Coulter’s show-biz politics represent few

I‘m a Republican. Ann Coulter does not speak for me. But a lot of people think she does.

The loudest, noisiest, most sensational and now, most repugnant, voices on the Republican side of the political spectrum are defining Republicans. I could blame cable television, but it is tough to blame cable for preferring long-legged blond female Republicans to balding middle-age guys like me. They sure make for better-looking TV.

To me, Ann Coulter’s exercise of her right to free speech is the political equivalent of yelling fire in a crowded theater. She crosses the line of decency. To me, individuals who engage in name-calling and hate speech to get attention, sell books, increase speaking fees and feather their own nests, are speaking for themselves, not any political party.

My problem is the popular presumption that she represents the Republican Party. We all get painted with her tainted brush. As a result, the popular perception holds Republicans are against almost everything from abortion to homosexuals. And nasty about it to boot. I feel safe in saying that the vast majority – I would guess all but one – of Republicans is not against grieving widows created by the worst crime ever committed against America.

I once worked for a senior Reagan administration appointee back in the 1980s who used to say of the right wing – “they like to look good losing.” Translation: They’d rather go down defending their principles than by – as a democratic government is supposed to do – finding a compromise that makes progress for the majority.

That trend of digging in on principle started back then. And, 20 years later, all Republicans are defined by what I believe is a minority of Republicans.

To paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen, I have to tell you: “I know some Republicans. Some Republicans are friends of mine. And Ann Coulter is no mainstream Republican. She does not define most of us. She is on the spectrum of political beliefs, sad to say, but she is not representative of the majority.”

I have talked to a lot of Republicans, including some very young ones and many – a vast majority of those I spoke with, in a non-scientific way – are pro-choice. They aren’t anti any group or way of life. I know plenty who believe government can be a solution – as long as it solves something, and gets out of the way once the solution takes hold. We have been, though, outshouted and, yes, outworked by the most right wing among us. Why? Articulating the extreme won us elections.

One might say, well, Republicans won elections, which shows the rabid right is the majority view. I beg to differ. The country is more right-of-center than left. Which means right-leaning politicians will win more often than left-leaning – especially in national elections.

I also think the electorate is about to say: “Enough! We want things to happen. We want to see you all work together. Disagree, sure. That’s healthy. But get some things done!”

By the way, that doesn’t mean the Democrats take over. It means the voters will be more discerning and look for candidates who will be reasonable in office – on both sides of the aisle.

When this all began, it gave us people like Ronald Reagan – who knew how to run a government in a way that made progress for the people. He knew how to work with Tip O’Neill, his ideological opposite, and O’Neill knew how to work with him. They did the politics. And they did the governing. And at night, they had a drink and a few laughs together.

Today, it seems our elected officials – on both sides of the aisle – are more focused on the politics than on the governing. Like our business leaders for too many years were focused on the next quarter rather than the next year, our political leaders are focused on the next election, not the next generation.

Rockefeller Republicans were never “sexy” to the media. “Moderates” don’t shout. Moderates by their nature are under the radar. They are not too anything. Just like most people. Most of us are not nearly as good TV as Ann Coulter.

Here’s my point: Ann Coulter, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh do not define me as a Republican, nor most Republicans I know. They just talk the loudest and hold the megaphones. But to me, that’s not politics, that’s show business.