Saturday, August 13, 2011

ANN COULTER

Ann Coulter today was astonishing.  I've always found her smart and attractive and funny on television.  I've read some of a few of her books and almost always agree with her, though she takes some things to the ridiculous and, in my opinion, people stop learning from her when she goes to that extreme that turns them off... AND it gives them fodder to insult her because they can moan and groan that "She's MEAN" and then they don't have to address the fact that she's usually RIGHT.  The truth hurts.  Yes, I usually like her but have found her a tad self-aggrandizing when she gets into really meaty stuff in a television interview then holds her book up as if THAT's why she's there, not to inform and discuss as she so well does.
 
BUT...at today's luncheon where I heard her speak, I was stunned.   She's more attractive in person, she's one of the smartest women I have EVER met, and she has a sense of humor that cannot be beat.  She's warm, self effacing, kind and ...I can't think of enough good words, believe it or not.  She had everyone laughing for the 25 minutes talk and then throughout the Q&A which lasted approximately 35 minutes......

EVAN SAYET (liberal turned conservative) introduced her and he ROCKED.  He had people howling for 10 minutes on the political scene and then introduced her so beautifully and warmly......... Some quite well known people were there in the audience....like Bill Whittle, from Pajamas Media and others I can't name because it's a private group and ..that's that.  But, much more well known people than Whittle were there.  I told Whittle I like to publish his videos here at geeeZ and was that okay legally, ethically, did he mind?   This Conservative young man responded with "What integrity you have for asking, thank you....yes, please publish the videos...we have to get the word out there."   This wasn't about HIM, or what he can make$$$, this is about educating, informing.  I've met him and spoken to him before and he's always been warm and gracious.

SO, I'd had some emails from a few of you who knew I was going to be seeing Coulter asking if I'd let you all know what I thought, and there it is.   As much as I have thought of Coulter in the past, I never thought I'd say "This is a woman you could be good friends with...she's glib, warm, funny, attractive and SMART AS HELL; there is no other way to say it..

By the way, in the Q&A, I asked if she thought the Wisconsin elections this last week were any indication of November 2012 and she said she thought there were a good indication.  She went on to say how Ed Schultz, very liberal radio/msnbc 'star' was camped in Wisconsin in some parking lot lobbying for the Left...and how much money the unions and the Dems spent on that election (remember, this is the bunch which complains that the Right gets people revved up via the Tea Party, etc. :-)  and so.....yes, she thinks it's an excellent indication that the tides could actually be turning.   Another of my questions (I got greedy and she was responsive to another question from me) was about Sarah Palin and what did she think of Sarah's bus lurking around "flanking the GOP gatherings" in parking lots, etc......She thought that she ought to announce or not, but that she shouldn't (to which she got applause from the group of approx 250 attending)...and she should just be a "King Maker, make a lot of money, and do her thing........"

Someone rather disdainfully asked about Obama giving an Iftar dinner for Ramadan at the White House (though, as I reminded our table, Bush had done the same thing, so it's not a legitimate criticism of Obama) and she hadn't heard about that but she did remind us there was absolutely no traditional Easter message from the White House this year, something I believe Bush DID do for the huge majority of Christians in this country.   She added that perhaps the Iftar dinner was yet another Obama birthday celebration and, that "Only 3 people I know like to stretch their birthday into a birthWEEK.....Kim Jung Il, Barack Obama, and MY 10 year old niece!"  :-)   


I had THE BEST time, and the friend who went with me loved it, too........I wish you could all hear her in person..
Oh, by the way...I sat next to a young woman who's an attorney now and was Editor for her College newspaper ....at a private college here in L.A.., a good one;  she said when she was editor (and Conservative), she'd invite Coulter to speak and then Carville...always left/right.....people like that.......since she graduated, she said they only have Bill Maher come ...no Conservatives are invited anymore.  She also said that Coulter calls ahead of her college engagements and asks the school to invite a certain amount of students to go to dinner with her after her appearances,....this young woman at my table said those were fabulous times and I believe it showed the kind of person Coulter really is.

So, that's my report!
z

35 comments:

Ducky's here said...

Attractive? No.

Smart, well in a short bus sort of way I suppose.

Z said...

Actually, every man in the room was totally smitten, Ducky; she might not appeal to you, but she is very beautiful in person, trust me.

Smart...like you'd never understand. But, kudos for keeping your insults somewhat a bay.

Bob said...

Ann Coulter is not only attractive, but she is also super smart. She intimidates ordinary men, and is looked upon as a danger by less talented and attractive liberal women.

She first got my attention in the 2000 elections when in an interview about the Florida Supreme Court termed their actions as a Kangaroo Court. I completely agreed.

Ever since, I will stop what I am doing to listen to her whenever she is on a program. The only other people I listen to like that are Newt Gingrich (brilliant!), and Dennis Miller (also,brilliant).

Karen K said...

I'm glad you were so impressed with Ann-- I love her wit, and she IS smart. That's why lefties hate her... they pretend to be all about women, but deep down they're misogynists.

