Daou: Jay Leno and George Carlin sat like trembling lambs

[ProSense]

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Ann Coulter Identifies John Murtha as a Target for Murder

I posted an extended guest entry on Crooks and Liars earlier today explaining why I think Ann Coulter should not be ignored by the online community. Since Coulter-fatigue is setting in, I'm posting the entire essay below to reiterate why I believe it's premature to drop the issue and why the media should be held accountable for giving her a platform.


Snip...

Anybody who watched Ann Coulter's June 14th appearance on the Tonight Show had to realize that it was a watershed moment in the war between the establishment media and the progressive netroots, a community fresh off the successful YearlyKos convention. It was also a signal to Democrats that liberal ideology can be denigrated with impunity. Had the words "Jew" or "Christian" or "Conservative" been substituted for "Liberal" we'd be waking up to a national scandal.

Never mind that Jay Leno and George Carlin sat like trembling lambs while Coulter spewed gutter-level invective at millions of Americans - we've already seen the same obsequiousness from Larry King, Matt Lauer (who ended his faux-debate with Coulter by saying "always fun to have you") and others. The larger issue here is that despite an uproar from the progressive netroots, NBC saw fit to give Coulter a platform to continue her liberal-scapegoating and to slander women who lost their husbands on 9/11. (For the record, many rightwing bloggers denounced Coulter and several Democrats attacked her, but their focus was the substance of Coulter's words, not a criticism of the media outlets who continue to provide her a national forum.)

Snip...

What's the proper course of action in response to this challenge? For the netroots, it's to keep growing and organizing, to hammer away at those in the media who enable the sliming of 9/11 widows, to respond to such media transgressions with ferocity of wit and will, and to badger elected Democrats and progressive leaders about the media problem.

more...

http://daoureportgrit.blogspot.com/2006/06/ann-coulter-identifies-john-murtha-as.html

[qanda]

1. Not to mention that no one even challenges her slander of the widows

With any facts. They come so completely unprepared for these interviews that it is almost laughable. Perhaps they could pull up a few quotes from the widows or have some of the victims from the right that also speak out. It's amazing that people allow her to just steamroll over them like she is the most brillant person ever. If someone presented her with facts whe would, no doubt, crawl back under the rock from which came-- I'm sure that's why she will never do The Daily Show or Keith O.

[Saturday]

4. You have a very valid point....

even Coulter notes that Liberals haven't brought up the fact or objected to being called "Godless". On the Kudlow show last night on CNBC(Lawrence?)O'Donnell refered to her book as comedy. He continually laughed at it. New approach I thought.

[jean]

5. Laughing is a great response because when they get cut off and still

laugh, at least the camera might show them laughing or the audience will still hear them laughing in the background.

[Coexist]

15. here you go - send this to potential interviewers:

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/FLDem5/64

[LynneSin]

16. As far as I'm concerned - Jay Leno supports what Ann Coulter says

and should be boycotted. Then again he's in Los Angeles - you wouldn't see Dave Letterman giving her a venue to speak.

[Epiphany4z]

2. I didn't watch

I knew somehow nothing was going to come of this. On the other hand She really has not gotten much advertisement off the Jay Leno thing I hear very little about it. They didn't really give her what she was there for to be... outrageous and create some more press for her book. I was watching Scarborough last night..rare but someone from Du was on so I watched and all they showed of the Leno show was a shot of her sitting next to Carlin. There was nothing else to say about it..george didn't pick on poor little blond victim...that is how she likes to be seen by the cult...like all the big bad Dem's are picking on her ..no matter what she says that is how she turns it..talk about a doctrine of infallibility.

[jonnyblitz]

8. everybody here predicted Carlin would rip into her. I didn't think

he would. I don't expect entertainers to do much one way or the other in situations like this.

[Chulanowa]

17. Did you watch closely?

When the cameras were on George, you could see that he was physically restraining his mouth and had an expression like he was considering taking a bite out of Ann's skull.

So why didn't he? Probably out of courtesey for Leno, because Carlin, once he got going, would have pitbulled her something awful.

