Palin Quoted Anti-Semite In Convention Speech

Wall Street Journal:

Thomas Frank writes in the Wall Street Journal:

It tells us something about Sarah Palin's homage to small-town America, delivered to an enthusiastic GOP convention last week, that she chose to fire it up with an unsourced quotation from the all-time champion of fake populism, the belligerent right-wing columnist Westbrook Pegler.

"We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty and sincerity and dignity," the vice-presidential candidate said, quoting an anonymous "writer," which is to say, Pegler, who must have penned that mellifluous line when not writing his more controversial stuff. As the New York Times pointed out in its obituary of him in 1969, Pegler once lamented that a would-be assassin "hit the wrong man" when gunning for Franklin Roosevelt.

The Politico's Ben Smith notes that, beyond supporting FDR's assassination, Pegler was an anti-Semite:

He was also known for what Philip Roth described as his "casual distaste for Jews," which had become so evident by the end that he was bounced from the journal of the John Birch Society in 1964 for alleged anti-semitism. According to his obituary, he'd advanced the theory that American Jews of Eastern European descent were "instinctively sympathetic to Communism, however outwardly respectable they appeared."

Read the whole story: Wall Street Journal

Comments

[Miravanguild]

But she is soooo charming and reads so very well... Rove impressed with her? Well, he is Bush's man isn't he?

[nellie]

He's impressed with two things—the prerequisites for contemporary GOP candidates:

Her incompetence
Her meanness

[Jaid]

No wonder the American electoric is so ignorant. And our media is a nanosecond dumber than they are. Wake up America! You are starting to look and sound damn near ridiculous.

[Toonadude]

I have a suggestion for Sarah to make amends. She should invite a group of Hasidics up to Wasilla and treat them to a night out and let them absorb the local ambiance. Take them out for happy hour at the Klondike Saloon. Set em up with some hot wings and pound down some dollar brewkies with the locals. Put it on the state credit card of course. That should smooth this over.

[ohmercy]

Ewwww, this woman really is beginning to work my last nerve.

On the topic of speeches--

This was embedded in McShames acceptance speech"

"We are fellow Americans, an association that means more to me than any other. We're dedicated to the proposition that all people are created equal and endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights. No country ever had a greater cause than that. And I wouldn't be an American worthy of the name if I didn't honor Sen. Obama and his supporters for their achievement."

I'm curious, am I the only one who sees a subtle race baiting in this?

We are ALL equal and endowed--- even though some of us are different from everybody else?

Seriously, maybe I'm off base but it jumped out at me when I heard him. I've been waiting for someone to jump on it or at least call some attention to it, like Olbermann... but so far no one has mentioned it.

Maybe I'm reading to much into it.

[larryburns94]

Wow. I never thought of it like that. By congratulating Obama, McCain was really saying "I hate black people". I totally see it now.

And to think that great sage Olberman didn't even pick up on it.

[WeMustChange]

John McCain is trying every negative thing he can to win the Presidency but it won't work. The American people will not be hoodwinked into having 4 more years of Bush style politics this time.

Please share this video with all of your friends and family.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM58nqX1ehE

[wordvarc]

.

Karl Rove is impressed with Palin's experience.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=184086
.

[longislandlol]

and her antisemitic quotes?

[Toonadude]

Author

[odoreida]

There was nothing anti-semitic about that quote.

By the way, Pegler was a staunch advocate of censorship. He would have been very popular with you-know-who. She really ought to hang his portrait in her newsroom, because her product embodies his spirit more than anything Palin is likely to do or say.

[Smirk]

I hadn't heard of Thomas Frank before and am amazed the WSJ published this. If you haven't read the article, you should.

[zedthewizard]

does this surprise anyone: i hope the independents like me; although i saw palin a danger before she became one with her "celebritieness".
'

[dbailey]

THOUGH SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST THY NEIGHBOR.

[NetProphet]

All the GOPpers are anti-Semitic - and anti-Black (we've all seen their CONVENTION) despite the "attachment" to the Mid East, which they would continue lighting a fire keg with their holier-than-thou rhetoric.

This doesn't surprize me; but KEEP IT COMING, "Wall Street Journal" ! ! !

[longislandlol]

Yup- Yup-- Yup-- ya got that right-- I'm one of those eastern european liberal jews-- yup-- yup-- ya got that right---

[bryansmith]

Destroys personal and political opponents by abuse of power? Check
Disparages the work of community organizers? Check
Cites hunting and Jesus as qualifications for office? Check
Casts herself as fiscal conservative while soliciting excessive earmarks? Check
Disparages fancy food? Check
Excites patriotism to avoid talking about issues? Check
Lies about accomplishments? Check
Avoids tough questions, in this case interviews? Check
Speaks in sound-bites that have no actual substance? Check
Takes quotes from ANTI-SEMITES for her own speeches? Check
Blames media when they point out all of the above? Check

I don’t know about you, but she sounds like a conservative to me. But would everyone please stop picking on pigs and pit bulls.

[Groovacious]

Likes to have her hair fixed and played with? Check
Doesn't like cats? Check
Doesn't like Polar Bears? Check
Is a good marks(man)? Check
Etc., etc., etc... The list "literally goes on and on...

How can anybody, I mean anybody fall for this phony????

I want to scream and I probably will before it's all over!

[Toonadude]

Surprised Lieberman didn't catch it when he did his edits.

[NetProphet]

So she's a PLAGERIST as well!

[TN]

If she is such a religious, church going, person, why does she believe that lying is not one of the ten commandments.

[kallopolis]

The only reason you quote this kind of writer anonymously is to signal your anti-semetic credentials to the anti-semites. -- Just like calling yourself a "servant" of the country plays to the religious crowd.

So Sarah Plain has done everything now except make explicit allegience to the White Power folks.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6952478

Is this really what America has become?
Is this country really 50% racist? Or 50% too uneducated to even care?