Ann Coulter has made a career of controversial arguments, inviting much criticism. Many claim that Coulter's polemical comments are extremely "nasty" and that they are intended to incite hysterical hatred toward liberals, people who object to the encroachment of religion into politics, and certain minorities (particularly Muslims). Her style is not universally admired among those who share her political philosophy. Arnold Beichman reviewed Treason in the conservative Washington Times, and wrote that he'd "tried to read Miss Coulter's book and failed. Life is too short to read pages and pages of rant." [1600] Many find her presentations, both published and spoken, to be both highly offensive and inflammatory. Critics have labeled her comments and opinions as blatantly racist. [1601][1602][1603] 2-007 - Racist Rhetoric of Ann Coulter.pdf[1604]

Coulter has been the subject of frequent protests, especially when speaking on college campuses. On one occasion, during an appearance at University of Arizona, a pie was thrown at her which missed. [1605]
While speaking at the University of Connecticut, she was shouted off stage to the chant of "you suck" by protestors. In retaliation, she told the crowd of 2,600, "I love to engage in repartee with people who are stupider than I am" [1606].
The controversy at the University of Connecticut also concerned $16,000 in speaking fees paid out of student funds to Coulter by a bitterly divided Undergraduate Student Government.[1607]

At a February 23, 2006 appearance at Indiana University, Bloomington, in a speech entitled "Liberals Are Wrong About Everything", she told the extremely divided audience, "Liberals hate both God and America," and referred to a man with an effeminate voice who was asking questions as a "gay boy." Audience members supporting and opposing Coulter repeatedly broke out into altercations during the speech and had to be removed by ushers, whom she also mocked. [1608]

A minor controversy started when the Washington Post reported Coulter had a Washington D.C. driver's license with her birthdate listed as December 8, 1963, two years after her actual birthdate on her Connecticut license.[1609]

Controversial statements regarding religious cults, white separatists, and domestic terrorists

Coulter has frequently criticized the government's handling of radical separatists. She described members of the Branch Davidians at the Waco compound as "harmless American citizens" [1610] after the bulk of the group was immolated in the fire started during the FBI raid (the cause of the fire is in dispute). Likewise, she berates what she calls the "unprovoked government assault" and "murder" at Ruby Ridge [1611].

In an interview with George Gurley, Coulter stated that: "My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times building." (Coulter, August 26, 2002) Melik Kayan of The Wall Street Journal described the statement and others she has made as "tongue-in-cheek agitprop". [1612] When later asked by John Hawkins if she regretted that statement, Coulter replied: "Of course I regret it. I should have added, 'after everyone had left the building except the editors and reporters'." [1613] However, Eric Alterman of The Nation and MSNBC.com, and many other critics were not amused. While acknowledging that "Coulter jokes about McVeigh blowing up the Times", Alterman still found the comment offensive, calling Coulter a "terrorist apologist" and "ideological comrade" of McVeigh due to their similar statements about the Waco and Ruby Ridge incidents. [1614]

Controversial statements at Philander Smith College

Speaking at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas on January 26, 2006, Coulter made several controversial remarks. In arguing that the current United States Supreme Court should become more conservative, she stated, "We need somebody to put rat poisoning in Justice Stevens' crème brulée." She followed the statement by saying, "That's just a joke, for you in the media." In the same address, she commented that the crack cocaine problem in the United States has "pretty much gone away." These and other comments earned her boos from some members of the crowd. [1615]

Criticism of Treason and Slander

An article in the Columbia Journalism Review criticized Slander, claiming it contained numerous misstatements. [1616] In Slander, Coulter expounds the view that liberals are out of touch with America, and "have absolutely no contact with the society they decry from their Park Avenue redoubts". This echoed the sentiments of an August 2002 Newsday article, in which she argued that the media are biased to the left because Republicans don't have the wealth to start media outlets, while Democrats do. That Republicans are rich, she said, "is one of the stunning lies that Democrats have been able to palm off... Liberals really are the idle rich." 20, 2002&author=Aileen Jacobson. STAFF WRITER&desc=BAIT & TWITCH / Ann Coulter says she's baiting liberals to read her book
Joe Conason, the author of Big Lies, accuses Coulter of double standards, arguing that she is a highly-educated, affluent woman with a high-profile media presence who does not similarly accuse herself, or other privileged Republicans, of being out of touch. Conason goes on to say that Coulter's criticism is blunted by what he calls her pre-assumed opinions, making many of the conclusions she draws irrelevant to the actual nature of her arguments.

In his book, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, liberal commentator and conservative watchdog Al Franken pointed out some factual errors and what he believed were misleading statements in Coulter's books. Two of these outright errors had already been corrected in the paperback version of Slander, which was published in June 2003, preceding the publication of Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them by two months (according to its copyright page, Franken's book was first printed in September 2003). The relative timing of the release dates for these two books indicates that others had identified these factual errors prior to the release of Franken's book and had already taken steps to correct some of them.

Lydia Cornell

Critics charge that Coulter's books are nothing more than opinion, not fact, even, "political pornography," giving her readers what they already believe to be true. Writer, Lydia Cornell wrote a piece entitled, "Death Is Sexier Than Sex (To Ann Coulter)," critcizing Coulter's profiting off what Cornell calls "political porn" and "hate speak."<ref> BradBlog.com. "Death Is Sexier Than Sex (To Ann Coulter)". Retrieved August 16, 2006.</ref> Coulter retaliated back at Cornell's article, by publishing her home phone number and personal e-mail address. Cornell was harrassed by many of Coulter's readers.<ref> BradBlog.com. "
ANN COULTER POSTS BRAD BLOGGER'S PERSONAL INFORMATION ON FRONT PAGE OF HER WEBSITE!". Retrieved August 16, 2006.</ref><ref> BradBlog.com. "Ann Coulter and Her Supporters May Not Care About Jesus' Golden Rule…". Retrieved August 16, 2006.</ref>

References

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