Democratic Rep.: Palin pick is 'direct affront to all Jewish Americans'

[ensho]

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1016785.html


Democratic Congressman Robert Wexler of Florida lashed out Saturday at John McCain's choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, accusing her of supporting "Nazi sympathizer" Pat Buchanan, and branding the move an "affront to all Jewish Americans."

"John McCain's decision to select a vice presidential running mate that endorsed Pat Buchanan for president in 2000 is a direct affront to all Jewish Americans," said a statement by Wexler.

"Pat Buchanan is a Nazi sympathizer with a uniquely atrocious record on Israel, even going as far as to denounce bringing former Nazi soldiers to justice and praising Adolf Hitler for his 'great courage'". Wexler went on to accuse McCain of having "failed his first test of leadership."

-snip-

The Republican Jewish Coalition, however, welcomed Palin's nomination.

"As governor of Alaska, Palin has enjoyed a strong working relationship with Alaska's Jewish community. She has demonstrated sensitivity to the concerns of the community and has been accessible and responsive," said coalition Executive Director Matt Brooks.
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[Richardo]

1. I don't think that's a winner.

[onenote]

5. Its not a winner generally, but it plays well with an important group

Based on conversations with my dad and some of his friends (all in their late 80s early 90s), I have found that there is a residual of suspicion about Obama among older Jewish Americans, particularly women (many of whom supported Hillary). While they haven't said that they'd vote for McCain over Obama, they've also been unwilling to commit to Obama. Reminding them about the Palin/Buchanan link will push some of them into the Obama column (or at least keep them out of the McCain column).

[endthewar]

7. It is effective. Gets it out there that she's a Buchanan Republican.

Ratchet up the turnout of people on the left on social issues.

[undeterred]

2. Oh, at first I thought it was because of Lieberman being jealous.

[LeftishBrit]

3. And to all minorities everywhere!

Jews, Black people, immigrants, anyone who could get in the way of a right-wing bigot.

I am sure the Republican Jewish Coalition (both of them?) love her; but those everywhere who fear and detest the Far Right should want her a million miles from the seat of power.

[Eric J in MN]

4. In the 1990s, I read a column by Pat Buchanan...

...in the newspaper which said that the US should have fought WWII on the side of the Nazis.

[endthewar]

8. I'd have to read what he said to understand his logic

Pat Buchanan is on the fringe, but he is a smart man on military and foreign policy history. I imagine that one could make a plausible argument for that if you were just looking at it from a militaristic perspective. Quite frankly, the German war machine was a massive beast and Great Britain pulled off the mother of all upsets just by keeping their country safe.

Perhaps even more importantly, I think one could make a plausible argument that perhaps the U.S. would have been better served by stoking the war between Germany and Russia. Quite frankly, as soon as Germany was defeated, Russia became a much bigger threat to the United States up through the end of the Cold War. I could understand an argument that perhaps by joining Germany but not giving them much aid, those two nations would have destroyed each other and saved the rest of Europe from Hitler's wrath and spared the United States the huge economic burden of a Cold War. Instead, Europe as a whole was ravaged with war and the Soviet Union created countless nuclear weapons which still exist to this day.

[sharesunited]

6. "Alaska's Jewish Community" is jarring to my closed mind. Some Kosher blubber bubby?

[onenote]

9. As percentage of total population, Alaska has more Jews than 19 other states

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/usjewpop.html

[fascisthunter]

10. gee.... a right winger is a Nazi Sympathizer.... no way

:think: