Did Palin Falsely Imply Mayoral Opponent Was Jewish?
An excellent piece in the New York Times reveals something about Sarah Palin that I did not know. She became mayor of Wasilla, in part, by using hints about the supposed Jewish ancestry of her opponent, the incumbent mayor, a fellow Republican named Stein. Palin turned a municipal election into a Christian crusade.
From the New York Times: "The traditional turning points that had decided municipal elections in this town of less than 7,000 people -- Should we pave the dirt roads? Put in sewers? Which candidate is your hunting buddy? -- seemed all but obsolete the year Palin, then 32, challenged the three-term incumbent,...
"Sarah comes in with all this ideological stuff, and I was like, 'Whoa,'" said Stein, who lost the election. "But that got her elected: abortion, gun rights, term limits and the religious born-again thing. I'm not a church-going guy and that was another issue: 'We will have our first Christian mayor.'"
Stein was shocked. No opponent had ever used his religion against him even though his name is Stein.
'I thought: 'Holy cow, what's happening here? Does that mean she thinks I'm Jewish....," recalled Mr. Stein.
Stein, a Lutheran born with a name that sounds Jewish, didn't have a chance.
But now, for Jews, its payback time. Reports out of Florida show that Jewish voters who had been wary about Barack Obama have now returned to the fold, largely thanks to Sarah Palin. A "This Is A Christian Country" Vice President is the last thing most Jews want, even Jewish Republicans. On top of that, she's running against Joe Biden.
No wonder we're pulling ahead in Florida.
Proof-read!
October 15, 2008 12:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
...as in: do you mean "Opponent" where you have "Appointment"? You also misspell "opponent" in your text.
October 15, 2008 12:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Astral66,
excellent post.
October 15, 2008 1:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Hello, I would like to schedule a jewbaiting appointment for 2pm."
Yeah, I was hoping that I hadn't just read the title wrong.
Aside from that, nice post M. J.!
October 15, 2008 1:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
The fundamentalists have been playing a curious game with Jews. In some churches they are dancing faux Horas and singing in Hebrew. A whole lot of Jaweh going on. I've seen an Israeli flag flying at some fundamentalist churches. They love the idea of kicking Palestinian/Muslim ass in the name of their Lord. And, it seems, no one has a better reputation in that regard than the Israelis.
But deep down they are anti-Semites. Always have been and always will be. Some one should tell them about all those socialists who started a Kibbutz.
But take the votes. Good job bubbies.
October 15, 2008 12:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Its not just the ass kicking, the fundies are working towards the End of Days which requires the arabs be out of Israel. Then they can waave goodbye to their friends the Jew as they are raptured away.
It makes for strange bedfellows (like Joe Liebermans)
October 15, 2008 4:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ya got that right.
October 15, 2008 7:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Religulous by Bill Maher and Larry Charles hammers this point home. Holy jeez am I worried about the Fundies now. I seriously want them stopped at all costs politically. It's insane. They should be kept 1,000 yards away from The Button.
Good thing the Chris Buckleys and George Will's and David Brooks' of the world also want them stopped within their own party. We'll see if these eggheads have enough juice to stop them though.
October 15, 2008 8:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
mj, I don't know that your headline with the word "jewbaiting" is accurate in this case, or reflective of journalistic integrity.
It strikes me as too strong and toxic and unnecessary a word for what allegedly transpired.
IMO
October 15, 2008 1:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's absolutely accurate. Unfortunately, implied bigotry against Jews is a bigger story than her EXPRESS bigotry against Muslims.
October 15, 2008 1:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
FYI, I don't advocate Palin using her religion or someone else's as a catalyst to public office. It's despicable.
Maybe I feel like using the term jew-baiting is like someone yelling "JEW-HATER"(referring to Palin) when Palin is mentioned at an Obama rally.
MJ could have gotten his point across without helping McCain or Palin draw a false symmetry between racial and ethnic slurs aimed at Obama and racial and ethnic accusations aimed at themselves.
October 15, 2008 2:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Whoa. There's nothing in the article that she is quoted to have said that would be anti-semitic. Actually the article doesn't have any quotes by Palin, it's all just coming from Stein.
I think MJ is stretching here a bit.
Did she promote herself as a conservative value-minded Christian? I'm sure she did. But did she say hateful things about her opponent and his (falsely) being Jewish? There's no evidence of that.
October 15, 2008 2:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
you said it better than I did. thanks.
