lieberman hatred == veiled antisemitism

[sweetheart]

I have been back and forth on this issue myself, and i wonder whether y'all notice similarly... but the hatred seems deeper than simply we don't like the senator from connecticut... and that he's a corporatist... rather something else involving his open jewishness... and if you oppose him, you are an antisemite, or open to that broad and misloaded accusation... yet at the same time... there is some.

Do you think that he is facing serious antisemitism in his bid for the candidacy? Do you think anyone would ever admit it? Methinks it is a serious issue for the man, despite the fact that it is denied.

[pruner]

1. as a Jew who hates Lieberman…

I promise you that anti-Semitism has nothing to do with it.

[kodi]

2. yes, its under the surface, but it IS there

its why i thought that al gore made an important statment towards tolerance by selecting him as his vp.

[creativelcro]

31. yup, feeling victimized is the last resort consolation argument...

[mmonk]

3. Maybe in some places

but I think many dems are angry over the Iraq issue and it hurts him.

[mikehiggins]

4. Yes, I do think there is anti-semitism involved

However, I also think there is a lot of political judgment involved as well.

I dislike his politics but I could care less about his religion/ancestry. I'd like to think everyone else feels the same way but I'm too realistic to beleive it.

[DrWeird]

5. I hate Lieberman because of his stance on video games.

Frankly I think he would fit right in at a book burning rally. I also can't stand him for his support of the war, and he's pretty much a closet republican.

But what I really, really hate is the accusation that because I hate Leiberman I must be an antisemite. I had been hoping I wouldn't be hearing that little gem here anymore. I guess that's too much to ask for.

[sweetheart]

14. if i were to pick a reason...

The video games foolishness is an indication to ditch the man, yet i don't hate him for it... rather thinking him a fool.

What do you think WOULD constitute antisemitic feelings towards him? Do you think it affected Mr. Gore's 2000 campaign?

[Blue_Chill]

28. As a gamer I must say

KEEP YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF MY GAMES YOU BASTARD!!!

vote clark.

[regnaD kciN]

35. As a game PROGRAMMER...

...that goes double for me!

[drfemoe]

37. what is his stance

on video games? I missed that one.

[fairfaxvadem]

6. no, i was quite enthused over him being picked.

Originally that is, but as I said in response to a similar thread a few minutes ago, he lost me during the debate with Cheney and I've never been able to feel positively toward him again.

[Fenris]

7. I think the best way I can explain my views on Lieberman...

is by saying that right now is probably not the best time to elect an Orthodox Jew to the Presidency. That probably sounds harsh, but in this era of anti-Israeli terrorism, a Lieberman Presidency might make things worse. Lieberman might be seen as the definitive proof that the U.S. and Israel are brothers in arms and give the terrorists a reason to unleash everything they have on both the U.S. and Israel. Not to mention the great threat his own Presidency would be to himself; no doubt there would be a heavy price on his head.

I don't consider myself antisemitic. I don't bang the gong of either Israel or Palestine in the great debate. I don't have any kind of hatred towards the Jews. I just don't think it is the right time for President Lieberman.

[Lisa0825]

17. EXCELLENT POINT!!!!

I have been saying since he entered that it would just make the issues with the M.E. and terrorism even harder, bc they would say he was proof we're in Isreal's pocket if he won. I am not saying that as a judgement on HIM, but rather as a judgement on people who scrutinize us and look for reasons to say we are too biased for Isreal.

I was not very politically involved (aside from griping and voting) until this campaign, but when Gore ran with Lieberman, I just supported the party against my then governor who I hated. However, now that Ihave been voraciously reading, I have realized how much I disagree with Lieberman. I do not think it is anti-semitism on my part, though I would not say that it has no overall effect on his campaign. I am sure there are some Dems who are prejudiced, but hey, we're just a subset of society, so we can't say all Dems are perfect.

[Fenris]

23. Yes. We must be cautious about our appearance.

The rest of the world, especially the Middle East, has an opinion and it DOES matter. We should be mindful of that for our own safety.

[Toucano]

8. I suppose there could be

some component of anti-semetism.

But Joe's bigger problem is he's out of touch.

I respect Joe's dedication and life of public service, but I simply disagree with him on many issues. Too many issues.

