Bill Maher and Ann Coulter debate at the Chicago Theatre
“Sparks,” clichéd patter flies as banshee-like audience cackles eerily
The 2009 Speaker Series kicked off Wednesday night at the Chicago Theatre, in what was framed as a no-holds-barred cage-match debate between noted shit-stirrers/political commentators Ann Coulter and Bill Maher. The series got off to a weak start with Maher and Coulter effectively churning out a greatest-hits set, performing as a band you never really liked. Rarely did the night’s discussion actually turn to current issues like the shitty economy or the still-raging war in Iraq. Old standby topics like Sarah Palin, John McCain, Bill Clinton, religion, and, hell, even the Holocaust were paraded out for an easily satisfied and entertained audience.
But the night wasn’t about changing anyone’s opinions. “It’s a given that everything someone says is going to be disagreed with,” Maher said after he and Coulter finished their lengthy, pre-debate speeches. “If you keep booing, this would take forever and that wouldn’t be worth the price of admission.” Maher then called the first boo-er of the night an asshole. (But that didn’t stop the elderly woman in front of Decider from booing him silently under her breath throughout the evening—why would she come just to boo them?) The gloves were clearly off. Sorta. They both acknowledged at the outset that they’re friends, but the Chicago visit came on the heels of similar discussions in New York and Boston a few days prior. So what ensued at the Chicago Theatre seemed largely like the liberal comedian and conservative author merely spinning their wheels, spouting the same claptrap they always do when they’re on TV. The appeal of seeing it in person was hardly lasting.
What was far more interesting was the scattered waves of reactions throughout the evening, even though Maher (who received a standing ovation) and Coulter both conceded that the crowd would be far more liberal. In effect, most of what Coulter said existed in a vacuum, starting with her 13-minute opening speech. It effectively functioned as anti-comedy in a bizarre stand-up set with jokes about President Barack Obama getting a water dog to accompany him on his walks on water, and how his honeymoon with the press is over because it only compares him to Lincoln instead of Jesus. Too soon? It’s tough to say because there was a time-delay at work: Coulter would say something goading at either Maher or the crowd (she called the entire audience “stupid”), then there would be a moment of silence, then the scant few right-wingers in the audience would cheer, and then the rest of the crowd would laugh at their reaction. This pattern repeated itself all night, and although Maher was obviously much more well-received, the evening felt like being in a theater filled with a busload of cackling mental patients.
Still, the most entertaining parts of the night were the unexpected reactions from the crowd. When Maher cornered Coulter for not knowing the opening line of the Bible (or "the 2000-year-old-game of telephone, as he called it), her go-to line was that she isn't a Talmudic scholar, which got no reaction. When Maher alleged that Republicans think they're more patriotic than Democrats—equating their love of their country with that of their mothers—the crowd ate it up, even though it didn't quite work as a metaphor. But the biggest upset occured when the pair were asked about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter, Bristol, and her canceled wedding. Coulter earnestly said she didn't want to be judgmental toward anyone, which created a deafening roar from the audience. "Oh, I'm in the colosseum," she then said sheepishly, suddenly getting defensive.
Still, the most entertaining parts of the night were the unexpected reactions from the crowd. When Maher cornered Coulter for not knowing the opening line of the Bible (or "the 2000-year-old-game of telephone, as he called it), her go-to line was that she isn't a Talmudic scholar, which got no reaction. When Maher alleged that Republicans think they're more patriotic than Democrats—equating their love of their country with that of their mothers—the crowd ate it up, even though it didn't quite work as a metaphor. But the biggest upset occured when the pair were asked about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter, Bristol, and her canceled wedding. Coulter earnestly said she didn't want to be judgmental toward anyone, which created a deafening roar from the audience. "Oh, I'm in the colosseum," she then said sheepishly, suddenly getting defensive.
So, as a showdown, the night didn’t deliver. Maher dropped a plug for his anti-religion movie, Religulous, Coulter didn’t miss an opportunity to hype her books, and the debate just felt too safe by covering well-tread topics. There was no winner declared, but Maher arguably lost the most face when he suddenly started expressing his deep love for Chicago and called Illinois a “hip” place because he once bribed his way out of a speeding ticket in college for $10: He got what he called a student discount. He then proceeded to call Obama a “cool dude,” and bemoaned Republicans as people he’d love to have a beer with—so he can “fucking smash them over the head with the bottle.” Yup. You’ve heard it all before on TV, and this debate offered nothing new. But Maher did get one thing right when he complained about how long they’d been talking: “Do we have to cover every single issue in American history? She wins—she just goes on and on and on.”
