Posted on 03/10/2009 11:25:01 AM PDT by Zakeet
In an event billed as a “distinguished speaker series” event, Ann Coulter faced off against Bill Maher last night at Radio City Music Hall in New York. In front of 6,000 hissing New York City liberals -- alternately absorbing and answering vulgar, sexist and racist insults from “comedian” Bill Maher -- Coulter battled back against audience shriekers, an unfunny Maher and “moderator” Mark Halperin of Time Magazine in a “debate” that would have been more accurately billed as a cage match and shown on Pay-per-View tv.
The tone was set at the very start. The audience was asked whether they thought President Obama was doing a great job -- or if they "agreed with Rush Limbaugh," which is of course the natural counterpoint. Not exactly a fair question, and the response was predictable.
Ann began her 15-minute opening address by acknowledging that her match up against Bill Maher was kind of like the meeting of Sid and Nancy. We all know how that worked out for Nancy.
Less than 5 minutes into Ann's short speech and the audience had already thrown all decorum out the window. Demonstrating their penchant for suppressing speech they disagree with, audience members yelled obscenities at Coulter, the mildest of which was "go to hell." One gentleman ran up the aisle yelling "We've got a real slut on our hands." This prompted an unfazed Coulter to say, "Aren't liberals polite?" Tonight, anyway, the answer was a resounding "no."
When she had concluded her opening remarks, Maher walked smugly onto the stage to a standing ovation and the kind of adoration usually reserved for feather-haired teen idols who spend weeks on the cover of Tiger Beat. He talked about how racist, greedy, hypocritical and stupid Republicans are, to uproarious laughs and multiple bursts of applause.
Then Maher and Coulter were united by Halperin in the center of the stage for what was supposed to be some rigorous intellectual debate.
It wasn't -- here's a brief recap: They argue about evolution -- Ann says she doesn't believe in it; Bill insults the world's Christians.
They talk about Sarah Palin. Ann thinks she's got a shot at the presidency eventually; Bill calls Palin "Cruella Deville," a "Spokesmodel from the car show" and "dumber [than Bush]" with boobs, only he used a four letter word of course.
They talk about stem cell research -- Ann quotes statistics from Godless; Bill calls embryos "microscopic goo."
They talk about the economy -- Ann says Barney Frank and Chris Dodd are to blame; Bill says the stimulus is "a big package, even for a black guy."
They talk about Bush -- Ann says he kept us safe; Bill says he "spent money like a pimp with a week to live."
And they talk about religion -- Ann says Christians are very tolerant (to loud boos); Bill says that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal performed an exorcism in college. And means it.
Bill is momentarily heckled, and promptly calls the heckler a seven-letter obscenity beginning with “a” and ending in “e.”
Maher takes potshots at the American public, calling the country stupid with an adroit use of multiple and varied literary devices meant to show how much smarter than the average American he really is.
But the substance -- if you can call it that -- of the discussion took a backseat to the carnage, the uncomfortable back-and-forth between Maher and Coulter, and the infuriating uselessness of Halperin, who practically egged Maher on as he leered and patronized Ann throughout the night, condescendingly calling her "sweetness," and "my darling in the little black dress."
As Coulter fought vainly to stick to a topic, Maher would feign exhaustion over her uncanny penchant for logic and reason, calling her "dunk tank clown," and overseer of the "institute of rectum-derived statistics." At one point, forced to point out his petulance, she said, "Now see, I'm citing facts and you're calling me names," eliciting a throw-away apology and a shudder-inducing pat on the shoulder.
Adding to Maher's total disrespect for, well, everyone, and the audience's total disrespect for Ann, was the overwhelming feeling that this whole charade was rigged. Halperin would cut Ann off to move onto another searing "question," cheered on by the audience every time, but let Maher rattle off 17 off-topic jokes about Ann's genitals or Bush doing drugs.
