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Ann Hart Coulter (born December 8 , 1961 ) is a Conservative American syndicated columnist, bestselling author, constitutional lawyer, and television Pundit . Her speaking and writing style is aggressive and controversial. {Link without Title} Coulter is a vehement critic of social and political Liberalism {Link without Title} . Coulter has written four political commentary books, all of which have been on the ''New York Times'' Bestseller List . BIOGRAPHY Ann Coulter was born in New York City into a Catholic family she describes as " Upper Middle Class ". She was born on December 8, 1961 according to the New Canaan voting registration office. Coulter's two older brothers are John and James. Her father, John V. Coulter, a lawyer, represented clients in opposition to Labor Unions before obtaining a government job as a Constable . Her mother, Nell M. Coulter, is a member of the New Canaan Republican Town Committee. As an undergraduate in Cornell University 's College of Arts and Sciences, Coulter helped launch a conservative newspaper, The '' Cornell Review '', with funding from Richard Mellon Scaife 's Collegiate Network . She graduated Cum Laude from Cornell in 1984 , and received her J.D. from the University Of Michigan Law School, where she achieved membership in the Order Of The Coif and was an editor of ''The Michigan Law Review''. Coulter often wore a fur coat to class, even in temperate weather. Fellow students interpreted her wearing of fur as a political statement directed at " PETA loving" classmates. Coulter was a member of Delta Gamma , a national Women's Fraternity , while at Cornell. At law school, Coulter shared an apartment with for four years before becoming a Congressional aide, in 1994 , to Republican Senator Spencer Abraham , who served on the Senate Judiciary Committee . Coulter denies she is a Fundamentalist Christian "but only because I'm from Connecticut where the term is not frequently used". She has made statements about the religion of Islam that some consider discriminatory and commonly supports the positions of other Christian conservatives. In June 2005, Coulter purchased a $1.8 million home on Palm Beach Island in Florida. Coulter is under investigation by election officials in Florida for filing an inaccurate Voter Registration form in June 2005. Government documents indicate she provided her Real Estate Agent 's address instead of her own home address. On March 29 , 2006 the ''Palm Beach Post'' reported that elections officials have given Coulter 30 days to explain the inaccuracy. "In his official incident report released last week, poll worker Jim Whited wrote that Coulter tried to vote in the Feb. 7 town council election at Bethesda-by-the-Sea, the right place for a Seabreeze resident. Coulter left in a hurry when, Whited said, he asked her to correct the record. Later she cast her ballot at the St. Edward's precinct, where real Indian Road residents go." {Link without Title} The newspaper also reported that Coulter "relentlessly made fun of Palm Beach County voters after the botched 2000 presidential election." MEDIA CAREER Coulter relishes her reputation as a controversial speaker, telling '' The Sunday Times '' of London in 2002 , "I am a Polemicist . I am perfectly frank about that. I like to stir up the pot. I don't pretend to be impartial or balanced, as broadcasters do." She is known for her expressed hatred of the Democratic Party and of Liberalism . Coulter attacks individuals, including war veterans, in personal ways, and she's lost at least one job for doing so. MSNBC fired Coulter in 1997 after an exchange with Bobby Muller , president of the Vietnam Veterans Of America Foundation , in which she said, "No wonder you guys lost" ( MSNBC 's ''NewsChat'', October 11, 1997). Critics such as Michael Moore have taken issue with her "shoot-from-the-hip" style of commentary, arguing she is reckless with facts. Coulter is a legal correspondent for the magazine '' Human Events ''. Her Syndicated Column for Universal Press Syndicate is carried by, or linked to by, many Conservative websites, including Frontpagemag.com and Townhall.com . Coulter was the subject of a ''TIME'' Magazine cover story in April 2005 , and has made frequent guest appearances on national television, most frequently Fox News Channel and syndicated radio programs. In addition to appearing on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 's The Fifth Estate, she has appeared on many other talk shows and news programs, including '' Hannity And Colmes (Fox News Channel)'', '' The O'Reilly Factor (hosted by Bill O'Reilly , Fox News Channel)'', '' American Morning '', '' Crossfire (hosted by Tucker Carlson , CNN)'', '' The Today Show '', '' Real Time '' and '' Politically Incorrect '' with Bill Maher , and '' The Daily Show '' with Jon Stewart . Coulter has appeared in '' FahrenHYPE 9/11 '', a rebuttal of Michael Moore 's '' Fahrenheit 9/11 ''. As a contributing editor and syndicated columnist at the '', editor-at-large of NRO, said, "We did not 'fire' Ann for what she wrote. ... We ended the relationship because she behaved with a total lack of professionalism, friendship, and loyalty." {Link without Title} Coulter contracted with '' USA Today '' to cover the 2004 Democratic National Convention , but was replaced by Jonah Goldberg after an editing disagreement (Memmot, 2004). She wrote one article that began, "Here at the Spawn of Satan convention in Boston ", and referred to some (unspecified) female attendees as " Corn-fed , no make-up, natural fiber, no-bra needing, sandal-wearing, hirsute, somewhat fragrant Hippie chick pie wagons." The newspaper declined to print the article, and Coulter published it instead on her website. On August 28 , 2005 , Coulter's syndicated column was dropped by the Tucson newspaper ''Arizona Daily Star''. David Stoeffler, the editor and publisher said, "We've decided that syndicated columnist Ann Coulter has worn out her welcome. Many readers find her Shrill , bombastic and mean-spirited. And those are the words used by readers who identified themselves as conservatives." {Link without Title} Coulter is represented by Premiere Speakers Bureau. {Link without Title} Coulter's publisher plans to release her next book, ''Godless. The Church of Liberalism'', on June 6, 2006. (Ironically, 6/6/6.) CONTROVERSIES Ann Coulter has made a career of controversial arguments, inviting much criticism. Many claim that Coulter's polemical comments are extremely "nasty" and that they are intended to incite hysterical hatred toward liberals, people who object to the encroachment of religion into politics, and certain minorities (particularly Muslim s). Her style is not universally admired among those who share her political philosophy. Arnold Beichman reviewed ''Treason'' in the conservative '' Washington Times '', and wrote that he'd "tried to read Miss Coulter's book and failed. Life is too short to read pages and pages of rant." {Link without Title} Many find her presentations, both published and spoken, to be both highly offensive and inflammatory. Critics also accuse her of Hypocrisy and Double Standard s, and argue that, since she has such strong conservative bias in her comments and writing, she is willing to misrepresent sources and facts to support her case. This criticism mirrors the argument that she herself uses in her criticism of liberal politicians, Interest Group s, and the news media, particularly '' The New York Times ''. Coulter has been the subject of frequent protests, especially when speaking on College Campus es. On one occasion, during an appearance at University Of Arizona , a Pie Was Thrown At Her which missed. {Link without Title} While speaking at the University Of Connecticut , she was shouted off stage to the chant of "you suck" by protestors. In retaliation, she told the crowd of 2,600, "I love to engage in repartee with people who are stupider than I am". {Link without Title} The controversy at the University of Connecticut also concerned $16,000 in speaking fees paid out of student funds to Coulter by a bitterly divided Undergraduate Student Government. {Link without Title} At a February 23, 2006 appearance at Indiana University, Bloomington , in a speech entitled "Liberals Are Wrong About Everything", she told the extremely divided audience, "Liberals hate both God and America," and referred to a man with an effeminate voice who was asking questions as a "gay boy." Audience members supporting and opposing Coulter repeatedly broke out into altercations during the speech and had to be removed by ushers, whom she also mocked. {Link without Title} The '' Washington Post '' reported that Coulter had obtained a Washington D.C. driver's license with her birthdate listed as December 8, 1963 , two years after the birthdate listed on her Connecticut license. {Link without Title} Coulter on Black People
"In response to a question on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Miss Coulter said she supported the government of Israel for the same reason she supported apartheid in South Africa, because they were surrounded by 'savages.'" (Source: ''Daily Bruin'', University of California at Los Angeles) {Link without Title} .
