Featured, On Campus - by Ned Resnikoff on Thursday, December 11, 2008 2:00 - 33 Comments - 151 views
One of the first things I noticed about the eagerly anticipated Ann Coulter speaking engagement at NYU was that people were dressed up for it. It was almost like this was some kind of surreal College Republican prom night as much as it was a speaking event, but I guess I could understand why they might be excited. They had scored Ann Coulter, the modern conservative icon who had, by her own admission, only ever spoken once in New York City before–and that was during the Clinton years.
And they got what they paid for, I suppose. The thing was more or less your run-of-the-mill Ann Coulter joint, just like when I had seen her at UCONN, back in 2004 or 2005–except this time, to NYU’s credit, the liberals didn’t heckle, and there were no ad hominem attacks during questioning. Based on listening to who applauded to what, I’d guess that the liberals in the room outnumbered conservatives 3-1; but besides a few fumbly, overly earnest attempts at gotcha questions, everyone was on their best behavior.
Coulter herself was pretty much what anyone familiar with her shtick would expect. The opening speech wasn’t really a speech at all, but a series of one-liners and less-than-witty witticisms that ranged from the outrageous (”Where are the thoughtful, reflective Arabs saying, ‘Why do we hate the Jews, anyway?’”) to the mystifying (”Did anyone ever run on a platform of despair, the status quo and keeping people apart? Besides Ralph Nader.”). But there was no coherent idea behind the speech, just a series of right-wing dog whistles.
Once you realize that the dog whistles are really all she has to offer, you finally understand what Ann Coulter’s all about. She’s about as much a serious political commentator as Carlos Mencia is; both go for cheap laughs by playing off of the worst in human nature. And neither of them are worth the time and effort it takes to get offended, because doing that gives them the attention they so desperately crave.
It was fascinating listen to her answer serious questions with completely unrelated tangents on why liberals are shitty. In fact, some of her responses were borderline incoherent, as she tried to figure out how to pivot away from answering a question to just delivering the next clever jab at the left. It’s almost like she had a crypto-fascist magic eight-ball hidden behind the podium, and whenever someone asked a serious question she would spout off whatever tenuously relevant wingnut aphorism came up when she shook it.
I’m glad I was able to ask a question, and even gladder that Cody was on hand to film it, because her response is a perfect microcosm of how she normally operates:
A few things to note here:
1. My question was in two parts. She completely disregarded the first part.
2. Her answer to the second part just reinforced the assumption that my question had been meant to challenge in the first place without explaining where that assumption came from.
3. She really couldn’t think up a single reason why a sensible Jew might vote for a Democrat? Seriously? Anyone who wants to say anything interesting about American politics should at least be able to grasp where the other side is coming from.
4. Did you catch that delightfully condescending part at the end about how Jews might want to “start paying attention?” Of course you did.
5. “The Jews will always break your heart.” Tiny violin.
Besides the part about the tiny violin, she employed all of the tricks you need to know in order to be a shitty conservative pundit: Don’t answer the question except to underscore your previous point (regardless of whether or not the question reveals that point to be a fallacy), take a gratuitous swipe at liberals, and make sure you throw in something about how your opponents (in this case, 78% of those adorable little Jews) are either misinformed or just plain stupid.
Unfortunately, my real question of the night never got asked: What the fuck were the NYU Republicans thinking? Ann Coulter hasn’t been politically relevant since she called Edwards a fag, her self-aggrandizing claim that her support for Clinton in the primaries skewed them in Obama’s favor notwithstanding. People are tired of her song and dance, and not just because it’s intellectually dishonest and contributes nothing to public discourse–it’s also boring and excruciatingly predictable. If I were a conservative who wanted to reach out to moderate and liberal NYU students, this is the last woman I would invite to speak. Why not an actual conservative thinker? Or at least someone who doesn’t define herself entirely by what she thinks will sell books and piss off liberals.
Alas, the fact that College Republicans invited someone as alienating and nakedly anti-intellectual as Ann Coulter is just a metaphor for what you see happening to the Republican Party on the national level: the moderate voices of reason are getting ignored or marginalized, while the true believers burrow further into the warm, velvety soft cocoon of their own assholes.
Photo by Cody Brown
33 Comments
The Ann Coulter Event Writeup « Ned Resnikoff
First!… sorry.
Awesome write-up. It’s so strange how listening to her talk in that youtube video because she sounds intelligent (like intonation of the voice. I mean, it’s not high pitched or attack-y. ) but if you really listen to the content, it’s just nonsense and she’s just talking noise.
Henry Chan
That made me laugh. More out of the pure horror I felt hearing someone actually say something like that. The Holocaust made Jews celebrities? They’re not the cool victims anymore? Crazy lady.
goddamn nyu local is great. where have i been wasting my time before this?!
