The Daily Caller

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WorldNetDaily drops Ann Coulter from conference over speech to gay conservative group

1:38 PM 08/18/2010
Chris Moody

WorldNetDaily, a conservative website, announced today that it would drop pundit Ann Coulter from a list of speakers at the site’s annual “Taking America Back National Conference” in September in Miami because she agreed to headline an event sponsored by GOProud, an organization that represents gay conservatives.

A spokesman for WorldNetDaily (WND) said there was no place for conservatives to work with groups that focuses on issues like gay rights.

“Ultimately, as a matter of principle, it would not make sense for us to have Ann speak to a conference about ‘taking America back’ when she clearly does not recognize that the ideals to be espoused there simply do not include the radical and very ‘unconservative’ agenda represented by GOProud,” said WND Chief Executive Officer Joseph Farah. “The drift of the conservative movement to a brand of materialistic libertarianism is one of the main reasons we planned this conference from the beginning.”

GOProud announced earlier this month that Coulter would headline their upcoming “Homocon” event, which they are touting as a party in New York City for gay conservatives.

According to WND, a site that regularly publishes articles about President Obama’s birthplace, Coulter told Farrah that their decision to drop her was misguided. “That’s silly, I speak to a lot of groups and do not endorse them,” she said. “…But in any event, giving a speech is not an endorsement of every position held by the people I’m speaking to. I was going to speak for you guys, I think you’re nuts on the birther thing (though I like you otherwise!).”

WND has long published Coulter’s weekly syndicated column, and despite dropping her from the event, the site will continue to include her writing on the site. “There’s a different standard for columnists and speakers at our conference,” Farah said.

A spokesman for GOProud told TheDC he appreciates that WND is making more people aware of their upcoming event.

“We don’t think WorldNetDaily is particularly relevant in the grand scheme of things, but we certainly are grateful for the attention they are bringing to our event,” said GOProud Executive Director Jimmy LaSalvia. “We thank them for all the publicity.”

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Tags: Ann Coulter, Barack Obama, Chris Moody, Joseph Farah, Journalism, Mass media, Miami, Miami,Florida,United States, New York City, New York, United States, Politics, President, , United States
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  • AlexZ

    Nice to see commenters here declaiming against extremism on the right for a change.

    • grayzel

      Alex, it is very common for thinking people (conservatives and conservative libertarians) to disagree. It is to bad we don’t find that on the left, thinking is what I am referring to.

      • AlexZ

        Well, let me pretend not to get your “joke” and say that I never said there wasn’t disagreement on the right. I said there didn’t appear to be disagreement here, within the DailyCaller comments. People have said some of the most outrageous, hateful things, but because they are on the right, no one calls them on it.

        Now don’t give me a lecture about, on the left, blah blah blah. I’d say the same thing on HuffPost or DailyKos about the left. We must call out the extremists on both sides. They’re really interfering with the process of getting ANYTHING accomplished in this country. Most Americans do not hold these extreme beliefs.

        Take this mosque thing. It’s one big fat red herring. The issue we should be concerned about is the economy, jobs, and yet the mosque — which is really a local NYC issue — has taken over so that even people running for Florida Senate are pushing ads about it. Stupid waste of time and money. Let’s get to the real business of this country. It’s extremists on both sides of the spectrum who create these distractions.

        • killtruck

          there didn’t appear to be disagreement here, within the DailyCaller comments.

          That’s simply not true. I’m not saying you’re lying. I’m saying you should look closer.

          • AlexZ

            Not quite sure what you’re saying, killtruck, or that you’re really responding to what I said.

            What I said was that there are some pretty extreme and hateful comments that go unchallenged here on the DailyCaller. Let me modify that, I will say now, if one does challenge them, one is automatically assumed to be a Marxist.

            There seems to be a lot of binary thinking going on here. Everyone and everything on the left is bad. Everyone and everything on the right is good. Yes, don’t even tell me, I know the reverse goes on on other sites. They make tinfoil hats in red and blue. It just doesn’t seem very useful to me.

            This particular thread feels like a breath of fresh air to me, where conservatives are saying someone on the right has gone too far. Yay. It seems healthy to look at your own side to see how some might be contributing to the problem. Both sides need to do that. Like it or not, the right and the left are married in this country — and divorce is not possible. We’ve got to learn to live with each other, or it’s mutual destruction. No one wins if both sides dig in their heels. Sometimes I think we’re headed toward destruction, because it seems impossible to have reasoned discourse anywhere.

