Ann Coulter: queen of trailer trash news.

As a rule, I ignore Ann Coulter. She is nothing more than a right-wing hack who found a way around her gross lack of education and shallow political insight by screaming her nonsense long and loud enough until somebody had to step up and tell her just how stupid she is. Which, sadly, only encourages her.

She’s like the child who no one would listen to. So to get attention she started saying off-the-wall gibberish. In third grade, she no doubt made statements like “there are two Tuesdays every week.” Few can resist correcting such an obvious mistake, so they fall into her trap. By correcting her they are acknowledging her. And from there the perpetual arguing begins.

If you ever see her on TV or read her columns, you’ll immediately notice she says things that require correcting. Polite commentators will simply disagree, or try to form their correction in the form of a question (“what makes you think gravity is a liberal myth...?”). This only encourages her bullying style. Which is also a bit of carnival, a petite (probably fake) blonde with big doe eyes arguing aggressively. (I think Bill Maher puts up with her only because she turns him on.)

Recently, Coulter went to Canada and tried to bully an interviewer by insisting the blatantly false claim that Canada fought with the U.S. in Vietnam but refused to help invade Iraq. The interviewer would have none of it. Canada not only didn't join the Vietnam War, it so opposed the war that it granted U.S. draft dodgers asylum! I just wish he would’ve called her the liar she is. (Here’s a blog with links on this.) You'd think someone so often wrong would occassionally admit it. But that's the right-wing way: lie and deny, never let the truth get in the way.

But this is how right-wing punditry is done these days (see Bill O’Reilly and Rush Limbaugh). Speak aggressively and tell lots of lies and gross distortions and rely on the general ignorance of the public that they won’t know the truth.

It is becoming clear that “red-state” news is echoing other red state (i.e. trailer trash) entertainment. Just like pro wrestling and Jerry Springer, sensationalism triumphs over substance. As long as somebody’s yelling nonsense, it must be good!

I just weep for the intelligent people between the coasts. We’re not all as ignorant or as gullible as FoxNews and right-wing radio thinks/hopes we are.