Posted on 02/14/2007 3:53:46 PM PST by The Blitherer
ABC’s Jennifer Rubin thinks she knows. According to her report, Mitt Romney announcing his candidacy yesterday at a museum named for Henry Ford has a lot to do with it:
Indeed, the incident may say something not only about Romney but about the GOP's problem with Jews. In his boatload of advisers, Romney apparently did not have anyone to say, "You know, a lot of Jews really hate Ford, and it might mess up your message.”
A few points here to counter Rubin’s hyperbole. At this moment, Romney has less a boatful of advisors than a handful. And, for what it’s worth, among that handful, my lantzmen are amply represented. Furthermore, most Jews don’t know about Henry Ford’s anti-Semitism and those that do couldn’t give a rat’s tuchas about it anyway.
What’s more, obviously Henry Ford’s fame doesn’t derive from his anti-Semitism. Romney’s announcement venue was as much of an issue (to all but the most hyper-sensitive Jews) as a photo-op in front of the Spirit of St. Louis would have been. Like Ford, Charles Lindbergh’s fame had nothing to do with his anti-Semitism. Now if Romney made an appearance at the next Leni Riefenstahl film festival, that would be noteworthy.
As an additional point of note, I’ve heard many Jews say they would never consider driving a German car as payback for the Holocaust. I have never heard a Jew say he wouldn’t drive a Ford, unless it related to the execrable quality of their vehicles. (In my younger days, I too used to say I would never drive a German car. When my financial situation changed, I amended that guideline to the only slightly less principled, “I’ll never drive a Volkswagen.”)
The ginned up controversy over Romney’s venue is hysterical, the kind of eye-roll inducing Jewish protest that makes me want to say to the complainers, “There are some very nasty people who want to exterminate 6 million of our co-religionists. Don’t we have bigger fish to fry?”
The complaints have come from the usual outraged suspects – I believe Alan Dershowitz is leading the charge this time. I love Dersh, but he’s always annoyed over some perceived slight. Dersh, Abe Foxman, Rabbi Heir – whenever these guys enter righteous outrage mode, it’s by nature a classic dog-bites-man story.
But let’s just say for the sake of ridiculous argument that the Republican Party is habitually not sensitive enough to the Jewish community’s concerns. The Democrats are better? Need I remind you that during the Democrats’ last presidential primary season, a so-called Reverend who had organized a virtual pogrom a few years earlier graced the stage at every debate. Since 2004, the Democratic extreme fringe has eagerly equated Zionism to systematic bigotry. The Grey Eminence of the Party, James Earl Carter himself, recently published a dreadful book that ludicrously asserted that Israel is an apartheid state. And, oh yeah, Wesley Clark just last week made a reference to how American foreign policy is dictated by “New York moneymen” with proboscises of unmentioned size.
In short, if you want to find the reason for the Republican failure to do better with the Jews, I guess you could choose to blame it on insufficient Republican sensitivity. But you’ll look pretty dumb if you do.
SO WHY DO JEWS VOTE FOR DEMOCRATS?
I think I’m in a unique position to answer that question since not only are some of my best friends Jewish, I too am Jewish. There are two main reasons: First, the social issues drive Jews into the Democrats’ sweaty embrace; second, it’s a tribal thing.
As far as the social issues are concerned, most Jews are liberal. Very liberal. They’re pro-choice, and they’re very concerned about the separation between church and state. These are serious matters for them. When Bush won re-election, I called to taunt one of my liberal friends, and she launched into a tirade that I think had something to do with back-alley abortions and legalizing date-rape. The American Jewish community in general is very uncomfortable with the virtually every position the Republicans hold on social issues.
And then there’s the church-and-state thing. Jews are concerned about being a powerless minority. The Holocaust haunts them; for a lot of Jews, it still lingers as a cautionary tale of how quickly and totally things can go south even in a society into which they’ve fully assimilated. That’s why nativity scenes and prayers at football games tend to elicit such a visceral reaction from some Jews. These things are reminders of the Jews’ minority status, and thus what they perceive as their vulnerability. (I’m not saying any of this is rational – I don’t think it is. I’m just being descriptive here.)
The other reason so many Jews vote reflexively and exclusively Democrat is because it’s a tribal thing. Their grandparents voted only for Democrats. So too their parents. Many of today’s Jews are going to do the same thing.
I’ve had conversations with Jews whose primary concern is Israel’s well-being. I point out to them that Israel has never had a better friend than George W. Bush. Objectively, that fact is unassailable. And yet Jews who are tribal Democrats refuse to even engage the issue. The notion that George Bush, an Evangelical Christian of all things, is a friend to Israel is so far outside their conceptual framework they can’t process it. They lack the bandwidth.
So what can Republicans do about this? Pretty much nothing. These things take decades to change. The attitude of the far left to Israel will drive some Jews to consider voting Republican, but nowhere near a majority. The South took a century after the Civil War to even consider supporting Republicans.
Like I said, these things take time.
Who says Democrats like Jews? I've known many African Americans, probably Democrats all, who hated Jews. Jimmy Carter likes Jews? Hillary Clinton likes Jews? They like their votes, that's about it. How about those "progressives" who think Israel is evil?
A lot of Jewish immigrants from eastern Europe were communists. If their grandchildren are democrats, they've come a long way, but they live in ghettos and never meet any Republicans.
>>>Why Do Jews Not Vote For Republicans?<<<
Why did many Israelites worship the golden calf? Why did many Jews embrace communism in Russia? Why do many embrace liberalism, today? Why do many embrace the ACLU?
Why? Because they have rebelled against God. They have sold their souls to the devil.
Because they are anti-Christian liberals.
2. Why do Arabs not vote for Republicans?
3. Why do Puerto Ricans not vote for Republicans?
You get my drift...
Stuff like this:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1784876/posts?page=0#0
certainly doesn't help the Republican case.
Memo: Stop Teaching Evolution (It's A Plot By The Jooooos!)
Dallas Morning News ^ | 2/14/07 | Robert T. Garrett
Posted on 02/14/2007 12:43:16 PM PST by steve-b
The second most powerful member of the Texas House has circulated a Georgia lawmaker's call for a broad assault on teaching of evolution.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, used House operations Tuesday to deliver a memo from Georgia state Rep. Ben Bridges.
The memo assails what it calls "the evolution monopoly in the schools."
Mr. Bridges' memo claims that teaching evolution amounts to indoctrinating students in an ancient Jewish sect's beliefs.
"Indisputable evidence – long hidden but now available to everyone – demonstrates conclusively that so-called 'secular evolution science' is the Big Bang, 15-billion-year, alternate 'creation scenario' of the Pharisee Religion," writes Mr. Bridges, a Republican from Cleveland, Ga. He has argued against teaching of evolution in Georgia schools for several years....
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
The only Jews who are complaining are from out of state. If they lived here, then they wouldn't have said a word - because older people still love Mitt's dad from when he was Governor in the 1960's and everyone here loves their cars -and Henry Ford (despite his flaw of being anti-Semitic). A lot of it has to do with the fact that so many people are employed or were employed by Ford Motor. And the Fords did and still do a lot for our area. There's the Henry Ford medical centers, Ford high schools, the Henry Ford Community College, the donations to various charities/organizations in our area...
People who only see Ford for being an anti-semite are missing the complete picture of what Ford did for our state. And that's the real tragedy of their comments. MI wasn't the car capital of the world until Ford came along....it's a legacy that we are very proud of here - even if you don't work in the auto industry. It makes you realize how ignorant some people really truly are.
Yes, it is wrong to be an anti-semite, but it is also wrong to assume that this is someone's only characteristic.
Intelligent, highly successful people can be as paranoid, and hysterical, and bigoted, as anyone else. Barnett is largely right in his analysis, I think. He's also right to say this will take time. To put it bluntly, a younger generation less alienated from certain aspects of America, and more intermarried with other Americans, needs to replace the older generation. The GOP and conservatives should not be kissing butt. They should reach out intelligently and UNAPOLOGETICALLY, and without trimming their principles. They should focus on getting the most out of the Jews (and blacks, etc.) that they have, not on converting large numbers. It's a waste of time and the price is too high even if we manage to succeed.
Yes, there's a lot to what you say.
No unarmed Jew can say "Never Again" and mean it
The kosher nostra! Love the JPFO.
See post #6.
Because most republicans love Jews and love Isreal..
And most/many are Zionists..
Jews hate republicans because most of them are christians...
And many evangelize Jewish people to be christians..
a] Stereotyping aside, Jewish children are rarely allowed to avoid the expectation of higher education - the 'intelligentsia' put communism into power, supported the CPUSA between the wars, and supports socialism today; hence, more Jewish people probably lean left no matter what.
b] Historic Europe set Jews apart from 'conservative' Christianity, that's how ghettos got started; hence, Jews remain leery of any 'conservative' side of Christianity. (Again, no matter what.)
c] FDR was a democrat (in name only).
d] JFK was a democrat although far removed from today's crop.
e] Western Jews have traditionally been the under dog, the outsider, in any socio/political dust up. It's probably reasonable that they'd support a party that gave best lip service to equality and support for the little guy.
f] It's also likely that they see JWB and his supporters as updated redneck bozos.
g] Finally, also probably the more secular western Jews may see Zionism and their forbear's experiences as old history and believe that distancing themselves from holocaust and that nastiness in Warsaw is a sign of progress.
America was still a predominately conservative Christian country, just like it had always been since the pilgrims landed (now referred to as fanatics)
With all these things in place by our will and free consent, these things which liberal Jews spend all their time attacking, we still liberated the Jews and welcomed them in the U.S.A. and the far right wing Christian fundamentalists are still one of Israel's very best friends.
The far left Jews care nothing for truth, law and our history.
You know, it funny. The Democrats haven't really supported Israel since Bobby Kennedy was killed by a Muslim terrorist.
I've asked a friend of mine this a couple of times. He just replies "it is what we do."
For the most part they're self destructive for reasons that defy logic.
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