"And why does native African kinte cloth get a free pass liberals ? It is a historical fact that American slaves were purchased from their slave masters in Africa, where slavery exists in some parts to this day. Indeed, slavery is the only African institution America has ever adopted. But while some Americans express pride in their slave-trading ancestors by calling themselves "African-Americans" and donning African garb, pride in Confederate ancestors is deemed a hate crime. Perhaps, in a bid for the Catholic vote, Democrats could demand that those Masonic symbols be removed from the Great Seal of the United States. And how about the American eagle? The eagle is a bird of prey and hence offensive to rodents, a key Democrat constituency. " Coulter on a Religious Cult, White Separatists, and Domestic Terrorists Coulter has frequently criticized the government's handling of radical raid (the cause of the fire is in dispute). Likewise, she berates what she calls the "unprovoked government assault" and "murder" at Ruby Ridge . {Link without Title} In an interview with George Gurley, Coulter said, "My only regret with of '' The Nation '' and MSNBC.com , and many other critics were not amused. While acknowledging that "Coulter jokes about McVeigh blowing up the ''Times''", Alterman still found the comment offensive, calling Coulter a " Terrorist Apologist " and "ideological comrade" of McVeigh due to their similar statements about the Waco and Ruby Ridge incidents. {Link without Title} Coulter on Arabs and Muslims Coulter has also drawn criticism for several remarks regarding Arab s, Muslims, people of Middle East ern descent, and other U.S. Minorities .
Coulter on Women Coulter has stated that women are "not as bright" as men ('' Hannity And Colmes '', 09/23/04), "have no capacity to understand how money is earned" ('' Politically Incorrect '', 02/26/01), and "shouldn't be in the military" (''Hannity and Colmes'', 05/05/04). On a few occasions Coulter has suggested that the Constitutional Amendment Giving Women The Right To Vote should be repealed. In a 14 February , 2000 '' National Review Online '' article she wrote, "If this ticket doesn't close the gender gap, it's time to repeal the 19th Amendment." On 26 February , 2001 , she said, " should all have to give up their vote" (''Politically Incorrect''). She also argues that banning women from voting would ensure Republican presidents would be elected — as historical voting patterns had shown men had voted in majorities for Republican candidates. Coulter Joke about Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens Speaking at Crème Brûlée . That's just a joke, for you in the media." This and other comments earned her boos from members of the audience. Coulter Role in Paula Jones Controversy Coulter debuted as a public figure shortly before becoming an unpaid legal advisor for the attorneys representing Paula Jones in her Sexual Harassment suit against President Bill Clinton . Coulter wrote a column about the Paula Jones case for the magazine '' Human Events '' and then was asked to help write legal briefs for Jones. Coulter disagreed with the lead lawyer, Joseph Cammaratta, who advised Jones that her case was weak and to settle it. (Daley, 1999) From the onset, Jones had sought an apology from Clinton at least as eagerly as she sought a settlement. (Barak, 1998) However, Coulter said she believed the case was strong, that Jones was telling the truth, that Clinton should be held publicly accountable for his misconduct, and that a settlement would give the impression that Jones was merely interested in Extorting money from the President. (Daley, 1999) David Daley, who wrote the interview piece for the '' Hartford Courant '' recounted what followed: :Coulter played one particularly key role in keeping the Jones case alive. In '' that Jones said she could recognize and describe — to the News Media . Her hope was to foster mistrust between the Clinton and Jones camps and forestall a settlement... :"I thought if I leaked the distinguishing characteristic it would show Bad Faith in negotiations. lawyer Bob Bennett would think Jones had leaked it. Cammaratta would know he himself hadn't leaked it and would get mad at Bennett. It might stall negotiations enough for me to get through to adviser Susan Carpenter-McMillan to tell her that I thought settling would hurt Paula, that this would ruin her reputation, and that there were other lawyers working for her. Then 36 hours later, she returned my phone call." :"I just wanted to help Paula. I really think Paula Jones is a hero. I don't think I could have taken the Abuse she came under. She's this poor little country girl and she has the most