DEMS: Adolph Hitler: SEIG HEIL!; Jim Crow: NO!
Standing By Their Man
Why isn’t Jim Moran getting the Trent Lott treatment from Democrats?
NEWSWEEK WEB EXCLUSIVE
March 14 — Republicans who brought down Trent Lott for
politically incorrect speech are asking why Democrats aren’t
responding with equal fervor now that one of their own has
said something that goes over the line.
VIRGINIA DEMOCRAT JIM Moran’s comments at an antiwar
meeting last week implied that Jews are to blame for the Bush
administration’s drive for war against Iraq. Moran apologized, but
the historical echoes that he awakened are so antithetical to what
Democrats claim to stand for that he might as well bid goodbye to
his political career.
On Friday, Moran stepped down from his position as a regional
whip under pressure from Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. But
that’s a fairly insignificant concession (there are 24 regional whips)
and a far cry from the humiliation heaped on Lott. Some in the party
are wondering why Moran is still around at all. One political analyst
said he counseled two Democratic presidential campaigns to call for
Moran’s resignation. “It would be a cheap way to reassure Jewish
voters,” he said. “I don’t understand why they haven’t done it
yet.”
One explanation could be that nobody really believes Moran is
anti-Semitic.
But everyone knows he has lots of other problems. Moran is
quick tempered and scandal prone with a reputation for popping off
without regard for the consequences. His most recent brush with
ethics violations involved accepting questionable loans from
lobbyists. Too often during his seven terms in Congress, Moran’s
personal and financial difficulties have overwhelmed his judgment.
“I know him socially,” says a House Democratic aide. “It’s like he’s
two people.”
Moran says his comments were blown out of proportion. He
was answering a question from a woman who identified herself as
Jewish and wondered why more Jews weren’t protesting the war.
“If it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for
this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this,” Moran said. “The
leaders of the Jewish community are influential enough that they
could change the direction of where this is going, and I think they
should.”
Moran’s broad generalization didn’t take into account polls
showing American Jews as ambivalent about waging a preemptive
war as the rest of the population. At the same time, Jewish leaders
who strongly backed President Clinton’s efforts to bring peace to
the Middle East are inclined to give Bush the benefit of the doubt
on his war policy because Israel’s very existence could be
threatened if Saddam Hussein remains in power.
What Moran said was stupid and insensitive, but is it a firing
offense? The answer is probably yes. With war on the horizon and
the spotlight on a handful of neoconservatives who happen to be
Jewish shaping Bush’s views, Moran lit the fuse on a hot debate.
Moran may not have intended his comments to be anti-Semitic, but
what he said feeds the flames of anti-Semitism. If the war goes
badly, people will be looking for scapegoats.
The controversy over Moran adds to a growing problem for
Democrats who depend on Jewish votes and campaign
contributions. The Republicans have a significant outreach
program in the Jewish community. Bush’s solidarity with Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has won him admiration from American
Jews, even from those who disagree with Sharon’s hard-line
policies. The Biblical identification that evangelical Christians feel
with the Jewish holy lands has opened the door to a promising
political alliance for the GOP.
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of all people heads up the
Republican effort to woo Jewish support. DeLay embodies the
GOP’s Christian right. His views on issues like abortion rights and
separation of church and state are anathema to the Jewish
community, but his strong identification with Israel and his
prominence in the Republican leadership have made him a valued
friend.
Bush has vowed not to make the mistakes of his father, whose
evenhandedness in the Middle East brought him the enmity of
Jewish voters. The first Bush era of Republicans has no entree to
this Bush. It goes beyond the father not wishing to interfere with
the son to an outright exclusion of people like former secretary of
State James Baker, who took the heat for the senior Bush’s attempt
to pressure Israel for more concessions to the Palestinians.
Jewish Americans care about a lot of issues in addition to
Israel, but Democrats can’t count on their loyalty if they don’t step
up to challenges like the one Moran presents. Six prominent
Democrats who are Jewish have announced they will not support
Moran for reelection. Moran is expendable. He represents a safe
Democratic district in northern Virginia where he is vulnerable to a
primary challenge. Defending Moran is not worth straining the
special relationship Democrats have with the Jewish community.
Moran told Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, that “it’s unhealthy
for the American political process for any group within our society
to be able to decide who should and shouldn’t represent a
constituency.” Moran predicted that millions of dollars would be
spent to defeat him. Characteristically, he says he will not go
quietly.
msnbc.com |
