The Demons of David Horowitz

During the week of October 21, far-right wing operative and former communist agitator David Horowitz deployed his allies to college campuses America to spout crude anti-Muslim invective. He called this event "Islamofascism Awareness Week." Among Horowitz's stable of campus speakers were noted Islam experts Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity.

"Islamofascism Awareness Week" was, from the beginning, little more than a marathon fashion show for the paranoid style. But it was not until Horowitz muscled his way onto the campus of his alma mater, Columbia University, on October 26 that his event attained the commanding heights of reactionary hysteria.

Pacing the stage like a drunken circus clown impersonating some bygone demagogue, and standing beneath a massive image of a woman being shot in the head, Horowitz launched into a long, frenetic rant about his own persecution at the hands of a shadowy liberal conspiracy.

Though Horowitz devoted portions of his tirade to attacks on the Muslim Students Association, which he sought to paint as a front for virtually every Islamist group that strikes fear in the heart of his culturally deprived conservative peanut gallery, he seemed more comfortable lashing out at his perceived oppressors -- liberal professors, leftists, and the Democratic party -- than he did at any so-called "Islamofascists."

When I asked Horowitz about his weird comparison of his own father to 9/11 mastermind Mohammed Atta in his book, "The End of Time," his hysteria peaked. My question provoked him to link Jerry Falwell, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and "Jerry Springer and all his guests" together in a plot to bring social justice to the world "at the point of a gun."

Listening to Horowitz was like being trapped in a subway car with a raving derelict for an hour and a half. But unlike in the subway, where the transit police usually arrive to remove the derelict, the police came to Columbia to protect Horowitz from the non-existent security threat he had invoked in fundraising appeals for days leading up to his speech.

Horowitz's performance had to be seen to be believed. Luckily, despite being forbidden to film by the president of the Columbia College Republicans, my co-producer, Thomas Shomaker, and I managed to smuggle a camera into Horowitz's speech and record it all.

Take a look at our latest video, "The Demons of David Horowitz":

Comments

[realpolitic]

After listening to the tape of Mr. Horowitz, I hope no taxpayer dollars or student money went to fund his rant. His so-called speech, was just an attempt to link every ill and evil known to society to the political left. This kind of message is meant to crush independent thought and analysis rather than stimulate it. It is for those who feel aliented from mainstream culture, i.e., the Young Republicans, to have a club to join by simply hating others unlike oneself and accepting simplistic platitudes.

[zeesean]

Thanks!

[realpolitic]

The far right combines a hateful rant with a ban on recording equipment. That scenario describes the best they have to offer, which is a hateful, fear-inducing, hysterical message and an attempt to silence a free press.

[martinchill]

horrorwits sez: "the left has a vision of creating a kingdom of heaven on earth where there's no racism, no sexism, no homophobia, no poverty and no war."

and then he goes onto explain why that can never happen, except that he doesn't give the real reason - which is that in a world like that, he'd be out of a goddam job.

~~

"no racism, no sexism, no homophobia, no poverty and no war"

sounds good to me, david.

[renegade28]

Hell, what is really going on with insane people like David Horowitz? This guy is truly demented.

[Bookman100]

What's with that bizarre microphone action? He must have rock star fantasies. My God, what a fucking lunatic.

[BobC46]

Max Did not advanced any coherent argument. True leftist, totalitarian fashion just piled up a load of slogans. Max proved himself a true retard.

[Danny]

The GOP is imploding, and this Horowitz character is implosion personified.

[doneflyin]

Yikes, talk about your right wing nuttiness gone wild, here is a fine example.

I used to see guys like this ranting on street corners in downtown San Francisco or New York.
Now they are headlining at institutions like Columbia.
Better gig, I'd say. More money and clean clothes too.

[EndAllWars]

I seriously think inviting this hate monger DH was a make-up call for Columbia after having ruffled the feathers of its bosses, the neocon contributors to the school, by having invited amadinejad. it goes to show you whenever schools get an illusion of independence they are smacked over the head hard and put back in their place. You invite a moron like amadinejad??? Then you have to invite a bigger moron like DH but this time you'll have to kiss his bee hynd.

[lovethesinner]

Hey Max, you did it, again! Great film. You gotta string these all together to put a feature length movie out.

"When Fox Guards the Henhouse", or something like that. You have a really great collection of the most insane products of our MSM brainwashing.

Keep it up, pal, you're doing a great service for our nation.

[astanhope]

Nice work, Max! I particularly enjoyed the clown music at the end.

[Lolly]

I have to wonder--if it's so important to get the word out about "Islamofas­cism"--why the camera ban? Why wouldn't he want his oh-so-important message to get out to as many people as possible?

[bluescat47]

The lunatic fringe of the far right in action. Horowitz hates Islam, not just the extremist jihadist elements. He reminds me of Orwell's 1984 - where the state requires a period of hate every day. What a paranoid loser, bouncing from the nutty left to the nutty right over the course of 20 years. I wonder what his next bizarre personal transformation will be. Nazi? Warlock? Anybody's guess.

[radiclib]

Hey, I'm just one opinion, but I'm happy when Horowitz gets TV exposure, either on Fox or elsewhere. His basic creepiness seeps through the television screen. I know it's not kosher to insult people for their looks (they can't help it, I know) but Horowitz is just plain ugly. He makes it worse with his tone of voice, his body gestures and the words he uses. Watching and listening to him will make your skin crawl. Any rational person watching would have to think ``So, this is a conservative, huh? Hmmm. What alternative points of view are out there?''