The Uses of Ann Coulter

The big-picture side of me says it's bad for American political discourse that crazies like Ann Coulter are given so much of a platform in public debate.

The strategist side of me, though, loves it. The Edwardses know what they're doing here. Coulter is the right's Ward Churchill, only she actually speaks for a good portion of the right, who are too dumb to realize the damage she does to them.

Labels: Ann Coulter, Elizabeth Edwards, John Edwards

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 9:52 AM 0 comments

  Elizabeth & John

This is one of those posts where it doesn't really matter what I think, 'cause everyone else thinks the same thing. At any rate, I'm sad to hear that Elizabeth Edwards's cancer has spread. The fact that she is, by all accounts, a wonderful person and an asset to our political culture is actually immaterial - it's sad for any person to be challenged this way.

But she is those things, and so is her husband, and I'm glad he's staying in the race, because we need his voice out there, and hers too.

Labels: 2008, Elizabeth Edwards, John Edwards, Presidential election

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 1:16 PM 0 comments

  Edwards Digs In

Ezra Klein has a good post on the Edwards announcement. He's kicking it off as a literally grassroots (shovel in the ground) kind of civic populist effort.

Edwards stopped in at Daily Kos today, which was nice to see.

Geniuses in the American newsmedia have already begun with the "He Says He Cares About Poverty but He's a Multimillionaire" angle (as if it's better to vote for multimillionaires who ignore poverty). Certainly he could be vulnerable to this kind of thing if his campaign is widely seen as a rich guy doing charity for poor people.

I haven't analyzed his rhetoric in the same systematic way as I've done with Obama, so I can't say yet if he seems to be developing a message to transcend that pitfall. Though he did respond to a question about it with an interesting comment at DKos:

You have to talk about our moral responsibility to each other. Second, you can focus on the benefits for all Americans -- a stronger middle class, a stronger economy, etc.

But also -- we all need to be talking about that-- not just candidates -- and work together to create a culture of responsibility.

There's a there, there, I think. But we'll have to watch how he develops it. Klein notes Edwards's relative lack of emphasis on the "Two Americas" theme this time. Clearly - and fortunately - he's not abandoning his economic populism. But perhaps he's searching for a more expansive way of expressing it.

Labels: 2008, Daily Kos, Ezra Klein, John Edwards, Presidential election

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 2:28 PM 0 comments

  Welcome John Edwards

The announcement was somewhat bungled, and launched in the shadow of the death of a President, but John Edwards is in.

I haven't written about him at all yet, but Edwards has the potential to be a very exciting candidate. The context wasn't quite right for him 2004, but I think that 2008 will be an election that plays more to his strengths.

Stuff like this:

"This campaign is about changing America," the Web site read, listing five priorities that fit neatly with Edwards' message of economic equality: "Providing universal health care for all Americans," "Rebuilding America's middle class and eliminating poverty," and "Creating tax fairness by rewarding work, not just wealth."

Well, that's only three, but I can't get to the site to see the others yet. Anyway, despite the risk of being overshadowed by Hillary and Obama, Edwards will be a player. Of course, being young, good-looking, and Southern doesn't hurt (though let's not overplay the Southern thing). But Edwards seems to have strengthened his message and gained confidence over the last three years. He's basing his campaign clearly and boldly on progressive values. I'm glad he's in the contest.

Labels: 2008, John Edwards, Presidential election

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 5:47 PM 0 comments