Screed: With Treason, Ann Coulter once again defines a new low in America's political debate

Spinsanity ^ | july 2, 2003 | Brendan Nyhan

[AndyTheBear]

They don't like the TRUTH, do they?

Oh they like the TRUTH alright, they just want to be able to make up what the TRUTH is at their convience. For instance, it used to be true that Saddam Hussein had to be attacked because of his weapons of mass destruction (when Clinton attacked him). Now it is true that he has no weapons of mass destruction, and thus anyone who says so is lying.

[rwfromkansas]

As far as you can tell, does she do a good job keeping things in context and accurately footnoting? That seems to be one of the attacks on the book by the left.

[AndyTheBear]

Bottom line is: not all Democrats are traitors, but all traitors are Democrats

Good point. Although many might consider themselves communsists, socialists, or greens, they sure ain't pubbies or libertarians.

[rwfromkansas]

Alright....can we please stop with the UNNECESSARY EXCERPTING. If you post an article, post the entire thing unless when you post it does not allow you to post it because it is covered by the agreement.

(sent to all so hopefully more get the freaking message)

I thought I read the entire review when I posted and I didn't and just now realize the dang thing was excerpted for no reason.

[rwfromkansas]

You deserve to be slapped silly if you don't like Cheetos...:)

[Dolphy]

Ann Coulter blatantly missuses the footnote. It's a fact. Her general argument is valid, but she lets herself get carried by excess. If a person writes an op ed in the times, she says "The Times says...". It is intellectually dishonest of her, and she knows it, but she is more interested in proving her point than being scrupulous with sourcing and footnoting. She is the Michael Moore of the Right

Yikes a rather harsh but accurate view I'd say. I caught a bit of her with Chris Matthews and he bested her. I found that to be terribly disappointing and avoidable if she had a sense of proportion and fair use of the facts.

[AndyTheBear]

...Her general argument is valid, but she lets herself get carried by excess... ...She is the Michael Moore of the Right.

Should I infer you beleive Michael Moore's argument is valid, but he lets himself get carried by excess?

When I read Slander I found Ann mixed a humor with a very insightful and a high standard of documentation. It seems like typical well informed conservatives can tell the difference and appreciate it, and it seems that liberal critics can't tell the difference and go nuts.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

So, if Spinsity or someother lib outlet writes "even Freerupblic acknowledges that Coulter's book is full of inaccuracies" when the truth is DogByte, posting on Freerepublic made those claims, this is perfectly ok and correct?

No, because the postings on FR are lightly moderated, as everyone knows. The NYT, OTOH, consciously decides what it will print.

There is of course the question of whether the NYT necessarily agrees with everything it prints. The Wall Street Journal, for instance, publishes a weekly Op-Ed column by Al Hunt which IMHO rarely if ever reflects the opinion of Editorial Page Editor Paul Gigot.

But I seriously doubt that's the case in any NYT quote that Ann would be citing. Because the NYT is in fact the liberal rag Ann calls it.

[AGreatPer]

"Nothing but platitudes and whining. "Nothing" also describes the contents of their case against her."

Another Home Run for you Dr.

[AGreatPer]

"This guy accuses her of fraudulent info but doesn't provide any evidence!"

I would have written this exactly as you have, except I didn't know how tospell fraudulent.

[liberalnot]

"Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort."

isn't that what jane fonda did, by going to vietnam and aiding the enemy?

this just sustains ann's point that i heard her make on the radio that the left has been hiding their complicity with our enemies for 50 years.

interesting, the so-called "conservative talk show hosts" john and ken revealed their true colors when they introduced her as "right wing". bill handel refers to her as "crazy" and "right wing, way out there".

in reality handel and john and ken on radio kfi are former liberals. the latter are from new jersey and they migrated west and migrated rightward with media surveys of their audiences.

[RaceBannon]

You guys know the rules!

......

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[Sofa King]

This guy's article would be alot stonger if he did stuff like atucally providing the context certain quotes were originally in before making the claim that they were taken out of context more often. Also, for someone who is so hung up on context, he very rarely gives enough of a quote from Ann to make her context clear.

[RaceBannon]

Anotehr good source on FDR, go to

http://www.rooseveltmyth.com

great book, I found the site by accident after I read the book.

[rwfromkansas]

If her footnoting is atrocious and it sounds like there is some exaggeration in it, I wish she would get rid of the footnoting completely.

Her book is to make converts and to give us some satisfaction. It isn't intended to be a scholarly work and I wish she would stop trying to make it appear so.

I am afraid I agree with you that she needs to be a bit more careful with her footnoting or get rid of them completely.

About half of the accusations he ledges I consider serious enough, while the other half are minor in my view or not intentionally misleading by Coulter.

[rwfromkansas]

While I wish Coulter would not attribute an article (excepting an editorial) as the view of the entire newspaper, I can see why she does so.

Articles do not just get published willy nilly.

They go through multiple sources of review, for instance: copy editors, page editors, in some cases the editor-in-chief. The publisher has the ultimate call since it is his ass that will get sued for libel.

Thus, I can understand why she said "the NYT said."

There is not a net of review that goes into the posting of articles on FR. We individually have the decision to post a comment or not.

[ShandaLear]

Liberals have a preternatural gift for striking a position on the side of treason," she writes on the first page of the book. "Whenever the nation is under attack, from within or without, liberals side with the enemy. This is their essence." Dear God, thank you for Ann Coulter! Amen! LOL!

[rwfromkansas]

good point

[rwfromkansas]

good point

[PhilDragoo]

Is it even possible to take a cheap shot at Larry Flynt?

Flynt's daughter said he made her give him a Lewinsky.

That would make Flynt a benchmark cheap shot.