What a great experience, thanks for telling us about it!

Pris said...

Z, it's good to know Ann Coulter is who she seems to be. The genuine article, if you will.

She's a gutsy gal, and yes, she is brilliant and witty.

She manages to weave all of this into her columns, which leave you thinking and laughing at the same time. A rare talent indeed.

Z said...

Bob, she's just amazing...the kind of girl you want to have a drink with or go to the movies with; that's what I want to convey...she's very, very real.

My friend Jeanne's son is a close friend of Ann's here in L.A. and Jim drives Ann around when she's here...someone had a Fourth of July party in honor of Ann in Malibu and Jim was driving her out to that so Ann suggested they stop by Jim's so they could meet his parents. They spent 2 hours talking; that's the kind of woman Ann is. Jeanne said she was just fabulous, approachable, interested in them, etc. REALLY nice.

Today, she showed just HOW BRIGHT she was, fielding questions with real acumen.

Karen, it was SO neat, really....I'm glad you enjoyed reading my 'report'!

Pris, that's the thing; everything we THINK she is is really even BETTER. A rare talent and not at all the egocentric thing I'd kind of thought she was as she'd hold her books up so often during interviews, etc....she's not at all like that. you're right, she's very gutsy.
And VERY VERY bright

Always On Watch said...

I don't pay much attention to Debbie Schlussel, but I'm calling THIS to your attention. Did anyone ask Ann about that?

Stanley Kowalski said...

She's not only smart, she's "battle hardened". There's no issue a liberal can lob at her that she can't SMASH back.

Z said...

AOW, she did address this. ...someone asked her about it because ann IS such a Chris Christie fan........
As Ann pointed out, everybody deserves a defense lawyer and this man is someone who'd given much information to the feds on various muslim terrorist leads they were chasing down and helped immeasurably.
Ann's answer wasn't clear to me as I wasn't sure what the situation was, but she seemed to appease those in the room who seemed more up on this situation than I am.

Also, to suggest Ann doesn't support Israel is absolutely INSANE. I'll read the links in that piece later to see what she's said; she's a very faithful Christian; there is NO WAY she'd push Israel under any bus.

Off to church...see you later, thanks for pointing that out.

Greywolfe said...

Hey Z, long time no see. I have to come down on her (Anne Coulter) on a couple of points.... First, because she is becoming a gay rights activist and her position on the board of GOProud is extremely irritating to those of us on the Christian right. And second, I have to agree with you that she is self agrandizing. If I thought she were making her over the top statements because of principle, then I could accept it and applaud, I don't believe that though. She is in it to increase her book sales and to draw fire from the leftists in a bid to stay in the fray and push more books and speaking events.

Lastly, I can't believe that Ducky is still hanging out. I'd have thought that the constant literary pounding his idiocy earns himself would make him stop his trolling, but I suppose his masochism knows no bounds.

Z said...

Greywolfe....nice to see you.
AND, how about if I tell you that one of the things Ann has already done with the gay group she's JOINED is talk them out of gay marriage? :-)

yes...check it out.

As for self-aggrandizing, that's the point of my post: She's not that way in 'real life', in person...talking to people about the things that matter to all Conservatives.

I will never find her acerbic again because I know now what she's really like........Everyone I spoke to said that they'd completely changed their opinions for the better...those who already adored her, are stupid-smitten :-)


DUCKY's easy to handle...sadly mean (sad for him), nasty, sarcastic and ridiculously smug; plus an avowed socialist, but I can handle him and so can my commenters. There are days I have to delete because I've HAD it and there are days that are okay.
He crossed a line recently ... but, I don't want a Conservative Echo Chamber here.

It was another leftwing troll who can't even THINK who I had to go on moderation for while for....actually, I didn't mind moderation too much.
But, what I DO mind is giving simpering nothings a platform by using MY BLOG. THAT isn't going to EVER EVER EVER happen.

Silverfiddle said...

Like almost all liberal males, Ducky's manhood is threatened by strong women.

Thanks for that report, Z.

I used to not like Coulter much. I thought she was too provocative. I used to call her "Right Wing Porn."

But she seems to have mellowed somewhat, not in her staunch conservatism, but in style and tone.

I liked how she stood up for the Log Cabin Republicans and went after the cavemen in our own camp who didn't want anything to do with them.

Gramma 2 Many said...

Wish I had been there. I believe that she is the smartest woman on the public scene today.
Glad you had the opportunity to go and that you enjoyed:)

Lisa said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
elmers brother said...

Duhkkkleberry aka Sisyphus.

Lisa said...

I never mis a chance to watch Ann Coulter. I am still waiting for her to be around my area. I saw her C-Span Book TV the other day. Of course you get the usual nasty liberal call ins all with the same play book. She is so spot on with her answers. One republican call in did ask her why is it that feminist women never speak out against the way Muslim women are treated by Muslim men and she said that Feminists really don't care about women,that they just care about socialism.
Another thing she said on Hannity but I am going to use it for my next post.
Glad you got to see her Z. I am still waitng to shake her hand some day.

Pris said...

It seems to me if anyone is on a book tour, it's to sell her book!
That's what the publisher expects her to do, is sell it! Of course she's self agrandizing, she wrote it.

What's wrong in being provocative for conservatives? Do we want the truth about the left to come out or not?

The left and the media beat up on us every chance they get! Sometimes we're all too polite and restrained, I'm glad there's an Ann Coulter out there.

Z said...

SF...she's now on the Advisory Board of gay group whose name escapes me... A Gay Conservative group.
She has convinced them to reconsider their stand on gay marriage; she's there to work her logic and her amazing grasp of ramifications, etc.......They adore her mind and I think she'll be excellent in convincing them to reconsider a lot of stances... thanks for coming by.

Lisa..I hope you get to hear her, too...mine was at a private organization's invitation, but she's at colleges a LOT and maybe you can hitch a ride that way into see her.

Pris, the point about self-aggrandizement is not that she doesn't have every right to toot her horn and sell her book; all I've said on that is that it frustrates me when she's deep into a really good conversation making great sense on TV and, hopefully, changing minds, and suddenly, she holds her book up and says "AS I SAID in DEMONIC, a wonderful book on sale NOW at Barnes & Noble." etc., and the spell's broken. I've spoken to other people about that, some yesterday at the event, and they totally agreed; one starts to wonder if she's really behind the message or JUST selling books. Obviously, we all know she IS all about the very best of Conservatism, but those TV times really frustrate!

My point about yesterday's appearance is any idea that she's not 1000% into her message to help America and NOT just to sell books was totally DISPELLED!

Lisa said...

Thanks Z will keep my radar on

Lisa said...

I heard she's getting married. Did you hear that?

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

Coulter is too timid and left-wing for my tastes.

Always On Watch said...

Z,
to suggest Ann doesn't support Israel is absolutely INSANE

As I said, I don't "follow" Schlussel. IMO, she goes off the rails.

Glad to hear that Ann did address the issues involving Christie. I have found other alarming issues involving Christie. For one thing, he's somewhat of a darling of CAIR's. I'm not alluding to her "support" of gays at the last CPAC, BTW.

To be clear....I've read a lot of Ann's writing. Sometimes she is too acerbic for me in the visual medium, but I LOVE her books and columns -- for the most part, anyway.

Always On Watch said...

Beamish,
Coulter is too timid and left-wing for my tastes.

Damn, but you're hard core. **smile**

Always On Watch said...

Lisa,
She's getting married? To whom?

beakerkin said...

Ducky's idea of Beauty is Bella Abzug
wait she was a Zionist so....Then there is Helen Thomas who is more to the Duck's taste.

Lisa said...

I don't know AOW but she was a guest on Hannity's radio show the other day and he asked her about it and she didn't say no.
That's all I can speculate.

Lisa said...

Just heard a good one from Romney. He's called Obama's bus tour the Magical Misery Bus Tour

Z said...

AOW, Christie isn't a darling of CAIR but she did explain why he selected a Muslim to be in charge of, I think, immigration in New Jersey.
She also said the Ground Zero mosque IS being built, which I had not heard.

She also is in the Gay Conservatives group and said that, in her capacity on their Advisory Board, they have already begun to rethink, or changed entirely, their view on gay marriage....she was very pleased about that.
They respect her and she makes sense; I think she's an asset anywhere she goes.

My post covers how she is NOT acerbic in person; pretty much my whole point in why I she surprised my Saturday. Almost everyone I spoke to at the event before she spoke mentioned how she can be a little 'much' in HOW she speaks; the people I spoke to afterward were like me; completely touched by her NONacerbic, sweet and gracious personality. NOTHING like on television.

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

AOW,

Coulter subscribes to the absurd views that leftists could possibly have something intelligent to say, that gays are natural social conservatives, that America's economic woes are theological rather than mathematical, and other populist tropes.

Fun? Perhaps. Witty? Definitely. Conservative? No.

Z said...

Beamish, your comments are starting to make me giggle......
Why bother?

WE DO NOT AGREE WITH YOU. OKAY!? :-)

Coulter...ya, we all think America's woes are theological :-)

Bd said...
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Bd said...

Coulter is another shill for corporate America and spreads hate, fear and lies whenever she opens her pie hole.

Attractive? Yeah, if you like 'women' with Adam's Apples, lol!

Z said...

Bd, sometimes you actually make me burst into laughter with your idiotic remarks (no offense, of course!)

Honestly, for someone who detests anything Conservative..what the HECk are you hanging here for? :-)

hilarious

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

WE DO NOT AGREE WITH YOU. OKAY!? :-)

Well, as long as your blog isn't a left-wing Tea Party echo chamber, I'm stil going to try to bring a right-wing view to it. If that's okay.

Z said...

we're doing a fine job of it here as it is, but thanks