Let's Be Friends

Jude Wanniski is a white, arch-conservative, US Republican. So why, asks Gary Younge, has he forged an alliance with Louis Farrakhan, head of the Nation of Islam, and pariah of the white establishment?

Jude Wanniski's name has appeared in an eclectic array of places. The former marxist, Democrat and adviser to president Ronald Reagan was credited with making a major intellectual contribution to supply-side economic policies that dominated America during the 80s. The man who started the 1996 presidential campaign backing Bob Dole, withdrew his support to encourage millionaire Steve Forbes to run and ended up backing Dole's vice-presidential running mate Jack Kemp is as resolute in his theories - his most famous book is called The Way the World Works - as he is unpredictable in its allegiances. But there can be few less likely places to hear Wanniski's name mentioned than from the lips of the leader of the Nation of Islam and pariah of the political establishment, minister Louis Farrakhan, at a hip-hop summit in Los Angeles attended by, among others, the mad, bad and ever so dangerous Suge Knight. Here, in the Four Seasons Hotel, at the cutting edge of black street fashion and musical achievement, Farrakhan is literally spelling Wanniski's name out for the audience. Here, where the seats of the jeans hang so low they scrape the ground and the afros, complete with afro-comb, stand so high that it would make Don King blush, former gang members scramble for pens to take down the website address of one of the key proponents of Reaganomics.

White, catholic and arch conservative, Wanniski, who is now a political and economic consultant, has become one of Farrakhan's most ardent and least likely supporters. You can see him on the big screen on St Saviour's day - the Nation of Islam's equivalent to the Labour party conference - all smiles, having handed over a cheque for $2,000 (£1,400). A white face in a sea of black, a neck tie among an array of bows. If there is a contradiction in his support for an organisation whose doctrine includes the belief that white people were made out of germs and originally had tails before they evolved, then it is not obvious to him.

Sitting in his suite in the exclusive Jonathan club - a camera crew with jeans on had to make its way to his room through the trader's lift - he talks of defending Farrakhan as though it is his vocation. "I've lost clients in Wall Street on this - but if I don't do it, who does?" he says.

At times his devotion appears almost unseemly in its reverence. "He's closer to living the life of Jesus Christ than any man I've ever known apart from my father," he says, without a hint of irony.

Wanniski not only adores Farrakhan but believes he is uniquely positioned to effect a reconciliation between Farrakhan and Jews. Raised in Brooklyn, New York, his father was a caretaker in a building inhabited principally by Jews. Over the road, in a similar apartment, the caretaker was black. Wanniski grew up playing with the other caretaker's son. When he went to university in Los Angeles, being a poor white meant sharing rooms with blacks.

"I have grown up understanding the perspectives of the Jewish community and the black community," he says.

He studied journalism and went on to write for the Wall Street Journal as he completed a journey from leftwing youth to a rightwing adulthood that coincided with the rise of Reagan. He first contacted the Nation of Islam during the 1996 presidential election, after his old friend, Kemp, was excoriated for saying he wished he'd gone on the Million Man March - the large demonstration in Washington that has, so far, been Farrakhan's finest moment. He then called after the election to continue the discussions and was invited to Chicago to have dinner with Farrakhan. "We sat for five hours," says Wanniski, who is based in New Jersey. "And since then we have several meetings for four or five hours and we've talked about how the federal reserve system works, how the tax system works."

At the liberal weekly magazine Nation, they say Wanniski is "as crazy as he is endearing... Like Howard Stern, the man is unembarrassable, which is a great gift in American political life". At the rightwing Wall Street Journal, an editorial describes "our old friend and colleague" in similarly fond but dismissive terms. "St Jude being the patron saint of lost causes, Mr Wanniski soldiers on with great gusto despite all discouragement."

Wanniski may be a maverick, but he is not stupid. His support for Farrakhan stems from a desire he has to see a fundamental realignment in American politics to win African-Americans over to the Republican party. Farrakhan, he believes is the key.