Anyway, I finally figured what Ann looks like, when she was walking to the couch. She looks like ET with stilts and a wig.

[blm]

3. It is ALWAYS about the media - - will they give Kristen Breitweiser the

same amount of time and on the same programs to rebut?

Democrats need to expose the deceitful use of the corporate media by the GOP masters who control OUR airwaves.

[TreasonousBastard]

6. I saw Coulter on Leno and I have a different take...

For one thing, it's not the job of Leno or Carlin to jump all over Coulter. If they want to, they can, but fighting on entertainment shows is generally considered bad form. As with legitimate interviews, the interviewer shouldn't interject his or her own opinions into the matter, and at most might ask probing querstions, but never argue with the subject. Let the subject hang by his or her own words, just like they do with neo-Nazis and other filth.

Coulter's massive airplay is part of a PR campaign to sell her lousy book, but what's so new about that? Have we forgotten all the book tours from people with good books who make the same rounds? Or other bad ones that have sparked the public imagination?

The more Coulter gets publicity and airplay the more everyone hears about her bile and can make their own opinions. Note that the interviews always start with the comments about the Jersey Girls, which are a small part of the book, but the part that makes her look the worst.

With this last bit of black comedy from her we may be seeing her demise, and all the publicity is greasing the skids.

[Gold Metal Flake]

7. If Leno did not want Coulter on his show, she would not have been there.

If he had put his foot down and said NO!, it would not have happened.

If you see Coulter on a show, everyone on screen is playing a willing part in it. Unless there is a gun to their head they are to blame.

[The Stranger]

12. Leno is a pathetic, disgusting, horrific has-been.

[jean]

9. Barnes + Noble had four separate stacks of her audio book

in their display the other day. Everywhere you looked, there was she was. I told the person helping me how upsetting it was to see her products promoted so prominantly in the store.

He replied that the fact they had to stack her books all over the store in piles probably means her stuff is not selling.

I can't stand to listen to her invective. Seeing the cover of her new book all over my favorite bookstore reinforced that reaction. Pavlovian, practically. Her voice, words, and image evoke extreme negative feelings.

[beachmom]

10. To be fair, book stores also stock Mein Kampf

I'm not opposed to her book being there, just it being displayed prominently. I oppose censorship, but there should be consequences to what Coulter is doing. Who is her publisher, for example?

[glitch]

18. "people with good books who make the same rounds" like Palast and Crispin

Miller?

[dflprincess]

11. If only she'd go on Letterman

but I suppose he doesn't want her, and she wouldn't have the nerve to do his show. I bet Dave would savage her over her remarks about the 9/11 widows.

[bullwinkle428]

14. Don't forget that Letterman's N.Y. audience would tear her to

freaking pieces!!

[lpbk2713]

22. Dave has more respect for his audience.

It would take days to fumigate the studio in order to eliminate Coulter's odor.

[The Stranger]

13. If she is threatening a Congressman, she needs to be questioned

by the authorities.

[RevCheesehead]

19. Compare that to Michael Moore's promoting Farenheit 9/11

When he made the circuits, everyone was willing to challenge him, to question his patriotism, and argue every little point. Why does Ann get a pass, and Michael didn't?

[Strathos]

20. I fell into the trap and TiVo'd it.

I hate that woman and should have just turned the channel and never recorded it.

[Cleita]

21. Carlin was in front of a hostile audience of Coulter cultists.

It was neither the venue nor the time to slap Skinny Annie around. I don't doubt when and if he ever meets her in a different setting like a political talk show that she will get what she deserves from him. Of course then she'll just play the victim like she always does.

I'm actually waiting for her to appear on Bill Maher again. He will put her down with no apologies. Although he claims to be her friend, he doesn't take any shit from her and I believe what she said about the Jersey widows would be fighting words with him.

Actually Maher should invite her and Carlin on his show and then see what happens.

[Psst_Im_Not_Here]

23. I would have to get HBO again

to see that! It would be worth it!

[gully]

24. They are giving a bigot air time.

disgusting