WASHINGTON, June 27, 2007

Coulter Attacks Give Edwards A Boost

Conservative Pundit's Swipes Help Democrat's Campaign Fundraising Efforts

  • Video Edwards-Coulter Showdown

    CBS News RAW: Elizabeth Edwards told Ann Coulter on a recent edition of MSNBC's "Hardball" that the conservative commentator was lowering the level of political discussion in the U.S.

    •  (CBS/AP)

    • Ann Coulter demanded that the Edwards campaign stop using her name to raise money if they want her to stop personal attacks.

      Ann Coulter demanded that the Edwards campaign stop using her name to raise money if they want her to stop personal attacks.  (AP Photo/Dr. Scott M. Lieberman)

    • It's not the first time Ann Coulter has given the John Edwards campaign a financial boost.

      It's not the first time Ann Coulter has given the John Edwards campaign a financial boost.  (AP/The Capital Times, Mike DeVries)

    Previous slide Next slide
(CBS/AP)  Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards said Wednesday that conservative author Ann Coulter's attacks are personally hurtful and it's important that he respond to them.

While Edwards made his first comments to The Associated Press in response to Coulter's suggestion that she wished he would be "killed in a terrorist assassination plot," his campaign was also using her remarks to bring in donations in the final week before his next fundraising deadline.

It's not the first time Coulter has given the Edwards campaign a financial boost. In March, she called Edwards a "faggot" and the campaign used video of the comment to help raise $300,000 before the end of the first quarter.

The campaign has sent two e-mails to supporters this week, asking them to send donations to defy her attacks and help Edwards – a former North Carolina senator — meet his goal of raising $9 million in the second quarter ending Saturday. The first e-mail from campaign adviser Joe Trippi showed a clip of Coulter on ABC's "Good Morning America," where she said Monday that she wished Edwards would be killed by terrorists.

"We had an obligation to speak out against this change in our political dialogue," Elizabeth Edwards said on CBS News' The Early Show on Thursday. "It didn't used to be all right for people to call names—to say these hateful kind of things. We've allowed it to happen."

When Coulter appeared Tuesday on MSNBC's "Hardball," Elizabeth Edwards called in to ask Coulter to stop making personal attacks on her husband. The exchanged deteriorated, with Coulter shouting over Mrs. Edwards and demanding that the campaign stop using her name to raise money if they want her to stop personal attacks.

Mrs. Edwards followed up with an e-mail to supporters Wednesday morning that included a clip of their exchange and a donation request. The campaign said they raised more money this week than from any previous e-mail campaign, but declined to give a total.

"I think when they engage in these attacks and use the language of hate, it's very important to stand up," Edwards said. "What happens if you are silent when this kind of hateful language is used — not just by her, but by anyone — hate gets a foothold."

Edwards pointed out that Coulter's attacks haven't been limited to him, but also included his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination. Coulter has made fun of Hillary Rodham Clinton's legs and compared Barack Obama to terrorists because his middle name is Hussein.

"What she said about Senator Clinton and Senator Obama is outrageous," Edwards said. "And somebody has to stand up when she makes these kind of attacks."


© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Share:
  • Share
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Mixx
Add a Comment See all 337 Comments
by down-ndirty June 29, 2007 5:07 AM EDT
The correct link for Hendra's humorous prayer is

www.huffingtonpost.com/tony-hendra/a
-thanksgiving-prayer-for_b_34780.html
Reply to this comment
by down-ndirty June 29, 2007 5:03 AM EDT

Liberal Bill Maher said:
"I wish V.P. Cheney had been killed by terrorists ... I FIND IT IRONICALLY AMUSING ..." Posted by processor2 at 09:30 AM : Jun 28, 2007
----------

I find it amusing that only processor2 (aka didntinhale, aka lars, aka bushrocks, etc.) and Coulter groupies believe that. Even Coulter doesn't believe it; she just believes it will get her lots of attention and help sell her books.

Bill Maher did refer to Cheney's death but he did not say what Coulter quoted him as saying, and he was not the first. Maher made his comment in March 2007 after the infamous "near-hit" on Cheney in Baghdad.

In November 2006 Tony Hendra of the Huffington Post wrote "A Prayer for D.ick Cheney's Heart..." in which he said "... For greater love hath no heart than that it lay down its life to rid the planet of its Number One Human Tumor."

