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October 21, 2009
I've got friends in low places
This week, two South Carolina Republican Senators put their heads together and wrote a little op-ed in defense of Senator Jim DeMint for his practice of avoiding earmarks, a practice you would think needs no defense. But unfortunately, they didn't exactly express themselves well, and it backfired, with TMP Livewire running the story like this:
Two SC GOP-ers: DeMint 'Is Watching Our Nation's Pennies' -- Just Like A Wealthy Jew
Two Republican party chairmen from South Carolina, in trying to defend Sen. Jim DeMint's (R-SC) practice of not using earmarks, said DeMint "is watching our nation's pennies," just like "the Jews who are wealthy."
Edwin O. Merwin and James S. Ulmer, chairs of the Bamberg County Republican Party and the Orangeburg County Republican Party, respectively, wrote an op-ed in the Times and Democrat this Sunday.
"There is a saying that the Jews who are wealthy got that way not by watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies and the dollars taking care of themselves," they wrote. "By not using earmarks to fund projects for South Carolina and instead using actual bills, DeMint is watching our nation's pennies and trying to preserve our country's wealth and our economy's viability to give all an opportunity to succeed."
Lovely.
One has to wonder why and how two supposedly intelligent men would and could put their heads together and manage to come up with such a ridiculous and inflammatory way of expressing themselves. It's hard to believe that they are so ignorant of this Country's roots and traditions to be completely unaware that what are they speaking of is an old American proverb based on an even older English proverb "Look after the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves."
No, I suppose it's easier to fall back on a stereotype, after all, everyone knows how them Jews pinch pennies. It's a stereotype everyone can understand and relate to, or at least, one must assume that's what they expected when they wrote those words, and all the apologies in the world are not going to change that.
TMP Livewire wrote the perfect headline. Oooo lookie at those evil republicans, hating on them Jews. Yeah. Right. It's not quite a hymietown moment though, is it? And it is rather mild when you consider the remarks attributed to Hillary Clinton, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, and of course, Cynthia McKinney, who praised Hitler.
Still, the remarks are useful to the democrats and their agenda, and sadly they will keep some Jews voting democrat despite the left's well known prejudice against Jews and all things Jewish, including Israel. So these two republican bozos manage to give the democrats a few more talking points about ignorant Jew hating southern republicans, just when democrats need them the most.
Reality is, no matter what propaganda J Street is putting out, Jews are falling off the democrat bandwagon and the last thing we need right now are these two nitwits out of SC running their mouths without putting their brain into gear. So I called them up and told them so, and I used my maiden name. I can just hear their southern accents trying to duplicate that!
Today, when I received an email from a friend with a link to this stupid article by TMP with the question, "Are you going vote with the republicans again this year Linda?" I fired back two words and a picture. The two words were "Jimmy Carter" and the picture:
Okay, so there are republicans who adhere to stereotypes, when did I ever say republicans were perfect? Oh, and, not to split hairs or anything, but I'm a conservative, and you know what, we're not perfect either, so yes, I've got friends in low places.
As for me, well, I find it difficult to get all worked up about the penny-pinching Jew stereotype, I always have, and always will. I seem to run into it a lot, probably because my last name is so not Jewish, and people tend to drop that stereotype on me more often then they might if I were a Goldstein rather than a Gonzalez.
I'll have fun with you if drop that on me and you happen to be... say... Irish, because then I get to comment something along the lines of how fortunate I am to come from a people that are known for making money and taking over the world while you come from a people who are known for being a bunch of drunks. Not to pick on the Irish, that's just an example to show you that stereotypes can be fun, if you're lucky enough to be born with the right one, and when you think about it, we Jews really have the best one.
Stereotypes are a fact of life. Like cliches, we have them for a reason, and we might as well acknowledge them, accept them, and learn to live with them. In ourselves, and in others.
I'll leave you with a quote, see if you can guess who said it. You'll have to click to find the answer...
"I hate to admit it, but I have reached a stage in my life that if I am walking down a dark street late at night and I see that the person behind me is white, I subconsciously feel relieved."
It was Jesse Jackson who said that, and he said it maybe about 20 years ago. You see, we all have stereotypes, about ourselves, and others.
Posted by LindaSoG at October 21, 2009 07:00 AM
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Comments
you have to be stupid to be Jewish and voting for a democrat these days. they are not the same that your parents voted for when you were a child, and its different from what you heard and learned at the dinner table growing up.
I agree, this stupid comments mean nothing and everything at the same time.
I hope your health is well. you have to answer my email still.
Posted by: chana at October 22, 2009 01:35 AM
Sorry to hear things like this Linda, for sure those closet racists and hate mongers have all come out of the closet, set by the new standard established by the Obama administration. There are striking parallels to Germany's 1938. It begs the question of why did the residents of Skokie who rejected blatant racism in 1977 now ignore or even embrace the same individuals who pander it today? It's for damned sure that the ACLU and the Hague aren't going to protect Jews and Christians from discrimination and attack, not when they support Palestinian terrorism over peace. Diversity, that's the ticket!!! http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/05/22/crimesider/entry5034348.shtml
Posted by: Jack at October 22, 2009 01:18 PM
I'm the only Jew in my family who is Conservative and that goes all the way back as far as I can remember.
Oh and Linda, call us! K?
Posted by: cuchieddie (Locked & Loaded) at October 22, 2009 05:32 PM
They was only tryin' to help. Bless their hearts. Sigh. You just can't fix stupid.
Posted by: Pamela at October 26, 2009 01:14 AM
Using the proverb wasn't bad. Everything surrounding it on the other hand....
They really could have handled that better. The proverb itself paints frugality as a virtue and a means to an end. And yeah, it really is a spinoff of the Old English proverb. Who knew Britons were Jew. ;-)
And since I have Irish and Scot blood in me, what else you got? ;-)
Posted by: raz0r at October 28, 2009 10:58 PM