I confess, it’s what I’ve thought about Ann Coulter for some time now. So I wasn’t surprised to see her refer to Muslims as “ragheads” over the weekend. But I was disappointed (yet again). For better or worse, Coulter’s one of the most visible conservative voices in this country, and when she sounds more like David Duke than David Limbaugh, we all suffer for it.

I was pleased to see Michelle Malkin (and lots of others) bring up the subject over the weekend. But I was having a conversation with someone on Friday night and they expressed their opinion that Coulter does more good for the cause than harm, based on people who might start out reading her and then gravitate to more “serious” conservatives.

I thought that might make for an interesting discussion here. Does Coulter help us more than she hurts us?

Jim: This is one of the great mysteries of modern politics. I’ve thought for a long time that Coulter’s schtick was getting old. She basically finds a target who disagrees with her, be they liberals or her old employers at National Review Online, and just rips them in as harsh and scathing terms as possible. Liberals? They’re “traitors.” NRO? “Girly-boys.” Justice John Paul Stevens? Kill him off, or something in that vein. Muslims? “Ragheads.” Then she smiles, giggles, gives that “ain’t I a stinker?” look, and sells a bazillion books.

And I know, a decent number of my readers at TKS love her. Somebody’s going to jump in and defend her on this post, I figure. Folks on the right who I genuinely respect are part of her fan club. The phenomenon is beyond me. I just don’t see the appeal, I’m not charmed, I’m not amused, and never mind “does she do more good for the cause than harm” — I’m still trying to find some good she does. Is there anybody on the right who was swayed from liberalism or apathy from Coulter’s “all my opponents are morons and ought to be drawn and quartered” style?

More from Jim: Looks like Kevin from Wizbang had the same conversation.

A prominent conservative blogger who’s covering the conference with me describes Ann Coulter as a “gateway conservative.” Because she’s so controversial, Ann Coulter attracts the attention of people who wouldn’t ordinarily find themselves drawn to conservative political thought. They start out reading her, then they get exposed to columnists like Charles Krauthammer and Michael Barone and George Will, and they “mature a little in their political philosophy.”

I’m sorry, I don’t buy it. She’s a carnival barker, a rabble-rouser, a self-perpetuating hype machine who doesn’t care if conservatism falls apart, so long as she sells books. I’m not sure who she attracts, and I have my doubts that conservatism will be strengthened and improved by the kind her act appeals to.

Marshall: If you’re looking for someone to defend Ann Coulter, you won’t find it here. Ever since she first started turning up on MSNBC, she’s built her whole personna around being as obnoxious and insulting as possible. To be sure, there are a lot of conservative who feel the kind of anger that she spouts, and I think they appreciate that there’s someone out there who not only feels the same way they do, but is willing to give voice to that anger. But let’s be clear: she isn’t doing her cause any good. If anything, she only makes it tougher to move the ball.

BTW, I had the same conversation with the same person that Cam and Kevin had. I have to say that I am a bit more open to the idea that Coulter is a gateway. And if Coulter gets people to open their ears to other conservatives, that’s great. But my view is that whatever Coulter brings in as a gateway, she’s running off as an offensive dolt.

Cam: Interesting post by Tim in the comments:

She provides what we call ‘cover’ in that she’s drawing fire with her extreme views, allowing us to speak our views and seem rational.

As long as we’re clear that Coulter’s not sacrificing herself for “the good of the cause”, I can see Tim’s point. But she’s not a martyr. She’s making a damn good living while portraying the Ugly American.

And it’s not that I don’t enjoy cheap shots. I think “South Park” is brilliant, even when they’re going after conservatives. But they’re funny. There’s nothing humorous about “raghead”. You might as well beat someone over the head with a stick to get your point across.