Stuff is EASY to say; isn't it...
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 . . .
“Some folks have jumped in to defend her, but that’s my take on it.”
The only defense I can offer for Jennifer Rubin is that editors choose headlines, not writers. Whoever chose this particular headline is a no-good lowlife scumbag who wants to make a buck by stirring up ethnic hatred.
Palin/DeMint 2012.
Biden/Clinton 2010; Orly, remove the Muslim commie imposter from the White House.
Stuff is EASY to say; isn't it...
I just opened it in another browser and it looks good!
I am reminded of Bernie Goldberg, who doesn’t seem to get much mention here for whatever reasons. Anyway, he did write that book “A Slobbering Love Affair”, which identified the MSM’s lack of integrity concerning the presidential campaign.
He was spot on when I saw him making the book tour rounds on TV. The media has contributed to the mass madness in a big way. He was one of the few voices making tv appearances who highly criticized the kid glove (slobbering) treatment of Obozo by the msm
Happy New Year to you too, rlm.
i don’t know. it was pretty intense against Bush and Cheney, Gingrich, even Reagan(but Reagan wasn’t as openly evangelical as some others and the GOP hadn’t become as associated with the “Religious Right” and the South when he first ran).
Reagan also had the whole Hollywood actor/star thing going for him and there are lots of Jews in Hollywood who knew him and I think that added to the overall Jewish comfort level with him. He also had the fortune of following a guy Jews couldn’t stand in Carter(another evangelical not coincidentally who wore his religion on his sleeve and made an issue out of his christianity). The Reagan era from 80-88 was a very bad period for the dem party and liberals nationally as well so he benefitted from that.
Conversely, the GOP and conservatism fell apart starting in 2006-2008. So Palin was caught up in that as well.
If Palin had been nominated back in 2004 or 2000 I don’t think the opposition would have been as intense because the anti-GOP/anti-Bush mood wasn’t as strong.
Still, come 2012 she or any other Republican should have some advantages compared to 2008. Obama won’t be able to pull one over on Jews anymore and they’ll have seen who and what he really is(worth a few pts). Palin or whoever the GOP nominee is will have had close to 2 years worth of campaigning, a few speeches at various Jewish events, a much more comprehensive approach. It was hard for her last year because she had very little time and within two and half weeks of her being named to the ticket the entire economy collapsed and the campaign was over. If there had been a normal campaign, no financial meltdown, things would have been different.
A couple of speeches to AIPAC, maybe a trip to Israel, a few events or speeches here and there at a synnagogue or Jewish center, maybe someone like Lieberman or another high-profile Jew supports the GOP again, just some efforts at outreach, combined with reaction against Obama...and she or whoever can improve on the 22% of the Jewish vote the GOP got in 2008.
Not by a lot likely, maybe up to 25-26%. But Bush won in 2004 getting only 24%. He won in 2000 and only got 19% of the Jewish vote. If they can get 25% of the Jewish vote, that means they’ll have gotten that much more of the non-Jewish vote and they’ll have won the election.
Opinion on Palin seems to be split among Jews who are observant but not ultra-Orthodox—a swing-voting demographic that both parties would like to nab. “People say, ‘Oh, she’s a creationist,’” said Judy Davidson, a resident of Downingtown, Pa. who describes herself as being in between the Conservative and Orthodox movements. “What she believes is what every Orthodox Jew believes. We love her.” Davidson runs a kosher sports-themed Internet café and sells Jewish McCain and Palin campaign paraphernalia on the side.
But, perhaps hewing again to class lines, Lynne Bermont, a professor at New York University who lives on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and describes herself as a fairly observant Conservative Jew, told the Forward that, “as a Jewish woman, I am most proud to be part of a tradition that valorizes ethical integrity and intellectual activity… Sarah Palin is antithetical to all of these values.”
