Dear Representative Rahm Emanuel:
Let’s clear the air first. I am a Jew. You are a Jew. I live in Illinois’ Fifth Congressional District. You not only live here (presumably not in a studio apartment), but represent us in the United States House of Representatives. I have voted for you and feel you to be a good representative for this district, the Democratic Party, and this country.
Before I continue, I would like to stress that I have no qualms with Christianity – nor, for that matter, any other religious creed. I respect that Christianity in particular is rooted in the same Noahide tradition as Judaism and, indeed, Islam. I mean in no way to denigrate the wonderful tradition and faith that is modern Christianity.
That said, as a Jew, I am sure you cringe, as I do, when you hear certain phrases rooted in a deep tradition of anti-Semitism. Though most modern Christians have purged the belief that Jews are directly responsible for the death of Christ from their belief system, certain wounds still lay bare.
Judas Iscariot is, of course, traditionally the most despised of all the Jews. His name, Judas in the Greek, Yehudah in the Aramaic, can easily be translated as "Jew." He, according to the Christian mythos, betrayed the Son of God for a payment of 30 pieces of silver. His greed and betrayal were traditionally represented as typical Jewish characteristics.
Once again, to be clear, this anti-Semitism has been expurgated from Christian theology. But once again, the wounds still remain.
So I can only imagine that you felt at least a little uncomfortable when your good friend, James Carville likened Governor Bill Richardson to Judas – and Hillary Clinton, presumably, to Jesus – due to his decision to endorse your junior senator and mine, Barack Obama, for the Democratic nomination and the presidency of the United States of America.
Now, we all know James Carville is a little "wacky." We all know of his interesting personal habits. We all know of his loose tongue. And we’re perhaps not surprised that he is unwilling to retract his extraordinarily offensive remarks.
However, the refusal of Senator Clinton’s campaign, particularly Jews like Howard Wolfson, to "reject and denounce" these offensive comments I think is telling of the truly low level to which the Clinton campaign has sunk.
You, like Senator Richardson, "owe" much of your career to the Clinton Family. You too, however, see the writing on the wall. You know who is going to win the most pledged delegates in this nomination. You know who is going to win the popular vote in this nomination. You saw how your congressional district voted. You are the chairman of the Democratic Party Caucus, are you not? You can see which candidate is working to expand the size of your caucus and which candidate is working in her own self interest.
So be a good Jew. Take the 30 pieces of silver of a larger Democratic Caucus and betray Jesus/Clinton. Endorse Senator Barack Obama to be the Democratic nominee for president, to be the next President of the United States.
(I apologize to Kossacks if my first attempt at a diary is a bit offensive to some.)