Conservative political commentator Ann Coulter discusses future of Republican Party
Ann Coulter, conservative political commentator, speaks in Gifford Auditorium as a guest of College Republicans at SU. In her talk, Coulter criticized Democratic party policies and declared that the Republican Party was not dead, despite Barack Obama’s reelection. Luke Rafferty | Asst. Photo Editor
Syracuse University changed its mascot to a fruit to be more politically correct.
Or at least that’s what political commentator Ann Coulter said when she began her talk at Syracuse University on Wednesday night.
The extremely right-wing conservative spoke about “How the Liberal Mob Is Endangering America” in front of a sold-out Gifford Auditorium in Huntington Beard Crouse Hall on Wednesday. The crowd was mostly supportive of the controversial political figure, though several people in the crowd expressed negativity toward Coulter.
Wednesday marked the third time Coulter has come to SU. The first was in 2003, then she revisited in 2006.
“Liberals have been riding high since the election, writing the obituary of the Republican Party,” Coulter said. But President Barack Obama only won because he’s an incumbent and the least successful candidate to win a re-election in the last century, she added.
Coulter began her lecture by dissecting the liberal views on gun control. Using the crisis in Boston last week as an example, she said police used 200 rounds of ammunition, but were unable to take out both terrorists. Given that logic, she reasoned, why would liberals say it makes sense to limit ammunition purchases to seven rounds?
“I’m thinking maybe we shouldn’t be listening to liberals on guns, because they know nothing about them,” Coulter said.
Speaking on immigration, Coulter said she doesn’t understand why the United States isn’t more selective in terms of whom they allow to be citizens.
“If I call another country’s embassy and say, ‘Hello India, I’d like to come to your country. I don’t have any money or marketable skills, but I love the food and it never gets really cold there. Oh and by the way, if I can’t make it in your economy, would you mind cutting me a check once a month?’ Not so fast, zippy,” Coulter said.
The entire lecture ran largely without a hitch, until the last audience member to step forward during the Q-and-A session wondered if Coulter wanted to have him screened first.
That verbal attack sent an uproar through the audience, with one person yelling at him to go back to the Middle East. The man was finally able to ask Coulter if she thought the negative perception of the United States might stem from radical personalities such as herself trivializing the toll of drone strikes.
Coulter responded emphatically, “These people around the world that hate us just shouldn’t come here as immigrants.”
For some conservative students at SU, it’s refreshing to hear a different voice like Coulter’s.
Israel Irrobali, a junior in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, said he feels that politically conservative students on campus are often demonized for their opinions.
“In the classrooms, when we voice our opinions, teachers shoot them down or usually tell us that we are wrong,” Irrobali said. “And not that I necessarily believe with what Ann Coulter believes in, but to have someone be able to voice their opinion and not be interrupted or kicked out of class or be told they’re wrong by the liberal professor is very encouraging to me.”
