On the October 15 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Michael Medved hosted right-wing pundit Ann Coulter to discuss her October 8 assertion on CNBC's The Big Idea -- documented by Media Matters for America -- that “we” Christians “just want Jews to be perfected.” Before airing a clip of Coulter's comments, Medved said: "[W]hat I wanted to do was to just get clear on the record here ... [n]ot only [on] what you said but what you meant. Here is the section of the original interview ... that started the process that got you into such heated controversy." During the subsequent discussion, Coulter asserted, "[A]s long as we're playing this new sport of 'he who is offended first wins,' if anyone's going to be offended by anyone else's religion, the Jews believe that my savior, a Jew, was a raving lunatic, and you don't see me sniffling and crying." In response, Medved said, “Be careful,” adding, “I'm sure this is gonna come back. You don't really want to say -- because Jews do not -- traditional Jews do not really believe ... that Jesus was a raving lunatic.” Before going to commercial break, Medved announced: “We're coming right back with Ann Coulter, who has, I don't know, maybe created some additional controversy -- I hope not.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Coulter again elaborated on her October 8 comments, asserting: "[B]y the way, of course a Christian wants everyone to be a Christian. I assume all vegans think the world would be better if everyone were a vegan. And the global warming wackos would like everyone to believe in their crackpot global warming theory. And nonsmokers would like everyone not to smoke." Coulter also said of the controversy surrounding her statement: “This is just the irreligious against the religious.” She made similar comments on Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor later that evening, as Media Matters noted.
Later in the show, Coulter stated: “I'm sorry. I just can't take this seriously, Michael. I don't know when [Big Idea host] Donny Deutsch became the Al Sharpton of the Jews, but I don't think it's working.” Medved replied, “Well, the problem here is that a lot of the major Jewish organizations” -- at which point Coulter interjected, "[a]re lying." She added: “But they attack me. ... [F]rom what I can tell, it's all the usual suspects. It's always the same thing. Actually, the only thing that is different here is usually I have told a joke. It is a satire. Here it is just a straight, plain, non-controversial statement of what all Christians believe. Of course, all Christians want everyone to be a Christian, like all feminists would like everyone to be a feminist, though it's maybe a little more important to us.” She concluded, “And yes, of course, we accept the Old Testament, which is what I said. And as I say in my current book, if the things I say are so outrageous, why won't they quote me accurately? I am never quoted accurately and, once again, I'm not being quoted accurately here.” Coulter did not offer any purported evidence of her “not being quoted accurately.”
From the October 15 edition of Townhall Radio's The Michael Medved Show:
MEDVED: If we can go back to the original interchange with Donny Deutsch. And what I wanted to do was to just get clear on the record here. Some --
COULTER: Yeah, what I said as opposed to what they say I said.
MEDVED: Correct. Not only about what you said but what you meant. Here is the section of the original interview that got -- that started the process that got you into such heated controversy.
[begin audio clip]
COULTER: OK, take the Republican National Convention. People were happy. They're Christian. They're tolerant. They defend America, they --
DEUTSCH: Christian -- so we should be Christian? It would be better if we were all Christian?
COULTER: Yes.
DEUTSCH: We should all be Christian?
COULTER: Yes. Would you like to come to church with me, Donny?
DEUTSCH: So I should not be a Jew, I should be a Christian, and this would be a better place?
COULTER: Well, you could be a practicing Jew, but you're not.
[end audio clip]
MEDVED: All right. And then it went on from there. Will you acknowledge that, at the Republican Convention, in fact, not everybody was Christian, and nor would you want everybody to be Christian at the Republican Convention.
COULTER: Well, sure. I mean, that isn't -- I mean, they probably weren't all tolerant, either. They may not have all been happy.
MEDVED: Right.
COULTER: I could have said, you know, there were Texans and Oklahomans. This was a description of many of them there. The point he was trying to get at was that, an Ann Coulter world -- apart from politics -- would be cruel intolerance and vicious. So yes, that was one of the characteristics I brought up of what Ann Coulter's America would look like.
And by the way, of course a Christian wants everyone to be a Christian. I assume all vegans think the world would be better if everyone were a vegan. And the global warming wackos would like everyone to believe in their crackpot global warming theory. And nonsmokers would like everyone not to smoke. I don't even go around passing laws, like Michael Bloomberg.
MEDVED: All right, no -- are you picking on another Jewish target, Ann? Look, the problem --
COULTER: Yes, I'm launching my anti-Semitic program from New York City.
MEDVED: Right. The problem with all of this is that it appears that -- and this was very clear in the guest we had on right before you, this woman, [caller], who wants to challenge licenses -- FCC licenses -- for people who broadcast your words, is that there are a lot of people who seem to be unaware of what Christians call the Great Commission, of the idea that Christians, not out of hatred, but out of love, want to share their religious faith with other people. And what troubles me terribly is the tone in some of this commentary that suggests that the right to share your religious faith ought to be challenged if you happen to be a Christian.
