Ann Coulter is back with her latest book, Never Trust a Liberal Over Three Especially a Republican , and this time shes taking aim not just at the usual suspects on the left, but also the Republican Party and the forces within that have consistently lost many recent elections. Unlike previous Coulter works, the book concedes that Democrats do something better than their GOP counterpart: They know how to win elections, she writes. In a recent interview, Coulter talked to Mediaite about the book, her outlook for the GOP, and why she actually watches MSNBC more than any other cable news outlet. Read below, in two pages:
This book seems to take a more defeatist tone than your others. At one point, you write: Even when we win, we cant win. Have you given up?
I speak for a lot of Americans when I say that. After Nov. 6, 2012, I was out. I was done with politics. I was actually considering starting to write columns on Gossip Girls, Revenge, the cultural stuff I enjoy. But then I got reinvigorated by the gun debate. And so I tried to lure people back into conservative politics by writing a fun book.
Your basic case seems to be that Republicans need to learn how to win elections
Im like the conservative ayatollah. Okay, Im issuing a fatwa: We have to win elections! After Mitt Romneys loss, it was a natural human tendency to lurch towards a silver-bullet solution. Some people blamed the tea party, others blamed the establishment. In some cases, sure, but the main thing is that with the right, its about self-expression. For example: In 2008, I supported Rep. Duncan Hunter during the GOP primaries. It was stupid of me to support him, even though hes good on every single issue. Why? Because my next door neighbor is good on every issue. But we need someone who can win. We need to see how sneaky, manipulative, and single-minded Dems are about winning elections.
You write a lot about how the Democrats are better at winning elections
When it comes to electoral politics, the Democrats operate on brains. They win elections by looking at electorate and modeling their races; Republicans win on national waves. The GOP does nothing and just happens to get elected when Americans are frustrated.
Im proud of Republicans for being the party of ideas. But when it comes to elections, we lose that. For instance, right now conservatives are tearing down [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell. But what did he do?! By attempting to primary him, theyre just mirroring their concern about getting back respectable Republicans. I dont even know who the establishment candidate that Mitch was pushing that pissed everyone off. Did he run any differently than Rand Paul? No. Mitch didnt support the amnesty plan. Rand was supporting that for a month. Its this image thing that We are the purists, were against the establishment. But thats how liberals are.
And think about this: In the last GOP primary, Romney was the only candidate other than Michele Bachmann who absolutely opposed amnesty. So whose side were the ones calling him a RINO on then? Huh? The average American hates amnesty; and who sold them out? Not Romney, but Marco Rubio.
We have to get away from shibboleths and focus on races.
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Ann Coulter Talks to Mediaite About Issuing a ‘Fatwa’ for Conservatives, and Why She Mostly Watches MSNBC