The Nation's conservative message of self-reliance and family values and volunteerism chimes well, he believes, with the core values of the Republican party. "He spoke at a conference I sponsored in Florida," recalls Wanniski. "He said if the government gives the family free food, free clothing, free housing and free transport, what's left for the father to do?" He got a standing ovation, and half of the audience was Jewish."

Clinton, Farrakhan complained in one interview, "[kissed] little black babies - but took the black vote for granted". While Farrakhan was in Florida he spent around two hours dining with Senator John Ashcroft of Missouri, who is now the US attorney general.

African-Americans were once devoted supporters of the party of Lincoln. Martin Luther King's father famously only took off his Nixon badge and backed John F Kennedy after Kennedy called Coretta Scott King to offer words of sympathy after her husband was jailed for opposing segregation. Since the late 30s they have been vital to Democrat success - the party has only ever won one election with the majority of the white vote since the war. Today only 9% of African-Americans vote Republican. This devotion to a single party has long been a concern. "Do not let any political party feel they are always sure of your vote," says George Cable, an African-American author. "Nor let any party feel they can never get your vote." He continued. But then he fought for the confederacy during the civil war.

With Farrakhan's help, says Wanniski, the Democratic stranglehold could be broken. "My friends want black leaders they can choose, but they can't have that and they have to understand that," he says.

If this does happen it will not happen any time soon. Republicans are still wary both of Farrakhan's unpredictable message and, most of all, his reputation among the Jewish community. Wanniski denies Farrakhan is anti-semitic. "I've offered $1,000 for anyone who can find something that he has said that is disrespectful towards Judaism or the Jewish religion," says Wanniski.

On this subject, Wanniski thinks Farrakhan's importance is not just national but global. "I believe he's the most important muslim in the world. If the Russians had won the cold war the most important muslim would be the imam of Moscow.

"Muslims need someone to unify the Islamic world. At the moment all they have is a bad guy, Osama bin Laden."

Farrakhan, he insists, is the good guy. "They need someone who recognises the state of Israel and also wants justice for the Palestinians. That's Farrakhan."

· An exclusive interview with Louis Farrakhan will appear on BBC Corrrespondent in the autumn.

"And you do with me as is written, but remember that I have warned you that Allah will punish you. You are wicked deceivers of the American people. You have sucked their blood. You are not real Jews, those of you that are not real Jews. You are the synagogue of Satan, and you have wrapped your tentacles around the U.S. government, and you are deceiving and sending this nation to hell. But I warn you in the name of Allah, you would be wise to leave me alone. But if you choose to crucify me, know that Allah will crucify you."
Saviours' Day Speech, Chicago, 2/25/96

"never have any peace because there can be no peace structured on injustice, lying and deceit and using the name of God to shield your gutter religion under his holy and righteous name....
1984 presidential campaign

"Farrakhan has a controversy with the Jews. Jesus was hated by the Jews. Farrakhan is hated by the Jews. Jesus was scourged by Jews in their temple. Farrakhan is scourged by Jews in their synagogue.... They called him a devil. They call me a devil.... The Jews talked about "never again." I am your last chance too, Jews. I am your last chance. Listen Jews. This little black boy is your last chance because the Scriptures charge your people with killing the prophets of God. I am not one of the prophets of God. But if you rise up to try to kill me, then Allah promises you that he will bring on this generation the blood of the righteous. All of you will be killed outright. You cannot say "never again" to God, because when He puts you in the oven, "never again" don't mean a thing."
Madison Square Garden 10-7-85

Though it doesn't relate to Jews, I like this one from Sudan in 96:
"You can quote me: God will destroy America by the hands of Muslims.... God will not give Japan or Europe the honour of bringing down the United States; this is an honour God will bestow upon Muslims."

"I say to Jewish America: Get ready ... knuckle up, put your boots on, because we're ready and the war is going down ... The real deal is this: Black youth do not want a relationship with the Jewish community or the mainstream white community or the foot shuffling, head-bowing, knee-bobbing black community.... All you Jews can go straight to hell."
October, 95

Of course I believe the Minister is a proponent of the "I'm not antisemitic, I like Arabs" line of thinking, so essentially antisemitism doesn't exist.

