An intelligent if somewhat academic discussion ensues on Crooked Timbers, with a certain amount of shock and disbelief among progressives there. A lot of questioning of methodology and so forth. One commentor ventures the following rather strong statement:Here is an entirely sober, but also very politically incorrect, opinion: a large fraction of this discrepancy between Democrats and Republicans can be explained by the significantly larger fraction of Democrats who are black. There is a strong, persistent, and relatively unabashed level of animosity in the black community toward Jews. (The animosity flows the other way, too.)
I find it telling that, despite discussing cross-tabs on educational attainment and party affiliation, the article never once dares to mention race.
One theory I occasionally entertain is that 9/11 brought about a sea-change in attitudes towards Israel and the Palestinian resistance, and this has had a spillover effect on attitudes towards Jews in general, primarily among the American/Canadian Right.
Before that date it seemed easier to argue that the Palestinians were entitled to their intifada, even when this involved the employment of suicide bombers. Afterwards, after being on the other end of a series of suicide attacks, a larger segment of the U.S. Republicans (and maybe Candian Conservatives?) are likely to have a visceral, negative response to such arguments. Pro-Israel sentiment has therefore generalized to Pro-Jewish sentiment.
FWIW, obviously.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI haven't checked out the wankersphere yet but I'm betting they're already making hay out of the fact that 3 out 10 Democrats are anti-semitic while ignoring that 2 out 10 Republicans are too.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the Religious Right is very supportive of Israel. It has something to do with the Rapture, though I don't quite understand it. So this doesn't surprise me, in retrospect.
ReplyDeleteNever mind the partisan split. A full quarter of Americans believe that Jews are responsible for the financial crisis! This bring me back to that great South Park line: "One-quarter of Americans are retards".
ReplyDeleteFor the most part, labels like "anti-semite" and "fascist" are so over-used as to become pointless.
ReplyDeleteEveryone criticizing anything in Israel is an anti-semite, and everyone proposing a government initiative that we don't like is a "fascist".
More interesting, in my mind, is the willingness to give a free past to terrorist Islamic organizations under the new pop phrase, "Israeli Apartheid".
It's just pap from bozos who don't truly want to acknoweldge that some issues are actually complex and can't be defined by one or two word labels.
..and before anyone responds with how "terrorist Islamic oranization" is hackneyed or simplistic, well, perhaps so, but I think I'm on safe ground calling Al Quaeda a terrorist organization.
ReplyDeleteThere's a problem with the question.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the response would have been if the questioner had substituted, say, "Venezuelans" for "Jews"? As in, "How much to blame were the Venezuelans for the financial crisis?"
Anytime you ask people if group X ought to be blamed for something, you plant the suggestion that perhaps they should. I don't find this poll very conclusive--and that's assuming that we consider all Democrats "left."
The experiment with focus groups was of more interest--but not broken down by party affiliation.
Who is this Al Quaeda guy? Googling him pulls up nothing.
ReplyDeleteDawg, of course its a bit simplistic, but even so, why was the suggestion implanted unequally in the two groups?
ReplyDeleteOver half the American population don't believe in evolution either. I don't think their perceptions of reality mean anything at all anymore.
ReplyDeleteThe weirdest alliance since 9/11 has been between Jewish Americans and the Christian Zionists. CUFI comes to mind. That's been a real eye-opener, that's for sure.
Isn't it TiGuy's job to correct my spelling mistakes? At least he goes on (and on) to explain why my "point" is lacking.. lol..
ReplyDeleteAnd that's a great point Dawg.. I'm so sick of polls and their leading questions and pointless results.
ReplyDeleteThe reality is that 80% of the electorate are dunderheads - the real issue is how does one influence those dunderheads to accidentally make the "right" decision when they choose their government.
(See Ignatieff ads)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt's not my "job," Rob. It's my calling.
ReplyDeleteDawg, of course its a bit simplistic, but even so, why was the suggestion implanted unequally in the two groups?I can think of a lot of reasons other than anti-Semitism. Perhaps it's a sign that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to entertain unusual notions. Perhaps the phrase "a moderate amount" invites this possibility by not demanding a strong stand.
ReplyDeleteIt would have been instructive to break out "moderate amount" from "a great deal."
I would have been interested as well in a party breakdown of the focus group findings--that would have been a lot tougher to explain away.
@ Ti-Guy's comment: The weirdest alliance since 9/11 has been between Jewish Americans and the Christian Zionists.It's not such a weird alliance when one considers the motivation. They use each other for different purposes. It is an alliance that goes way back. I think it is very important to note that the alliance has not been between "Jewish Americans" and the Christian Zionists, but between "Zionist Jews in America" and the CZ. Yet even that is problematic when one considers Zionists such as Jerry Haber.
ReplyDeleteAnybody that's been following the academic community these days can't be too surprized. Israel Apartheid Week is "celebrated" across many campuses, and the groups celebrating are more often than not left of centre.
ReplyDeleteAlthough they are usually careful to criticize Israel or Zionism rather than Jews, it's obvious that a streak of anti-semitism underlies at least some of these protests.
it's obvious that a streak of anti-semitism underlies at least some of these protests.If it's that fricken obvious, post some evidence.
ReplyDeleteIt is an alliance that goes way back.It struck me as odd, because my experience with American evangelicals, particularly of the Southern Baptist bent, was that they were the most antisemitic people on Earth. They still are, in fact, since their eschatology rests on the eventual destruction of the Jews in a very real, Rapture-ready kind of way.
ReplyDeleteI guess the American Zionists know that's all hooey, but cultivate and enjoy the massive political support anyway. Pretty contemptuous.
But we'd better stop this discussion, or poor ol' BCL will get denounced again.
Rabbit:
Anybody that's been following the academic community these days can't be too surprized.
Can you try that again...in English, this time?
"TRIBULATION INDEX" becomes "RAPTURE INDEX"
ReplyDeleteFor 18 centuries all organized churches and all official Christian theology embraced the "Tribulation Index" (that is, the essence of it without using the label). In recent years a Nebraska "rustler" has been changing it into the "Rapture Index." For more info Google "The Rapture Index (Mad Theology)" and "Open Letter to Todd Strandberg." For some background on "rapture rustling" read "Pretrib Rapture Dishonesty" on the "Powered by Christ Ministries" site. But, pardner, you'd better take some tranquilizers before you lasso any of the above items!