Washington, D.C.-- Speaking at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank Wednesday, conservative author Ann Coulter said the current media landscape should provide Republicans with a bigger boost in favorability with the public than it actually is.
"[Conservatives] are up against a tougher media," Coulter told TheBlaze. "On the other hand, it wasn't that long ago that there wasn't talk radio, there wasn't Fox News, there wasn't a Drudge Report. So, I think we ought to be doing a little bit better."
Polls consistently show that despite a spate of negative press aimed at President Obama over the decidedly disastrous rollout of his signature healthcare law and Democrats' handling of the 16-day government shutdown, Congressional Republicans rate as low or lower in favorability.
Coulter said part of the problem with the GOP is the conservative media itself.
"I'm a little critical of some of our (conservative) media at this stage, as I haven't been before," she said. "But just over the last month, like over the [government] shutdown and Ted Cruz. It's starting to hit me more and more."
Many conservatives in the media, including the Wall Street Journal editorial board and National Review Editor Rich Lowry, disagreed with some Congressional Republicans' strategy to defund "Obamacare" by way of a government shutdown. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was widely seen as the leader of that strategy. For his part, Cruz often sniped at other GOP lawmakers for not backing the strategy.
Coulter said Republicans who prefer to win favor with the mainstream and liberal media are often "going on TV and attacking their fellow Republicans." She named Arizona Sen. John McCain as an example.
"On one hand I say 'haha RINOs, it serves you right.' On the other hand I really think we should be concentrating on attacking Obama, on attacking the Democrats," Coulter said. "So, recently the problem has been maybe a little too much nitpicking about Ted Cruz and [Utah Sen.] Mike Lee and the House Republicans and a little less celebrating them putting up this fantastic fight."
She continued, "I'm a little annoyed with some of the talk radio host and the people on Fox, the ones we normally count on. First, nitpicking Ted Cruz. Then when the shutdown ends, calling them chickens and cowards. What is the point of continuing this?"
