Inappropriate, Not Anti-Semitic
Tags: Buffalo, Chris Collins, fundraiser, racism, State Senate
I am not here to defend Chris Collins or the comments he made, but I do think there are a bunch of people not merely making too much of it, but trying to turn it into something it is not.
Collins has already apologized for what he called “a poor joke,” delivered during a speech at the county Republican Party’s annual fundraiser in the Adam’s Mark Hotel.
That’s when the county executive referred to French seer Nostradamus’ prediction that the world would experience three Antichrists in conjunction with the Apocalypse, whose origin is the New Testament’s Book of Revelation.
Collins then said it’s generally accepted that the first was Napoleon, the second Hitler, and that he was “pretty sure” the third is Silver, an orthodox Jew from Manhattan.
The county executive said this in the context of Silver as part of Albany’s “three men in a room” budget process, in which the Assembly speaker, the State Senate majority leader and the governor make most budgetary decisions.
Okay, not even that funny, and Collins should know better to make a joke that includes a Hitler reference, but I have to say it is really sad the way some are trying to take Collins down over it.
On Twitter, Buffalo Rising said Collins’ comments were anti-Semitic. WNYMedia called him an anti-Semite. I expected as much from the left-wing WNYMedia, they’ll do anything to take down a Republican. But, there was clearly nothing anti-Semitic about the joke. Was it poor taste? Sure. But, I’ve seen and heard plenty of things that were in poor taste from politicians and pundits on both sides, that have been far worse in context, that no one cries over. Yet, some keep saying that this is somehow gonna destroy Collins’ political future.
Several folks in the WNYMedia network have been beating the “Collins is an anti-Semite” drum, but they are hardly ones to criticize for lack of propriety. Their bloggers incessantly refer to tea party protesters with the pornographic term “teabaggers.” Yeah, real classy, real appropriate.
Just as Obamalovers unable to defend his policies accuse his critics of being racists, Collins’ haters would love to label him an anti-Semite. But let’s get real here. Opposition to Obama’s left-wing policies isn’t racism, and an inappropriate joke that certainly had no anti-Jewish connotation to it is not anti-Semitism. Plain and simple.
If they want to know about real anti-Semitism, they can ask someone like me, who grew up Jewish, who knows what it’s like to see his synagogue vandalized with swastikas, or has been to concentration camps in Poland and seen the inside of a gas chamber. You don’t have to convince me that Chris Collins made a bad joke, but don’t try to tell me it was anti-Semitic. Please. Trying to exploit the whole situation for a political ends doesn’t make the nutjobs at WNYMedia experts on what anti-Semitism really is.
Okay, maybe I shouldn’t expect much from them. But, politicians and party leaders aren’t much better. Len Lenihan is also seeking to exploit the Collins gaffe by exaggerating it:
Democrats such as County Chairman Leonard R. Lenihan, however, were quick to pounce on a political foe who has so far proved immune to most partisan attacks. He callled it “one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard an elected official say.”
More stupid than say, Senator Robert Byrd saying “seen a lot of white n****rs in my time. I’m going to use that word”? Or Senator Dick Durbin comparing the Bush admintration and the military to the Nazis, gulags and Pol Pot. Or, let’s choose another more recent example, Florida Democrat Rep. Alan Grayson who said Republicans wanted people to die quickly and likened the current health care system the holocaust. Grayson may be Jewish, but that was just a despicable comparison, far worse and more deliberate than what Collins said.
Speaking of Grayson… What did WNYMedia have to say about his stupid and offensive remarks? Not much, except for one post with embedded videos of Grayson’s disgrace, with his seal of approval. And yet WNYMedia wants to judge Chris Collins?
Of course, you can read a lot into the things they don’t say as well. They are obviously no stranger to national issues, but they were curiously silent about Roman Polanski when he was arrested. Why, when they are so quick to judge people on the right? There was a mad rush of left wing celebrities flocking to the defense of the pedophile, and not an ounce of criticism of their political kin. It’s amazing how politics deflects their moral compass so easily.
I understand they have a political agenda, but that doesn’t entitle them libel. Calling Chris Collins an anti-Semite is wrong, especially when they excuse or approve of worse behavior from people who share their political agenda.
Chris Collins is a good guy, and even has Jewish heritage (he had a Jewish grandfather) so let’s cut the “Collins is an anti-Semite” nonsense.
Matt Margolis is co-author (with Mark Noonan) of Caucus of Corruption: The Truth About The New Democratic Majority. He also blogs at Blogs For Victory. Follow Matt on Twitter.
Matt,
Great article. Those loons at WNY media are the first and loudest to jump on any republican mistake. I have never seen such a bunch of negative left wing nuts. They blog over there all day trying to out do each other with thier smarts or wit. Talk about boring. If you offer an outside opinion they attack you with lies. Its a pay for play website. They have been attacking Sheriff Howard with negative video and stories. I asked them if they were being paid by Glascott, they denied it several times but then came clean when the Buffalo News asked them. Crazies like them will kill thier party, we are already seeing the decline. I can only smile.
[...] Reid, liberal hypocrisy, WNYMedia Back in October, several Buffalo area bloggers and websites were quick to label Chris Collins an anti-Semite for comments he made about Sheldon SIlver. WNYMedia and Artvoice in particular haven’t held back any punches against the Republican [...]