Ann Coulter: Demagogue

I watched the Ann Coulter presentation, with rapt attention focused on her preternaturally long neck and the bobbing adam's apple I've heard so much about. She did not disappoint, mentioning kindergarteners, fisting and anal sex in the same sentence. Liberals she says, are like roaches who run when you shine the light on them--yada, yada, yada, same old hate speech we hear every day. Her audience was a group of bright young college women who listened adoringly, none of whom hard-questioned the load of crap that had just been heaped upon them.

About a third of her new book "godless..." she tells us, is devoted to debunking the Darwiniacs. That must make for scintillating reading. I should have taken better notes about the rest of her remarks, but I was feeling like a lefty fly caught in the web of her clever radical right machination.

Ann joked about how she is often compared to Hitler. I pondered this awhile, and then I did discern the slightest bit of family resemblance. Hitler, according to the Wikipedia definition of demagogue, is the quintessential example of a demagogue, rising to power by appealing to the fears and prejudices of the German people. Like the demagogue, Ann has mastered a variety of methods of influence including half truths, false dilemma (the liberals are not in agreement with us, therefore they are with the terrorists), demonization and scapegoating, straw man arguments, loaded questions in a carefully practiced and witty manner. She effectively uses emotional appeal (they compare pathetically skinny and wasted moi to Hitler) and tops it off with non-stop personal attacks of liberals in particular and the left in general.

I can imagine Ann, laughing all the way to the bank (probably more at the sweet little girls who have bought her books, than at the liberals snared in her game plan) because they have made Ms. Demagogue very rich.

Picture Betty and Ann in the ring... Ann is down for the count...