I don't really hate him, but he does irritate me; but no more than other US senators who are gentiles.

[regnaD kciN]

39. While I don't think it has anything to do with Jewishness per se...

...what bugs me about Holy Joe is his religiosity -- the feeling that he sees himself as spiritually superior to the rest of us sinners, and thus entitled to tell us how to live our lives (which generally involves becoming more puritanical and repressed).

And it matters little whether he is Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, etc. As a matter of fact, he reminds me of nothing so much as fundamentalist Christian preachers rather than any others in the Jewish world (with the exception of Rabbi Daniel Lapin, Michael Medved, Laura the Unloved, etc.).

In fact, what all those people have in common is that they have advocated a "united front" of (Religous Right) Christians and Jews, on the principle that what divides them is less important than what unites them: an unbending opposition to modern, secularist, "permissive," and, yes, liberal society and its standards. Whether the person preaching a return to the mythical "good old days" of the 1950s is Jewish (Lieberman), Christian (Robertson), or a non-churchgoer (Reagan) is irrelevant. It's merely the same garbage in a different wrapper.

[madrchsod]

9. because he`s jewish?

at least for me,i could care less what religion he is ,i think he`s not the canidate i want to vote for. he`s to far to the right for me. the only people who care if he`s jewish is freepers and the white power thugs.

[Cleita]

10. Perhaps this is the reason that religion and ethnicity

do count. It's because everyone keeps bringing it up when it's a non-issue. I can remember all the sturm und drang over Kennedy being a Catholic. It turns out it was a non-issue. Stirring the pot will probably only get you banned in the long run. As a long time lover of many things and people who are Jewish, myself, I don't like Lieberman and it has nothing to do with him being Jewish.

[sweetheart]

24. stirring the pot will get me banned?

WHAT? I'm asking an honest question, without hatred, to expose what i see is a grey and covert sort of institutional racism in american society... for that matter, western society.. still today. I ask not because i support Joe, but rather i would only support a man losing in a fair fight... and that his religion is bundled in with his politics makes it very hard to say he is the wrong candidate even if he is, as you are open to the antisemite accusation, and there IS some.

Is it not interesting that for all the "jewish conspiracy" talk about israel ruling the american body politic, that only 1 jewish man runs and draws much more hatred than say... kerry.

You decide yourself who will be banned in the long run... i'll use free speech to openly question bias in the mean time.

[Cleita]

32. I know some who have been banned for racist remarks.

Your premise is very racist. You are actually assuming that all voters are white and non Jewish. Therefore, rejecting Lieberman is an act of anti-semitism.

Think about it.

[the_real_38]

11. I like Woody Allen...

... I don't like Joe Lieberman. Woody never spent his career writing up loopholes for the financial industry.

[Tempest]

12. Lieberman is not facing anti-Semitism

There have been no indication of anti-Semitism against Lieberman's candidacy.

The bottom line is that Lieberman is Bush Lite, and no one wants him in office because of it.

And to claim Lieberman is being negatively targeted because of his outspoken support of Israel is bullshit.

It wouldn't matter what country Lieberman was an outspoken supporter of. He is demonstrating that he is willing to put another country's best interests ahead of the U.S.

[Eric J in MN]

13. I don't think it's anti-semitism for most people who oppose Lieberman

Lieberman voted for the Securites Liablility Reform Act which Clinton vetoed, but the veto was overturned, and this helped pave the way for the Enron scandal.

During the Florida 2000 recount, Lieberman said "let's count every vote" with regard to ballots cast by soldiers' AFTER the election.

[IronLionZion]

15. His religion is major part of his politcs

I don't like him but I like Jews, and I like Ed Rendell. Not many people know that the good governor of PA is Jewish because he separated his personal life from his political life.

It would be nice if a candidate's religion was not an issue in politics but Joe made it an issue just like Bush did.

[Vadem]

30. Ed Rendell is a traitor. I called for his firing by the DNC...

during the 2000 election when he called upon Gore to concede even before the notorious USSC decision. I have no use for Rendell, nor Liberman, who did the same thing!

[dansolo]

16. I'm also Jewish and he makes me sick

You are conveniently ignoring the fact that as head of the banking committee he was in charge of investigating Enron, and basically let them slide. He also continually sides with the credit card and insurace industries against the consumer. He has also been stabbing the Democrats in the back. There are probably some people who don't support him because he is Jewish, but most don't support him because he's a schmuck.

[SadEagle]

18. I think it does have to do w/his open religiousness.

But not w/that the religion is Judaism. It seems to me that trying to infuse religion into public life simply does not seat well w/liberals who consider separation of church and state crucial, and are used to groaning at right-find fundamentalist Christians. I am certainly quite uncomfortable w/that, and I am a Jew, although a non-religious one. But then, I am also a lot less negative about him than most DUers, so my reactions may not be representative in any way. I think he is too conservative on many issues to be anywhere but 9th place in the presedential nomination races for me, but I also consider him to be a real democrat (although in all truth, he isn't helping that perception much of the time he opens his mouth!).

Having said that, I am quite uncomfortable about the whole 'He can't be pro-peace on Israel, he is a Jew!' thing some seem to advocate here. That does reek of anti-Semitism.

[rumguy]

19. Does our love of Wellstone show otherwise?

Leiberman hatred is only cuz of his views...and it's not really hatred, it's more of a despair to see a Dem talking like that.

[movonne]

20. I get so tired of this thing that

it is antisemitism because we don't like someone that is a Jew. I sure don't like Lieberman's political ideas but as a person I'm sure he is a good man.

[DivinBreuvage]

21. Of course it's an issue for some people

For others, it isn't, and I think for most folks it isn't. There are plenty of reasons to despise him without bringing his Jewishness into it, as pruner pointed out.

I think he's unelectable, but I think he'd be just as unelectable if his name were Biff Sterling or Tom Powers or something. I think his crappiness as a candidate is a far more serious issue for him than his Judaism.

To really put your thesis to the test, the Democrats will need to field a Jewish version of John Kennedy or Al Smith.

[Jim Sagle]

22. I am not only Jewish but a fairly militant Zionist, and Jagoff Joe

leaves me cold.

He's a whining, snivelling Mike "Ain't Got No Guts" Dukakis wannabe - a half-Democrat, half-Republican political morphodite.

And that's on a GOOD day.

[Clark Can WIN]

25. Ugh. I guess all the athiests and agnostics on here are just

"antisemites" too?

Here's why I can't stand JL

Because he whined that Dubya was "giving a good war a bad name" - THAT made my SKIN CRAWL

Because I disagree with about half of what comes out of his mouth.

Because I cannot stand the patronistic tone that colors his every sentance.

Because he is cheerless, dull and WAY OUT OF TOUCH.

I'm just glad that he will not be our nominee. I have a better chance of hitting the lottery than JL does of being the nominee in 04.

[Turkw]

26. lieberman hatred ==liberman hatred

I just don't like him, never did. I blame him in large part for the loss of the election. He pushed for more distance from Clinton than they should have. Now he "praises" Clinton's policies.

[Terwilliger]

27. no

there is no anti-semitism here...I would vote for Wellstone or Feingold...however, not Feinstein, so...

No.

[ibegurpard]

29. complete and utter bullshit

and that about sums it up

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

33. I'm Jewish. I am hardly self loathing and I can't stand him

That doesn't mean I don't see SOME anti-semitic statements against him. It just means I think the root of the hatred for him is grounded in his current rhetoric marginalizing those that don't agree with him, Sharon or Bush.

[pasadenaboy]

34. Nonsense

I think he is facing his record, and having to deal with the liberal base of the party when he is basically a conservative.

Honestly, he is much closer to Bush than he is to Kucinich, for example.

[hlthe2b]

36. I think it has to do with nothing more than...

the fact that Lieberman sold us out. The fact that he's got FREEPERs supporting him, says it all.

I suspect he'd rather think he was the victim of anti-semitism but shit, all of us (essentially) voted for him the first time with Gore, so how can you make that case? Ridiculous and quite IRRITATING.

[Lorien]

38. Nope. We dislike him for the same reason

we dislike Zell Miller; he's a turncoat and a fraud. He's betrayed our party and embraced *. It's the dishonesty, not the religion.

[Moderator]

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