At one point, while bickering over Obama's campaign promise to pull out of Iraq immediately, Maher successfully goads Halperin into confirming one of his points -- which Halperin does. What kind of "moderator" actually joins in the debate?
A liberal one.
In the end the result was clear: Bill got the most applause in a rigged fight, Ann held her own and liberals have no class. But we already knew that.
This thing belonged in a boxing ring in Atlantic City or Vegas with Jerry Springer as referee.
That's what I don't understand either. She isn't going to sell a single book to any of the lefties who come to these things. If they refuse to listen to her speak, they certainly are not going to spend $ to buy her book and read what she has to say, so what is the point?
Who’s paying you to say these things??? /s
From anncoulter.com:
QUOTATIONS FROM CHAIRMAN ANN
ANN COULTER-BILL MAHER DEBATE COMING TO A CITY NEAR YOU! -
MARCH 9 - NEW YORK
MARCH 10 - BOSTON
MARCH 11 - CHICAGO
I only wish Ann would take some of her own sage advice, such as she enjoyed giving to President Bush and others on the right.
Take the gloves off, Ann, and start leading with your right.
No I'm not, thank you very much. I'm a conservative in the tradition of Buckley, Friedman, and the rest who were prominent back when we were a movement of ideas.
You on the other hand, illustrate exactly what is wrong with the movement today.
You immediately judge anyone who doesn't like a particular right-wing personality to be a liberal. It is people who are turning the conservative movement into a collection of personality cults rather than a movement of ideas.
Personality cults are not conservative.
Thanks.
Perhaps you mean the William Buckley Jr. who said:“I would like to electrocute everyone who uses the word “fair” in connection with income tax policies.”
And: “Relate it to what should happen; fuse it into the long morality play that began, really, in the Garden of Eden.”
And:“Conservatives should be adamant about the need for the reappearance of Judeo-Christianity in the public square.”
To you, perhaps creation is slander. And a sharp tongue anti-intellectual. Either way, you have placed your incredibly broad foot into your tiny, puckered mouth. You have no more GOT Ann than you have GOT Buckley.
Do you buy your straw wholesale?
Last I looked, most of us drive horseless carriages and use computers.
Coulter's cult following is but one example.
What is it with you people and the "cult" crap?
You seem to think that we crave approval from people like you.
When he posted that I'm sure that wasn't the first time William The Conservative turned in his grave.
That Buckley?
What a pathetic troll.
Born fighting, and thank God.
I don’t appreciate you calling me a liar, soo please allow me to call you an missinformed idiot. I know this is true from FIRST HAND INFORMATION. Bill is not the worst of them, trust me. Bob Guccione jr. is the worst one. That’s right, son of a porn king. Do your own research, but don’t call people liars.
Mark Halperin was named editor-at-large and senior political analyst for TIME in April 2007.
Prior to joining TIME, Halperin worked at ABC News for nearly 20 years
Mark Halperin is the son of Mort Halperin
Morton H. Halperin (born June 13, 1938) is an American expert on foreign policy and civil liberties. He served in the Johnson, Nixon and Clinton administrations
In 1992, Mark Halperin worked full-time as an off-air producer covering Bill Clinton (while his father was working for Clinton?)
In October 2004 the Drudge Report published a memo Halperin sent to ABC News staff about coverage of the U.S. presidential election directing them not to “reflexively and artificially hold both sides ‘equally’ accountable” and that both John Kerry and George W. Bush used “distortion” in their campaign, but that Kerry’s distortions were not “central to his efforts to win.”
On September 3, 2008 on CNN’s The Situation Room Halperin stated to Wolf Blitzer that Palin is a “risky choice”,
Wrong. They were 'friends'/acquittances and would go out to dinner or have a drink with mutual friends. They never dated and they are certainly not 'ex-lovers'.
I know this is true from FIRST HAND INFORMATION.
That's downright preverted, peeking into windows.
Or were you in the virtual "room?"
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