Talk Radio, Elizabeth Edwards Calls Ann Coulter During Hardball, Fairness Doctrine

SNEAKY SET-UP

Edwards Call: For Fundraising Or Fairness Doctrine?






*** Update: Rush Limbaugh addresses topic, transcript here ***

Why did MSNBC allow the wife of a presidential candidate to launch a sneak attack against a key conservative pundit on live television? And just what was the campaign's reason for this sleazy, televised tactic?

Without alerting guest Ann Coulter in advance, MSNBC's Hardball allowed Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Democrat presidential candidate John Edwards, to confront her during the show. Utilizing a variety of cheap debate tactics, she phoned Coulter "to ask her politely to stop the personal attacks."

The resulting exchange has the Internet on fire today.


Because the Edwards campaign has previously used Coulter as a lefty fundraising tool, conservatives are wondering whether Elizabeth's trick will be incorporated into a campaign ad. In addition, at NewsBusters, there's concern this might be related to attempts by Democrats to shut down talk radio:

After seeing the coverage of this matter Wednesday morning, a revelation made at MSNBC’s “Hardblogger” emits a bit of a rodent aroma leading one to believe that this entire incident was set up not just to embarrass Coulter, but possibly to advance the current Democrat push to squash conservative talk radio.

From MSNBC's First Read, here's a partial transcript of the exchange:

CHRIS MATTHEWS: You know who's on the line? Somebody to respond to what you said Edwards yesterday morning -- Elizabeth Edwards. She wanted to call in today we said she could. Elizabeth Edwards go on the line you're on the line with Ann Coulter

ELIZABETH EDWARDS: Hello, Chris.

CM: You wanna say something directly to the person who's with me?

EE: I'm calling you … in the south when we -- when someone does something that displeases us, we wanna ask them politely to stop doing it. Uh - I'd like to ask Ann Coulter -- if she wants to debate on issues, on positions -- we certainly disagree with nearly everything she said on your show today -- um but uh it's quite another matter for these personal attacks that the things she has said over the years not just about John but about other candidates -- it lowers our political dialogue precisely at the time that we need to raise it. So I want to use the opportunity … to ask her politely stop the personal attacks.

ANN COULTER: OK, so I made a joke -- let's see six months ago -- and as you point out they've been raising money off of it for six months since then.

CM: This is yesterday morning, what you said about him.

AC: I didn't say anything about him actually either time.

EE: Ann, you know that's not true. And once more its been going on for sometime.

AC: I don't mind you trying to raise money. I mean it's better this than giving $50,000 speeches to the poor.

EE: I'm asking you

AC: Just to use my name on the Web pages…

EE: I'm asking you politely…

AC: … but as for a debate with me, um yeah, sure. Yeah, we'll have a debate

EE: I'm asking you politely to stop personal attacks.

AC: How bout you stop raising money on the Web page then?

EE: It didn't start it did not

AC: No you don't have cause I don't mind

EE: It did not start with that you had a column a number of years ago

AC: OK, great the wife of a presidential candidate is calling in asking me to stop speaking

CM: Let her finish the point...

AC: You're asking me to stop speaking stop writing your columns, stop writing your books.

CM: OK, Ann. Please.

AC: OK

EE: You wrote a column a couple years ago which made fun of the moment of Charlie Dean's death, and suggested that my husband had a bumper sticker on the back of his car that said ask me about my dead son. This is not legitimate political dialogue.

AC: That's now three years ago

EE: It debases political dialogue. It drives people away from the process. We can't have a debate about issues if you're using this kind of language.

AC: Yeah why isn't John Edwards making this call?

From KXMC-TV's Say Anything blog:

Here’s the best reaction to the back-and-forth I’ve read yet from Bart Hinkle at the Richmond Times Dispatch:


In case you had any lingering doubts about Ann Coulter’s approach to politics, watch this video. Elizabeth Edwards asks Coulter to stop making vicious personal attacks and debate the issues instead. Coulter’s response: “The wife of a presidential candidate is asking me to stop speaking.” Uh, no. That’s precisely not what Edwards said. The wife of a presidential candidate asked Coulter to speak about issues

Coulter could have responded that she does just what Al Franken, Steven Colbert, and plenty of other entertainers do: Use humor to raise questions about the behavior of people in power.

Asking why John Edwards has charged $50,000 a pop for speeches is a legitimate question. But Coulter isn’t interested in actually debating opponents. She just wants to put words in their mouths and then ridicule them for what they didn’t say.

My sentiments exactly.

Actually, this is far from the case: during radio and TV interviews, your Radio Equalizer has repeatedly heard Coulter debate all comers (even earlier yesterday on the Howie Carr Show), taking opposing callers without hesitation. And there are plenty of bona fide issues discussed during these exchanges.

At the same time, MSNBC is guilty of unprofessional behavior in failing to alert Coulter that Elizabeth Edwards would be among the callers. That put the author / pundit at an unfair disadvantage.

In particular, Chris Matthews should have known better. Would he throw surprise guests into the mix when liberals appear on his program? Worse, Matthews is outright aiding the Edwards campaign by providing fodder for their next fundraising letter.

It's one more reason not to trust the Hardball host.


Frankenstew: David A Lunde, Coulter with sunglasses: MSNBC

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