Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 2012)
News Coulter continued from page 10 terrorist group that was lynching and murdering black people. That was an outgrowth of the Demo- cratic Party. FDR put a Klansman [Hugo Black] on the Supreme Court, and Democrat in good standing Bob Byrd [U.S. Senator Robert Byrd] was a recruiter for the Klan. KW: Nonetheless, I still have the sense that most of the South- erners who would’ve been segregationists in the Fifties and Sixties are now in the Republican camp. AC: No, that’s only because lib- erals say this over and over and over again to hide the actual his- tory, which is why I go through the specifics on the big segrega- tionists in the United States Senate, the ones who signed the Southern Manifesto and the ones who voted against the 1964 Civil Rights Act. There’s a panoply of issues to consider. These were aggressively-liberal Democrats who loooooooved big govern- ment when it came to The New Deal and Great Society programs. The first time they objected to the Federal government doing some- thing was when it came to civil rights legislation. This is in stark contrast to the very few Republi- cans who voted against the ’64 Civil Rights Act. KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles asks: What do you hope will be people’s reaction to being “Mugged” by you? AC: [LOL] I like that! Two reactions. The main point is: don’t make the mistake, America, of voting for Barack Obama who, by the way, does not come out of the Page 16 The Portland Skanner October 17, 2012 American black experience and everything white Americans feel guilty about. He’s a Hawaiian born in 1961. Weirdly enough, the best thing that ever happened to black people in the last twenty or thirty years was the O.J. verdict because it shut down the white guilt bank. And white guilt has never led to anything good. It’s brought us spiraling crime rates, mostly with black victims, and a permanent underclass living in public housing projects. For years, liberals cried that “law and order” and “welfare reform” were racist code words. Yet, when Republicans were finally able to push through tough policies on crime and welfare which they’d supported for decades, they were magnificent successes for the entire country, but especially for black people. Release us, and great things will happen! KW: Yale grad Tommy Russell asks: Are you familiar with Dr. Nina Jablonski and her important work that helps debunk the myth of race? Do you feel it’s important to get past the notion of race as something that separates us, and use our understanding of its at times painful history to move for- ward as a country, civilization and world? AC: I have not heard of her work, and I have not thought about the issue in those terms, but I would say “Yes!” based on the way it was phrased in the question. KW: Tommy also asks: As a for- mer smoker, do you feel a special kinship with President Obama? AC: [LOL] Yes, though I think he’s a little more uptight than most smokers. We’re usually pretty relaxed. KW: Why do you make the point in the book that he might have slave trader ancestors? AC: Because of all our presi- dents, Obama is the one most likely to be descended from a slave trader, since Kenya had a major slave-trading port, and the Mus- lims were heavily involved in the slave trade. Right before The Civil War, only 8 percent of white peo- ple owned slaves. Some plantations would have hundreds and hundreds of slaves, but the vast majority of whites didn’t have any. KW: Richie the intern asks: What did you think of how the car- toon The Boondocks depicted you? AC: I’ve at least heard of The Boondocks. But again, I have no idea how that was done. I wouldn’t know all that I do about history, if I spent my time watching cartoons and other TV shows. [Chuckles] KW: Richie was also wondering what Christian denomination you are affiliated with. AC: I don’t really talk about it much, but I’m a Presbyterian. KW: Ilene Proctor says: Beware the Coultergeist! She asks: Why did you recently say that civil rights should only be limited to African-Americans? AC: Because, historically, that’s what civil rights were. The Democrats pretended to care about black people for about five min- utes to help their electoral process, and then civil rights suddenly became abortion on demand, gay marriage, rights for the homeless, etcetera. Frankly, I’d be a little ticked off if I were black that, after the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow, everybody else wants to get to the head of the parade. Well, no! Listen, I like white women. I am a white woman. But we didn’t go through slavery and Jim Crow. Knock it off with this stuff! KW: What inspired you to write this book? AC: I was morose that the Era of Obama has returned us to a period where everything is racist, every- one is walking on eggshells, and you get the moral preening from white liberals who don’t actually even know any black people. But, oh, do they love to get on their high horses and accuse Republi- cans of being racist for opposing Ann Coulter very liberal government policies and a very liberal Democratic president. It’s an extension of the civil rights label being slapped on gay marriage and abortion. Allow me to be bi-partisan for a moment, and love this moment because it won’t last long. In my last chapter, among the public officials I men- tion who I think are spectacular and unaided by white guilt is the Democratic Mayor Cory Booker of Newark. He was Mau-Maued for not being black enough. He’s been like Giuliani in Newark. He’s got to become a Republican. KW: Kate Newell asks: What do you think of the use of satire in getting your views across? AC: Obviously, I’m a fan of satire. I’d debate anyone, but it would have to be the actual person. That would be my only hesitation about debating Colbert. If he were play- ing a character, it wouldn’t really work. But I’d pretty much debate anybody. I prefer to debate smart liberals. I’m not saying this about Stephen Colbert but, unfortunate- ly, the most famous liberals generally aren’t the smartest ones. I have a list of the smarter liberals I recommend. KW: Fellow attorney, fellow Cornellian and, in his opinion, fel- low fiction writer Peter Brav says: Where do I start? I worked really hard to come up with a question for you, telling myself that your act is just an act, that you might actually help my wheelchair- bound mother across the street and not push her into traffic to help reduce the Medicare deficit, because I don’t want to risk Kam’s not making it onto your website’s short list of seven “Interviewers Who Are Allowed to Interview Ann Again.” But I just couldn’t. AC: [LOL] Read the book, Peter! You’ll come up with a lot of questions. I don’t know why liber- als find it comforting to say this is an act. If you like saying that, okay. But it’s an act that apparent- ly you can’t respond to, and an act that is intellectual and well thought out enough that you don’t have a response to, otherwise you would. KW: Peter’s wife, Professor Janet Brav says: Since things are not going as well as you might have hoped for Mitt Romney, with the benefit of hindsight, whom would you have preferred to head the Republican ticket this year? AC: No, it’s still Romney. And I don’t think things are going that badly. I believe the media’s lying. I think it’s part of their attempted suppression of the Republican vote to discourage them by announcing that the campaign is over.
