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September 11, 2008 | 1:40 pm

Sarah Palin’s favorite anti-Semite

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

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As if being a gun-toting Christian who supported Pat Buchanan’s 2000 presidential race wasn’t enough for Sarah Palin to give many American Jews the heebie jeebies, she’s now got the creds to pitch them it fully hysteria. It turns out that a portion of Palin’s speech at the Republican National Convention was cribbed, with unidentified credit, from an early 20th century right-wing anti-Semite, Westbrook Pegler.

Thomas Frank explains in the Wall Street Journal.

“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.

There’s no evidence that Mrs. Palin shares the trademark Pegler bloodlust—except maybe when it comes to moose and wolves. Nevertheless, the red-state myth that Mrs. Palin reiterated for her adoring audience owes far more to the venomous spirit of Pegler than it does to Norman Rockwell.

Turns out Pegler was such a nut that even the John Birch Society considered itself to sober-minded.

“So,” Gawker states. “Quoting an old anti-Semite is obviously proof of nothing—people still say nice things about Lindbergh, Henry Ford, Walt Disney, and Richard Nixon—but the larger question here is who put those words in her nice speech, where did they find them, and what the hell were they thinking. Like… did they think no one would notice? Who even reads Pegler anymore?

“Answer: Pat Buchanan! Buchanan, that lovable old coot, used that same line in a 1990 book. Buchanan, of course, did not mind being associated with a crazy old anti-Semite, and the passage was quoted in a section quite complimentary to the reactionary columnist.”

Suddenly, Barack Obama doesn’t have a Jewish problem.

(Thanks, Rachel, for sending the link.)

10 Comments — Leave your comment

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Palin supported Steve Forbes in 2000.
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/sliming_palin.html

Comment by Solomon on 9/11/08 at 3:57 pm

D’oh!

Comment by Brad A. Greenberg on 9/11/08 at 4:00 pm

I hope that all of the Jewish people of this country now see in Barack Obama what I have always seen.  I brilliant and decent human being who has the desire to help this country.  Say NO to the REPUBLICAN WAR MONGERS AND LIARS…

http://www.willpen.wordpress.com

Comment by willpen on 9/11/08 at 4:06 pm

Oh…the quote thing is embarrassing, but more of an oops than anything else…unless there’s some other indication that she’s got “Peglerite” (is there such a thing?) tendencies. Somebody messed up.

Comment by Solomon on 9/11/08 at 4:13 pm

I tend to agree because, let’s face it, Sarah Palin does not write her own speeches. In a way, the headline of this post referred as much to Jewish fears of Pat Buchanan as it did to Pelger.

Comment by Brad A. Greenberg on 9/11/08 at 4:22 pm

willpen,
i find your comment interesting.  it is a contradiction, you take an attitude of intellectual superiority with your first statement (‘what I have always seen’), you follow it with a generalization (‘decent human being’), a quick political comment (‘desire to help this country’), followed by an irrational display against the Republicans.  Just because you happened to place the word Republican next to War Monger and Liar doesn’t make you right.  I think a more accurate statement would be to say NO to any war mongers and liars be they Republican, Democrat, or Independent.

I also followed your link and read Olbermann’s words.  He makes a marvelous point, but overplays it with his own propaganda.

You see willpen, you haven’t actually made a good point.  You are just like any other politician throwing out generalizations, hate-filled language, and more generic positives for your guy.  You are representing exactly the sort of behaviour you are telling us that you abhor.  You may not be mongering war, but you are mongering nonetheless…I would say No to war mongers, hate mongers, or any other mongers out there.

Let us be civil and honestly evaluate what we hear rather than respond so rashly.  I hope you can ease up on the hate.  One last point, if persecution is part of the Jewish identity, and you identify yourself amongst the Jewish people; then why perpetrate hate and persecute others?  Will hating Republicans get you any closer to a utopia of love and respect?  You may say that this will lead to a Democrat, in this case Barack Obama, winning and said Democrat will be the catalyst for this wonderful change.  But do the ends justify the means?  I sincerely hope not.  Love and Respect must be our starting point and our mainstay on this journey.

Comment by ethan on 9/11/08 at 5:10 pm

Readers of this article may conclude that The John Birch Society tolerated anti-Semitism.  The organization has always included in its ranks people of the Jewish faith. 

  On the subject of Mr. Pegler, what evidence is there to conclude that he was an anti-Semite? I have read a biography of the man by Finis Farr and this author neer made the accusation that pegler was an anti-Semite

Comment by Hal Shurtleff on 9/12/08 at 11:33 am

Brad, how does this sit with your observation about her watery promises to AIPAC?
Thanks for the back-scratching.

Comment by Rachel Axelbank on 9/12/08 at 2:12 pm

It certainly doesn’t help. Though, I suspect she’s not to blame for this quote. A bad speechwriter probably is.

Comment by Brad A. Greenberg on 9/12/08 at 2:43 pm

Not to mention that to scrape a totally forgotten antisemite from the bottom of the barrel as a modern inspiration is so weak that it is laughable. And that is in reference to purely neutral and uncontroversial populist attitudes. And don’t forget that it was William Buckley too who stamped Buchanan an antisemite and purged his movement from the mainstream intellectual conservatives.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 9/23/08 at 1:11 pm

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