Posted on 01/01/2010 10:56:47 AM PST by Brugmansian
Abstract
For more than a year, Sarah Palin has been a national Rorschach test. The views expressed about her reveal the distinctions and conflicting perceptions of often antagonistic groups of Americans—the religious and the secular, the conservative and the liberal, the urban and the small town, the elitist and the populist.
And now, with the publication of her autobiography, Going Rogue, and Matthew Continetti’s The Persecution of Sarah Palin, the Rorschach tests are being administered anew, and with increasing fervor.
For her conservative admirers, she continues to exemplify independence, moxie, common sense, the superiority of the common American over the nation’s elites, and the embodiment of modern womanhood and Christian faith.
For her detractors, both conservative and liberal, she is uncouth, unschooled, a hick, anti-science and anti-intellectual, an upstart, and a religious fanatic. There is no group so firmly in the latter camp as American Jews. And there is much to learn in their reaction to Palin, both about her and about the sociological makeup of American Jewry today. While Palin enjoys support from some prominent Jewish conservatives, it is not an exaggeration to say that, more so than any other major political figure in recent memory (with the possible exception of Patrick J. Buchanan), she rubs Jews the wrong way . . .
Ask an average American Jew about Palin and you are likely to get a nonverbal response—a shiver, a shudder, a roll of the eyes, or a guffaw. Naomi Wolf, the feminist writer, sputtered that Palin was the “FrankenBarbie of the Rove-Cheney cabal,” articulating the mixture of contempt and fear that seemed to grip many Jewish women.
The disdain is palpable and largely emotional. While 78 percent of American Jews voted for the Obama-Biden ticket, it is fair to say that most did not harbor animosity toward or contempt for Senator John McCain; the same cannot be said of their view of Palin . . .
Certainly, it was perverse to hold the Jews responsible for the death of Jesus.
It is equally perverse to blame all Christians for the few who held this view.
Those who know bigotry up close and personal should not themselves practice bigotry.
Your right..In fact, most of my family members are registered Democrat, even my Mom is a registered Democrat but she has voted Republican three times already(Bush in 2000, Bush again in 2004, and McCain in 2008) She’s basically more Independent then Democrat. She votes for whoever is good for Israel. But the liberal Jews on the other hand hate Israel as much as the Arabs do. Even in my Aunt’s neighborhood which is like Jewish central, they all had Obama/Biden posters in front of their house, I couldn’t believe it. I figured they would vote for McCain since he would stand for Israel but nope, even after all the crap came out about Obama and Reverend Wright they loved him even more, its sick!
That’s truth. Just what I’m trying to say.
idiot-redneck-biblethumping-cretin.
Wear the badge proudly, Brother.
You’re probably a Yankee too. That was supposed to be derogatory in the 17th century. Like “Teabagger” is now.
A better question would be, “Why do Jew consistently vote for the Democrat Party which has great animosity for Israel?”
Reagan got 39% of the Jewish vote in ‘80 ONLY because he was running against Carter. Reagan should have gotten 89% of the Jewish vote in that contest. When the Dems ran Mondale in 1984, it was back to business as usual, despite Reagan’s superb performance in the White House. Mondale got 65-70 of the Jewish vote.
Too many older Jews in particular just can’t bring themselves to vote Republican. In 1980, 15% of the Jewish vote went to John Anderson rather than vote Republican. Older Jews cling to the ‘country club’ Republican perception while the younger Jews view Republicans as the party of ‘Bible Thumpers.’ These are generalities, of course, and account only for the 80% who are not Democrats and/or liberals.
But I don’t think anyone can deny that McCain did much better with Jews before he chose Sarah Palin, who scares the hell out of too many liberal/progressive/independent Jews. It’s not a rational fear, but it was played on thru the Fall of ‘08 by Sarah “The Great Schlep” Silverman and the like. I think too many fear an ardent Christian, even an ardent pro-Israel Christian, more than they do an Islamofascist.
“As a denizen of flyover country, have been constantly amazed at just how ill-educated some of the ivory tower folks are.”
Educated = someone told you what is.
Informed = you sought and observed what is.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find only things evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelogus
You did...lol...
It's a pay site. I posted it hoping someone might subscribe to Commentary Magazine and tell us what Jennifer Rubin believes is the reason. I bet in day or two she discusses her article on her Commentary blog. Suspect she will get a lot of reaction to this article.
More than sad...it brings into question the intelligence of the average American Jew.
I truly believe it is. Or at least, malignant immaturity.
