The mess Coulter seems to have stepped into may have actually started last month when Presidential Candidate John McCain stated that he would prefer to see a fellow Christian in the White House.
(SALEM, Ore.) - Ann Coulter is back in the spotlight, this time for telling a Jewish talk show host that Jews need to be "perfected," and that America as a country would be better off if everyone here was Christian. It happened during an interview with Donny Deutsch on CNBC's "The Big Idea".
Deutsch asked his guest what a perfect America would look like, in the eyes of Ann Coulter. She seemed to have a difficult time comprehending the question initially, and the answers she eventually gave are now her latest public image struggle as she ultimately correlated Christianity as being a better religion, for all.
Coulter discussed her visits to "mega churches" where she is invited to speak regularly, explaining to the talk show host that Christians have a "fast track" to God. She implied that those church visits gave her credibility, in spite of her image as a right wing pundit who clearly uses sexuality as part of her presentation.
The mess Coulter seems to have stepped into may have actually started last month when Presidential Candidate John McCain stated that he would prefer to see a fellow Christian in the White House, since the nation was founded on the principles of Christianity.
I have written about Ann Coulter before and let's just say the words were less than flattering. But this incident that has led to her being called an anti-Semite might be out of context. Groups like the Anti-Defamation League were quick to react to Coulter's comments on the CNBC show hosted by Donny Deutsch.
"Ann Coulter may be a political pundit but she clearly knows very little about religious theology and interfaith issues. Coulter's remarks are outrageous, offensive and a throwback to the centuries-old teaching of contempt for Jews and Judaism. The notion that Jews are religiously inferior or imperfect because they do not accept Christian beliefs was the basis for 2,000 years of church-based anti-Semitism."
Deutsch, a Jew himself, didn't pull any punches and seemed genuinely convinced by Coulter's comments that she is both brainless, and a person who hates Jews.
"If Ann Coulter had any brains, she would not say Jews need to be perfected. I'm offended by that personally," Deutsch said, "don’t you see how hateful, how anti-Semitic?"
The Anti-Defamation League says Coulter would be well served with a remedial education in the history of religion.
"Clearly, Ann Coulter needs a wake-up call about the power of words to injure others and fuel hatred. She needs an education, too, about the roots of anti-Semitism and the shared values of Judaism and Christianity."
Ann Coulter may be an embarrassment, and even an idiot, but the odds are good that she is not an anti-Semite. In the same program, she said a perfect America in her eyes would have a Democratic party that looked like Joe Lieberman, who is a Jew.
It is no more fair to misrepresent her statements here than anywhere else. The situation shows once again though, that Coulter is in it for the shock value and not terribly concerned with the impact her often ridiculous assertions have. Deutsch's reaction was perhaps too strong, but it sure sent Coulter backpedaling to save face.
The best thing to do is watch the video and draw your own conclusion. Coulter's words generally send one political side running for cover, but this time she may be the one who is taken out of context.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW WITH DONNY DEUTSCH AND ANN COULTER, COURTESY OF CNBC AND YOUTUBE.
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Ann Coulter's Jewish Comment Brings Wrath (VIDEO)Salem-News.com