Ann Coulter Bounced From Right-Wing Conference Over Appearance at "Homocon"<http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/weigel/archive/2010/08/18/ann-coulter-bounced-from-right-wing-conference-over-appearance-at-homocon.aspx> Posted Wednesday, August 18, 2010 9:36 AM | By *David Weigel*<http://www.slate.com/blogs/search/searchresults.aspx?u=2539>
WorldNetDaily, the conservative site that's become America's #1 source for information about Barack Obama's citizenship and hard money investment schemes, has revoked Ann Coulter's invitation<http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=192405> to speak at the web site's national conference. The reason: Her high-profile September 25 appearance coming up<http://gawker.com/5606571/gay-conservatives-to-party-with-ann-coulter-at-homocon-2010> at GOProud's "Homocon." In classic WND style, the decision is explained to us in a wordy news story that explains what WND's Joseph Farah told her. Asked by Farah why she was speaking to GOProud, Coulter said: "They hired me to give a speech, so I'm giving a speech. I do it all the time." Farah then asked: "Do you not understand you are legitimizing a group that is fighting for same-sex marriage and open homosexuality in the military – not to mention the idea that sodomy is just an alternate lifestyle?" Coulter responded: "That's silly, I speak to a lot of groups and do not endorse them. I speak at Harvard and I certainly don't endorse their views. I've spoken to Democratic groups and liberal Republican groups that loooove abortion. The main thing I do is speak on college campuses, which is about the equivalent of speaking at an al-Qaida conference . I'm sure I agree with GOProud more than I do with at least half of my college audiences. But in any event, giving a speech is not an endorsement of every position held by the people I'm speaking to. I was going to speak for you guys, I think you're nuts on the birther thing (though I like you otherwise!)." But Farah sees this speech to GOProud in a very different light than does Coulter. "Earlier this year, GOProud was permitted to sponsor the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, the biggest event of its kind," said Farah. "This bad decision resulted in consistently conservative groups dropping sponsorship and withdrawing from participation – much to their credit. GOProud is about infiltration of the conservative movement and dividing it from within with twisted and dangerous ideas way out of the mainstream of American public opinion. Ann Coulter is, I'm afraid, validating this effort for money. I support her speaking to people with whom she disagrees on college campuses. That's a good idea. I do it, too. But if you see the way GOProud is exploiting its coup in getting Ann Coulter to speak to its HOMOCON event, you begin to understand what a mistake this is for a conservative icon like Coulter." As was the case at CPAC, there's a gap between the positive media coverage of GOPround and the anger the group generates with grassroots conservatives who don't otherwise bring these issues up. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "World News Now Discussion List" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/wnndl?hl=en.
