Fla. lawmakers: Elderly resisting Obama [State Rep Geller on old Jews-almost a mob mentality]

JTA ^ | 08/26/2008

[SJackson]

Barack Obama has problems with Jewish seniors in Florida, say two Democratic lawmakers there.

Florida state Sen. Nan Rich told JTA that Obama surrogates have been “shocked” by the hostility they have encountered at condominiums in her area aimed at their candidate.

Steve Geller, who serves as the Democratic minority leader in the Florida state Senate and represents parts of Broward County, said he was nearly chased out of the "condos" -- shorthand for retirement communities -- when he said he backed Obama.

"I've noticed almost a mob mentality," Geller said. "I can change people's minds in a group of five or 10. When there's 300 people in the room, they feed off each other and don't want really to listen to us.”

Both lawmakers made their remarks Monday in Denver following a panel discussion on the Jewish vote held in conjunction with the Democratic convention.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) expressed confidence that Obama would do well with Jewish voters in the end, but needed to spend more time in the Sunshine State. She said more face-to-face encounters with Obama are needed.

"He needs to come down and have bagels and cream cheese in the condos and he will be fine," Wasserman Schultz said.

[justiceseeker93]

My guess is you have your history wrong. Most elderly New York-area bred Jews have fairly good memories of the relatively few blacks with whom they had contact in their youth and early adult years. The problems really started with the Ocean Hill-Brownsville school district dispute and teachers strike in the late '60s. Up through the heyday of the civil rights movement, relationships between the communities were, on the whole, good.

[justiceseeker93]

Ping!!!

Please see my posts #s 39-41.

[NativeNewYorker]

At the risk of getting seriously flamed, the gay men I know are of the quiet, stay-at-home, domestic variety, and view the Messiah through the same lens as their Jewish neighbors: as a shrill, phony, corrupt ideologue who carries the flame for socialism and that peculiar church he attended for two decades.

[PhilDragoo]

Hussein unhesitatingly says yes I will meet unconditionally with the loudmouth Holocaust-denier who constantly calls for Israel's destruction--

A person perceived by the world (of which he claims to be a citizen) as a Muslim--

Who selects as his running mate a bag of poop who refused to declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization--

Whose "Christian" mentor is a bosom-buddy of Louis Farrakhan--

Whose wife "grew up in Jesse Hymietown's house"--

[see also, Dining with the Edward Saids]

A person who campaigned in 2006 for Raila Odinga in Kenya after the latter signed a letter of understanding with the Kenyan Muslims promising to make Islam paramount while suppressing "the followers of the cross"--

Hey, hey, hey, let's all sit down and Michelle will bring us some nice bagels and we can relax and be civilized--

[sheik yerbouty]

Careful! the Anointed One’s minions will call you a racist..

[<1/1,000,000th%]

“The friend of my enemy is my enemy.”

I guess you really have to be ignorant to be a lefty.

[ExTexasRedhead]

Despite the MSM’s feeble attempt to paint a glorious picture of the Muslim Messiah’s visit to Israel, Israelis do NOT support or trust the Muslim Messiah. That message will be sent to synagogues in the US.

[Republican Red]

I’m sure it isn’t helping Obama that his campaign strategy has been to attack McCain on age. The democrats have been downright rude about how the “elderly” are not capable.

[SJackson]

I’m sure it isn’t helping Obama that his campaign strategy has been to attack McCain on age. The democrats have been downright rude about how the “elderly” are not capable.

That's an interesting issue, and Obama certainly has been attacking on it, as in at that age you're automatically senile. I doubt that helps, most older folk don't look at age 70 as the onset of senility.

On the other hand, if they'd emphacized the stresses of the job, who knows, it might resonate. I've no doubt of McCain's ability to do the job, but I'd speculate that many seventy somethings might consider it beyond the capabilities of themselve and friends. But outright attacks on his, and their, mental facilities, I doubt that works.

[SJackson]

Despite the MSM’s feeble attempt to paint a glorious picture of the Muslim Messiah’s visit to Israel, Israelis do NOT support or trust the Muslim Messiah. That message will be sent to synagogues in the US.

One factor there might be his vagueness about his background. In Israel, as in the Arab world, his religion would clearly have been Muslim. Later he became a Christian. From an Israeli perspective, there's the question of why he "lies" about his faith. From an American perspective, presuming he never practiced Islam, I'm taking his word here not argueing the position, most people would consider him Christian, only. His parents faith wouldn't be a factor.

[Cinnamon Girl]

In case the elderly Jews didn’t already know how their represenatives felt about them...

[Clemenza]

"At the risk of getting seriously flamed, the gay men I know"

Appropriate choice of words.

[freespirited]

Maybe some of these Jewish senors in FL have finally been detoxed and rehabbed from their lifelong addictions to the 'Rats.

I can tell you about one who has. My father in law was a lifelong RAT, voted RAT in every presidential election for the last 60+ years. With the nomination of Bambi, he was so offended, he made a trip to the voter registration office to change his affiliation to independent. He will be voting Republican in November for the first time in his life and fills my inbox regularly with anti-Obama, anti-DNC lit.

[justiceseeker93]

Especially since they have been voting Democrat since the time of Moses.

Yes, to them, FDR has been mythologized into a rabbi of Mosaic stature. (LOL!!!)

[justiceseeker93]

Hopefully, your father-in-law will be so detoxed and rehabbed in the near future that he will register Republican.

[pabianice]

Although I was pessimistic about American Jews being able to clearly see Obama’s anti-Semitism, Obama is now headed for a less than 60% Jewish vote, the lowest since records of Dem candidates have been kept. BRAVO for the web!

[Eleutheria5]

My customers are elderly Jews, and the idea of them having a “mob mentality” or “chasing” someone out of their condo is as ridiculous as getting 300 of them into a room to listen to a Dem spokesman. Some kind of a “mob” that would be, because their...ahem...African American home health aids would have to carry the pitchforks and the torches, and hurl bricks for them.

[firebrand]

And the elderly don’t like someone who doesn’t know when life begins and ends. Utterly unfathomable!

[firebrand]

Yes, Israel in the Balance.

Even scallion cream cheese on an everything bagel doesn't quite do the trick.

[danmar]

"He needs to come down and have bagels and cream cheese in the condos and he will be fine," Wasserman Schultz said.

So, according to this air head, you can have a schmoa fest with them Jew's and the only thing it takes is bagels and cream cheese?

I do, feel sorry, for the Democrat Party...