Kristina Lustig
Hahaha. Lovely. I was sitting right behind you and was one of the gaspers. I’m surprised you didn’t mention how she said that Jewish people are mad because they’re no longer “cool victims.” Really, Ann Coulter? It was an enjoyable comedy routine, but you’re right… her crazy-bitch-ery has deleted any actual political relevance she might have. Though it’s clear that she doesn’t have any “area of expertise” (remember how many times she said that?), she also didn’t manage to actually answer any single question. At all.
Phillip Klugman
Hearing her talk about Jews not being “the cool victims anymore” almost makes me wish that McCain had won, just so someone could have said, “Are you angry that Obama didn’t win because you’re not the cool victim anymore?”
Jeff Prosper
Cool…..On your next article can you do a hit piece on Keith Olberman since your an objective and insightfull up and comming journalist and not a run of the mill left wing hack?
Another great write-up Ned.
I’m sure the multitude of comments for this article, already, and those to come are one big giant WTF. You’re right on the conservatives’ fault, she is the last person that should be asked to speak in order to reach out to the other side. I was genuinely offended listening to her, but I guess that’s basically her main agenda isn’t it.
Norman Rogers
Gee, I think she answered both parts of your question (she said she didn’t know).
As to your commentary, I find it peurile (”shitty conservative commentator”). I am pleased that you rabid lefties actually permitted a conservative to speak without silly disruptions. Perhaps everyone does eventually grow up. And, having to live with your choice as our President for the next four years will only help.
And I’m pleased that it was my alma mater that showed the “students” and “faculty” (of such important subjects as “Women’s studies” and “Gym Flloor Mopping) of Columbia how to behave. I am a graduate of NYU (BS Engineering Physics ‘70, MS OR and Computer Science ‘72). It’s a subject of amusement to me how the prestige of this school has grown over the years. And, I think it’s a stitch that they’re reacquiring the Engineering School with the “merger” with Brooklyn Poly.
OBTW, Ms. Coulter really does stay on point. If you had actually read any of her numerous books, you’d know that. You obviously heard what you wanted to hear.
Hey Ned or Cody – mind reloading the video or putting it on youtube and linking? It’s not showing up in my browser.
Thanks
@Norman
Why is a 50 year-old man commenting on a college blog? Or *any* blog for that matter? Don’t you have a midlife crisis to get to or is this your first step to starring on an episode of “Dateline”?
And in regards to calling us “rabid lefties” – is it just me, or was it not the conservative last night that spat out the racial epithets, religious slanders, and divisive insults. I guess when you mean “rabid,” you actually mean “coherent.”
See, that’s the tough part about computer science majors from the 70s writing on college blogs at 11pm on a Wednesday night – they never got down that whole “English comprehension” thing. That, or talking to girls.
Oops – I apologize. 11am – not 11pm at night. I always admit my mistakes.
But I stand by the talking-to-girls comment.
@ Norman: My first question was what made her think liberals hated Jews. If you can find a coherent response to that in that Old Testament blather, I’d love to hear it.
bo butland
ANN COULTER = DOMINIQUE FRANCON
Matt Golubjatnikov
Hit the nail on the head. This woman thrives in her substance-less, self-propagated shit storms. She WANTS you to hate her, because as the old maxim goes “there’s no such thing as bad publicity”. Every time she calls someone a fag, it is likely a calculated attack with a predictable outcome- stop the presses, Coulter is at it again. So you deal with Coulter like you would a bad rash, stop scratching it, ignore it and it will eventually go away whether it wants to or not. So before I click back on the red mute button, I have a few words for the rash, Fuck you, Ann Coulter. Click.
Henry Chan
What amazes me is that there are still people who still believe that she’s actually saying something important. She’s obviously being a hateful bitch because she want all the fame (or notoriety) that comes with it. I mean, how much does she make off of this stuff?
And yet…There are still people who agree with her. This makes me sad.
@ Jeff: I don’t know what gave you the impression I was trying to be objective, but when Keith Olbermann speaks at NYU, I’ll gladly cover it. You’ll have to explain to me he’s equivalent to Coulter, though. Which presidential candidate did he call a fag again?
Chad
Gothamist! Snap.
http://gothamist.com/2008/12/11/ann_coulter_bombs_at_nyu.php
Jake Fournier
Great article Ned. Gonna miss you around here.
Jeff Prosper
@Ned: Well I have to admire your honesty when you say you had no intention of being objective. Unfortunatly, because of your lack of objectivity though, you become just another member of the rank and file liberal dominated media. As a result, the only folks who will listen to you are the ones who already agree with you. You say Ann Coulter is predictable…. but ironicly enough Ned, nothing is more predictable then a college news paper write up of a right wing speaking event.
