She's Back
She's been criticized for consistent cheap shots that draw media attention.
She's been denounced by the people she speaks for.
So what was Ann Coulter doing on C-SPAN last night?
If the cable networks are where we turn for some bombast and bloviation, C-SPAN is the calm and rational (if not occasionally soporific) voice of reason in the political conversation.
The content of C-SPAN might not always be thrilling, but it's nearly always important. They're the grown-ups in public affairs broadcasting. So why were they giving the queen of the political food fight a forum?
I decided to reach out to the folks at C-SPAN to get an idea of the decision-making process behind giving such prime-time real estate to a controversial figure. A speaker whom conservative bloggers have dismissed, saying "Coulter's invective is a sign of weak thinking and unprincipled politicking." (With friends like those …)
After a brief conversation with C-SPAN's Media Relations Manager John Cardarelli, I asked him if there were any concerns inside C-SPAN about the decision. He passed along this statement via e-mail:
No concerns with regard to airing the event--people make controversial statements on our air all the time, be they politically left-leaning or right-leaning. It's up to the viewers to decide whether they agree or disagree with what a particular person says.I can understand the hands-off, let-the-chips-fall-where-they-may, stance on the part of C-SPAN. But this writer finds it incongruous that sandwiched in between C-SPAN's coverage of the Middle East Peace Process was a presentation by the woman who said she thought Jews needed "to be perfected."
I have to think there was something else going on in Washington, DC or Iowa or New Hampshire that could've generated a bit more light than Coulter's predictable heat.