Hendra's humorous prayer can be found at
www.huffingtonpost.com/tony-hendra/a-thanksgiving-prayer-for_b_34780.html

Reply to this comment
by randalds June 29, 2007 3:59 AM EDT
Looks like she's all made up for casting call for Mortica Addams does Malibu.

And why has she never been married?

Posted by jsilver2th at 03:33 PM : Jun 28, 2007

True, but be careful and don't take any shots at the original Mortica (Carolyn Jones) because she was the hottest woman in TV in the 60's, bar none (except maybe Mary Ann, but she was a different type).

As for why she never married, would you marry her?
Reply to this comment
by ancient6 June 29, 2007 2:37 AM EDT
After my last post I was thinking about the democratic process and how we are now engaged in a bloody conflict to bring the rights and priviledges of that process to the people of Iraq. It occurs to me that Ms. Coulter has provided them with a shining example of what that will be like. Hmmmmmm.
Reply to this comment
by ancient6 June 29, 2007 1:29 AM EDT
Ann Coulter....? The woman who ran from a pie!?
How un-American!!! Let her rant "filled with sound and fury..signifying nothing"
Reply to this comment
by jegibbons June 29, 2007 12:19 AM EDT
=="And even though I don't love John Edwards, I know deep down that he is far more of a patriot than Anne Coulter, Bush, Cheney, and rove will ever be..."==
Posted by ttinsly at 06:45 PM : Jun 28, 2007

Gosh! Excuse Me but, someone who spells Christian with a 'K' isn't someone whose 'DEEP DOWN' I've got a lot of CONFIDENCE in!
Reply to this comment
by June 28, 2007 9:11 PM EDT
j-whitman wrote:

"Iraqi's want us to leave,,
Coulter wants us to stay,,
Al Queda wants us to stay,,
American voters want us to leave,,

ANN COULTER EMBOLDENS THE ENEMY"

lol - I never thought of it that way, but you are correct.

Let's put that treasonous *** on trial (and then shoot her regardless of the verdict).

I've got no time at all for hermaphrodites.
Reply to this comment
by gheemaster38 June 28, 2007 7:48 PM EDT
Actually if a Nuke goes off in a major city It would show once again the weakness and failure of the Bush Administration.. Remember New Orleans.. WMA.. Was it ever figure out if FEMA or Homeland Security was incharge of that one. In the mean time a US city was devastated.. So if a Terrorist did get a Nuke to go off in a major city I fear for anyone counting on this administration for help.. Better get the water bottles and supplies together NOW!
Reply to this comment
by jsilver2th June 28, 2007 6:33 PM EDT
Hey Ann your roots are showing!

Looks like she's all made up for casting call for Mortica Addams does Malibu.

Why won't she say what church she belongs to? Maybe she's a Scientologist like Gretta Van Susteren.

And why has she never been married?
Reply to this comment
by jegibbons June 28, 2007 6:25 PM EDT
== "...people who constantly change ID's or use multiple ones to try to support their insanity." "...sometimes they even argue with themselves!" LOL
== Posted by RandalDS at 01:54 PM : Jun 28, 2007

Once again I thank you, RandalDS, for this NEW insight! This explains a few things that I've been scratching my head about.

Been gone awhile, I needed a change of view. I stepped out for a movie, doesn't appear I missed much!
Reply to this comment
by jsilver2th June 28, 2007 6:11 PM EDT
All of this talk about Bill Maher-

Ha Ha- I wonder if the posters know ANN COULTER DATED BILL MAHER! According to Wikipedia bio: "She has dated... television host Bill Maher..." So there you go- All I want to know was who was on top.
Reply to this comment
by gheemaster38 June 28, 2007 4:58 PM EDT
Ann who? what did she do again? Oh, the one that only a few people know..
Reply to this comment
by randalds June 28, 2007 4:54 PM EDT
Posted by actornaught at 01:31 PM : Jun 28, 2007