As for the Keith Olberman comment, I didn’t realize that your criteria for doing a hack job was to have someone call a candidate a fag. Calling someone a fag in a joking context pails in comparrison to Olby’s tendancy to call anyone he disagrees with a racist, a nazi, or a facist, in a serious fashion. His tin-foiled hat leaps of logic, and outlandish, unfounded comments a national TV should be a cause for concern for all us “truth seekers” more then a small scale speaking event at some college.
George Lu
@Jeff: Sorry, to tell you this sir, but you almost sound like a Republican Keith Olberman.
Now that Democrats are in control, Keith Olberman will replace Bill O’Reilly/Sean Hannity and MSNBC will replace Fox News.
Ok maybe it won’t be that bad this time around. You know…for me, since I’m a liberal.
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Henry Chan
@Jeff: How the hell does one call someone a fag in a joking fashion? Normal, decent human beings don’t joke around by calling people fags. Close-minded, homophobic bigots…Well, that’s a different matter.
I don’t have much to say to you about Olbermann. I can’t stand the guy either. He’s like Bill O’Reilly, except on the left.
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Zac Bliker
Keith Olbermann is cool as hell. He calls out hypocrisy and stupid politicians left and right. He’s not in it to score points for one side, he’s in it for the truth. But as my old friend Jacko said once, “You can’t handle the truth!” Conservos can’t handle it, that is.
Great write up. Ann Coulter is worse than a rash that won’t go away. She is equivalent to two bunions stuck respectively on each of my ass cheeks. But fortunately she is totally irrelevant now, and I hadn’t even thought of her for months until my friend sent me this link.
As for conservo jackasses who say things like they’re just trying to be objective and “fair and balanced,” get a life. Your world view has failed, and frankly it wasn’t very positive to begin with. Just a bunch of “I got mine, now you get yours” BS. Not to mention deep down you all hate the Jews, the gays, the black, and Hispanics, and let’s not even get started about the Arabs.
Ok, rant over. God bless the 54% of America who get it!
Annie Peck
whoa zac bilker, whoa. you want to talk about offensive? why is it that on this campus we have to much tolerance and diversity for every single area EXCEPT political opinion. if you made these comments about a jew, or gays, or black, instead of about republicans, you would get attacked by the entire student body of nyu. political diversity is just as important as racial diversity, because political thought is an intellectual faculty, instead of a mere color of skin. (im saying that the color of your skin is not important, what is in your brain is.) anyway, about your comments.
first off all, the conservative view has not failed. it has, in fact succeeded. we ran on cutting taxes from their high of 70% during the Carter administration, and the tax rate fell 30% under Reagan. We ran on defeating communism, and george h. w. and reagan both accomplished that. We ran on defeating terrorism and keeping our country safe and….WE HAVENT BEEN ATTACKED ON AMERICAN SOIL IN 7 YEARS. under george bush. i’m sorry this is so off topic but your claim that the conservative view has failed is errorneous. it has succeeded, so it is no longer relevant. it has simply become an american way of life.
as far as republicans hating basically everyone, Abraham Lincoln was a republican who basically freed the black from slavery. In 1896, Republicans were the first major party to favor women’s suffrage. 26/36 state legislatures that voted to ratify the 19th ammendment were under republian control. The first woman elected to Congress was a Republican, Jeanette Rankin from Montana in 1917.
and my last point(sorry to make this so long) is the reason we chose to bring Ann Coulter on to campus. It’s not because she had something enlightening to say about the presidential election or an inspiring message for the republican party, it is because she is a political commentator with absolutely no goal except to look hott and get laughs. she writes comedy routines that pertain to conservatives and get liberals riled up. if you even take her seriously, regardless of your party affiliation, you need to reevaluate yourself. it doesnt matter if she hasnt been in the public spotlight the past few months, she is a notable conservative speaker who sold out a crowd of 450+ at NYU of all places. I think that says enough in itself. Who is the last notable speaker the college democrats ever brought to campus who attracted that many attendees?
Henry Chan
The problem with your comment, Annie, is that you use historical examples of when Republicans (at least the majority of them) were actually nice people. The Republican party has changed drastically since the days of Lincoln and the women’s suffrage movement. The party then is definitely not the party now.
And it’s great that we haven’t been attacked in seven years. But look at everything else. In the past seven years, how many things have been greatly fucked up by the policies of the current administration?
And Zac…Your comments are just as bad as the “conservo jackasses” you write about. If there’s anything that’s just as bad as “conservo jackasses” it’s liberal holier-than-thou assholes.
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Jim Pacella
The question in the video makes no sense.
Ann asserted the Left hates Jews.
The questioner says (paraphrasing) “Well I’m a Jew and I voted for Obama”
So what? How does that change the assertion about the Left?
Your paraphrase of my question focuses on one little throwaway line and ignores the actual question part.
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