http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_02/016936.phpA PEEK INTO THE MIND OF A NUT.... On Monday night, former Rep. Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) appeared on MSNBC's "Hardball," and delivered a doozy of a performance. The former radio host and Abramoff pal initially said he'd like to see more of Bush's economic policies of the last eight years. Hayworth seemed pretty sincere about it.
But what was especially striking was Hayworth's argument that the real culprits behind the economic crisis were Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and George Soros: "I'll tell you what was bad -- the sneak attack on our economy, the dress rehearsal that was the debacle of IndyBank, when Chuck Schumer helped get that started, and the guy in the background, George Soros, manipulating all the currency."
As Steve M. noted, "<Hayworth argued> that our current economic situation has nothing to do with eight years of George W. Bush and quite a bit to do with two 'sneaky' gentlemen who just so happen to be of the Jewish persuasion.... Yup, a Jewish senator and a Jewish 'currency manipulator' made all this happen."
Keep in mind, Hayworth's background on alleged anti-Semitism isn't new. Steve also notes that Hayworth wrote a book in 2006 praising Henry Ford's vision of "Americanization," an idea Ford formulated as a counterweight to his paranoia about Jewish world domination. Hayworth and his aides tried to respond to the ensuing controversy at a synagogue in Scottsdale, Arizona, but only made matters worse. When there was fresh criticism from offended synagogue members, a surrogate for the then-congressman said, "No wonder there are anti-Semites."
Note to "Hardball" producers: giving Hayworth a national platform to spew ugly nonsense is a very bad idea. This clown left Congress as something of a disgrace; he has nothing of value to add to the public discourse.