Actually I to think it's really only one or two people who constantly change ID's or use multiple ones to try to support their insanity. I can't prove it, but I'm sure that sometimes they even argue with themselves! then you have the real phony ones who start out a post by saying something like "Well I'm a life-long democrat, but I think they're crazy if they think(insert issue here). You know they're bullsh*it republicans posting to try to make it seem as if the democrats are in-fighting. Hell as a democrat I know we do in-fight, but they're sooooooooo obvious about their phony posts that it's laughable!
Reply to this comment
by actornaught June 28, 2007 4:31 PM EDT
Randal, I forgot to put proc'2 on my list of possible names used by (the banned?) didntinhale. Certainly the postings of these 2 are very much alike. I was wondering if you had any observations about his probable musical-chair ID's.
Reply to this comment
by fhunter June 28, 2007 4:24 PM EDT
Coulter, Hannity, Limbaugh are the Goebbelsian commentators. Total disregard of facts, truth, logic; twist everything to fit their twisted minds. If matthews wants to have conservative commentator, bring on George Will.
Mrs. Edwards is accused to pick a fight with Coulter to get campaign donation. Nobody asked Matthews, if he picked Coulter to boost his rating.
Reply to this comment
by randalds June 28, 2007 4:17 PM EDT
Liberal Bill Maher said:
"I wish V.P. Cheney had been killed by terrorists"

Posted by processor2 at 12:52 PM : Jun 28, 2007

Once again the above statement is known as a lie. Processor2 knows it's a lie, but in a classic example of modern republicanism he just does not care if he's lying as long as he can get a few people to believe him. Modern republicans have no morals, no understanding of right and wrong and old mainline republicans are (and should be) ashamed of the creatures that have infested their party.
Reply to this comment
by xenalily June 28, 2007 4:17 PM EDT
And I also sincerely wish Cheney was killed in a terrorist attack, but I am not going around announcing it to millions and saying other outragous things like Ann Coulter, and writing a book about it to get millions of dollars. What she says has no fact or value. This is a person who truly believes that we found WMD's in Iraq! She's nutty beyond belief and she is profitting from being a school yard taunter. It's enough. If she were going around saying she wished black people would have died in the terrorist attacks then no one would touch her, but because this makes for ratings and attention networks continue to give her air time. It's just a ratings ploy and I really think that it's disgusting. Coulter has been hawking this outrageous schtick for a long time and she made some money. Now she is being used by everyone else and she isn't even smart enough to shut her mouth and not let others profit off of her unfounded idiotic beliefs.
Reply to this comment
by drpjjonas June 28, 2007 3:39 PM EDT
Perhaps Coulter is a secret "liberal," but I cannot see why she demands so much coverage for her **********. It leads me to believe our news media think all of their listeners and viewers are so dumb we believe her views have value. Being a skinny blond airhead makes her second cousin to Hilton, the other skinny blond that we can't seem to get off the front pages. Lord help us if these are our feminine ideals.
Reply to this comment
by randalds June 28, 2007 3:20 PM EDT
== "I miss the old man. Good guy and a hellofa democrat!" == Me too. Same, Same!~ Nixon was the only Republican my Dad ever voted for. I remember how angry he got at me when I told him "The President Knew!"
Posted by JEGibbons at 11:47 AM : Jun 28, 2007

LOL! My old man voted for Humphrey in 68, but for Nixon in 74 (of course I worked at McGovern's local HQ (too young to vote)). He said Nixon was "inevitable" and that maybe we needed one like him every once in awhile to make us appreciate good presidents. Of course he then teased me because I voted for Ford in 76. Only time I ever voted republican in my life.
Reply to this comment
by jsilver2th June 28, 2007 3:18 PM EDT
Ann Coulter- what a freak- does she get off on wearing those low cut dresses or is she begging for Mardis Gras beads- she's bound to be the fake and bake spokesperson of the decade- Why hasn't she ever been married huh? What a face- Ann your roots are showing - looks like you're trying out for Mortica Adams does Santa Monica! Planning on attacking the 9/11 widows again? How's the criminal investigation of your lying on Florida voter registration going?
Reply to this comment
See all 337 Comments

Exclusive Webshow

Mike Huckabee on GOP "rock stars," 2012, health care reform and more. Watch Now

  • MOST POPULAR
Discussed
  1. Obama, GOP Clash over cure for Economy

    (287 recent comments)

Latest News
News in Pictures
Scroll Left Scroll Right
Connect with CBS News

Stay connected with the CBS News using your favorite social networks and online news applications: