…are dumb Jews. Three good reasons.
I’m pretty sure that the LA Times knows that if it released the Khalidi tape, it would be devastating to his prospects for the Jewish vote.
[Update mid morning]
Jewish Democrats warn Netanyahu to stay out of the U.S. election.
They’re running scared. If the Romney campaign was smart, he’d fly to New York and meet with him.
[Bumped]
I have always believed that the mainstream liberal non-orthodox Jews who rarely goes to synagogue have been convinced by the Dem’s that without them they will have no protection. As illogical as that is, I think that is their motivation. Unlike Jews in Israel their homeland and faith have less impact on their lives. They just want to get along.
To the extent that you are right, it is because of things like this:
ADL Urges Texas GOP
To Modify Party Platform
Calling America
‘A Christian Nation’
Anti-Defamation League
6-22-4
HOUSTON (U.S. Newswire) — The Anti-Defamation League has called on the Texas Republican Party to modify its party platform calling America “a Christian nation.”
In a letter to Texas Republican Party officials by the Southwest Region and North Texas Regions of the Anti-Defamation League, ADL expressed concern about the party’s recently adopted platform declaring the United States to be “a Christian nation” and referring to the “myth” of the separation of church and state.
ADL is deeply concerned by the “Christian nation” language. Calling America a “Christian nation” diminishes the fact that our country is a democratic nation founded on and embodying the principle of diversity, including religious diversity. Religion has flourished in America precisely because of America’s respect and commitment to its diversity and pluralism, and we call on Democrats and Republicans alike, to be mindful that America is home to people of all faiths and backgrounds. The separation of church and state is no myth; rather it is a fundamental principle of our democracy.
ADL urges the Texas GOP to modify language in its party platform to reinforce principles and values that unite our diverse nation, rather than issue statements with the potential to divide our citizenry.
When Republicans talk about a Christian nation, they almost invariably are including Judaism, knowing that most Americans never made it halfway through the Bible anyway.
It’s like saying we’re founded on Terminator II or Aliens II. People who think the sequels sucked and prefer the first movie are still part of the fan base, and we even make allowance for those who like Terminator III or Aliens III and IV, even though most of us don’t respect those as canon.
But we don’t believe in Pluto Nash or Howard the Duck, and shouldn’t have to change who we are to accomodate those freaks.
If your version of how things really are was true, the following Lenny Bruce bit wouldn’t be so funny:
You and I know what a Jew is—One Who Killed Our Lord. I
don’t know if we get much press on that in Illinois—we did
this about two thousand years ago—two thousand years of
Polack kids whacking the crap out of us coming home from
school. Dear, dear, there should be a statute of limitations for
that crime. Why do you keep busting our chops for this crime?
Why, because you skirt the issue. You blame it on the Roman
soldiers. All right. I’ll clear the air once and for all, and confess.
Yes, we did it. I did it. My father found a note in my basement.
It said, “We killed him. Signed, Morty.” And a lot people say to
me, “Why did you kill Christ?” I dunno…it was one of those
parties got out of hand, you know.
We killed him because he didn’t want to become a doctor,
that’s why we killed him.
It’s funny to you because it’s an inside joke. Since actual American Christians don’t go around blaming jews for killing Jesus, the rest of us don’t get the humor, sorry.
My personal experience suggests otherwise. Lenny Bruce’s professional success suggests otherwise.
I grew up in the Chicago suburbs. Some Chicago suburbs have lots of Jews. Some have (or at least had) none. I grew up in the latter sort, where people were so unfamiliar with Judaism that they asked me if Jews had birthdays . (I’d say “No, we hatch from eggs”). But it really wasn’t a stupid question — Jews don’t celebrate Christmas, so what else don’t we celebrate?
But people knew one thing: they knew Jews killed Jesus, and I didn’t hear the end of it.
==== Some other reactions to this thread ====
Rand, what do you suppose Netanyahu and Obama could talk about that wasn’t talked about before? Leon Panetta was just in Israel for extensive discussions with Netanyahu and Ehud Barak — do you suppose Netanyahu and Obama have something to say to each other that wasn’t addressed in Panetta’s meetings?
Changing the subject: why do you care what Jewish voters do? If you were shown numbers that demonstrated that, because of their population size and, even more importantly, their geographic distribution, Jewish Americans couldn’t be expected swing the Presidential election no matter how they voted, would you stop caring as much?
Why not focus on groups who can swing the election, and say “Hispanic voters who vote for Obama are dumb Hispanics” or “Black voters who vote for Obama are…”
Calling Jews dumb, or calling America a Christian nation — both are example of tone-deafness if the goal is really to reach Jewish democrats and persuade them to vote for Republicans. But I don’t think that’s really the goal. I think Andrew Klaven, converted to Christianity by the way, was really addressing with his piece the very same people who the Texas GOP was addressing: bigots. What is clever about Klaven’s piece is that it will also appeal to Jewish right wingers and others who aren’t bigots but will enjoy calling the majority of Jewish Americans dumb. Well, have fun, but it won’t change any votes.
Neither Andrew Klavan or I expect you to change your vote. That’s why we’re saying you’re dumb.
So, who is the audience?
With the important distinction that I’m only talking about trends in a non-monolithic group of people, one more thought:
You know which ethnic group thinks the most favorably of Muslim Americans? Jewish Americans. I think it is because we don’t want to see people discriminated against based on their religion. As I’ve said here before: you can call it Holocaust Avoidance. When Republicans stand up for the rights of Muslims, and condemn Islamophobia, as President Bush did, more Jews will be more supportive of Republicans. When Republicans act like the Texas GOP (which wasn’t really targeting Jews, it was targeting Muslims), or when Republicans act like the Islamophobic right wingers (Republican or otherwise, Rand) on this blog, fewer Jews will be supportive of Republicans.
Or, in other words, I guess JJS’s point has some merit, even though I hate to admit it.
Bob, didn’t it ever occur to you to blame it on the Italians?
A large section of the Democrat party, the heirs of the 1960’s radicals, view Israel as an evil capitalist colonial oppressor and side with the Arabs who want to destroy it. Now they’re in charge of US policy just as one of Israel’s bitter enemies is developing the nuclear missiles that could actually accomplish the task. In contrast, blacks and hispanics don’t face vaporization under Obama’s policies, they just get more free stuff, including unemployment checks into the indefinite future.
If Iran does succeed in a nuclear attack on Israel, killing hundreds of thousands and rendering it unviable, if not unlivable, what will the Obama supporters say? “Well, Israel brought it down on themselves by not blah blah Palestinian statehood blah blah .” and “nuclear weapons are evil and America should disarm” and “Iran had to attack because Republicans blah blah blah.”
The bulk of them don’t care about the Jews and never have, they just jump on whatever moral high ground they can find to impress their equally shallow friends down at Starbucks, and in those circles Islam is trending up because they can call anti-Islamists “racist sexist homophobe bigots” without a trace of irony.
If some Christians are still upset that Jesus was killed for thirty pieces of silver, I wonder how Jews will feel when they realize Israel was destroyed for three double mocha lattes?
As far as I can tell, antisemitism is commoner among illiterate Christians. Clearly, we must promote school choice.
Marx before Moses.
Right
FWIW, Romney was in Manhattan today, speaking to the Clinton Global Initiative gathering.
I guess it’s worth nothing.