Conservative political commentator and columnist Ann Coulter has a long history of making racist statements that reveal an overall lack of understanding about how the world functions, but recent racist statements are at the root of a feud in being played out in the local media between the Democratic and Republican Party leadership. Coulter, who is scheduled to speak on March 16 in Grand Rapids at the Kent County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Day lunch, has been the focus of nationwide scorn following comments describing Muslims as “ragheads.” While earlier comments in the media cited Carol Van Andel and John Van Fossen of the Kent County Republican Party describing her as “edgy” and saying that she will “inspire and excite people” as she “rips liberals at every opportunity,” now representatives from the Kent County Republican Party have been quoted defending racist statements made by Coulter.
At the center of the controversy are remarks made by Ann Coulter on February 10 at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). According to media reports, Ann Coulter discussed the possibility of Iran developing nuclear weapons and described how “Post-9/11 our philosophy should be: Raghead talks tough? Raghead faces consequences.” When challenged about the use of the term “raghead” by a young Middle Eastern man who asked her to “please, please, please, don’t say raghead,” Coulter responded “yeah, I made a few jokes at Muslims. They killed 3,000 Americans.” Michigan Democratic Party chairperson Mark Brewer yesterday (the same day that Coulter used “jihad monkey” and “camel jockey” as replacements for “rag head”) called on the Michigan GOP to denounce Coulter’s statements and prevent her from speaking in Grand Rapids. In response, Michigan Republican Party co-chairperson Karl Hascall defended Coulter’s racism:
Ann Coulter is an entertainer who does political commentary. She uses extreme statements to get her point across. I wouldn’t go around calling Arabs ragheads, but in certain contexts, such as comedy, that’s accepted.
Saul Anuzis, chair of the Michigan Republican Party, was quoted at the CPAC event as saying that “She [Ann Coulter] threw out a lot of red meat and gets the kids fired up,” but never critically engages the substance of Coulter’s racist comments.
In response to Coulter’s March 16 visit, a protest has been planned. The protest will start at the corner of Pearl and Monroe and begin at 5:30pm. The Republicans’ Lincoln Day Dinner costs $75 with a 6:00pm reception and dinner at
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