October 15, 2008 2:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
The inferrence of Palin claiming that she's the "Christian" candidate is that Stein isn't, and what faith does one associate the name "Stein" with? That's what this whole issue has centered around, and it's hard to make too much of something this vague.
October 15, 2008 2:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you. Hence the common usage of "code" words. You don't have to expressly make the connection, the bigots "get it."
Unfortunately, a lot of posters to this site do not.
October 15, 2008 4:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
I co-sign. The very first time I learned of this story, my hair stood on end.
What she did was so obvious, even Stevie Wonder could see it clearly.
October 15, 2008 5:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Mythbuster, am I one of the posters you think doesn't get it?
Just curious, I respect your opinion, but I think that's a pretty strong accusation, given my comment on this post.
Interestingly, It's also a perfect demonstration of my point.
October 15, 2008 6:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
actually, I don't think "Stein" being perceived as a "Jewish" name was what her comment about the "first Christian mayor" was about. Born again type Christian think that anyone who hasn't been more again is literally not Christian.
October 15, 2008 10:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Retry that:
Actually, I don't think "Stein" being perceived as a "Jewish" name was what her comment about the "first Christian mayor" was about. Born again types Christian think that anyone who hasn't been born again is literally not Christian.
October 15, 2008 11:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, she did refer to herself as the "only Christian candidate" when she was campaigning. I read that somewhere else, in the ADN or the Fairbanks Miner, I think.
October 15, 2008 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Doesn't matter whether Stein is Jewish or Christian or Wiccan. What matters is, Palin was up to her usual stunt of decrying "the other", that time on religious grounds.
Believe it or not, there are still a few liberal Democrats in Alaska. Dems were there first. They were the wildcatters who built Alaska. The interlopers were the Bible-thumping Okies and Texans who came much later, for easy jobs with no educational requirements.
Democrats made Alaska. Republicans ruined it.
October 15, 2008 4:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
As a white American, I love the use of the word "welfare." You see, when an overwhelmingly white state like Alaska or Nebraska gets lots of federal handouts, oil "royalities" or "farm subsidies," we rejoice. When poor blacks gets assistance, we decry "welfare." Republican Alaska is like Republican farm states: Talk about personal initiative and then line up for the government check.
October 15, 2008 4:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
A nice "end of days" would be the day all religious self-righteousness ceases to play any part in our judging of candidates for public office. The Right does not want anyone to vote for Obama, not because he is a Christian, but because they want you to think he is a Muslim. If it worked for Palin once in a small town in Alaska, I'm sure she thinks it will work again across the nation. We can hardly expect her small mind to grow large just because John McCain, embarrassing himself, chose her to be his Vice Presidential Candidate when what he needed to do was strengthen, not weaken, his ticket.
October 15, 2008 5:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
My hope of the afterlife is that all these Bible thumpers who believe Christ said "win at any costs" get a sit down with him, during which there's a meter that measures the pain and suffering their words caused others. Loving thy neighbor, they're not. And they're not doing too good a job with loving their god. Which are the only two commandments that ought to matter to a Christian.
Alas, I can all too easily hear Palin arguing with J.C. about his associations with known prostitutes and community-organized beggars...
October 15, 2008 6:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't forget the Jews are being punish be cause the killed Christ, so says her church.
October 15, 2008 6:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't forget Pastor Muthee's statement:
October 15, 2008 7:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
MJ, you forgot the rest of the story.
At the same time Palin was promoting herself as the christian candidate and painting Stein as a Jew, the whisper campaign was hot and heavy about his wife. Seems she went used her maiden name, not his. So the gossip was running amok they were not married. Just pretended to be. I think the christian term for that is living in sin.
I guess this was Palin's first clue to winning elections...lies can hurt if your can opponent make them look like the truth and use them against you.
October 15, 2008 8:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sorry, old story! This was up the next day after the announcement--amazing that you missed it. But there is nothing ambiguous about the relationship between the Fundies and the Jews--hell, the relationship between Ultra-Orthodox and secular Israelis is far more complicated!
October 15, 2008 9:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
I just think it's been funny to watch the headline change and change all day--I think you finally got it right, MJ!
October 15, 2008 10:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Unlike John McCain, when I get it wrong, I fix it!
October 16, 2008 7:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
wait, wait--what did she say? did I miss that?
does anyone have the quote(s)?
October 15, 2008 11:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
By your headline you practice what you condemn.
October 17, 2008 12:28 AM | Reply | Permalink