"This is a very important race to anyone who values Christian principles,"
March 9, 2011 1:07 AM Subscribe
Chuck Chatham explains,
The election is between Bruce Cozart (R) a pro-life, Christian [...] and Jerry Rephan (D). Jerry is a pro-abortion Jewish lawyer....Chatham told TPM today that it was "inadvertent" that he referred to Rephan as Jewish, and that he simply does not feel "he is a good match to the conservative people of Garland County."
This post was deleted for the following reason: this is looking like a jerks are jerks post -- jessamyn
If he was Muslim, the guy wouldn't be apologizing.
posted by delmoi at 1:38 AM on March 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by delmoi at 1:38 AM on March 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
Yet that NPR guy was strongly rebuked (and would have been fired if he hadn't already been scheduled to leave) for saying the Tea Party GOP is moving in some kind of weird, scary, Christian fundamentalist/xenophobic direction.
posted by Rhaomi at 1:39 AM on March 9, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by Rhaomi at 1:39 AM on March 9, 2011 [3 favorites]
Jerry Rephan (D). Jerry is a pro-abortion Jewish lawyer....
Too many lawyers in elected office. Perhaps if he were, say, a carpenter things would be different?
posted by three blind mice at 1:46 AM on March 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
Too many lawyers in elected office. Perhaps if he were, say, a carpenter things would be different?
posted by three blind mice at 1:46 AM on March 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
This just seems like a "Look at these assholes" post to me, even after reading all of the links.
The story just broke from what I've read and the election was yesterday. A large percentage of MeFi posts are "Look at these assholes". FIAMO.
posted by IvoShandor at 2:38 AM on March 9, 2011
The story just broke from what I've read and the election was yesterday. A large percentage of MeFi posts are "Look at these assholes". FIAMO.
posted by IvoShandor at 2:38 AM on March 9, 2011
It's pertinent to the extent that it demonstrates that the Tea Party-type conservatives are redefining conservatism from a set of political values to a lifestyle-- a lifestyle that requires one to be Christian (and white, largely).
posted by miss tea at 3:08 AM on March 9, 2011
posted by miss tea at 3:08 AM on March 9, 2011
Yeah, the guy's an antisemite. But it's pretty thin for outrage-filter.
posted by Joe in Australia at 3:34 AM on March 9, 2011
posted by Joe in Australia at 3:34 AM on March 9, 2011
Well I kinda give the guy points for at least being upfront about it. The only thing worse than bald-faced bigotry is pernicious, hidden, dogwhistle bigotry. I'd rather the nutters just come out and admit that they're basically pushing theocracy, rather than hiding behind mealy-mouthed "family values" crap.
posted by Kadin2048 at 4:14 AM on March 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Kadin2048 at 4:14 AM on March 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
"pro-abortion"?
posted by DU at 4:26 AM on March 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by DU at 4:26 AM on March 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
If he was Muslim, the guy wouldn't be apologizing.
delmoi's comment raises an interesting point: what groups are acceptable to denigrate in any particular subculture?
Today, explicitly denigrating blacks for being black puts a politician who does it outside the mainstream, so instead code words must be used. (Republican strategist Lee Atwater: ""Nigger, nigger, nigger." By 1968 you can't say "nigger" — that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states' rights and all that stuff....")
For politicians on the right, who are playing to the right wing subcultures. denigrating gays is A-OK. Both by using circumlocutions intended to be easily decoded: "San Francisco politics", and unvarnishedly, as in Repubnlican candidate for governor of New York, to a Hasidic audience: ""I don't want [children] brainwashed into thinking homosexuality is an equally valid and successful option - it isn't".
But I'd have thought that today, denigrating someone's Jewishness would be off-limits for a major-Party candidate. It's really surprising, and I think illustrative of just how Balkanized the US is becoming, that this doesn't inspire backlash locally in, in this case, Arkansas.
And it's not just there, or just now: in Texas, the conservative Republican House Speaker, who is Jewish, is looked at suspiciously by some of his fellow Republicans because he isn't Christian, and some have called for his removal because of that. And it's not all of a sudden: in 2006, George Allen made statements that seemed to disown his own Jewish heritage.
posted by orthogonality at 4:57 AM on March 9, 2011
delmoi's comment raises an interesting point: what groups are acceptable to denigrate in any particular subculture?
Today, explicitly denigrating blacks for being black puts a politician who does it outside the mainstream, so instead code words must be used. (Republican strategist Lee Atwater: ""Nigger, nigger, nigger." By 1968 you can't say "nigger" — that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states' rights and all that stuff....")
For politicians on the right, who are playing to the right wing subcultures. denigrating gays is A-OK. Both by using circumlocutions intended to be easily decoded: "San Francisco politics", and unvarnishedly, as in Repubnlican candidate for governor of New York, to a Hasidic audience: ""I don't want [children] brainwashed into thinking homosexuality is an equally valid and successful option - it isn't".
But I'd have thought that today, denigrating someone's Jewishness would be off-limits for a major-Party candidate. It's really surprising, and I think illustrative of just how Balkanized the US is becoming, that this doesn't inspire backlash locally in, in this case, Arkansas.
And it's not just there, or just now: in Texas, the conservative Republican House Speaker, who is Jewish, is looked at suspiciously by some of his fellow Republicans because he isn't Christian, and some have called for his removal because of that. And it's not all of a sudden: in 2006, George Allen made statements that seemed to disown his own Jewish heritage.
posted by orthogonality at 4:57 AM on March 9, 2011
Here's more anti-semitic outrage for you from Gawker
posted by rottytooth at 5:08 AM on March 9, 2011
posted by rottytooth at 5:08 AM on March 9, 2011
Perhaps if he were, say, a carpenter things would be different?
Or as Chatham puts it:
"(Cozart) has been a local contractor and construction worker for the last 35+ years here in Garland County. We need a contractor/dozer driver instead of another liberal lawyer in the Arkansas state legislature. Please go and vote!!"
Unless that contractor/dozer driver also happens to be a union member, presumably.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 5:12 AM on March 9, 2011
Or as Chatham puts it:
"(Cozart) has been a local contractor and construction worker for the last 35+ years here in Garland County. We need a contractor/dozer driver instead of another liberal lawyer in the Arkansas state legislature. Please go and vote!!"
Unless that contractor/dozer driver also happens to be a union member, presumably.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 5:12 AM on March 9, 2011
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This just seems like a "Look at these assholes" post to me, even after reading all of the links.
posted by klangklangston at 1:35 AM on March 9, 2011 [1 favorite]