I'm a Jew.
My parents are Jews. My uncles, aunts and cousins are all Jews. My grandparents are all Jews. My great-grandparents are all Jews. My great-great-grandparents are all Jews. After that I don't know. Suffice to say, if there is any goy blood in my veins it came from a transfusion. Now let me tell you why I found Russert's question so ugly it hurt my eyes to hear it.
After Obama made it clear he denounced Farrakhan and his past statements, particularly his anti-Semitic remarks, Russert KEPT GOING:
The problem some voters may have is that Minister Farakkhan, as you know, called Judaism a "gutter religion"...
That variation on the "some people say" game is a low blow. In this case it insults the audience's intelligence because Obama had just finished addressing the point. Obama responded by repeating his answer and calling Farrakhan's hate mongering (my term) "reprehensible" and something he has "consistently denounced." But Russert still didn't let that go. Instead he pulled a Hillary and over reached.
Can we stand united against this crap? To quote from will.i.am's video .... Ken Anu Y'cholim!
Here's what put me over the edge. Russert followed up the low blow with some crazy transitive argument that because Obama got the idea of the title for his book (cue the plagiarism dog whistle) from a sermon by Jeremiah Wright... who had ties to Farrakhan 25 years ago... that (paraphrasing Wright)
When people find out about that, your Jewish support would dry up faster than a snowball in hell. What do you do to assure Jewish Americans that whether it's Farrakhan or your pastor Jeremiah Write, that you are consistent with positions regarding Israel and not in any way suggesting that Farrakhan epitomizes greatness..
This is the worst kind of hate mongering. It's genteel. I can see him now. "I wasn't accusing him of being anti-Semitic." And his eyes will get all big and innocent. "It's a question some voters might have and this was an opportunity for Senator Obama to clear the air." That's mishegas. Spare me the faux concern for Jewish sensibilities.
If there is a Jew out there who seriously believes that crap, let him ask the question. Bill Kristol...sit down... I said seriously believes not opportunistically pretends.
Trust me, we've got no problem advocating for ourselves when we smell gas. Speaking of gas, that question stunk so bad, I could smell it through the radio. I had to roll the windows down in the car. Still I want to vomit. Oh and by the way, Russert... thanks a whole hell of a lot for equating Jewish with "support for Israel." As if "support for Israel" is any more meaningful than "support our troops" in the propaganda wars. As if Jews have only one issue concerning them.
Tell me, my Irish Catholic friend, what exactly is supporting Israel? Giving them weapons they can use in violation of the Arms Export Control Act? Ignoring their illegal settlements? How about being an honest broker and forcing an end to the perpetual cycle of violence? This is the same dog whistle crap that leads people to call Carter anti-Semitic. That's the guy who got a Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating a treaty that has NEVER BEEN VIOLATED. Pretty damn good for someone who hates Jews. If that's anti-Semitism, sell me all you got because I can get full retail price for that in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa.
Excuse me if I lose patience when a Roman Catholic trades on my history so he can stir the pot for a "quote of the night" to generate press. Some people might think that because Tim Russert and Brian Williams, as well as their former boss at NBC, Bob Wright, and his former boss at GE, Jack Welch are all Roman Catholics that this was some sort of Papist conspiracy to use Jews as scapegoats. I'm not saying it is, I'm just saying some people might think that... see all of a sudden the shoe doesn't fit so well when it's on the other foot, does it?
Now you can see why I am aggravated by this bit of thuggery. Of course that is what we've come to expect from the press corps(e). I found Hillary's unsolicited attack even more disturbing. After Obama maintained his cool and shook of Russert's low blows, Hillary jumped in like it was a tag team grudge match and whupped him upside the head with a completely unrelated example. She started going on about how some racist group endorsed her and she rejected them. Then she tried to make the case that "rejected" was better than "consistently denouncing" something that is "reprehensible" -- sheesh. Here's what disappointed me most about her over reaching on this point. If she was going to reject anything, how about following the suggestion made in the comments below and rejecting Ann Coulter's endorsement. That would be a great way to reject the whole line of questioning while affirming her belief that Obama is not a threat to Jews or Israel. THAT would have been as classy as Jon Stewart bringing the girl back out on stage at the Oscar to enjoy her moment in the spotlight.
Unfortunately, Hillary just had to get a lick in. It diminished her in my eyes. There's a huge difference between a group endorsing you and some guy praising you for an historic achievement. I got no love lost for Farrakhan but calling Judaism a "gutter religion" was the least of his sins. We've been called worse by better. As Grandma used to say, "Kush mich in toches."
Now before you get all hot under the collar, I want you to take a deep breath and consider something. What's missing from the exchange? Ahhh... you didn't think about that, did you?
Here's the question no one is asking:
Why didn't Russert quote Farrakhan's "endorsement" of Obama?
God forbid you should die from the suspense, so let me show you what Timmy neglected to tell you:
"We are witnessing the phenomenal rise of a man of color in a country that has persecuted us because of our color," Farrakhan said. "This young man is the hope of the entire world that America will change and be made better."
To that sentiment I have only one word to add:
Amen.
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Since you guys have been kind enough to rally around and put this on the rec list, let's show these fools that NOTHING CAN STAND IN THE WAY OF MILLIONS OF VOICES CALLING FOR CHANGE.
If this sort of ambush journalism makes you angry, here's a suggestion. Instead of sending nasty letters to MSNBC, send them receipts.
I call it "$20.08 -- because change matters!"
It's a game we can all play. Here's how we can all double our pleasure, double our fun: Every time some rightwing bigot on TV (I'm looking at you O'Reilly and Beck) or Radio (I'm looking at you Ingraham and Limbaugh) goes out and talks trash... cut a check for $20.08 and donate here. Every time some member of the press corps(e) tries to insult our intelligence, exercise your freedom of association, and vote with your wallet. You will be amazed how quickly your blood pressure will go down.
Don't be greedy, share the joy. Call or email your friends, get them to play and see how many folks they can recruit. If they just give you $20, smile and say, "Dig a little deeper... it's the change that matters most."
If this sounds like a good idea, start right now. If you find Russert's Jew-baiting revolting, if you find O'Reilly's "lynch mob" reference repugnant, if you find the doctoring of a live newsfeed to defame Michelle Obama ludicrous, if you are just sick and tired of infotainers tearing this country apart, donate $20.08 to Obama's campaign for change.
Let's bury these bastards. Then light their remains on fire. Show them we really are fired up and not going to take any more of their crap. Why? Because Change Matters.
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UPDATE II
I am in awe..... I had a goal of $2,008 bucks. We smashed that! The needle hit 2,738 2,913 $3,149 and finally settled in at $3,335 !!!!!! Un.Be.Lieve.Able. In a few hours we have raised more than the average American makes in a month!!!!
I can't tell you how full my heart is .... so no more talking.....
EVERYBODY DANCE!