Nator writes:
The point is, though, that the crazy nutjobs like Ann Coulter and David Duke aren't ostracized by the more moderate segments of the overall conservative movement. They are generally tolerated by conservatives, given tacit approval from the Republican party by an absence of censure or criticism.
Ann Coulter is finally being ostracized and/or criticized by some prominent members of the Republican Party, although I agree it is a case of too little, too late.
From the NYT 3/4/07:
quote:
The article reports that three Republican candidates for the 2008 U.S. presidential election, including John McCain, Rudolph W. Giuliani and Mitt Romney, condemned author Ann Coulter for using an antigay epithet at the Conservative Political Action Conference held on March 2, 2007 in Washington. McCain said that the comments were wildly inappropriate. Giuliani said that there should be no place for name calling in political debate.
David Duke was most certainly ostracized when he tried running for President. He is rightfully an embarrassment to the right, although once again, I feel the condemnation of the former Grand Wizard was absurdly subdued prior to his presidential run.
From Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report; 2/15/92, Vol. 50 Issue 7, p369, 2/3p, 1bw:
quote:
His failure to qualify for any primary ballot before South Carolina's on March 7 reflects both his campaign's organizational problems and the organized hostility of Republican officials. The GOP has sought to distance itself from Duke by both denouncing his past ties to the Ku Klux Klan and, in some states, denying him access to the primary ballot.
There are at least tens of thousands of conservatives, at least in the South, who support him, but those are only the voters. I'd wager that there are hundreds of thousands who do if you include the people who don't vote.
As his disastrous 1992 run for the Republican nomination for President shows, he has little support outside of the Deep South.
Again, when have you ever heard the conservatives in Utah coming out against Pat Robertson?
They give their tacit approval through their failure to say he's a hateful, lying bigot.
Ever since he threw his support to Guliani, there has been a lot of talk on the blogs. Strange that Robertson can call the Mormons a non-Christian cult with barely a whimper, yet once he disses Romney, all are a flutter, as though politics trumps religion.
You can narrow this down to "social conservative" if you like, but my point remains.
All of those "fiscal conservatives" sure are quiet about the social conservative extremeists like Randal Terry and Ann Coulter as long as they bring in the votes.
If you would like quotes from Democrats or Libertarians who are fiscal conservatives condemning Ann Coulter or any of the others mentioned, I'm sure I can find plenty. After all, even Coulter has been condemned by Guliani, McCain, and Romney as I have already pointed out above.
As to your point that amongst conservatives there is not enough censure, it is too mild, or that it is late in coming, I agree. I just disagree that it has never occurred, as implied by statements such as "All of those fiscal conservatives."
I urge caution in implying that all members of a given group are exactly alike in their thinking or that they are all universally abhorrent in each of several categories. That would be to overgeneralize.
Read not to contradict and confute, not to believe and take for granted, not to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider - Francis Bacon
The more we understand particular things, the more we understand God - Spinoza
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