Full text: Sarah Palin Hits a Nerve Among Jewish Women, But It’s a Raw One
My take is that most will see it as blaming him for not having a crystal ball. The perp hadn’t murdered anyone when it landed on Huckabee’s desk and most governors would have looked at his record, seen the judge’s recommendation (clemency) and thought about it. I do believe that we need to switch from incarceration to shorter harder labor sentences anyway, to avoid breeding murderers and terrorists and that that’s a national priority. The attacks from the other candidates made him look more acceptable to crossovers and a poll at the time showed him to be our strongest general election candidate. Both he and Palin have a lot to offer, but I think he’s better for a lot of reasons (strategic and policy).
Um... let’s see... the same elitist groups that have controlled their agenda since they got Wilson into office. The Rockefellers and their allies, the Fords and theirs, Carnegie, Morgan etc.
Liberal Jews made the mistake of pushing their kids into the IVY League brainwashing program. They’re not the origin of liberal fascism or even their primary promoters. And they’re a segment that can be reached if shown the facts in a reasonable way (BamBam’s approval among Jews dropped 20 plus points this year).
I don’t hate Sarah Palin. There.
Seriously... what are you talking about? Syntax is your friend.
As far as the 2010 elections go, I would not be surprised if he called them off also. Unless the Democrats believe that they have found a way to neutralize their opposition to them for voting for obama care, therre won’t be an election.
+++++++++++++++
You’re suggesting there will be a civil war then.
I agree with that. Thanks.
Sadly, that's a profoundly true statement.
Are Conservative Jews as much a minority of the Jewish American population as Conservative Christians?
I’d say nominal conservatives about 30-35% (I don’t believe the 78% number who supposedly voted for BamBam - the exit polls are in urban areas only, interview liberals and McCain voters felt intimidated or threatened by surrounding voters), real conservatives about 20%. The younger they are, the more conservative (except for the 20somethings who haven’t grown up yet). The article at the top of the thread is by a Jewish conservative and in a Jewish conservative publication.
The fact is that conservatives/Republicans have never really done all that well among Jews.
McCain got 22% in 2008, Bush got 24% in 2004, 19% in 2000, Dole got 16% in 96, Bush41 got 11% in 92.
The 80s were a bit better. Bush41 got 35% in 88, Reagan got 31% in 84 and 39% in 80. Ford got 27% in 76.
There was an interesting Gallup Poll done of Jewish voters at the end of October, 2008.
It had Obama up overall 74-22, but they also provided some breakdowns.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/111424/obama-winning-over-jewish-vote.aspx
Among Jews by age McCain actually did much better among younger Jews, surprising since among the populatoin at large he did his worst among younger folks. Among Jews 18-34 Obama led 67-29, and among Jews 35-54 he led 68-28. Among Jews over 55 he led 74-19. So McCain did 50% better among younger Jews than older/senior Jews. Also surprising since seniors were McCain’s best demo overall and he beat Obama 53-45 among seniors overall. So among Jews the age thing was skewed.
Gallup says it’s because younger Jews are more conservative than older Jews. 29% of Jews 18-34 say they’re conservative vs only 16% of Jews 55+. But the 35-54 Jews are 17% conservative vs 16% for 55+ and McCain had 28 of them vs 19 of the 55+ so who knows what was going on there.
Overall 57% of Jews were dems, 30% independent and 13% GOP. Not a favorable sample for conservatives.
The good news is that younger Jews are more conservative. Over time they’ll take the place of the older ones.
There ain’t going to be a civil war.
That's exactly what I say about Obama. If someone lies on a job application or a resume he is out and will not be reconsidered. But aside from that he is utterly without experience.
Neither of these objections can be said about Gov. Palin.
Then read her book.
Male Bovine Fecal Matter.
Why don’t you take a look at the following post?
Sarah’s not perfect, but to compare her to Nazis is completely ridiculous. Are you paranoid about Christians?
This article brings to mind the old Woody Allen joke that the magazines Commentary and Dissent merged to form Dysentery.
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