Comments on: Smear Campaign Against Obama Circulates Among Jewish Leaders

By: Richard Silverstein

Richard Silverstein — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:32:03 +0000

Syria and Iran - the same ones that now want to destroy Israel because they claim (unfounded) that Israel killed Mugniyah

Most Israelis accept the fact that Israel had a hand in the assassination.

Syria certainly doesn’t want to destroy Israel although it is not at peace w. Israel. Only seriously right-wing Israelis believe that Iran, Syria or Hezbollah actually have both the will & the capacity to destroy Israel.

I am not clear on what his views on Israel are, and nobody really seems to know.

Sounds like you haven’t done yr homework. Obama’s views are known & clear on Israel. He wants to engage with Iran & Syria in hopes of resolving the conflicts bet. the U.S. & those nations. This approach will prove much more fruitful than the Bush Administration’s bellicosity & belligerence.

By: Todd

Todd — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 23:56:54 +0000

Didn’t Obama just come out with a statement claiming he wants to reach out to countries like Syria and Iran - the same ones that now want to destroy Israel because they claim (unfounded) that Israel killed Mugniyah - a known highly anti-American terrorist for the past twenty years (people did hate America before GWB). I am not clear on what his views on Israel are, and nobody really seems to know. Obama is a fantastic orator and extremely charismatic and he seems fairly ethical. I don’t particularly care about his religious affiliation, but I am also not going to favor a President who is going to turn his head as these nations teach their people to deny the Holocaust and work towards the annihilation of Israel. Just some food for thought.

By: suprfan

suprfan — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 01:32:58 +0000

You people need to get out more. I’m Jewish and I don’t know anybody who is also Jewish who isn’t supporting Obama. As far as that email, it’s so obviously a hoax that I’m worried for anybody who would actually entertain it as true, for a second — espec. given the swiftboating last time round.

I am more concerned about how Jews are so sensitive about being accused of this or that. Hold your heads high, people! And keep your eyes clear…

By: O

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 18:53:11 +0000

The campaign is working. Our neighbor downstairs, a smart, left-leaning, Bush-hating guy if there ever was one, surprised us by saying that if Obama is the nominee, he’ll vote for McCain. Why? Because, in his words, “it’s well-known that Obama is anti-semitic and won’t back up Israel.”
This is ugly racism covering itself with the usual coward’s appeal to unspecified antisemitism. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

By: solution seeker

solution seeker — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 20:55:28 +0000

Just for the record, I’m Jewish and I’ve donated to Obama’s campaign. I love it that he has ancestors who are Muslim. He can likely be a more persuasive saleman of the best of what our country has to offer as an example to the rest of the world.

We also don’t have any proof that these emails were started by Jews per se, and not by non-jewish campaign workers seeking to sink Obama.

By: Richard Silverstein

Richard Silverstein — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 02:46:26 +0000

Debbie Schlussel is a well-known Jewish right-winger. But I don’t believe she’s the author of the hoax e mail. At least not based on what she wrote in that post. She’s certainly exploiting all the crap that’s in the hoax e mail & passing it off as true, which only adds to the hoax. But I don’t believe she’s the author unless someone can find firmer evidence of her connection.

By: Heather

Heather — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:03:26 +0000

Is this the author of the hoax email?
http://www.debbieschlussel.com/archives/2006/12/barack_hussein.html

By: Venus

Venus — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 12:06:57 +0000

As much as its a smear campaign, I’m equally astonished by the response, which seems to be, “No of course he’s not Muslim, and here is the voluminous evidence to prove it.” Which is really falling into their trap, because it suggests that the smearers are right in saying a Muslim can’t hold senior public office.
Imagine if British Rugby player (and non-Jew) Ben Cohen was running for Parliament in the UK. If the newpapers suggested that he had been visiting several synagogues, and he responded by ostentatiously going to church…. well, it would make me wonder about his capacity to be manipulated by the press.
This kind of thing I find deeplt troubling: http://www.barackobama.com/factcheck/2007/11/12/obama_is_a_committed_christian.php

Would Obama equally proclaim loudly to have “never been a Jew?”

By: Richard Silverstein

Richard Silverstein — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 07:23:56 +0000

I made several failed attempts to contact the Obama campaign just after he joined the race to suggest that they create networks of supportive bloggers & keep up informed of campaign developments & also monitor our blogs for stories about the candidate esp. regarding the Jewish community & IP conflict. I got nowhere.

If his campaign were smart they’d hook up w. progressive Jewish bloggers & use us as “first responders” to crap like this. I get the sense that in terms of “getting” blogs & their potential impact & benefit to the campaign–they’re just not there. At least not when it comes to Jewish bloggers. And it’s too bad because a lot of the crap coming his way emanates fr. our community alas. We’d be a good resource to combat that.

By: Walter Ballin

Walter Ballin — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 21:18:59 +0000

The Jews who circulate this stuff are the same types of Jews who cooperated with the Nazis during WWII and sold out the lives of other Jewish people, in an attempt to save their own skins.

I just got off of the phone with the Obama headquarters. I told the representative that Obama must take a stronger stand and refute these kinds of charges, and denounce the perpetrators. I told the rep that I hope that his managers are on top of this and are prepared for more of these kinds of attacks. She said that she would pass my comments along, and said that she was aware herself of what Foxman said. I hope that my comments and other peoples constructive comments to the Obama campaign, are being taken seriously. Four years ago, John Kerry did not do this and that’s why we got George ‘Duby’ Bush again.