            If we’re going to restore reason, we have to stand up and tell people on our own side when they’ve gone too far. Right now, I think extreme views on the right are hurting the conservatives more than extreme views on the left hurt the liberals. It’s the conservatives own fault though if they don’t distinguish themselves in some way from the crazies.

            I’m a middle of the road guy, who reads widely, a variety of views. At this point in my life, when I am laid up a bit with injuries, I have even more time than usual to peruse these sites. Some of the most hateful remarks have caused me to renew my interest in actively supporting moderate candidates.

            I can almost guarantee you that my post will generate an ad hominem attack.

          • killtruck

            I don’t know what to tell you. I’m fairly moderate too, and I feel comfortable expressing myself here.

            There are a handful of commenters I don’t respond too because they seem to just be pissed off all the time, and I find that really irritating.

            As for the Daily Caller, I like them because they challenge the right. If I just want to be told what I wanna hear I can talk to myself. Ya know?

          • des1

            “What I said was that there are some pretty extreme and hateful comments that go unchallenged here on the DailyCaller.”

            You should know.

          • AlexZ

            des, I’m not talking about the petty insults, which are pretty much tit for tat here. What I was referring to is the kind of comment that wishes individuals or whole groups of people dead (or worse) because of their political or religious beliefs or sexual orientation.

          • killtruck

            the kind of comment that wishes individuals or whole groups of people dead (or worse) because of their political or religious beliefs or sexual orientation.

            I have NEVER seen that here, but if I did I would use that handy-dandy report comment button.

        • krjohnson

          “We must call out the extremists on both sides. They’re really interfering with the process of getting ANYTHING accomplished in this country.”

          What the hell do you want them to accomplish? Haven’t they “accomplished” enough with the trillions in debt and deficits, endless wars, and destructive economic programs? They need to be “accomplishing” a whole lot less in my opinion. I’ll take complete gridlock any day over the go-along-to-get-along politics we’ve been plagued with for decades.

          Dittos about the mosque though. Total red herring, and it’s going to empower the traditional politician types. Any national politician who tries to make hay out of that is a political hack, not a statesman.

  • theneighborhoodguy

    This is the single dumbest thing Joseph could have done…why would you want to alienate a huge libertarian/conservative readership over something as simple as the constitutional rights to peacefully assemble and of free speech? What the hell is this guy thinking? …never mind…he isn’t. Get back in touch with reality Joseph…before you lose your readership.

    • grayzel

      I like this quote from Ann; “Coulter told Farrah that their decision to drop her was misguided. “That’s silly, I speak to a lot of groups and do not endorse them,” she said. “…But in any event, giving a speech is not an endorsement of every position held by the people I’m speaking to. I was going to speak for you guys, I think you’re nuts on the birther thing (though I like you otherwise!).”

      Common sense from an uncommonly great mind.

  • tdpwells

    I’m about as conservative as they come – a bonafide Rush baby, even – and WND gives me the creeps. They’re a tad too tinfoil for my liking.

    • ooostephen

      dittos.

  • Momma M

    The phrase “Cut off your nose to spite your face” come to mind here…. -=shrugs=- Whatever…. WND’s loss !

  • krjohnson

    Mmk, never going to WND again. I can’t stand bigots.

    Also, I am hoping for even more conservative drift into “materialistic libertarianism.” End the culture wars!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Daniel-Bruski/617562029 Daniel Bruski

    WorldNetDaily seriously needs to stop acting childish. This anti-gay behavior is getting very, very old.

  • monkeysuit

    World Net Daily is missing the mark on this and I hope other conservatives don’t follow. The fact that you don’t have to agree with someone in order to one give a speech and two still believe in their fundamental civil rights is one that has eluded this group. You don’t have to agree with how homosexuals conduct their lives but you do have to stand up for their rights to live their lives. Currently our government is restricting Gay peoples civil rights and we shouldn’t allow that to happen. Everyone has civil rights and they should be defended.

    Monkeysuit
    http://thelibertarian.weebly.com/

  • flips

    Joseph Farah, before he started WND, served as editor at the Sacramento Union newspaper.

    This venerable paper went back to the Gold Rush and once had Mark Twain on staff. It was the second paper of our capital city.

    When Farah took over he was such a loon, he began to run Rush Limbaugh editorials on the front page, where news should have gone.

    Circulation declined and eventually the paper folded.

    He’s quite an idiot if he thinks Ann Coluter is not conservative enough for his event.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Deron-Reid/1029130975 Deron Reid

    I like WND, but Joesph really needs to understand that not everyone will agree with him on everything, all the time. To think so makes for a lonely existence.

  • baal

    World Net Daily sucks.

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