Turning politics into mere entertainment
Dennis Robaugh of the Daily Southtown had an editorial this week that basically sums up Coulter:
Coulter has become somewhat of a celebrity on the right. She speaks colorfully and looks good on TV. (Did you know you can download an Ann Coulter ring tone for your cell phone, too?) But her commentary, both in print and on the talk shows, isn't designed to inform or persuade. Rather, her purpose is to provoke and entertain.
If you're in the choir, you love to hear her preach.
If you're a thoughtful independent open to persuasion, chances are you won't learn much of anything from what she has to say. Unlike, say, a William F. Buckley or a Pat Buchanan or a George Will…
And while as opinion journalists they have a point of view, they also have a certain regard for the facts that Coulter simply lacks.
Still, she's good for a laugh, which is one reason she's on all these shows that have turned politics into mere entertainment.
Among pundits, Coulter is the equivalent of Carrot Top; an object of ridicule, not of respect. She's someone you laugh at, not with.
This is the problem with Coulter. She presents nothing productive or helpful to a political debate, but merely increases the level of invective and partisanship.