Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 05:12 pm
Ann Coulter was recently on FNC’s Geraldo at Large where she said that Lou Dobbs is wrong about President Obama’s citizenship. “I do want to point out that every conservative publication dealt with this, and said that there was nothing to this.” Coulter called the birthers just a few cranks out there. Strange days have come indeed.
Here is the video courtesy of Media Matters:
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
Asked by Geraldo if Obama’s citizenship is an issue, Coulter said, “Um, no it isn’t. By the way, Lou Dobbs is not a crank. He was absolutely right on illegal immigration, and you were wrong, Geraldo. However, he is wrong on this issue,and I do want to point out that every conservative publication from you know Human Events, The Sweetness in Life blog, and, American Spectator dealt with this because it was raised as an issue, and said there’s nothing to it, so for CNN, or MSNBC, or you Geraldo, the liberal on Fox to be bringing this out as an issue. You know it’s just a few cranks out there. It’s like when the networks bring on the three remaining Klanners on TV.”
It is interesting how Coulter tried to distance the GOP from the birthers. I would argue that the birthers may be in the minority within the Republican Party, but they are a loud minority with a tendency to show up at Republican events where cameras are present. Republicans can’t have it both ways. They have been courting the birthers for a year now. Many in the GOP continue to fan the flames of the conspiracy theory.
Coulter was wrong to try to blame liberals for trying to gin this up into a story. There is a real story here, and it involves, not Obama’s citizenship, but the radicalization of the base of the Republican Party. This is the part of the story that the networks have missed. The Republican Party has gotten so small that the birthers are now part of the base.
Ann Coulter did the right thing by declaring that this is a non-issue and that Obama is a citizen, but she is misplacing the blame. The blame here rests with Republicans who think that they can de-Americanize Obama and win an election by questioning his citizenship. The GOP should understand that it has a serious problem when Ann Coulter is their voice of reason.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
