The Coulter Affair

"Time" Mangazine listed Ann Coulter in its annual "100 Most Influencial Carbon Based Life Forms" listing with the usual truckling coverage. Everyone thinks this is a new journalistic low for the storied newsweekly. Eric Alterman seems especially incensed...
I don't get it myself, "Time" was always and insufferably haughty little rag that made its bones pimping for Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956 and was rotten proud of its seedy GOP partisanship under the aegis of then owner-publisher Henry Luce. Advocacy journalism wasn't invented by the late Hunter Thompson it has its origins in Time's perpetually condescending treatment of Harry Truman and Adlai Stevenson. Look up some of the old issues if you don't believe me.

Giving Ann Coulter props seems like SOP at "Time"...she is just the sort of "contrarian" they've been marking out hard for since the days of Wendell Willkie.

Now does interest me is just what Coulter's publicist had to promise Time-Warner-AOL in order to land a spot on said list? At the moment Ann is famously between jobs and makes her money via 30K speaking engagements. Her writing is childish and spiteful and suggestive of a seventh grade slam-book. So she is a tough sell on talent.
Moreover, that cresting wave of perpetual conservative outrage isn't gonna last forever, Ann has to get dug somewhere soon or risk becoming the next Wally George. No doubt her desk is cluttered with writing samples, resumes, sample radio shows done on Ipod, video samplers the whole wretched refuse of political punditry. So this "Time" controversy is a godsend for Coulter, it'll get the phone ringing, and whole knows maybe Fox News will finally come through with a regular gig.

The straight dope on these types of features is that they are bullshit designed to boost circulation and stroke advertisers all at the same time. There is no objective criteria governing inclusion...listings are pimped like new girls from Georgia without a second thought. Ann's inclusion with all her "jokes" about killing Bill Clinton and blowing up the New York Times, is pretty much a setpiece bid for controversy.
And what the hell, it worked.