Disclaimer: I am currently undecided...
I just finished watching a video clip of John Edwards on Hardball. I am almost left speechless, not only by the determination by which Edwards stands up against Ann Coulter specifically (and right wing framing in general), but by the effect his answers have on Tweety. More after the fold...
The clip begins with the usual "this is what happened what do you think" intro. Then the real answers starts. Let me draw attention to a few things.
I think that when people like Ann Coulter -- and it's not just her, unfortunately, it's her and people just like her, Karl Rove and all those people. I mean, when they engage us in this kind of hatemongering, you have to stand up to them. You have to stand up to them. They start this fight, but we have to be willing to be strong and to fight back. Because if we don't, Chris, what happens is all the important things: men and women dying in Iraq, those who don't have health insurance, et cetera, their issues don't get heard. Instead, it's this -- it's this low-level dialogue with this name-calling, which is what we see.
Notice how he doesn't get caught in the Ann Coulter trap? This is about challenging the right wing hate frame, and pointing out how it's just a distraction anyway.
With regards to AC's high level of education:
Well, it means a couple things. Number one, she's smart enough to know better. She knows exactly what she's doing. She's not alone. I mean, if you look at what she's doing and you look at what's happened in the past; for example, the Swift Boating of Senator Kerry, I mean, I think a lot of this is very coordinated, very calculated. They intend to create a result. And what they hope is that we won't say anything; we'll just let them continue this hateful dialogue, and we'll try and hope that the country will hear us talk about important things, issues that affect the lives of Americans every single day. But we have to fight back, Chris. We have to be strong. We have to speak up. That's what Elizabeth did yesterday. And I'm proud of her for it.
Pull back the curtain and show these people for what they are. I'm proud of both of them.
With regards to attacks on his primary opponents:
MATTHEWS: Yes, what did you make of her attack on Hillary? She made fun of her build, her weight. She made fun of a couple of things. She made fun of Osama -- Osama, I'm sorry -- of Barack Obama's middle name, Hussein. What do you make of that, that sort of general invective you get from her now?
J. EDWARDS: Well, I think, first, as to Senator Clinton, this is demeaning and offensive to women at large. It's offensive to Senator Clinton, who's a terrific senator and a great leader in this country and a great role model for a lot of women. And for her to demean her that way is completely unacceptable. And Senator Obama -- I mean, here's an African-American man who's running for president of the United States who is in many ways a role model for a lot of young African-Americans in this country. And for her to make fun of -- first of all, it's something he has no control over, his name...
And to make fun of and demean him in that way is just -- it's completely consistent with what we see from these crazies. And somebody has to speak out about it and stop it.
And my favorite question and answer of the night?
MATTHEWS: Do you think people should buy Ann Coulter's books?
J. EDWARDS: No.
I love watching Democratic candidates showing spine and attacking right wing hate frames. These crazies and their methods have had their time in America. It is time to take our political discourse back, much thanks to John Edwards for leading in this.