The Senator's Gentile Rebuke (Sen. Allen Angry at Reporter's Question about Jewish Ancestry)

Washington Post ^ | 9/19/06 | Dana Milbank

[nj26]

First came Sen. George Allen's Macaca Moment. Then we learned of challenger Jim Webb's thoughts on the "horny" women of the Naval Academy.

Now, just when you thought Virginia's U.S. Senate race couldn't get any weirder, the Jews of Tunis are making a cameo.

At a debate in Tysons Corner yesterday between Republican Allen and Democrat Webb, WUSA-TV's Peggy Fox asked Allen, the tobacco-chewing, cowboy-boot-wearing son of a pro football coach, if his Tunisian-born mother has Jewish blood.

"It has been reported," said Fox, that "your grandfather Felix, whom you were given your middle name for, was Jewish. Could you please tell us whether your forebears include Jews and, if so, at which point Jewish identity might have ended?"

Allen recoiled as if he had been struck. His supporters in the audience booed and hissed. "To be getting into what religion my mother is, I don't think is relevant," Allen said, furiously. "Why is that relevant -- my religion, Jim's religion or the religious beliefs of anyone out there?"

"Honesty, that's all," questioner Fox answered, looking a bit frightened.

"Oh, that's just all? That's just all," the senator mocked, pressing his attack. He directed Fox to "ask questions about issues that really matter to people here in Virginia" and refrain from "making aspersions."

"Let's move on," proposed the moderator, George Stephanopoulos of ABC News.

Yes, let's -- but not before we figure out what that was all about. Turns out the Forward, a Jewish newspaper, reported that the senator's mother, Etty, "comes from the august Sephardic Jewish Lumbroso family."

[Coldwater Creek]

You forget that Allen has also been a governor.

[msg-84]

Could you please tell us whether your forebears include Jews and, if so, at which point Jewish identity might have ended?"

The aspersion is that he is rejecting his Jewish identity - it helps advance the racist, bigot, homophobe - macaca action line.

[Coldwater Creek]

LOL

[The G Man]

Flame suit on.

You're right to do so. Stallone is about to call you a "sycophant of the Chappaqua whore" for daring to question George Allen. Turns out we're all Hillary "sleeper cells" who have been biding our time here at FR for years and years just so we can not support George Allen. He's on to us.

[Gone GF]

"the (liberal) news reporter had been told that if Allen was "exposed" as having Jewish ancestry, then (1) his CHRISTIAN supporters would reject him "

Makes no sense at all. It's very well known that evangelical Christians are among the biggest supporters of Israel. Why would anybody think that learning Allen has Jewish heritage turn them off?

[The G Man]

Good post. Thanks, msg.

[Mad Dawg]

It's the WaPo, so any pretense of accuracy is wishful thinking.

My GUESS is that the attempted "aspersion" was the Alen was hiding his Jewish heritage, and the purpose of the aspersion was to defang the accurate accusation that Kerry was claiming an Irish background rather than the real deal.

Even the WaPO isn't ready, IMHO, to make "Jewish Blood" a put down. But newsies are ALWAYS campaigning for the DIMS, and if they could respond, "Well, What about Allen hiding HIS background?" whenever Kerry's lies are brought up, they'd ocnsider that a good thing.

While I'm guessing, I'd suggest that the newsies will now claim, on the basis of the question and Allen's response, that "everyone knows" that George is ashamed of his background and is therefore a hypocritical Republican (which to them is a redundancy) and a self-hating Jew.

In related news, the military continues to hold a newsie for collaborating with the enemy. The newsies think there needs to be a trial. I think that if the guy has a press card, that would constitute dispositive and conclusive evidence that he was an enemy collaborator -- which is probably why I haven't been asked to be a judge anywhere lately.

[AmericanInTokyo]

I heard the debate on the radio.

Allen KICKED HER ASS (that nasty reporter with the race bait question).

The 'reporter', a liberal democrat from WUSA TV, got roundly booed and hissed.

Consider this: The audience was pretty much on Webb's side from the beginning, filled with libs. The applause Allen got and the applause Webb got were very different. However, when Allen castigated that lib reporter for her very rude, stupid question, the applause I heard for Allen was the loudest I had heard. In other words, the Post wrote a propaganda piece: It was not "Allen's supporters hissed", it was "lots of people hissed, and most applauded for Allen when he returned fire".

Everyone has got to hear/see this debate. It was great!

The three minute close was BRILLIANT by Allen. Webb, by contrast, leaned on the podium, rambled on, and had, I counted, 24 "uhs" in his close.

Allen won the debate hands down.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Further, continuing your excellent summary, the left FERVENTLY BELIVES (as a matter of faith and morals) that their conservative enemies ARE racists and bigots who hate minorities.

Therefore, since Allen "obviously" (had to) reject his Jewish ancestry (to appeal to his barbaric and racist Christian supports) this particular (liberal) newscaster "had to" expose this to attack Allen, so HIS reply can be exposed.

Of course, what WILL be promoted (by the liberal press) is that Allen will be "exposed" as a Jewish-hating racist by publicizing his answer to her racist question as racist itself!

[Gone GF]

"Watch for the sycophants..."

Buy a dictionary.

[carrier-aviator]

The reporter was referring to the Jewish concept that ethnicity passes through the mother. This is fine. Jews can consider Allen Jewish if they want.

But let's remember: Judaism is both a religion and an ethnicity (or race, used in an older sense). If Allen's mother had Jewish ethnicity, then so does the son.

