Being an outspoken conservative in the media has proven dicey lately, as the Democrat-controlled Congress and White House are working toward seeing an $819 billion stimulus bill signed into law.
According to Ann Coulter, there has been a double standard applied to those outspoken conservatives. Coulter appeared on the Fox News Channel's "America's Newsroom" on Jan. 30 to promote her new book, "Guilty: Liberal ‘Victims' and Their Assault on America" currently second on The New York Times Bestseller's list in only its second week.
"I think it's just another reminder of how the left hates free speech," Coulter said. "It really is strange how they go after speakers like this. I mean, there is no campaign by conservatives to shutdown Keith Olbermann. In fact, I wish more Americans would listen to him - to see the face of the left, the only 57-year-old woman trapped in a man's body to host his own TV show."
She also noted the unprecedented use by President Barack Obama of Rush Limbaugh's name to encourage congressional Republicans to vote for the stimulus proposal.
"It's revealing, telling, a little bit shocking, that the president has identified this leading practitioner of First Amendment speech and attacking him by name," Coulter said, adding that she hoped President Obama had ulterior motives.
"My Machieavellian explanation, that I wish were true, but I don't think is true - is this stimulus bill is so completely insane," Coulter said. "It will be such a disaster that Obama is hoping the Republicans will stop it somehow. And he will gin them up to oppose this stimulus bill, not make it this massive government takeover of every industry in America, because he is not going to be a successful president if this stimulus bill goes through as it's written now. And it looks like it's going to - with a majority Democrat House and Senate."
Earlier this month, Obama responded to Limbaugh's opposition to the stimulus and urged GOP members of Congress to ignore the talk show host. That prompted MoveOn.org to launch an advertisement attacking Limbaugh - asking constituents if they "were with Obama or Limbaugh" in support of the stimulus bill awaiting a vote in the U.S. Senate.