COULTER: Yeah, well, I gotta say, this has moved way beyond the left's usual Christian panic syndrome. This is just the irreligious against the religious. I mean, you're too smart to even analyze this. This isn't even just Christianity. Like I say, don't vegans want everyone to be a vegan? I mean, this is people who have absolutely no familiarity with what the Old and New Testament are.
I didn't bring up Jews converting. I said, “Yeah, I want everyone to be Christians,” and Donny Deutsch brought it up. And by the way, of all the religions out there in the world -- Islam, Druidism, Global Warming religion -- the only one Christians believe is true is Judaism. So, if he were a Druid and said, “Are you saying that means I have to give up my Druidism?” I would have said, “Yeah.” If he were Al Gore and said, “Are you saying I have to give up the religion of global warming?” I would have said, “Yes.”
But Judaism, as I explained -- Christians accept the Old Testament. Jews don't accept the New Testament, so, you know, as long as we're playing this new sport of “he who is offended first wins,” if anyone's going to be offended by anyone else's religion, the Jews believe that my savior, a Jew, was a raving lunatic, and you don't see me sniffling and crying.
MEDVED: OK, be --
COULTER: Somehow we manage to get along without slitting one another's throats.
MEDVED: OK. Be careful, because I'm sure this is gonna come back. You don't really want to say -- because Jews do not -- traditional Jews do not really believe --
COULTER: Well --
MEDVED: -- that Jesus was a raving lunatic.
COULTER: I'm glad you don't mention it, but I think you have to.
MEDVED: OK, can we avoid getting into that particular argument, Ann, because -- no you don't.
COULTER: OK, except that my point is I'm not sniffling and crying. These are -- this is what the Old Testament and the New Testament are. You're the chosen people with, you know, Moses taking you out to the desert. We believe all that, all that. The Old Testament anticipates a Christ.
MEDVED: OK, we're coming --
COULTER: You say we --
MEDVED: Hold on. Hold on --
COULTER: -- got the wrong guy.
MEDVED: We're coming right back with Ann Coulter, who has, I don't know, maybe created some additional controversy -- I hope not -- on The Michael Medved Show.
[...]
MEDVED: Fifty-five minutes after the hour, just a few moments more with America's sweetheart, Ann Coulter. She has inspired a -- the usual controversy with some unusual twists.
Ann, before I have to let you go, can we just get a couple things very clear on the record? You do believe that Jewish people -- believing Jewish people, who believe Judaism, not Christianity -- have a place in America?
COULTER: Not only that, as I said, we think they go to heaven.
MEDVED: OK, and you believe --
COULTER: That's the curious thing here. This is the -- Christianity -- this is the one case where one religion can say to a practitioner of another religion, “We believe all of your religion.” You can't say that to -- if you're a Christian -- to a Muslim. No, you would have to give up Islam. You can't say it to a Druid. No, you would have to give up Druidism. Christians accept the entire New Testament, as I said.
MEDVED: The Old Testament.
COULTER: The Old Testament.
MEDVED: Yeah.
COULTER: Right. And what is -- I mean, this is purely an attack of the irreligious on the religious, as I've told you. The Orthodox Jews are overwhelmingly supporting me. They know what's in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
MEDVED: OK, the point about this is you also believe, don't you, that the Republican Party will be vastly strengthened if more Jewish people feel at home in the Republican Party?
COULTER: Well, the very first point I made when I was asked about my ideal America was that I want everybody to be a Republican. That wasn't enough.
MEDVED: Right. And you also said that you want the Democrats to all be like Joe Lieberman, who's not noted to be a devout Christian.
COULTER: Yeah, that's going to hurt me with the anti-Semites.
MEDVED: I guess. You see, with this --
COULTER: I'm sorry. I just can't take this seriously, Michael. I don't know when Donny Deutsch became the Al Sharpton of the Jews, but I don't think it's working.
MEDVED: Well, the problem here is that a lot of the major Jewish organizations --
COULTER: Are lying. But they attack me -- I mean, it's -- from what I can tell, it's all the usual suspects. It's always the same thing. Actually, the only thing that is different here is usually I have told a joke. It is a satire. Here it is just a straight, plain, non-controversial statement of what all Christians believe. Of course, all Christians want everyone to be a Christian, like all feminists would like everyone to be a feminist, though it's maybe a little more important to us.
And yes, of course, we accept the Old Testament, which is what I said. And as I say in my current book, if the things I say are so outrageous, why won't they quote me accurately? I am never quoted accurately and, once again, I'm not being quoted accurately here.
MEDVED: And, I tell you, right in the interview itself, I noticed that -- listening to it a couple times -- you never said that Jews must be perfected. You said, “As Christians, we want Jews to be perfected.” So, just a small, but very significant variation.
Ann Coulter, appreciate you coming on the show. Appreciate your getting some clarifications on the record. Not retreats, not apologies -- clarifications.