Celebrity journalist John Stossel will bring his mustache and well-known brand of polemic conservatism to the Old University Union’s Mandela Room on Sunday.
Stossel, a libertarian columnist and advocate, is the former host of “20/20” and the anchor of a weekly news program on Fox Business Channel. He has been called a prime time propagandist by his opponents on the left, but is revered as a free market prophet by his supporters on the right.
Stossel will discuss his newest book, “No, They Can’t” and offer his slant on education, the economy and the fallacies of common sense.
Binghamton University’s College Republicans teamed up with other student groups, including the College Democrats, the College Libertarians and the Young America’s Foundation — a national conservative youth organization — to secure Stossel’s campus appearance, according to Tara-Marie Lynch, executive chairman of the College Republicans.
Lynch, a senior triple-majoring in economics, political science and international political economy, said Stossel will donate his lecture earnings to charity, though she would not disclose his speaking fees.
“What’s neat about John Stossel is that he doesn’t pocket the money given to him for his speaking events,” she said.
Lynch said she is proud that her club brought a big name to campus.
“Bringing John Stossel to campus has been a long-standing goal of the Binghamton University College Republicans and we’ve finally made it a reality,” she said. “The fact that Binghamton University is on Mr. Stossel’s agenda is a pretty big deal.”
Lynch spoke highly of Stossel and said people should attend the event not only to hear his thoughts, but to enjoy his humor.
“Not only is Mr. Stossel an extremely intellectual person, but he is also entertaining,” she said. “In other words, he is not some ‘Snooki’ coming to Binghamton.”
Kevin Greer, the publicity director for the College Republicans, said his group will offer the first 100 attendees a complimentary piece of fake facial hair to help make the event memorable.
“We’re giving away free Stossel ‘Staches, which has gotten a lot of attention considering that most people know how awesome Stossel’s mustache is,” Greer said.
Greer added, however, that Stossel brings more to the table than just his famous ‘stache, because he challenges both Republicans and Democrats.
“I’m particularly excited for Stossel to come because although he’s a guy who is on Fox, he really takes a lot of libertarian views that force both liberals and conservatives to really think,” Greer said.
Catherine Cornell, SA vice president for programming, said that while the SAPB was not involved in bringing Stossel to campus, his visit bodes well for the University.
“Hosting world-class speakers like John Stossel shows Binghamton’s strong academic core and reflect our standing as the premier public,” Cornell said.
After his talk, Stossel will be available to answer questions from the audience and sign copies of his books. The event is free and will open its doors to the public at 2 p.m.