15 thoughts on “Tennessee Republicans Claim Obama Will ‘Put Israel into Crosshairs of Anti-Jewish Left’ – Tikun Olam תיקון עולם إصلاح العالم
task-attention.png
Comments are published at the sole discretion of the owner.
 

  1. On a light note:
    [from http://satiricalpolitical.com/%5D

    To Shore Up Jewish Vote, Obama Denounces (and Rejects) Ham Sandwiches.

    “NOW, UNDERSTAND, NOT ONLY WILL I STOP EATING HAM SANDWICHES … BUT IF I EVER SERVE AS A PROSECUTOR, I’LL INDICT THEM AS WELL. … YES, EVEN IF CANNED!”

    –ellen

  2. Remembering what they did to Cynthia McKinney – and (reportedly) are trying to do to Kucinich, I am going to be really mad if the right-wing loony Jewish influence undercuts Obama and gives the election to McCain.

    You know how assertions – never mind how idiotic – if repeated enough tend to gain traction.
    I hear even not-so-loony, so-called ‘Liberal’ Jews worrying whether Obama is “good for Israel”. That definitely is his Achilles heel. Not in my mind, but in the mind of his potential backers.

    It also points to some dualistic thinking, which also was a factor in the last election, in that many Jews felt torn about voting for Bush – the candidate whom they considered more “pro-Israel’, yet whose social ideology was opposed to their more liberal ideology.

    [I remember hearing that Jews actually did not vote majority for Bush, but I’m never really sure about how people figure these things and how accurate these statements are.]

    ellen

  3. Hey Richard,
    Gotta tell you:
    Having just seen an old tape of Obama on Ellen Degeneres’ show, I’m a believer.
    A president who can dance!
    very cool.

    —er

  4. sorry for clogging up the comment box – my last words:
    Tony Karon on Obama and the Jewish vote:

    “The problem with Obama, for the Zionist establishment, is that he may not muster the degree of racist contempt for the Palestinians that they can safely expect from Hillary Clinton. The deeper problem for the Zionist establishment, of course, is that Jewish Americans are flocking to Obama despite their coded warnings”

    continues…http://tonykaron.com/

  5. “sorry for clogging up the comment box – my last words:”
    That’s right woman – never post here again! Dang comment spam Bah humbug mutter mumble,,,

    I think Bloggers appreciate comments especially if they add something to the discussion – so no worries. 🙂

    This is a very well researched post, and I thought I knew the whole story – but Mr. Silverstein’s piece gave me new facts in this case.

    According to a Tennessee Jewish American, this fella Hobbs is a running joke in their circles (look at Dibgy post comments).

  6. There are many points that can be made here, but in looking at ‘the bigger picture’, it seems to me that this press release is a symptom of the ugly reality that this is a day and age in which you can be bigoted against Arabs and Muslims and (largely) get away with it. “Traditional Arab enemies”…this sickens me – Arabs are not my enemies. The members of the Tennessee Republican Party should be labeled for what they are: they are bigots.

    As for the hysterical reaction to the photo, it’s pretty scary how small-minded some Americans can be. Shunning other cultures is nothing to be proud of.

  7. As usual, a great post, and intelligent comments.
    Still, this is an issue that is getting to me. I am a Muslim, and I support Obama, not because of his middle name, but because the spirit that could eventually get him in the white house is what would like to see prevail for a change in this country, my country. But I am scared to death that the stupid tactics of the likes of Tennessee republicans, may actually not only give us 4 (or 8) more years of the same, but will actually kill the spirit of so many who feel they finally have a voice.
    Scare tactics work especially where ignorance is king.
    Just for fun, and recalling some photos I have seen in the distant past, i did some Google search and easily found the follwing:
    http://www.ethiopianrestaurant.com/images/ethiopian_jews_photos_6.jpg
    http://www.pbase.com/yalop/image/23648323
    http://www.pbase.com/yalop/image/23648329
    http://www.pbase.com/yalop/image/23648306
    Who knows. May be someone can use these to convince those upset by Obama in ‘Muslim’ attire that it was actually ‘Jewish’ attire.
    In reality, I think some (esp. republicans, and – may be – the Clinton camp) want to hurt him for their own ‘electoral’ gains, but others (.e.g., right wing pro-Likud Jews are not happy with progressive Jews behind Obama, and want to cripple him by blackmailing him into committing to certain policies now – practically tying his hands in case he gets elected.
    khaled

  8. this is the sort of thing I’d expect from guys like Jacobs, Pipes and that other guy M. Thomas Eisenstadt who also all ‘consulted’ for Giuliani. Fat lot of good it did him.

  9. Who cares whether he is good for iSRAEL or not ?
    My ONLY concern is whether he is good for America and Americans!
    And iSRAEL can take the hindmost !

    [link removed per comment rules]

  10. Khaled,
    I understand why Obama would want people to know the truth of who he is, also he wants to be elected, so he states, “I am not Muslim, I am Christian.”

    Still, every time I hear it, I wonder how a Muslim feels, knowing that Obama has to deny being a Muslim, because that would be the “kiss of death” in American politics.

    I remember many years ago, a person said to me that he would vote for Barry Goldwater [a conservative who ran a few decades ago] except for the fact that Goldwater was Jewish.
    I replied to him, that Goldwater wasn’t Jewish, but I am.

    While I don’t criticize Barack for how he responds…after all we all want to assert the truth of who we are, I feel sad that to many, the implication must be that to be Muslim is such a negative.

    Ah well – I guess we can point to some progress on that front – Congressperson Keith Ellison.

    –ellen

  11. Hi Ellen:
    I like how he handled it so far. He is right to assert who he is, and as for Muslims around me, I never got the impression any one feels hurt by that. He is popular within my group if friend, Muslims and non-Muslims alike simply because he doe not come across as in anyone’s pocket (yet!!).
    By the way, Keith Ellison is a great example because of the very diverse nature of the coalition behind his success. So, you are right, some progress is happening – but considering that the dream of MLJ Jr is 40 years old now, how many millennia will it take before it becomes reality.
    khaled

  12. I don’t know about this particular group, but I thought the “catastrophe” reference was simply referring to the Nabqa (sp?), which is how the Palestinians refer to 1948 and their expulsion. It was a catastrophe for them. One should be able to recognize that Palestinians are going to feel this way without having to commit to the idea that, for instance, a one state solution is the only way to go forwards.

  13. Yes, of course you’re right & they’re referring to the Naqba (or Nakba) or Catastrophe. But the pt. is we don’t even know whether this Arab group ever did such a thing. And even if they did there’s nothing intrinsically anti-Semitic in the phrase.

    We Jews have the destruction of our two Temples which we call the churban bayit. Imagine if marking such a sad day (Tisha B’Av) meant we were in favor of genocide against the Romans or Assyrians who destroyed our sacred houses?

  14. [comment removed per comment rules–neither extreme Islamophobic nor extreme anti-Israel rhetoric will be published here; nor is Campus Watch an acceptable or reliable source]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *