Coulteral Problems

Ann Coulter isn't really the problem. Neither, for that matter, is Maureen Dowd, who as Bob Somerby has demonstrated is often nothing more than a cleaned up, intellectualized, and mainstreamed version of Ms. Coulter.

Sure they say terrible, hateful things, as do many other conservative pundits. They viciously denigrate Arabs and Muslims in general and attack the masculinity of any and all leading Democrats. This is all ground that has already been well covered by a variety of other bloggers, Glenn Greenwald has a good overview here.

The problem isn't even that major Republican groups invite Ms. Coulter to speak and endorse and encourage her vile rhetoric.

The problem is that the national media continues to condone and even encourage such actions. Despite denunciations by the major Republican candidates the mainstream media has reacted to Ms. Coulter's latest outburst with a shrug. Perhaps this is a responsible reaction, surely ignoring Ms. Coulter's remarks and refusing to legitimize them by deeming them newsworthy is a step in the right direction. While this argument on its surface seems sound the rank hypocrisy that underlies its application is devastating to its legitimacy. If Al Frankin or Arriana Huffington called President Bush a faggot the media would be all over the story.

There is a story here, what does it say about Republicans in general and conservatives in particular that they treat Ms. Coulter as a hero? What does it say that she is the key note speaker at the year's most important conservative convention, CPAC ? What does it say that current presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney says it is a 'good thing' to hear from Ms. Coulter?

Why is so much of the conservative platform based around hurling insults at their detractors? Again Glenn Greenwald has an answer.

This goes deeper than that though. Republicans, especially the neo-conservative wing of the party, do not have a leg to stand on when it comes to supporting their policies. Instead of explaining and defending their decisions Republicans call their detractors faggots, or label them unpatriotic, or say that they embolden the enemy.

Rebuplicans have a problem with the truth because it can only hurt them. The mainstream media has a problem with the truth because it is easier to go along with the Republican talking points than actually do any reporting or investigating.