At a highly anticipated event, conservative political commentator and syndicated columnist Ann Coulter took the stage Monday night before a crowd of loyal supporters, strong dissidents, and everyone in between.
Coulter addressed a completely filled room in the International Affairs Building's Altschul Auditorium to talk about her new book, Guilty, alongside a slew of hot-button political issues. The event, organized by conservative groups at Columbia, included tight security and no major disruptions. Public Security officers guarded the doors and prohibited bags and signs at the CUID-only, sold-out event. Coulter’s speech contained a combination of political commentary and jests directed towards what she termed “liberal victims.” The audience responded with both supportive and disparaging laughter.
Columbia University College Republicans Executive Director Lauren Salz, BC ’11, and other event organizers prefaced their speech with an explanation of their speaker selection. Salz explained that “many of our members felt that Columbia students could greatly benefit” from Coulter's appearance and that the event would help to fill the “ideological void” that some say is present on campus. While many audience members clapped, there were some murmurs of opposition, in addition to one student who called out, “playboy!”
As Coulter assumed the podium, she followed the applause from audience members with, “I never expected a welcome as warm as Ahmadinejad got at this University,” referencing the highly controversial 2007 appearance of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Coulter went on to criticize Barack Obama’s presidency in light of his recent completion of the first 100 days of his tenure. “Obama has proved that regardless of race, color, creed, national origin … any ballerina can grow up to become white house chief of staff,” she said, while adding later that, with regard to what she considers the President's lack of experience and alleged comparisons to Jesus with, “as the leader of the 12 apostles, even Jesus had more executive experience than Obama.”
Coulter also addressed some of his policies and decisions made in office, such as his actions concerning lobbyists. “I think he misspoke when he said that there would be no lobbyists,” Coulter said. “What he meant to say was that there would be only lobbyists.”
Much of her discussion echoed a theme in her new book, “Guilty,” which discusses how liberals have made themselves “victims.” The book alludes to figures that Coulter attests are such "victims," such as Valerie Plame and the so-called "Jersey Girls." Coulter asserted that “they are victims of convenience for the Left,” who espouse their agendas at the expense of the conservatives, “who [conservatives] are always the oppressors.” Continuing on this train of thought, Coulter criticized liberals for taking offense at the mentioning of Obama’s middle name—Hussein—while Republicans, she said, offended liberals because former Vice President Dan Quayle’s middle name, Danforth, “sounded like a rich banker.”
“Liberals are the victims of the middle name or victims of Republicans finding the middle name ‘Hussein’ hilarious,” Coulter continued. “Liberals are always offended.”
A large portion of Coulter’s discussion centered on her defense of waterboarding and on Guantanamo Bay, which she deemed, “an all inclusive resort we allow terrorists to live until they wait for the next Democratic president.” Discussing the treatment of detainees there, she said, "the savages are entitled to eight hours of sleep a night, they can’t be woken for interrogations, they can’t have their mail opened…I've been treated worse at a Holiday Inn Express."
Coulter followed her discussion of Guantanamo with several jabs at Obama’s support base, inveighing: “Obama had the mainstream media, the European Union, and Oprah on his side…in a poll taken in Germany, it turned out that 80% of Germans favored Obama over McCain, and we all know how great the Germans are at picking their leaders.”
She ended her speech on a dismal note for the Democrats, asserting that, “the media may see Obama as the second coming, but given his policies, he probably will not see a second term coming.”
Her speech was followed by a lengthy question and answer session—which was longer than the speech itself—during which students of various political backgrounds asked questions about her statements and beliefs.
“I said something nice about Hillary [Clinton] once,” Coulter answered in response to a student’s question about what controversial statement she has most regretted making.
Responding to a question about how she reconciles her strong Christian beliefs and the teachings of a compassionate Jesus with her more “hardliner conservative policies,” she asked, “what, like protecting an unborn sleeping baby in his mother’s womb? I think Republican policies are compassionate.”
She continued to defend waterboarding in her assertion, “we believe the Old Testament, too, when there was a lot worse done.”
Several people questioned Coulter's perspective on women’s suffrage, which she considers a “rash experimentation” as “women feel like they can’t rely on men, so they want the government to be their husbands” and advocate too many government programs. She asserted to questioners that women should be entitled to guns and added, “all I want women not to do is not to vote. I want them to go to college. I want them to have jobs. I want them to write books. All I want women not to do is vote.”
Her staunch opposition to gay marriage was met with several gasps from audience members when she said, “It’s solely, exclusively to create an environment to bring children into the world and make them civilized human beings.”
Her appearance was met with mixed reception from audience members, which was apparent before the event. Supporters stood on line alongside others who carried flyers that instructed dissidents to sing, “We Shall Overcome,” a plan which did not manifest. While some considered her perspective a fresh one amid a largely liberal campus, others considered her arguments inane.
“I was hoping to actually be able to take something and learn something new and leave with some sort of intellectual understanding,” Marc Kilstein, CC ’12, said. “I got out of this with a bunch of blanket statements smashed in between some bad puns with the College Republicans acting as a laugh track.”
But others were pleasantly surprised by what they considered an unexpected general air of receptivity among the audience.
“I thought it was going to be a lot more controversial,” William Prasifka, CC ’12 and College Republicans director of public affairs-elect, said. “We had all these talks about people storming the stage, so it was a surprise. The crowd was more or less pretty respectful.”
Others agreed with Prasifka, pointing to the open-mindedness from all political leanings.
“I was extremely surprised that there wasn’t more heckling,” Ms. Danaher said, who declined to give her first name because she is a friend of Coulter’s who has seen over a dozen of her talks across the nation. “I think what this means is that the climate is changing, and that young people are getting the message. Everyone went up to the microphone thanking her.”
Even Coulter herself, in an interview following the speech, agreed with this sentiment.
“I loved the Columbia liberals,” Coulter said. “I wish I could have told them that at the event. They were extremely sweet.”
The IAB auditorium purportedly seats approximately 400 people.
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