon's Blog Report for linking to the SotD of this post.

(Filed at State of the Day and All Spin Zone)

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TGIF and here's what's Shootin' Thru The 'Tubes:

Ann Coultergeist, who no one can ever accuse of being good at political strategery, thinks it'd be a good idea to repeal the 19th amendment. You know the one giving women the right to vote. She says its a personal dream of hers that if women aren't allowed to vote anymore, there will never be another Democratic president elected. According to her, single women vote "stupidly" and thus shouldn't be given the chance. Take it from Coultergeist, she knows all about voting stupidly.

The Republican National Convention released their official logo for next year's event and promptly broke the innuendo-o-meter. The gifted snark was too good to pass up for some in the blogosphere and given my own fetish for Photoshop, I couldn't resist adding my own contribution to the fun.

(Filed at State of the Day and All Spin Zone)

Labels: Coultergeist, Fun with Photoshop, The 'Tubes

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It's been some time since last we heard from Ann Coulter and it would appear that the she-demon succubus decided she needed another dose of the life force of fawning media attention that is her sustenance. But I would have to say she is getting even more crazed in her attempts to foment adulation from the crazed sect of her conservative audience.

During a segment on Good Morning America, Coulter once again sank her fanged maw into John Edwards. Only this time she didn't remark about his haircut or malign his sexual orientation. No, this time she openly called for his assassination. Watch.

It really does boggle the mind that news orgs continue to host this vile shell of what was once a human being as if she were some sort of serious political analyst. Even Chris Matthews' lament that "she sells books" is no excuse.

And the Coulter pun-idiot wasn't done yet. On the always welcoming Hannity & Colmes, Coulter called out Barack Obama saying that "I do think someone named B. Hussein Obama should avoid using hijack and religion in the same sentence."

But it would appear that Coulter hadn't counted on someone talking back who wasn't as sycophantic as the likes of Matthews and Hannity. Elizabeth Edwards called in to Hardball to read Ms. Ann the riot act.

These young people behind you…you’re asking them to participate in a dialogue that is based on hatefulness and ugliness instead of on the issues, and I don’t think that’s serving them or this country very well.

That line elicited cheers from the crowd, something I'm sure didn't sit well with Ann. Neither, one would assume, is the less than stellar books sales of her last screed against all things liberal. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the younger generation appears to be wising up and no longer taking her words as gospel. Seems the exorcism may be working.

More ghost hunting at Meme.

Update: David Goldstein indirectly reminded me that last February righties were going apeshit because anonymous commenters on lefty blogs expressed disappointment that Dick Cheney hadn't been killed in an attack in Afghanistan. But Ms. Ann wishing a similar fate on a Democratic presidential candidate? Crickets...

Blog Thanks: The SotD of this post got picked up in the Wednesday blog round up at Real Clear Politics. Does this officially mean I'm part of the nutroots?

(Filed at State of the Day)

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I haven't blogged much about Ann Coulter's voter fraud allegations because as we have come to realize in the many offshoots of Purgegate, voter fraud only matters when it can be leveled at Democrats. But there are some interesting twists to the story that still make for good Coulter fodder.

For those not up to speed: Last year, Ms. Coulter voted in a Florida district which wasn't the same as her physical address in state. Voting in any district other than the one in which you reside is a felony in the Sunshine State, with punishment of up to $5,000 smackers and/or five years in the pokey. Anyway, to cut to the predictable ending, Coulter got off.

But this is where the story gets interesting. Seems that the investigation of her alleged malfeasance was closed after an FBI agent interceded on her behalf. Now that same FBI guy finds himself the subject of his own investigation and if rumors are true, he may in fact be an exorcised boyfriend of Coultergeist!

So did the succubus in the black cocktail dress get help from her G-Man?

I think the bigger question is: who knew there was someone willing to put up with Ann Coulter for more than five minutes at a time?

(Filed at State of the Day)

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I promise this will be the last post on Coultergeist (at least until next time, which undoubtedly there will be).

