The attacks on Rahm stink of the "Jewish conspiracy" canard

[CTLawGuy]

I'm nauseated by it. We never said that Andy Card secretly ran the Bush Administration. But for some reason, Rahm is responsible for every "bad" thing the Obama administration does.

Am I off base?

[RoyGBiv]

1. Not entirely ...

I'd like to suggest something with this, though.

I've got a longer post on this in my head, but it's one of those things I want to take time to write and support with some actual evidence rather than the traditional inane ramblings of GD before I do.

In outline, it's basically this.

The attacks on Rahm have been orchestrated from the beginning by Republicans and funneled through the media, but with a twist from the traditional style of attack campaign. Republicans haven't gone after him directly, pitting them against him. This sort of thing is normally done by Party A pointing to all the things member of Party B is doing and explaining (or screaming) about how those things are wrong, wrong, wrong according to the principles of Party A. The point is to whip up Party A's base and convince those more in the middle that they're correct about all this.

There is some of that going on, but it's muted and steered through the "tea party" nonsense.

The main campaign is oblique, centering on how Rahm supposedly is doing all these things that Democrats should hate. The logic is reversed. Party A is fueling a campaign to discredit a member of Party B by questioning his loyalty to Party B principles. The truth of the matter is that Rahm is fairly liberal, as his voting record shows. Certainly he was conservative on a number of issues (drugs, some labor issues, etc.), but on the whole the standard liberal groups gave him high marks while he was in Congress.

It might be called divide an conquer, but Republicans aren't really trying to appeal to anyone, which is a part of the standard DAC strategy. This is simply one more facet of the pure obstructionism strategy they've developed. The point, and only point, is to force failure according to the Democratic party's own standards and shift the blame for it to party members themselves.

They're doing this to Obama too, of course. In fact, the whole thing with Rahm is a part of it.

The "Jewish conspiracy" bit goes hand in hand with the implied racism with Obama. Obama has to be told what to do 'cause, ya know, he's, ahem, "African," and what do you know, but there's a *JEW* just waiting to do it. Same crap, same smell, different packaging.

The truth of the matter is that Republicans are scared shitless of Rahm because he *is* very effective and very smart. They're pulling out all the stops to try to force him out.

[Number23]

5. The idea that Rahm has been calling all of the shots and is the one really running

things in the White House is just one of the 14 million things regularly posted on this web site that has offended me to the core.

[NJmaverick]

2. While there may be some driven by dislike or hatred of Jewish people

I think a bigger reason is because Rahm's job is to get things done. President Obama learned from Carter's mistakes and hired Rahm to get things done. The nature of that job is that you become the target of every naive liberal who is clueless about the real world and see Rahm as the villain keeping from their liberal utopia.

[Cha]

4. Zing.

[goclark]

6. I agree with you

[elleng]

7. I think its because of the WAY rahm tries to get things done,

and its very unfortunate for all of us if it appears to some to be anti-Jewish. He's an obnoxious s.o.b., and at least on the major issue, appears not to be successful. One need not be a 'naive liberal' to see him as a bad guy, imo.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

12. Dead on, my friend.

He can't afford to live in utopia. And we're damn lucky that he doesn't.

[DevonRex]

14. What gets me is that when he's a bad ass they complain that he's

TOO bad ass. When nothing is happening the very same people complain that nobody's twisting arms to get things done. That's what makes me wonder if there's not something else going on. Whether it's anti-semiticism or racism or just general grouchiness, I don't know.

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[SemiCharmedQuark]

10. I don't think so...

Rahm isn't liked by many people, but I don't think he wants to be liked. That's not his job. He's an asshole and many people have had issues with him for a long time.

That said, for a small small small group of people, the fact that he's Jewish does play a role in that. I base that on seeing several posters question his allegiance to the United States or suggest that he's a double agent for Israel, or a tool of AIPAC etc. But that is not the sense I get from the vast majority.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

11. You what the funny thing is?

A lot of Jews (particularly the Israeli ones) have disowned him for "betrayal of Israel" and "forgetting that he's a Jew" (which is a canard unto itself.)

[DevonRex]

13. I don't think it's totally off base. Just like I don't think it's totally off base

to wonder if racism has anything to do with some Democrats hating Obama.