Coulter lecture followed by controversy
Every seat filled at Coulter talk
By Allison Singer
Issue date: 2/25/09 Section: News
"To quote Yogi Berra, I didn't say half the things I said," controversial political commentator Ann Coulter said on Feb. 18, beginning her highly anticipated lecture in Kendall Hall.
The lecture, which was hosted by the College Republicans and paid for with the Student Activities Fund, centered on the media's portrayal of liberals as victims, the focus of Coulter's newest book, "Guilty: Liberal 'Victims' and Their Assault on America." She made many mentions of the "liberal hoaxes" in place to "promote the horrors of America, the horrors of racist America."
Once you're a victim, Coulter said, one can "commit crimes, slander the president, tell lies and you'll get a standing ovation of the media."
"Just like Nazi Germans made people believe Jews were the oppressors in order to oppress them," she added, "the media makes us think Republicans are our oppressors to oppress them."
Approximately 40 to 50 people were turned away from the lecture by police after Kendall Hall reached capacity.
There was tight security around the lecture, as College Republicans checked attendees' bags and used a metal detector. Even members of the press had trouble gaining access to the event.
"I've never had a problem getting in to an event before," Wayne Hollendonner, a freelance photographer covering the event for TCNJ Magazine, said. "It caught me a bit off-guard."
Brian Hackett, College Republican chairman and junior political science major, said he was pleased with the results of the lecture.
"I'm very happy with the turnout," he said. "We expected a large turnout because of the publicity the event has gotten around the state. I didn't expect every single seat to be packed, but they were, so I'm thankful for that."
Coulter continued on the theme of victimization throughout the lecture, saying the "real victims are usually the ones portrayed as the villains, and the real villains are usually the ones portrayed as the victims."
She also said the media deliberately portrays liberals as the wounded in order to garner sympathy.
"He who is offended first wins, and liberals are always, always offended," she said. "The Marine motto is 'First to Fight.' The liberal motto is 'First to be offended.'"
Perhaps Coulter's most controversial point was her discussion of President Barack Obama's middle name.
"Doesn't the middle name of 'Hussein' reinforce the image of Democrats being soft on terrorism?" Coulter asked.
She went on to contrast Democrats' protection of Obama's middle name with their exploitation of former Vice President Dan Quayle's name, in an effort to bring to light the Democratic Party's alleged two-faced tendencies.
Approximately 30 minutes after the start of the lecture, a number of students walked out in a previously planned protest. They stood at their seats for a few seconds before leaving Kendall Hall, chanting.
In a press conference earlier that day, Hackett expressed his concerns about the protest.
"(Coulter) dwells on people having an incensed reaction to what she says," he said. "She loves when people protest. She loves when people stand up and turn their backs to her and walk out."
After Coulter's 45-minute lecture, audience members were permitted to line up and ask Coulter questions. Her answers solicited strong reactions from the crowd, both positive and negative.
Coulter remained on-stage to sign copies of her books and take pictures with approximately 60 supporters after the question-and-answer session.
The event closed with one arrest when Mike Tracey, vice president of the College Democrats and junior political science major, approached Coulter while she was signing books.