Conservative columnist and New York Times best selling author Ann Coulter conducted the following interview with Breitbart News about her new book, Never Trust a Liberal Over 3 – Especially a Republican.
As an exclusive excerpt provided to Breitbart News last week shows, Coulter’s latest book cuts to the core of many in the Republican party’s unwillingness to fight fire with fire against the Democratic party and digs hard into efforts by the Washington and Wall Street class to grant amnesty to America’s at least 11 million illegal aliens.
MATTHEW BOYLE: Ann, just want to congratulate you on yet another successful book, and what is yet another great read (I’m still working my way through it). Can you offer for our readers here at Breitbart News what is the main point of this latest book and what should readers take away?
ANN COULTER: If you’re done with politics, totally tuned out and watching Breaking Bad and Revenge — as I am — this is the book for you! At least half of it is a “Greatest of the Greatest Hits” from my past decade of columns and a few interviews. I include crowd favorites on guns, crime, my parents, Christianity, Keith Olbermann, Patty Murray; it’s a rollicking good time for the whole family!
If you are raring and ready to go politically, this book is also for you! It contains important advice to Republicans on achieving VICTORY.
MB: Now that the government shutdown is over and the debt ceiling is raised, we’re seeing President Obama shifting back to amnesty (despite many in the mainstream media who incorrectly said the push for amnesty was “dead” this year). We know you oppose amnesty vehemently. Can you explain why amnesty is such a bad idea?
AC: This is explained more fully in my book, but pause to consider that we are the only country in the world that does not try to get the best immigrants we can. Everyone in the world wants to immigrate to the U.S. and our immigration policy is “anyone who lives within walking distance.” It’s madness.
MB: Despite amnesty being a bad idea and really helping the institutional left implement its agenda, there are some Republicans who support it. To name a few, they include Reince Priebus, Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, Bob Goodlatte, Eric Cantor, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Jeff Flake and some others. Why do you think those specific Republicans support amnesty, and why generally do Republicans support such policies?
AC: Either stupidity or cowardice. If this country had the same demographics as it did in 1980, Romney would have won a bigger landslide than Reagan did. Democrats couldn’t win with the American people anymore, so they changed the voters.
MB: Since some of the younger members who originally offered some verbal support for policies that may end in amnesty via conference committee — Trey Gowdy, Ted Poe, and Raul Labrador, to name a few — have seen what happens when they try to “negotiate” with President Barack Obama, they have each (and others have too) backed off the push for amnesty on the grounds that Obama’s motive appears to be, in the words of Labrador, to “destroy” the Republican Party. Do you think that other Republicans who have publicly supported amnesty — like Reince Priebus, Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, etc. — should publicly announce, like Gowdy, Labrador, and Poe did, that they were wrong and that this should not happen? Will the American people forgive them if they admit they screwed up? And will they have a chance at saving themselves politically?
AC: YES! Better late than never. Also, it would allow that poor Mickey Kaus to rest.
MB: Economically speaking, amnesty would, by most estimates even from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), be devastating. It would drive unemployment numbers up and wages of American workers down. Why would any Republican who claims to support policies that promote economic prosperity support this?
AC: To be interviewed on Meet the Press.
MB: What can Republicans in Congress do to change the subject and get out of the amnesty lobbyists’ grasp as they gear up for another push?
AC: Change the subject to helping America’s poor, America’s working class, America’s minorities! Amnesty only helps wage-payers, not wage-earners.
MB: On a topic bigger picture than amnesty, what we are seeing right now is an all out public civil war in the GOP. Ted Cruz and Mike Lee lead one faction, one that arguably represents what the grassroots wants. You have people like John Boehner, Eric Cantor, and others who represent interests that arguably are aimed at protecting the political class in Washington and their friends on Wall Street. What side do you think has it right? And what side do you think will win and why?
AC: (No subject is bigger than amnesty – check with your former colleague Mickey Kaus.*) Wall Street has never been a friend of Republicans. They’ll get your vote and then support Hillary. Stop believing your own bad press about being the Party of Wall Street, Republicans!
MB: Oftentimes, we will hear people who represent what is colloquially known as the “Establishment” — as an aside, I noticed from what I’ve read so far that you don’t like that term. Can you explain why? — that conservatives like Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, and others are jeopardizing the ability of Republicans to win elections. Do you agree? If so, why? If not, why not?
AC: I don’t like the term because it’s used as a malediction rather than to make a point. When I tell you Wall Street is bad, I’ll give you examples — like amnesty, like making bad bets and demanding that the taxpayers bail them out, like George Soros, like Wall Street giving its biggest campaign haul in history to Obama. When Mitt Romney is called “establishment,” there is no meaning to the term. it is nothing but an epithet. Romney was better on amnesty than any other serious Republican candidate for president in my lifetime — including Reagan. There is no clearer marker of an establishment candidate than support for amnesty. So why was Romney “establishment”? Because he dressed well?
MB: Much of your new book is devoted to showing Republicans what tactics the left uses and then using those tactics to go right back after them. Why don’t Republicans naturally want to win by using the means available to them to beat the Democrats and the left?
AC: Because the non-Fox media will punish conservatives for attacking Democrats. Much easier to have a circular firing squad and attack Republicans — whether that is RINO’s attacking conservatives or Tea Partiers attacking RINOs. Do you think anyone in the media is annoyed by conservatives going after Mitch McConnell? They’re delighted! Just don’t attack a Democrat in a conservative state whose seat we could actually win!
MB: What changes to the electoral process do you think Reince Priebus needs to implement via his chairman position at the RNC to ensure Republicans have a better chance at the White House in 2016?
AC: Allow no one but governors and senators in our primaries, hold 12 debates, and make sure the primaries are wrapped up by mid-February.
MB: Lots of political consultants who are infamous for continually losing whatever elections or policy battles they are involved in keep resurfacing over and over in the GOP world, especially in Washington. Is it time for a big purge to clean house of all the losers and fill the top of the party and movement with winners?
AC: YES! I’d be happy if we could just have the names of the morons responsible for the “hickey” ad!
MB: Our team here at Breitbart News, led by our Senior Editor-at-Large and Government Accountability Institute President Peter Schweizer, are rolling out a new investigation and book titled Extortion that details how many Republicans and lots of Democrats use their political positions to enrich themselves personally. It seems like your book has much the same theme. Why is that these political figures can get away with this? What can be done to stop them and refocus their work on a) representing the interests of the American people and b) winning elections?
AC: Wow – that’s fantastic. Perhaps Peter can get me the names of the mystery consultants I cite in chapter one?
*This reporter used to write for The Daily Caller, where Mickey Kaus is a columnist.
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