Random thoughts, observations, and opinions of a software engineer in corporate America.
The Price of Not Being Funny
Published on July 27, 2004 By CS Guy In Politics
USA Today hired Ann Coulter to write commentary on the Democratic National Convention. But after her first submission they decided to fire her. Of course she is complaining about this act, and is questioning why they hired her in the first place. I can understand the points of both sides in this case.

After reading Ann’s commentary I have to agree that it is rather sophomoric and not funny. I sometimes appreciate Ann’s writing, but here she doesn’t really offer much meat in her humor and little in the way of bones as the basis for her jibes.

I also agree that this is typical Coulter writing, and that if USA Today did not want this then they should not have hired her. They have hired Michael Moore to do commentary on the Republican convention, so I have to wonder if they will fire him for just being Moore.

I think it is a shame that USA Today picked Coulter for this job in the first place. There are many conservative writers that I find humorous, and any one of them could have done a better job. Dennis Miller, Larry Miller, P.J. O’Rourke, or Mike S. Adams could have done a better job of actually drawing humor out of the typically drab proceedings of the convention. Coulter’s attempt just seems like grade-school bickering.

Comments (Page 1)
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on Jul 27, 2004
I heard Coulter speak once, and found her extremely annoying, ignorant, and not really clever at all.
on Jul 27, 2004
I heard Coulter speak once, and found her extremely annoying, ignorant, and not really clever at all.

That's pretty much what I've gotten from her TV appearances.
on Jul 27, 2004
Call me uptight, but she is a bitch in the fullest extent of the word. I don't think I've ever seen her do anything productive, just bitch and moan about how everyone else is wrong and she is right.
on Jul 27, 2004
I think Dennis Miller at the DNC vs. say Al Franken at the RNC would be a funny set of columns for USA Today....
on Jul 27, 2004
I think Dennis Miller at the DNC vs. say Al Franken at the RNC would be a funny set of columns for USA Today

Agreed. I think that would be highly entertaining.
on Jul 27, 2004
Ann Coulter is a hack by and large. Miller would have been a much better choice.
on Jul 27, 2004
I thought the USA today comments were funny.

Honestly though, if the USA Today hired Moore and Coulter, what did they expect other than partisan bomb-throwing?
on Jul 29, 2004
The really funny part was all the "I don't get it" comments by USA Today. Most of the references were obvious.

An Coulter does tend to be over the top, but often the level of extremeness of her parody is in direct proportion to the level of absudity of the thing she parodies.
on Jul 29, 2004
I have to say that I have always found Ann Coulter to be very intelligent and articulate. I have not read her USA today piece so I can not comment on it, but I can say I have always been impressed with Ann Coulter when I have seen her appear on various TV talk shows or when I have read her books. Just because you do not agree with what she is saying does not mean that she is a "hack" or a "bitch".
on Jul 29, 2004
The really funny part was all the "I don't get it" comments by USA Today. Most of the references were obvious.

I agree. It seemed that the USA editor was a little dense.

Just because you do not agree with what she is saying does not mean that she is a "hack" or a "bitch".

Who are you replying to here?
on Jul 29, 2004
Satire can be good if it also informs or analyzes. Coulter's piece does neither--it's just a long "ugly" joke.
on Jul 29, 2004
Just because you do not agree with what she is saying does not mean that she is a "hack" or a "bitch"


Assuming ElectonJohn is replying to me, I disagree. The "Spawn of Satan" convention? "I love bureaucrats...funding crucifixes submerged in urine..."? Calling the democratic party the "French party"? I'm liberal myself, but I think even some conservatives can look at her writing and agree she's a BIT over the edge, which is an understatement. She's so far off the deep end, she thinks that what she says is true to the fullest extent!
on Jul 29, 2004
funding crucifixes submerged in urine

I believe that was a work of "art" by Andres Serrano. The fact that he recieved funding from the National Endowment for the Arts upset a lot of conservatives. But that was back in the late '80s, so I'm not sure why she is bringing it up now. I guess she just holds a grudge.
on Jul 29, 2004
The late 80's... you mean when it was under Lynn Cheney's guard?
on Jul 30, 2004
Oh, sorry for not saying who I was replying to in my earlier post. I was of course referring to the two people that used the terms "hack" and "bitch", which are, respectively, greywar and apdelong31. Apdelong31 appears to disagree with my statement about disagreement not equaling being a hack or bitch. I still think it is a fine statement but so be it.
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