Bigotry And Campaigning

The recent controversy regarding Ann Coulter's 'faggot' remarks concerning John Edwards provides a useful counterpoint to the other controversy last month regarding the two bloggers hired by John Edwards, and their remarks that could be interpreted as anti-Catholic bigotry. Ann Coulter has been defended by some who claim that liberals also use the word 'faggot', even in a derogatory way, and that it is hypocrisy to complain about it.

I think that there are two angles here. The first is, were the remarks taken out-of-context in some manner? Some have argued that the comments of the two bloggers were isolated from their context and were not as extreme as they seemed. Ann Coulter has argued that she was taking aim at the (sometimes objectionable) practice of political correctness and not at John Edwards in particular. In neither case do I think the defenses are warranted. Bigot is as bigot does.

The second angle is the fora in which the bigotry was unleashed. With the two bloggers, the comments were made on personal web logs, or on small group web logs. As such, the fora were fairly small, and it wasn't until the bloggers were hired by Edwards, and the possibility emerged that the anti-Catholic bigotry might be imputed to the candidate, that the controversy arose. It was appropriate that Edwards keep the bloggers on, since the comments had not been made under his auspices. Nevertheless, once it became clear the bloggers would continue their anti-Catholic rhetoric even given their new status, it was necessary for the bloggers to resign, as they did.

Coulter made her remarks as an invited featured speaker to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) after a long career of making incendiary remarks of this sort. Her remarks thus could be imputed to all the identified Republican presidential candidates, since all the identified Republican presidential candidates were in attendance (even as they tried to distance themselves after-the-fact), as well as many politically-active conservatives. Thus, her remarks caused greater harm.

Bigotry is not illegal, even as it is objectionable. Bigotry has been used as a political tool to slime one's opponents since time began, and it is terrible when it succeeds. Gutter sniping in particular has a long, illustrious history in American presidential politics. Nevertheless, it's important to keep track of who is doing the sniping, who is hurt, and who benefits, and keep a running tally in as detached a manner as possible, because it reveals the true character of our leaders, the ones for whom it is all done.