I hope I didn't repeat any of your Farrakhan quotes. let's say we split the check.

Farrakhan: "Is the Federal Reserve owned by the government?"
Audience: "No."
Farrakhan: "Who owns the federal reserve?"
Audience: "Jews."
Farrakhan: "The same year they set up the IRS, they set up the FBI. And the same year they set up the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith… It could be a coincidence… [I want] to see black intellectuals free… I want to see them not controlled by members of the Jewish community."

Dallas Observer on-line, 8/10/00

Farrakhan on Jewish control:

Farrakhan said that he is fighting the "inordinate control" some Jews have over Blacks, particularly in entertainment and business.

Associated Press, 7/31/00

"They [the Jews] are the greatest controllers of Black minds, Black intelligence. They write the scripts -- the foolish scripts on television that our people portray. They are the movie moguls that feature us in these silly, degrading, degenerate roles. The great recording companies that portray our people in such a filthy and low-rating way, yet they would not allow such a man as Michael Jackson to say one word that they thought would besmirch their reputation, but they put us before the world as clowns and as purveyors of filth. No, I will fight that."

Meet The Press interview, 10/18/98

"Of course, they [the Jews] have a very small number of people but they are the most powerful in the world, they have the power to do good and they have the power to do evil...Now what do the Jews do best? Well, they have been the best in finance that the world has ever known...They finance a lot of stuff in the world, and there's nothing wrong with that, but they are not good politicians, they are the worst politicians because they don't recognize really their friends and as well their enemies..."

Saviours' Day Speech, Chicago, 2/22/98

"I believe that for the small numbers of Jewish people in the United States, they exercise a tremendous amount of influence on the affairs of government...Yes, they exercise extraordinary control, and Black people will never be free in this country until they are free of that kind of control..."

Meet The Press interview, 4/14/97

"To continue to point out the truth of that control and how that control never will allow us to be full and completely men, free, justified, and equal. Why should we be controlled by the power, influence, and money of others? We should not be under that kind of control...going to Jewish philanthropists, begging them for money to support our causes, and through that money, there is control, and that kind of control limits the freedom of our people to speak freely, write freely, think freely, and act as free men..."

Meet The Press interview, 4/14/97

"I look at Lucianne Goldberg, Linda Tripp, Monica Lewinsky, and I ask myself, 'Why was this introduced at this time when Netanyahu was being pressured by the president to give up more land on the West Bank,'...I think we need to look deeper into this than just what appears on the surface."

Meet The Press interview, 10/18/98

"They call them [Hezbollah] terrorists, I call them freedom fighters...No one asks why they would do such a thing. Why would they do such a thing? What has driven them to this point? That's what the UN, the U.S. and Europe doesn't want to deal with because the Zionists have control in England, in Europe, in the United States and around the world."

Speech at the District Council 33 Union Hall,
Philadelphia, PA, 4/22/96

"How did we get into World War II? You say Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Yes, they did, but what were the forces that created in Japan the desire or the need to force them to attack America? You don't know that. But when America went to war after the attack on Pearl Harbor, she had to borrow money. There were the international bankers again. They financed all sides. And how many millions of Americans lost their lives? Suppose Hitler was trying to destroy the international bankers controlling Europe, but he went about it by attacking a whole people. All Jews are not responsible for the evil of the few who do evil...But certain Jews have used Judaism as a shield."

Saviours' Day Speech, Chicago, 2/26/95

"The Jews have been so bad at politics they lost half their population in the Holocaust. They thought they could trust in Hitler, and they helped him get the Third Reich on the road."

Saviours' Day Speech, Chicago, 2/22/98

"German Jews financed Hitler right here in America...International bankers financed Hitler and poor Jews died while big Jews were at the root of what you call the Holocaust...Little Jews died while big Jews made money. Little Jews [were] being turned into soap while big Jews washed themselves with it. Jews [were] playing violin, Jews [were] playing music, while other Jews [were] marching into the gas chambers..."

Mosque Maryam, Chicago, 3/19/95

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