There is a knee jerk reaction on the left to hear the words of Rush Limbaugh, assign malice to them, react with outrage and then demand an apology from El Rushbo. For example, Newsbusters points out what Limbaugh said about Obama going after the banks and bankers, and the Anti-Defamation League’s instantaneous reaction:
Here is the quote in question: “To some people, banker is a code word for Jewish; and guess who Obama is assaulting? He’s assaulting bankers. He’s assaulting money people. And a lot of those people on Wall Street are Jewish. So I wonder if there’s – if there’s starting to be some buyer’s remorse there.”
The ADL was furious at Limbaugh, and issued a press release saying he “reached a new low with his borderline anti-Semitic comments about Jews as bankers, their supposed influence on Wall Street, and how they vote.”
Newsbusters points out Obama earned “78 percent of the Jewish vote – about 25 percent greater than Obama’s percentage of total support nationally.” So, when Rush says Jewish people voted for Obama, there is really no disputing that point. It’s a fact.
But what about the association of Jews with banks and money? Isn’t that stereotyping?
If it is, then the ADL is guilty of the same thing:
ADL demonstrated profound hypocrisy in criticizing Limbaugh for simply recounting stereotypes of the Jewish community used throughout history as the basis for often violent campaigns against Jews. ADL itself has recalled these stereotypes since the beginning of the financial crisis in lamentations that the crisis had given “fodder” to bigots who were quick to lay blame for the nation’s economic woes at the feet of Jewish bankers. History is replete with such shows of hatred and ignorance.
ADL lamented that Bernie Madoff’s exposed $50 billion ponzi scheme had “given anti-Semites fodder for their bigoted views.” ADL President Abe Foxman echoed this statement, telling MSNBC that the Madoff scheme had become “fodder for the bigots.”
In discussing the financial crisis more generally, Foxman wrote, “concerns arose about possible anti-Semitic reactions. Our antennae were up because the most prominent elements of anti-Semitism are the charges that Jews have too much power and they are primarily concerned about money.”
So, basically exactly what Limbaugh said.
As per the norm, the left reacts rather than responds, but this time, the new media is there to serve up a heaping pile of crow.
Don’t expect the ADL to back off their position. Being a liberal means never having to say you are sorry.