Yesterday, there is a letter being circulated on some of the conservative blogs calling on the CPAC to refuse to invite Coulter in the future. The effort is commendable, even though as one observant blogger noted, the letter seems to go out of its way to emphasize rejecting Coulter not because her remarks are contemptible but because of how her antics reflect on the conservative movement. There is also the issue of why they choose to speak up now that she has used a gay slur (rather tame by her standards).

Ms. Anne took refuge in friendly FOX Newsistan to defend her remarks, derisively dismissing the term "faggot" as a mere "schoolyard taunt". I find this defense particularly insensitive given the frequency with which we are hearing stories of gay and lesbian teens being assaulted and even killed simply because of their sexual orientation. Schoolyard taunt indeed.

And that may be one of the reasons why in this instance we are seeing far more condemnation. It is not the word itself but rather the mindset it represents. And while individual denouncements are welcomed, they should be done as part of a larger wholesale rejection of this type of hatred and bigotry.

Coulter says the conservative movement will stick with her no matter what. Sure sounds like a dare to me.

Update: Joe Gandelman has his own thoughts and a nice roundup.

(Filed at State of the Day)

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The exorcism of Coultergeist continues with the GOP candidates who attended the CPAC now distancing themselves from her remarks. Mitt Romney must be particularly vexed by the whole affair because not only did he give her a glowing introduction but she later endorsed his candidacy.

I find it rather poignant that Dick Cheney (who is often snarkly referred to as Darth Cheney), was also in attendance because there is a famous quote from Star Wars which I thinks sums up why Coulter continues to make waves.

If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine. - Obi-Wan Kenobi

That is perhaps one of the most maddening things about Ann Coulter. She is, at her core, an attention whore. She will do anything to gain that which she craves, no matter how tasteless. And the fact that we give in and attempt to strike her down only makes her more likely to continue. Ignore her and she becomes powerless.

But we can't ignore her, for she is like a wraith haunting the political discourse in this country. Though she may fade into the background just long enough to make you think you are free of her, she returns to the fore as only a poltergeist can: throwing furniture, scaring the pets and causing general mayhem.

There's never a Ghostbuster around when you need one.

(Filed at State of the Day)

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(Freely adapted from original post)

A Conservative Haunting

Ann Coultergeist, apparently worried that she wasn't getting enough attention in the news, issued her latest invective commentary at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Adding to last year's guffaws of referring to Muslims as "ragheads" and wishing death on Supreme Court judges, Coulter said that she would like to talk about presidential candidate John Edwards but that "it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word ‘faggot’".

Rehab will of course never work for someone like Ms. Anne. You can't rehabilitate the type of hatred such people espouse. It is best that they be ostracized and shunned for their deplorable behavior. But as Andrew Sullivan pointed out, the way the crowd reacted shows that she really has become the face of conservative activism.

Something tells me it's time they considered an exorcism. Don't forget the stake, holy water and creme pies.

Nancy Scola notes that while Coulter may not be the biggest elephant in the room, she is nonetheless a part of the herd. Libby Spencer says it might be time for the neocons to do some culling.

The Anonymous Liberal on Ann's latest "Borat moment" and what it says about those who were taken in by the charlatan in the little black dress.

Justin Gardner says he hopes this is the end for Callus Coulter. Sadly, somehow I doubt it will be.

Shorter Glenn Greenwald: Sure Coulter is a mainstream conservative who repeatedly spews some of the most vile and odious comments imaginable but have you seen the things anonymous commenters on liberal websites say?

And much more to be had at Meme.

Update: Coultergeist is getting it from both sides of Blogtopia.

(Filed at State of the Day)

Labels: Coultergeist, OTF

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Q: What's the perfect animal to be named after Ann Coulter?

A: Why a horse, of course!

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Would you like Freedom Fries with that?

Sadly, this is something you will no longer hear in the basement cafeteria of the Capitol Building. Three years after the GOP lobbied to change the name of "French Fries" to "Freedom Fries", the potato dish will again bare the name of the one country unwilling to go along with Bush's misadventure in Iraq. While this probably wasn't the biggest story of the week to cover (Mel's anti-Semitic bender was all the rage in both left and right blogistan), it does give us a peek at how the GOP likes to stir up their nationalistic jingoistic patriotic base.

