Ann Anger and Ed Coulter

This isn't a judgment - it is just an observation. A friend of mine recently pointed out to me that "Ann Coulter is Ed Anger". At that time, I am not embarrassed to say, I was not aware that Ed Anger is a "columnist" for the Weekly World News. In case you have not heard of her, Ann Coulter is a right-wing columnist, best known for being a skinny blonde, and secondarily known for her shrill accusations that everybody who disagrees with her is guilty of treason. Having now reviewed a number of Ed Anger columns, and a number of Ann Coulter columns, I have to say that my friend had a valid point.

There are some very interesting stylistic similarities between Ed and Ann. Both like to commence their editorial pieces with scorching invective which, if recited in an elementary school setting, would ring of precocious immaturity. That is, one would not expect a child so immature to have their vocabulary, but otherwise.... Well, judge for yourself.

Ed Anger rants:

These yahoos think we're the bad guys and that the real problem in the world today is "American imperialism" -- not that nutcase Saddam having enough anthrax and nerve gas to wipe out the human race 10 times over.

Ann Coulter rants:

In the wake of Dean's success, the entire Democratic Dream Team is beginning to sound like Dr. Demento. On the basis of their recent pronouncements, the position of the Democratic Party seems to be that Saddam Hussein did not hit us on 9/11, but Halliburton did.

Ed Anger rants:

We're the most powerful nation on Earth and we ought to act like it, by jiminy. I say, let's shove peace down the throats of these foreign rascals -- no matter how many people we have to kill to do it. ... Once we have the whole Earth speaking one language everyone can understand, united under America's thumb, we'll finally have world peace.

Ann Coulter rants:

We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity.

Ed Anger rants:

Sen. Hillary Clinton -- Old Thunder Thighs' only "qualification" for office is that she looked the other way while Bill played hide- the-cigar with some porky intern..

Ann Coulter rants:

According to an ABC poll, 48 percent of Americans have an unfavorable impression of Hillary, 53 percent of Americans don't want Hillary to ever run for president, and 7 percent of Americans have been date-raped by Bill Clinton.

Now let's look at the structure of their work. Ed Anger likes to use numbered lists, e.g., Let's Recall These Liberals Too!. Ann Coulter likes to write similar things, but using bulleted lists, e.g., I Guess You're Right: There Is No Liberal Media Bias. A distinction without a difference? And obviously, both like to take potshots at "liberals", without being particularly clear on what a "liberal" is (beyond somebody who disagrees with them).

One small point of difference may be that Ann Coulter will occasionally interrupt her invective with a complaint that "liberals" engage in name-calling. I haven't seen that Ed Anger has ever been that hypocritical. Oh yes - and Ed Anger is a joke. That is a difference, right?

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