powerful man she's ever met hitting on her sexually, then denying it and smearing her as president. And she never did anything tacky. It's not like she was going on TV or trying to make a buck out of it." (1999) According to Coulter Watch Coulter also told Isikoff, "We were terrified that Jones would settle. It was contrary to our purpose of bringing down the president." [http://www.coulterwatch.com/files/01N-Oh_Paula.pdf "Oh, Paula", 2002, par. 5, 2 The case went to court after Jones broke with Coulter and her original legal team, and was summarily dismissed. The judge ruled that even if her allegations proved true, Jones did not show that she had suffered any damages, stating "plaintiff has not demonstrated any tangible job detriment or adverse employment action for her refusal to submit to the governor's alleged advances. The president is therefore entitled to summary judgment on plaintiff's claim of quid pro quo sexual harassment," and summarily dismissed the case. Clinton settled with Jones for $850,000 in exchange for not Appealing the decision. All but $151,000 went to pay her legal expenses. The Jones lawsuit led to the Monica Lewinsky Sex Scandal and to the failed attempt to remove Clinton from office. Coulter wrote a book critical of Clinton called ''High Crimes and Misdemeanors.'' "Oh, Paula", 2002, par. 8 CRITICISM OF COULTER'S BOOKS ''TREASON'' AND ''SLANDER'' '''', which contains many strident accusations against liberals, brought her under fire, even from many conservatives. Many felt her claim that Democrats such as Presidents Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy had worked against America's war on Communism was unfounded. ''Treason'''s defense of Joe McCarthy also came under criticism from both liberals and conservatives, who argued that Coulter had simply failed to accurately research the facts in her attempt to rehabilitate the controversial senator. In an interview with David Bowman, Coulter said that Joe McCarthy is the deceased person she admires the most. Coulter claims in ''Treason'' that McCarthy was simply misunderstood and unappreciated, and that the Venona Cables have vindicated him, proving there indeed were Soviet spies in the State Department . In continuing efforts to rehabilitate McCarthy, she wrote some columns attacking George Clooney's movie '' Good Night, And Good Luck '', about television journalist Edward R. Murrow and McCarthy. She claims McCarthyism was not the destructive force it was made out to be, and says that the only suicide caused by the Red Scare was Murrow's friend, Lawrence Duggan , now proven to be a Soviet spy. For instance, President Dwight Eisenhower's chief of staff Sherman Adams wrote a memoir in 1961, ''First Hand Report'', that makes clear the hostility the Republican administration held against Sen. McCarthy. Further, two Republican Senators wrote memoirs excoriating McCarthy. Sen. Arthur Watkins of Utah chaired his censure committee and wrote ''Enough Rope'' in 1969, sparing no detail in his fury over McCarthy's conduct. Sen. Charles Potter of Michigan sat on the Army-McCarthy hearings and the censure committee. His 1965 memoir, ''Days of Shame'', is equally harsh toward the Wisconsin Senator. An article in the '' redoubts". This echoed the sentiments of an August 2002 '' Newsday '' article, in which she argued that the media are biased to the left because Republicans don't have the wealth to start media outlets, while Democrats do. That Republicans are rich, she said, "is one of the stunning lies that Democrats have been able to palm off... Liberals really are the idle rich." {Link without Title} Joe Conason , the author of ''Big Lies'', accuses Coulter of double standards, arguing that she is a highly-educated, affluent woman with a high-profile media presence who does not similarly accuse herself, or other privileged Republicans, of being out of touch. Conason said Coulter's criticism is blunted by pre-assumed opinions, making many of the conclusions she draws irrelevant to the actual nature of her arguments. In his book, '' Lies And The Lying Liars Who Tell Them '', liberal pundit Al Franken pointed out some factual errors and misleading statements in Coulter's books, which were corrected in later editions. QUOTATIONS The following quotes are examples of Coulter's flamboyant and often inflammatory Polemical style. Some view these quotes as humorous examples of tongue-in-cheek Hyperbole or Satire , while others take them more seriously. Coulter herself once stated, "Liberals love to pretend they don't understand hyperbole." However, she has also stated, "I believe everything I say." {Link without Title}
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