But if we look at it in a religious sense, one cannot inherit a religion. The religion of one's parents doesn't necessarily transfer to their children. Allen is 100% Presbyterian, not half Presbyterian anf half Jewish.

I once heard Bill Mahr say: "I am half Catholic and half Jewish." This, of course is preposterous. One cannot be half a religion.

Bottom line: Allen is a Presbyterian, and the ethnic or racial background of his mother has nothing to do with this fact.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Never said the liberals were accurate or moral. She was repeating what she "believed" would be a troubling and embarrassing "fact" hidden by Allen so SHE would look good to HER admirers.

Who are all fellow liberals.

[Fairview]

You're right, few people can reply smoothly at all times. But losing your temper prevents you from thinking clearly.

As I said, my model is Mr. Fairview, who has been verbally sucker-punched this way in public situations on a number of occasions. He smiles and answers courteously, and then the questioner looks down and sees that his guts are on the floor. It's a beautiful thing to see.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel.

also Keywords 2006israelwar or WOT [War on Terror]

----------------------------

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel.

also Keywords 2006israelwar or WOT [War on Terror]

----------------------------

[elli1]

But Allen turned on the questioner with ferocity. He may have been irked that the question was a follow-up to one noting that "macaca" was a racial slur that his mother may have learned in Tunisia. He may have been concerned that Jewish roots wouldn't play well in parts of Virginia. Or he may just have been in a quarreling mood.

If my grandfather had been 'incarcerated by the Nazis' (for whatever 'reason') as Allen claims his was, I'd consider the question out of bounds and respond in a thorny way, too.

[wayne_b24]

caption this pic...
jewish cowboy bucky goldstein races for the senate...
(flameguard {TM} on)
i voted for allen, and will again. just love the humor in the situation.
i agree, though, why is being jewish an "aspersion"?

[RegulatorCountry]

"It has been reported," said Fox, that "your grandfather Felix, whom you were given your middle name for, was Jewish. Could you please tell us whether your forebears include Jews and, if so, at which point Jewish identity might have ended?"

Frau Fox seems to be a little too eager to ferret out all the Juden. Will the brave, brave MSM ever ask the same of John Kerry?

[SJackson]

That last part is troubling. Why would the fact whether someone is Jewish or not be an "aspersion"???

Though his actions haven't been overt, there have been suggestions that the Webb campaign, or at least workers and supporters, have used the Jewish issue as a negative campaign issue. Both from the perspective of being a Jew, and denying his Jewish ancestry. Of course this question was asked by a reporter, not Webb.

The same accusations were made against Webb in the Democratic primary, where he also faced a Jewish candidate, "anti-Christ of outsourcing.".

Webb vs. Miller
[Greg Pollowitz 06/08 02:40 PM]

The latest is that James Webb sent out a campaign flier with the following caricature of Harris Miller, who is Jewish. The picture is being called Anti-Semitic and Webb has been accused of "jewbaiting".

Here's the picture:

From the Free Lance-Star:

Scholars of political literature had mixed reactions upon seeing the flier.

"That doesn't look so good. There's no question to me that's replete with anti-Semitic stereotypes," said Mark Feldstein, an associate professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University. "I'm not someone who readily cries anti-Semitism, but I think it's hard to look at this and not see a number of anti-Semitic stereotypes plugged into this ad, from the hook nose to the 'antichrist' to the money-grubbing character."

Bruce Newman, a professor of marketing at DePaul University and editor of the Journal of Political Marketing, said it reminded him of 1930s German propaganda, where the Jewish character was subtly made out to be the thieving villain.

"It very much crosses the line," said Newman, who is Jewish. "I'm speaking with my professional hat on now. It's a modern-day caricature of the quote-unquote villain, the one who's out to make life difficult and hurt people in the town. I've seen literature from those days and this offends me quite a bit."

University of Virginia political analyst Larry Sabato said the flier wasn't really any worse than other campaign literature he'd seen in hotly contested races.

"I think that's a real stretch to call that anti-Semitic, and I'm not usually inclined to give candidates the benefit of the doubt," Sabato said.

A spokeswoman for Miller said her team originally thought the flier was a prank not produced by the Webb campaign. They're bothered by it, Taylor West said, but they're focused more on Tuesday's primary. The winner will face Republican Sen. George Allen in November.

"There's a role in calling attention to differences, but this cartoon is so outlandish. It ought to be an embarrassment to their campaign. It's so far beyond what any Virginia candidate has had lobbed at them," she said. "Despite the very personal attacks, we're going to focus on our message."

[MattinNJ]

Stallone

How is questioning Allen's recent performance being a sycophant? I call it as I see them. He looked like a deer in the headlights when questioned about the Macaca statement on MTP. He turned it from a non-issue into an issue. Instead of saying that a Macaca is a Tunisian reference to an annoying bird, he said he never used the word before. Russert clearly baited him and got him to say on the record that he never used that word before an had no idea what it meant. Like the libs hadn't already gone on Lexis and had that in their chamber? Please. Carville was high fiving when he said that. That was Allen's "I voted for the war before I voted against it." moment.

Look, I couldn't care less if he call the little slimeball an annoying *&^%# and then , instead of denying it and apologizing (the kiss of death) he should have cowboyed up and said "Yeah, I called him a Macaca. It means an annoying bird. While I was at it, I should have also called him an a--hole." but he didn't.

I wish it weren't true, but it is. I was pulling for Allen early on and still am-but he has to right his ship. Leave denial to the libs. We deal in reality on the right.