Elizabeth Edwards: Why I called Ann Coulter

From an email I just received (there is video of the call in to Tweety's show at the link below):

Dear wicket,

Last night I had an important talk with Ann Coulter and I want to tell you what happened.

On Monday, Ann announced that instead of using more homophobic slurs to attack John, she will just wish that John had been "killed in a terrorist assassination plot."

Where I am from, when someone does something that displeases you, you politely ask them to stop. So when I heard Ann was going to be on "Hardball" last night, I decided to call in and ask her to engage on the issues and stop the personal attacks. I told her these kinds of personal attacks lower our political dialogue at precisely the time when we need to raise it, and set a bad example for our children.

How did she respond? Sadly, perhaps predictably, with more personal attacks.

John's campaign is about the issues—but pundits like Ann Coulter are trying to shout him down. If they will not stop, it is up to us cut through the noise. Help us fight back—please give what you can today.

http://www.johnedwards.com/rightwing

There are just over 3 days left to hit our $9 million goal for the end of the quarter. If we make it, we can directly reach voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, and all over the country with our detailed plans on the issues that matter. Please give what you can right now to help raise the dialogue and show that Ann Coulter-style politics will never carry the day.

http://www.johnedwards.com/rightwing

Why do Ann Coulter and other right-wing pundits keep attacking John? Because John's bold, specific plans hit them where it hurts: solving global warming, ending the war, building a fair economy—John's agenda threatens everything these talking heads and their corporate cronies stand for.

And they know John can win—just last week a new poll showed that John is the only Democratic candidate who beats all the possible Republican challengers—by an average of 13 points. So they are trying to take John down early. Their strategy is to sling mud and manufacture scandals—about houses, haircuts and anything else they can think of—to discredit John and take down our movement for change.

The best way to beat them is also the right way—take our message of substance straight to the voters. And that is exactly what this campaign is all about.

But we need your help to hit our goal. Please give what you can today.

http://www.johnedwards.com/rightwing

And thank you for all that you do to support this cause.

Sincerely,

- Elizabeth Edwards
Wednesday June 27, 2007

:patriot:

How pitiful that Coulter and the republicons cannot possibly understand maturity, intelligence, or class.

but they have the corporatewhore bully pulpit with shows like tweety's, scarborbough's, and any other one except KO's and the Comedy Central show's of Jon's and Colbert's.

It's the People vs corporatewhore America..they don't give a shtye if they foul their airwaves with ann coulter but Howard Stern..that's another story.

catapulting the propaganda at America, refusing to do any true reporting.

Corporate media is the Pravada of today -- shame on them for pretending to be journalists, shame on them for turning their backs on the US of A.

more than tabloid fodder and I hope someday we have a "Yeltsin" to metaphorically "close it down".

Maybe our route will be.. people like KO, Jon, and Colbert will be so massively popular and the cableshite will be massively abandoned that the bean counters will have no freakin' choice.

She will make an excellent First Lady

Great email - thanks for posting!

K&R!!

:D

send a message to these right wing will-attack-for-money types and support a good Democratic family.

Elizabeth is total class and I applaud her for keeping her cool while Coultergeist did her usual talk-over and shout-down routine rather than be mature and responsible.

This is a wonderful letter except for the appeal. I understand the Edwards campaign needs to keep up with the big money machines in other campaigns, but this appeal in the post here could play into Coultergeist's stupid retort...just enough for wingnuts to run with it and once again distort and distract from what Mrs. Edwards was trying to get across and what the Edwards are and stand for altogether. Yes, they do want to shout them down.

I can see this post showing up in Freeperville or wherever with the focus on how this letter is asking for money and that this is what Coultergeist was complaining about while shouting over Mrs. Edwards. Personally, I hope the Edwards campaign gets flooded with new donations...but I'm more concerned about how the corporate media loves the gotcha stories and how the sizzle always trumps the substance.

Hopefully there's enough sensible people who saw Tweety's hour of mental masturbation and Coultergeist reminds them of everything wrong with the Repugnican party.

Now will be offer a smiliar hour to Michael Moore? Someone whose movies have been seen by far more people than ever saw a Coultergeist bile drop.

Coulter's hate-talk is meant to stir up the base on the Right and that translates to $ and noise. About time some DEM turned the tables on the hateful women!

Bravo to Ms Edwards for taking it too Coulter and then taking the plea for funding so she and her husband can continue to get ISSUES into the national discussion and drown the likes of Coulter out with substance.

DEMs ARE doing something. And they ARE showing that there is a difference. But, to get the message out there takes funding.

Neocons use Coulter to rally their hoards and shake the money tree. It is wise for some clever DEM to use her for the same purpose for our side.

Using Coulter against the neocons might be one way to shut the pinhead up.

edited for typo

And I'm seriously thinking of breaking my embargo on any donations to any Presidential campaign to throw some money to the Edwards purely so they can go on the attack against the right wing hate machine and discredit all these goons once and for all.

My critique was more on the style here...that by making the appeal in the email directly, that it can be construed that Mrs. Edwards couldn't wait to attack Coultergeist and then get back home and write a post and ask for money. It just plays too much into the right wing narrative that the corporate media loves to use to bash the Edwards.

I would have more prefered for her to make a subtle invitation to go to the campaign website...open up for comments and if the visitor sees the "Donate Here" button...well, then so be it.

I want the issues the Edwards stand for to get out...but the way they do so is by getting rid of the right wing hit squads who have kept them on the defensive. I just am troubled by them playing into a meme by making such a direct appeal.

It just doesn't make sense.

The right wing hit squads will find something else if not this.

She kept her cool...which immediately wins you major debate points. Coultergeist's usual attempts to talk over and berate were at their worst and I applaud Mrs. Edwards for maintaining her cool and staying on message. I don't know if I would have been able to. What was shameful was Tweety then saying to Coultergeist that she would have "plenty of time" to respond...thus allowing her to spew her one and only defense/talking point...and again, this is the gist of my concern.

Yes, the wignuts will find something. They've had Oppo Research teams going through the Edwards lives since he first announced for the Senate. If they can't find a little thread they can turn into a major shitstorm, they'll make it up. I know it.

Again, I was just concerned that appealing so directly for money...which was Coultergeist's sole talking point...so quickly can be played by the corporate media as "proof" of Coultergeist's claim...and instead of helping the Edwards, it will force them to keep on the defensive about their wealth and funding (the memes the GOOP want to destroy them with) and away from their messages on health care, education and workers rights.

This wasn't about Mrs. Edward's appearance on Hardball...this is strictly about this email. I suspect it will show up on right wing sites...and I sure hope I'm wrong.

These people don't need this crap.

...I also don't think they should be dictated by how the right-wing may react or say or do. SCREW 'EM.

Don't think I would be nearly as gracious as Ms Edwards. She used Coulter against herself. BRAVO. Heres to hoping she does it every time the insane harpie opens her yap! :toast:

As to style, when asking for money to fight the fascists who have taken over America, the time for subtly is LONG gone. Time for plain language and blunt notice that sane Americans need to get involved. roll up their sleeves, and write checks to counter the huge financial infusions the fat cats make to their puppets on the right.

Plain speaking is what we need more often!

Gads, people whine about DEMs without spine then others whine when they show some backbone and understanding that practical matters MATTER. Ask any good salesman if they make sales by not asking for the sale. Practical matters Matter. Takes money to stay in the fight to save America. Smart people will know when to ask. This WAS a damn good time to ask. Coulter pissed off a lot of practical and sane people. Use it against her! THAT is how to fight and fight fair.

Glad to hear you are considering throwing some practical support to a worthy candidate. Wonder how many others will do the same after hearing Elizabeth Edwards asking for their help to fight the hate noise machine and restore meaningful political discourse in America.

Maybe she's on to something ;)

a) There is absolutely nothing wrong with appealing for donations under these circumstances. They are simply asking for help to win an office and to fight exactly this kind of behavior. For Ann to "make hay" with this, one would first have to agree that raising money is a bad thing and somehow equivalent to nasty, cruel personal attacks. These behaviors are not moral equivalents, and any reasonable person understands this. (I realize there are a lot of unreasonable people out there but they are going to love Ann no matter what the Edwardses do.) Ann is hoping people are dumb enough to fall into this logical trap, but they aren't.
b) RWers and the corporate media will twist reality no matter what Democrats do. Changing one's behavior ONLY because someone might twist it, when the behavior is otherwise positive, is not a good idea. Then "the terrorists win." The thing to do is to ask politely for someone to do the right thing (as both John, in the past, and Elizabeth have done), and when Ann doesn't politely agree and follow through, try to make lemons out of lemonade, or make those comments more costly to Ann and "her side", to the extent that you have any power to do so. It is just basic reinforcement theory being applied. Rather than play into Ann's points, they are trying to make the consequences discourage the behavior. Democrats learned from Kerry's and the Clintons' experience that you cannot simply ignore these attacks or take the high ground of saying you wish they would stop, etc. That does not work and may make things worse by allowing people to believe that people share Ann's hateful views.
c) If the Edwards campaign were being crass or whatever the twisting would portray them to be, then why would Elizabeth Edwards have politely appealed (as John Edwards has in the past) to Ann to stop the personal attacks? If the Edwards campaign reasoned the way people like Ann Coulter do, they would WANT her to keep on attacking, so that they could cash in. Instead, they are taking the REAL high road and asking Ann to stop.

And this is just fodder for discussion here. I am proud of what Mrs. Edwards did yesterday and hope that as many people as possible are able to see the video (just of her segment only) and get outraged. I hope this is the coup de grace on the 15 minutes Colutergeist used up 10 years ago. Anyone who sees this cold-blooded display of incivility when confronted not by a politician, but a grieving mother and thinks anything but the worst of both Colutergeist and her ilk are beyond redepmtion.

I don't seek a change of behavior...again, I'm more concerned with the style. This is supposedly a chain email...and I know this is a very popular way to solicit these days. I get dozens of emails like this all the time. I n another post, I had suggested she just take a more subtle tact in light of how the solicitation appears to be Coultergeist's major talking point and only lame defense. I didn't even want to play into that game.

Now let's see how the beltway chattering class play with this. They love a good cat fight...especially Tweety.

Cheers...

sexist term "cat fight", which I understand you use only because that's how the RW would describe it.

When women have a conflict it should be treated with the same degree of seriousness as when men do, or when mixed groups do.

There are substantive points here as described in my earlier post; it is not simply a matter of "style."

and that's hilarious. lol

is a perfect comeback!

:toast:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2896142

:rofl:

is if you don't ask, you don't get people to give. People give out of a sense of outrage and, as far as I'm concerned, as long as the "ask" is based on truth then it is fair enough for the campiagn to use it. I would question their political astuteness if they didn't

After watching the OFFENSIVE Ann Coulter on Hardball yesterday, I will NEVER EVER turn on Hardball again.
I've NEVER liked the show and I've never liked Chris Matthews.
I usually just turn on the show for "background noise" while doing things around the house.
Next time I'll turn on FAUX news. That's right! Even Faux news isn't this bad. THIS particular show was WORSE than Faux news.
This was a Don Imus moment.
Coulter and Matthews were BOTH as offensive as Don Imus and Hardball should be taken OFF THE AIR.
I wish someone would start a petition like they did with the Imus show.
It was the most DISGUSTING display of arrogance and stupidity I've ever seen.
Never again!
Never!
Matthews should be ashamed of himself.
His ratings must be awful, that he would stoop this low.

Coulter had on her standard "costume" ... a black cocktail dress. And she had the nerve to wear a cross around her neck!
How can that low class #$#$* !) call herself a "christian"?

Coulter is a miserable, angry pathetic excuse for a (human?) who clearly has issues that go beyond partisan politics, but with that said I am THRILLED that she continues to be allowed to show her ugly soul publicly in front of millions of viewers.

She doesn't need to be silenced, if anything the public needs to see and hear more of this type of *individual* so they can see just what types of people espouse the positions that she does.

I commend E Edwards for calling coultergeist out on her vile statements against the Edwards family...Coulter had no excuses as usual and only made more of an ass out of herself.

n/t

http://www.actblue.com/page/du-presidential

THANKS!

...he is really standing up for the base this time around. He may just be the underdog to win in the end.

elizabeth edwards will make a great first lady!

And John would make a great husband of a Vice President.

but I respect him more than I did four years ago, and I really respect his wife.

:patriot:

but maybe just a little naive. You can't elevate something that's lower than the slime accumulating on the bottom of the deepest reaches of Davy Jones' Locker for the past few million years.

One can only hope that the old Lucifer already has a room reserved for her in the deepest, hottest pit of hell.

:kick:

:kick:

...to MSNBC:

When I saw the promo that Ann Coulter was to be on Hardball...which I often watch...I was disgusted. I did not watch it live. When I heard about Elizabeth Edwards calling in, and the controversy, I did watch the interview online.

This morning, that interview has been 'the topic' on most MSNBC shows. In a kindergarten-like discussion, your people are pointing the finger and saying "She did it , first"..."No, she started it" to decide whether the blame for what happened on the show is Coulter or Edwards' fault. PATHETIC!


You are all missing the point. Ann Coulter has ONE motive: Get attention by stirring up controversy through the use of hateful speech so that she can sell books and make MONEY. She has used many people, including the Edwards and the 9/11 widows as her victims if it suits her purpose. MSNBC just demonstrated to me that you are willing to sink to her level for ratings...and to also make money.

I'm proud of ANYONE who stands up against this kind of hateful, childish dialogue in our society. ..and I thank Elizabeth Edwards for doing so. That is what a strong First Lady should do for our country...point out the need for discussion on the issues when we are electing a President. Our country DESPERATELY needs to focus on issues at this critical time. What Ann Coulter does is distract from that, for her own selfish purposes. The media is responsible as well for giving her the stage.

If you all haven't read Al Gore's book, "Assault on Reason", I suggest you do. Many of us citizens are reading it and agree with the former Vice President about the role of television on democracy. I am seriously considering disconnecting my cable TV service...due to this kind of programming. The only thing that is keeping me as a customer is C-Span , PBS and Countdown, with Keith Olbermann on your network. If I see Ann Coulter on one of those shows, I'll be done.

:yourock:

But what I am thinking is that the hate monger does not need to sell books. Scaife buys them up en masse, and then offers them for like $1 on hate mongering web sites. Once Scaife has placed Coulter on the best selling list, MSM all fall in line and invite this best-seller on their programs and write about her filth in their columns.

Coulter is all about getting out the hate message. Don't you know that millions more will unwittingly hear the hate pomp via MSM than would ever buy or read the books.

The faux-christian faux-conservative crowd are masters at deception, their most successful work.

Democrats should cash in on this swamp gas all they can, and point their own alligators back at their own necks.

...and I think that's what Democrats are doing.

Who wants to join me?

http://www.actblue.com/page/du-presidential

:kick: