Robertson and the Jews

Since Rudy Giuliani is the unofficial candidate of America's Jewish hawks and Israel hardliners, I'm searching for signs of recognition from those quarters that his new best friend Pat Robertson seems to be a wild-eyed crackpot who believes that a conspiracy of Jewish Illuminati are behind most of the world's problems.

So far I'm seeing nothing. J-Pod at Commentary and Bill Kristol in The Weekly Standard both downplay the significance of the endorsement in electoral terms, which I think is their way of signalling disdain for Robertson, but hardly gets at the crux of the matter.

Comments

I've yet to read a cogent essay explaining why conservatives get a pass on policies, statements and personal behaviors that would result in a liberal/Democrat getting burned at the stake. 60 Minutes could devote an entire hour interviewing reputable individuals willing to testify to Rudy Giuliani's affairs, adulterous trysts and misogynistic treatment of ex-wives. The MSM ripples in the days that followed would be next to nothing. Another hour could be spent just talking to those confirming his ties to mobbed up business associates. Still no ripples. A third hour could entail clips of what I'll call "Rudyisms" (admittedly a riff on Bushisms), showing the most outrageous, inane blurtings bearing no semblance to reality. And yet another pass. Matt, take this apart and get at the nub of it all. What gives?

Posted by steve duncan | November 8, 2007 8:35 AM

Blind, irrational, genocidal hatred of Muslims has buried any outrage that any of these people might have had at one time for actual anti-semitism. The term is now reserved for people that oppose a nuclear first strike against Iran.

Posted by Jake H. | November 8, 2007 9:05 AM

60 Minutes could devote an entire hour interviewing reputable individuals willing to testify to Rudy Giuliani's affairs, adulterous trysts and misogynistic treatment of ex-wives.

There will be many, many books next year, in spite of Regnery lawsuits, on how Hillary Clinton is a lesbian murderer. There will be not many books on how Giuliani is a bullshitting serial adulterer who's estranged from his kids and reality.

Still, Marion 'Pat' Robertson's a bandwagon-riding fraud, and I get the feeling that his star is waning even among the fundies.

My first thought was that Greg Palast might have written about it, since he's covered Robertson's financial dalliances in Africa, and those of a Giuliani pal.

That's the connection. Follow the money.

Posted by pseudonymous in nc | November 8, 2007 9:08 AM

Tangent

Whenever I read about this kind of Jew/Christian disconnect, for some reason I hear Robert Klein's funny routine about his performance as Shylock in a college production of Merchant of Venice.

Klein:Hath not a Jew eyes?
audience: Jew! Jew! Jew!

Probably a tad exaggerated.

Posted by Jeffrey Davis | November 8, 2007 9:10 AM

I'm searching for signs of recognition from those quarters that his new best friend Pat Robertson

My recollection is that, a decade ago, N-Pod explicitly acknowledged the troubling rhetoric of Robertson but cleared him on "Good for Israel" grounds. I think Michael Lind wrote something about this. Anyway, the issue has been brought up before, and Robertson's good.

Posted by SomeCallMeTim | November 8, 2007 9:15 AM

Yeah, SomeCallMeTim is right: there was a big scandal in the early 1990s about Robertson writing a book about Jewish bankers being behind all the world's trouble. Norman Podhoretz wrote an article saying that Robertson might be crazy but at least he's pro-Israel. If I remember correctly, Podhoretz bascially said in that article that the real litmus test is Zionism. If you're pro-Zionist you can believe anything else; if you're anti-Zionist you are de facto an anti-Semite.

Commentary has a very good on-line archive. Matt should look up this Podhoretz article: it's a really doozy and explains what's going on now.

Posted by Jeet Heer | November 8, 2007 9:34 AM

In other words, the issue isn't whether you believe a cabal of crafty Jews secretly runs the world, the issue is whether you're okay with that.

Posted by Steve | November 8, 2007 10:26 AM

"Psychopaths (and Sociopaths) for Rudy" is already a pretty big category. And he appeals to moderates. What's wrong with this picture?

Posted by MattF | November 8, 2007 10:54 AM

One thing to keep in mind is how early in the process it still is. I agree with the general point that the Clinton Rules mean that Clintonseseses personal lives will gets more scrutiny, but if Giuliani becomes the nominee, it is probably better if all the sordid tales about home come up during the general. With a campaign season this long, the press will have to cover those things -- out of boredom and desperation if nothing else.

Posted by RFrothingham | November 8, 2007 11:19 AM

Completely unnoticed by Matt: The huge volume of anti-semitic, "It's all the Jews fault" crap that regularly surfaces on lefty sites like Daily Kos.

But decades old stupidity from a moron like Pat Robertson - front page stuff.

Posted by James Robertson | November 8, 2007 11:51 AM

huge volume of anti-semitic, "It's all the Jews fault" crap that regularly surfaces on lefty sites like Daily Kos.

All that volume and not a single link.

Have you seen all the anti-James Robertson posts surfacing? No? Wait a minute while I sign up for a new Kos account and start posting them.

Posted by Adam | November 8, 2007 12:05 PM

Do a Google search for "Kos anti-semitism" - it's pretty easy to find. Additionally, just look at the posters at an arbitrary anti-war rally - anti-semitism is just rampant on the left.

The home of anti-semitism used to be on the right; at some point in the last decade or two, it's migrated left.

Posted by James Robertson | November 8, 2007 1:14 PM

The difference is that our antisemites are our loons; yours are your leaders. Hence, American Jewish voting patterns.

Posted by SomeCallMeTim | November 8, 2007 1:27 PM

Re Robertson:

An anti-Semite used to be someone who hated Jews. Now, it's someone whom Jews hate. Bishop Tutu, Jimmy Carter, Nelson Mandela, Condi Rice, Colin Powell, and then of course there's the huge number of Jews themselves who are either "self-hating Jews" or outright anti-Semites. Thanks to the neurotic and morally bankrupt likes of Jonah, J-Pod, David Brooks, ad nauseum- it's now a bigger disgrace to be called a "Sunday driver!" than an "anti-Semite".

Posted by Trevor | November 8, 2007 3:39 PM

And when one of the Democratic presidential candidates stands on a platform next to some anti-Semitic loon who comments on DailyKos and welcomes their endorsement, James Robertson will have a point. Until that day, no such luck. Poor guy.

Posted by Uncle Kvetch | November 8, 2007 5:07 PM

I don't think these guys care who endorses Guiliani as long as he, or some other right-wing crazy, wins. The last thing they want is a sane leader. A sane president wouldn't listen to them.

Posted by Naveen | November 8, 2007 5:22 PM

've yet to read a cogent essay explaining why conservatives get a pass on policies, statements and personal behaviors that would result in a liberal/Democrat getting burned at the stake.

Please don't call that son of a bitch Giuliani a conservative.

Blind, irrational, genocidal hatred of Muslims has buried any outrage that any of these people might have had at one time for actual anti-semitism.

My mock slogan for the Giuliani supporters is "he'll kill the sand-n****rs and that's good enough for me." (Said in utter contempt of Rudy and his followers, of course).

Posted by Glaivester | November 8, 2007 6:19 PM

As far as I know, Pat Robertson's conspiracism, (set forth in a 1991 book, ) is about non-Jewish conspiracies. See Daniel Pipes book Conspiracy in which Pipes analyzes Roberts' 1991 book The New World Order.

Pipes writes:

Robertson's second and far uglier scenario concerns the Illuminati, the Freemasons, and extreme New Age religionists who aspire not to money but to undermine the Christian social order. To achieve this they seek "a one-world government, a one-world army, a one-world economy under an Anglo-Saxon financial oligarchy, and a world dictator served by a council of twelve faithful men." This tyranny will attempt to "destroy the Christian faith" and "replace it with an occult-inspired world socialist dictatorship." In another place, he foresees nothing less than a world under "the domination of Lucifer and his followers" in which spiritual forces will be set into motion "which no human being will be strong enough to contain." Robertson offers Hitler's attempts at world hegemony as the closest historical parallel to the "giant prison" of the New World Order.

Yes, this is crazy, and not, by the way, originial with Robertson, but no, it's not crazy in that way.

Posted by James Fulford | November 8, 2007 8:26 PM

The N-Pod article:

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/viewarticle.cfm?id=8448&search=1

Posted by d | November 8, 2007 9:54 PM

James Fulford, using one crazy person to prove another crazy person isn't crazy is, well, crazy.

Posted by Reality Man | November 9, 2007 2:44 AM

My question is whether anyone believes Rudy plans to listen to Robertson. I really don't see that happening.

Robertson represents a cheaply bought, somewhat corrupt endorsement that might improve the candidate's acceptability to some anti-abortion types. No one with any sense expects to see too much of him during the general election, or (God help us) a Giuliani presidency.

It's politics at the sleaziest edge of what is tolerable, but it's hardly a reason to worry (more than you already do) about Rudy's views.

Posted by heedless | November 9, 2007 10:19 AM