Well, that's the dumbest two sentences I've heard all year.
I think that we’re witnessing something of a selection effect here, that is to say, environment and culture probably have a lot more to do with it than does religious affiliation. My Jewish relatives are die-hard liberals (you could even call them leftists, or even Marxists depending on what mood they’re in that day), but it seems to me that it goes a lot farther than that.
We live in PA and we own guns. We enjoy shooting them.
They live in Essex County, NJ, and can’t stand it when we talk about guns. When they’re visiting, they visibly shy away when a member of our family shows off a new pistol, even though we’ve made it painfully clear that it’s **unloaded**.
We save our wages for retirement. We save like *fiends* and avoid debt like the plague. For example, our philosophy is to keep our vehicles until (1) we die, (2) the vehicle dies beyond any ability to repair it, (3) driving it requires a tetanus shot, or (4) another driver destroys it beyond any hope of repair.
They spend their wages about as fast as they earn them. In the decades that I’ve known them, they’ve *never* had a car more than three years old. They go from one lease to another, go on extravagant vacations, etc., etc. And then they pontificate about how they *need* the government to take care of them when they decide to retire.
We go to gun shows and car shows.
They go to art exhibits and artist gatherings in NYC.
We live in a slightly more spread out area, yet they were “shocked” to see how “rural” our area was (WTF? We live 7 miles from Philly — it’s nowhere near “rural”!) Maybe it’s because we have roads that are wider than one lane, and every few miles someone actually owns a horse. I guess horses=rural to someone from Essex County, NJ.
They live in a dense suburban area where all the decent jobs are in NYC. Open space? Fughedaboutit.
Maybe reform Judaism has a little to do with it, but if so I think it’s just the cherry on the top of the sundae, not the whole thing. They’re New York urban libs, and we aren’t. So they’re “sophisticated” with their exposure to NYC’s art scene, and we’re backward hicks.
.
.
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Never mind that we hold Ph.D’s and multiple Master’s degrees in hard sciences, engineering, and mathematics, and they don’t. Their culture is “superior”.
(now excuse me while I throw up)
I remember this author....
Go here: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2872816&page=1
She had big Heartburn with Romney launching his bid @ the Henry Ford Museum. I can't find the reference, but she suggested a green location like the Edison Museum or something to that effect in another article.
What she didn't know Edison's major facilities are within the Henry Ford Museum Proper. I hate to say it, If my memory is correct on this, she isn't to bright.
Agree with what you said about environment. My personal experience is that there is a huge difference between Jews in the middle of the country and Jews on the coasts. Too bad the latter are more numerous. Flyover Jews support Israel, have strong family values and vote conservatively.
Where I live now there are very few Jewish people and the only ones I am around are visitors. They tend to be from cities and have swallowed (hook, line and sinker) all the MSM crap about Palin without questioning it and therefore can’t stand her.
{Uh, “that’s why Jews are lame” is Hardly worthy of “scripture” or even Miley Cyrus for that matter (dude).}
See what the LORD has to say about Christian churches in the opening chapters of the Revelation. (Re: first love) Christians are “lame” too. It’s just the crude slang that you object to. To say “Christians suck!” would be further descent of crude slang saying the same thing, with intent to offend. Don’t choose to be offended by this kind of tripe. See it for what it is.
peace
I agree. This isn't a Jewish thing. All the elites you menion share this view. It is much, much wider than "Why Jews hate Palin". It is why the liberal elites hate Palin. Their hate is understandable in way. Consider what conservatives, myself included, often say of the Ivy League crowd:
The degrees they sweat blood to get a mean little. Better to have a tire store manager from Nebraska at Treasury than a Harvard Business school graduate. Most of psychology and all of sociology is junk science. Lawyers produce little of value and are often venal. The art the elites produce is crap. The Pulitizers, Oscars, Nobel and other prizes the elites give each other are risible. At best the liberal elites are worthless, at worst they are corrupt and evil.
I'm in CT. I see the parties, I see the gushing over achievements I don't consider achievements but merely punching a ticket to a high paying job society would be better off if it didn't exist. I know the sneers from the heartland hurt them. Not much defense to the charges either. All they can do is call the heartland stupid (cause we do not see how valuable the elites are).
That's it. Exactly. They make a statement and stand back laughing while we "fight among ourselves". Then, some not-fully-informed voters watch the fight and decide our candidate isn't one they care to support after all. Peels away the undecideds and perhaps some of the base. Very effective if we let it be.
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