Carpetbagger highlighted a quote from a spokesperson for Nancy Pelosi who says that now that they've reversed course on freedom fries, perhaps it's time the GOP admit they've made other foreign policy mistakes as well. Don't bet on it.

Moxiegrrrl noticed the guys who once ballyhooed this patriotic menu alteration are probably wishing this subject would just go away. Kinda like the war in Iraq. Unfortunately, it's only getting worse.

On a Liberal 'Outing' with Ann Coulter.

For some reason, Annie's Gaydar has been working in overdrive lately. Last week she 'outed' two former administration officials. First she claimed that Bill Clinton was a 'latent homosexual'. Then she called Al Gore a 'total fag' (in jest of course, but she was serious about Clinton).

This week, Ms. Ann continued the "Could Be Gay Parade" and bet good money that Hillary Clinton will be '[c]oming out of the closet' in 2008.

So it It would seem that Discoult (as Moxiegrrrl likes to call her) has been forced to resort to the hardcore conservative practice of 'gay bashing' in order to help boost her book sales. Not very Christian, but then again, even Ann admits she is a 'mean-spirited, bigoted conservative' only second to being a Christian. Though I'd say it's probably the other way around.

Mike wonders whether Coulter herself might be gay. And he brings up a good analogy about a rash too. It will be hard, but I think we all need to learn to resist the urge to scratch.

But until then, David Letterman had Bill Clinton's rebuttal.

Elsewhere...

Bill Katovsky took note of the report that President Bush lost a quarter of an inch in height this past year and calculates when he will hit zero-feet tall. Let's just say his approval rating will probably be somewhere in the negative 300's by then.

Shakes, in a rather obscenity laced rant (hey, it was cross posted at The Rude Pundit, what do you expect?) juxtaposes India's solution to their primate problem with Washington's political primate problem. Lindsay Beyerstein, meanwhile, comes up with a tagline for Samuel L. Jackson's next flick.

Labels: Coultergeist, OTF

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Via Greg Sargent:

ANN COULTER CALLS FOR WIPING OUT OF ALL OF SOUTH LEBANON. In her latest syndicated column -- yes, it's a syndicated column, not some crazy blog -- Ann Coulter writes:

Some have argued that Israel's response is disproportionate, which is actually correct: It wasn't nearly strong enough. I know this because there are parts of South Lebanon still standing. (emphasis Greg's)

Anyone have any idea how many civilians would die if Ann Coulter got her way?

A better question would probably be: At one point does it become appropriate to compare Coulter's rhetoric to that of a certain World War II dictator?

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I wish I knew how to quit you.

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Copy & Paste Coulter

One of the big things surging through the b-sphere this week were charges of plagiarism being lobed at Ann Coulter like so many molotov's she viciously hurls at others. The irony of the situation is probably not lost on many. While it was first brought up by some intrepid blogs (including one who was on it like a rabid dog), it didn't hit mainstream until the New York Post took a peek and was soon followed up by a usual suspect. The intense scrutiny has forced the company that syndicates her columns to look into the matter (after much goading from another dogged blogger).

Not to be one to miss an opportunity to milk the publicity for all its worth, Ann fired back at the Post in her usual style of name calling. Notably absent was any mention of the charges, or a denial of them for that matter. Odd isn't?

Media Matters wondered if Ann would still be given a platform from which to rant and if she were, would she be confronted with the plagiarism charges? Newshounds: Yup and Nope.

The Rude One was rather upset he didn't get mad props for being one of the first dogs to gnaw on this bone (I know your probably sick of the dog references by now, trust me this is the last one). He has since been given credit, along with Rawstory for finally forcing the mainstream lapdogs to take bite (ok, that was the last one).

Crown Books, which published Godless, called the claims meritless and brought up some nonesense about the number of words requiring attribution. In light of that, Tim Grieve has some advice for would-be Crown authors.

Coulter turned down a chance to appear on camera? Maybe the allegations have legs, so sayeth TRex.

Wobblie asks a good question: is this all we've got? He also hits upon a possible reason for why Ann would need to pilfer prose.

And finally, Adam Corrolla shows us the best way to handle Ms. Ann.

Update: Ann a no show?

Labels: Coultergeist, Fun with Photoshop, OTF

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Ann Coulter finally reaches pariah status not because of her own venomous words but because some of her more benign statements may not have been her own.

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From E&P:

The National Society of Newspaper Columnists, meeting in Boston this past weekend, awarded Coulter its annual Sitting Duck Award for easiest column target. The NSNC noted that it gave the prize to the columnist/author 'for cheapening political discourse in America.' The statement added: 'We award the Lame Duck reluctantly, because we know Ms. Coulter is desperate for any kind of attention.'

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Countering Coulter



In what was undoubtedly intended to be a play on the title of her new book "Godless", uber-conservative Ann Coulter's latest hate filled tome came out on 6/6/06. The Today Show had her on to discuss some of the things she wrote, such as how the widows of the 9/11 victims are "millionaire broads" who are "lionized on TV and in articles about them", "revel" in their status as "celebrities" stalked by "grief-arazzis", who enjoy their husband's death "so much."

Keith Olbermann thought it would be hard to top Bill O'Reilly's Malmedy malfeasance but this could be a contender. He took Ann to the woodshed for, among other things, claiming that she is not allowed to respond to or criticize 9/11 victims when she has been making a pretty good living doing just that in her books and TV appearances. Both of which always seem to be forthcoming regardless of how radioactive she may seem to become every time she dares to form words into sentences.

Margaret Nagle thinks there is only one reason why Coulter is allowed to get away with these kinds of remarks. Let's just say that every time one goes missing, Fox News is all over it.

Russell Shaw would like to invite Ann to be a fly on the wall to witness just how much the widows of 9/11 are reveling in their husbands' deaths. Keep the fly swatter handy.

And since Ann probably thought it was cute to have her book bemoaning liberals as "godless" come out on the day of the devil, maybe she should change her phone number to all 6's. She should be prepared for a lot of "googoo gaagaa" calls, though, since it's apparently pretty easy for a baby to incessantly press the same button over and over. Not unlike Republicans repeating the same talking points. And now that I think about it, perhaps those toddlers are actually just future conservatives trying to contact Ms. Coulter to tell her she is full of it.

Update: Keith revisited the Coulter controversy, this time with a round of commentary from apologists for poor Lil' Annie. Blogenfreude also weighed in with his take on some of the right wing blogger's defense.


Another One Bites the Dust.

This week saw the death of the most wanted terrorist in Iraq, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi. And it's for real this time, unlike the last few times he has been reported "killed". Many are happy to see him gone, chief among them President Bush who probably hopes this will give him a much needed bounce in the polls (though at this point they would trot out Osama in chains and it still wouldn't help much).

Then there is still the reality that Zarqawi's death will probably have very little impact on the insurgency. As if to drive that point home, a series of bombings killed nearly 40 people after his death was reported.

At least Cenk Uygur can rest easy knowing that his prediction of the eventual fall of "the slaughtering sheik" wasn't far off the mark.

Billmon reports about the finale of this long-running reality show.

Eric Boehlert highlights a Washington Times article that claims that some Democrats were calling the Zarqawi killing a "stunt" (it has since been scrubbed clean of the allegation). Of course this didn't stop the GOP from latching on to this latest meme, as noted by Melanie at News Hounds. But as I have said before, no one ever said talking points had to be true.

Update: Here is Riverbend's take on the death of this American creation.


Elsewhere...

A couple of interesting guest blogs at Unclaimed Territory discussing Haditha. In the first one, Barbara O'Brien from Mahablog talks about how the incident fits into the grand objective for the Middle East set forth by the folks at the Project for a New America Century. Meanwhile, Anonymous Liberal notes the pro-war right is once again back to that old canard of blaming the messenger for the troubles in Iraq.

Labels: Coultergeist, OTF

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