Jennifer Rubin has authored a lengthy essay for Commentary magazine on why Sarah Palin "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":
"What is it about Palin that so grates on American Jews? It is more than that she is a conservative and that the vast majority of Jews are not, although this cannot be ignored..."Ms. Rubin's full article is available only for paid subscribers at Commentary, although an abstract is posted on the magazine's website. But there is more of the essay at Villagers with Torches.
"It follows, then, that Palin's vocal and unabashed conservatism on social and economic issues does not sit well with most American Jews. But... there is something more fundamental at play."
"On one level, part of the explanation lies in misunderstanding and media-induced panic. As Continetti documents in his telling book,* the media frenzy that surrounded Palin upon her surprise selection by McCain at the end of August 2008 led to distortions and outright falsehoods that had particular toxicity in the Jewish community. The most inflammatory of these was her alleged support for Patrick J. Buchanan..."
"The press ran with the story, despite its falsity, that Palin was a Buchananite. She had, in fact, supported the wonkish and pro-Israel Steve Forbes for president in 2000... Nevertheless, the image took hold and was used to good effect by Obama's team to frighten Jews..."
"The notion was planted that Palin herself was, by association, anti-Israel, and Jews remained convinced of that, despite her unflinching support for the Jewish state, the presence in her gubernatorial office of an Israeli flag, and her eagerness to attend a rally protesting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to the UN in the fall of 2008 (which was canceled at the behest of Obama supporters, no doubt to deprive Palin of that platform)..."
"Certainly, Palin's status as an unabashed conservative and as exemplar of the Religious Right would have been sufficient to alienate the majority of American Jews. Yet if that were all, and that is plenty, Palin still would not provoke the degree of hostility with which most Jews regard her. Something else bothers them more. That something else is Palin herself..."
Sarah Palin may actually be more popular in Israel than she is among Jewish Americans. If so, we may be witness to history repeating itself:
"For most of the 1980's, Ronald Wilson Reagan dominated the American political landscape as no man had since Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The attitude of most Jews, however, was that Reagan's presence in the White House was a not altogether pleasant fact of life, something about which they could do nothing and for which they bore little responsibility..."- JP
"In 1984 Reagan was reelected in a landslide of historic proportions, but his share of the Jewish vote actually decreased by nearly eight points from 1980. When he left office in January 1989, it was with a higher approval rating than any president before him, but Jews - a majority of whom evidently consider a president?s fealty to liberalism more important than his support of Israel - gave him lower marks than any other voting bloc save African Americans."
I recall a news report during the campaign stating that Jews in Israel were urging Jews in America to vote for the McCain/Palin ticket. My understanding is that Jews in Israel are more aware of the real Palin than Jews in America are.
ReplyDeleteI think the Jerusalem Post doesn't like Palin. I've seen negative articles about her there, but in my experience, when I tell Jewish friends about Sarah Palin's support for Israel, they are surprised. How can they know with all these media distortions, like one regarding Buchanan?
Many people simply do not have time to do real, honest to goodness HOMEWORK on Sarah Palin.......and the media onslaught is so great, it does take homework. People of all backgrounds in today's "hurry up" culture are prone to taking the media's word for it on things. It's frustrating to those of us who know what is going on. Until more Americans understand the intentions of the power brokers in bringing down Sarah Palin, we are swimming upstream.
I think the tide will turn. Going Rogue has been a big part of the beginning of that turning of the tide.
Thanks for covering this. I probably would have missed this story had you not covered it here.
I moved to a Jewish neighborhood a decade or so ago, and what I have read appears to be true: Jews tend to live conservative, and vote liberal. The neighbors I know are hard working capitalists, rich and poor, all charitable, and big on individual responsibility to better their lives - not looking to the government for any help. I would be sure they were conservatives, but they all appear to have voted for Obama. To me, it’s quite an enigma.
ReplyDeleteThere has always been a disconnect between Israelis and American Jews. Israelis don't like Obama but American Jews adore him. I can't explain the insanity. Most Jewish people are entrepreneurs, yet they vote for people who are anti capitalist. At it's core, it doesn't make any sense at all. I believe with American Jews the support of the Democrat Party trumps religion and even Israel.
ReplyDeleteI plan to buy a copy of COmmentary to read the full article, but from the abstract, this is already a fascinating subject.
ReplyDeleteI am Jewish, a former Democrat, and a former Reform Jew; now much more traditional, but not Orthodox.
Jewish liberal and leftist women are simply normal liberals and leftist on steroids (or is it turbo charged), so everything written above makes sense. The liberal lie that career is as or more satisfying than being a mother is at the root of the liberal Jewish loathing of Palin, and I believe that a reckoning is in the offing.
I believe a cultural reckoning is coming, both for the aforementioned women, and