Ann Coulter Calls Obama a “Retard”

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On Monday night, Ann Coulter, who has not shied away from the spotlight recently, decided to call President Barack Obama a ‘retard.’ The insult came following the third and final debate between Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney.

Coulter tweeted Monday night after the debate, “I highly approve of Romney’s decision to be kind and gentle to the retard.” Coulter continued on Tuesday afternoon, tweeting the following:

  

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“Obama: “Stage 3 Romneysia” – because cancer references are HILARIOUS. If he’s “the smartest guy in the room” it must be one retarded room.”

People took to Twitter to attack Coulter for her comments on Obama. One person tweeted about the comment, saying that it was “offensive and disrespectful.” The same person asked Coulter, “Are you out of your f-cking mind?”

When the debate was over, Obama was awarded the victory by voters. Pundits said that the debate was interesting because Obama was able to attack Romney so aggressively and because of how Romney kept agreeing with Obama.

In response to her slur against Obama, John Franklin Stephens, a Special Olympics athlete, wrote an open letter to Coulter and it was posted on The World of Special Olympics. Coulter has yet to respond to the letter.

Dear Ann Coulter,

Come on Ms. Coulter, you aren’t dumb and you aren’t shallow.  So why are you continually using a word like the R-word as an insult?

I’m a 30 year old man with Down syndrome who has struggled with the public’s perception that an intellectual disability means that I am dumb and shallow.  I am not either of those things, but I do process information more slowly than the rest of you.  In fact it has taken me all day to figure out how to respond to your use of the R-word last night.

I thought first of asking whether you meant to describe the President as someone who was bullied as a child by people like you, but rose above it to find a way to succeed in life as many of my fellow Special Olympians have.

Then I wondered if you meant to describe him as someone who has to struggle to be thoughtful about everything he says, as everyone else races from one snarkey sound bite to the next.

Finally, I wondered if you meant to degrade him as someone who is likely to receive bad health care, live in low grade housing with very little income and still manages to see life as a wonderful gift.

Because, Ms. Coulter, that is who we are – and much, much more.

After I saw your tweet, I realized you just wanted to belittle the President by linking him to people like me.  You assumed that people would understand and accept that being linked to someone like me is an insult and you assumed you could get away with it and still appear on TV.

I have to wonder if you considered other hateful words but recoiled from the backlash.

Well, Ms. Coulter, you, and society, need to learn that being compared to people like me should be considered a badge of honor.

No one overcomes more than we do and still loves life so much.

Come join us someday at Special Olympics.  See if you can walk away with your heart unchanged.

A friend you haven’t made yet,
John Franklin Stephens
Global Messenger
Special Olympics Virginia