One of the most infamous politically incorrect jokes of all time, more so in the light of the #metoo and #timesup movement, is the late Sam Kinison’s reflection on domestic violence. “I don’t condone wife beating, but I understand it.” I think of Kinison often, especially when I catch myself making a similar observation about some aspect of human behavior when I recognize there is anecdotal evidence supporting an otherwise unjustifiable stereotype.
This week was no exception. So let me get this off my chest. I DON’T CONDONE ANTI-SEMITISM, BUT I UNDERSTAND IT. For me to make such a statement is a clear conflict of interest, having been born a Jew, and one who still considers himself a “member of the tribe” despite skepticism about the presence of a divine being. Spirituality comes in many forms.
And do not put me in the same category as the self-hating Jews in pre-Hitler German chronicled in Der jüdische Selbsthaß by German-Jewish philospher Theodor Lessing (1872-1933). I do not hate Jews. What I do abhor are Jewish individuals whose actions provide fodder to the ignorant and prejudiced who seek affirmation of their bigotry.
This week, the Trump administration delivered a trifecta. It began with Donald Trump’s personal lawyer and confidant Michael Cohen. Cohen is the “fixer,” who makes each of Trump’s illegal or immoral actions, whether personal, business or political, disappear. He puts his loyalty to Trump above his oath before the bar “to support the constitution of the United Sates, and the State of New York, and will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of attorney, according to the best of my ability.” Whether enabling Trump’s dishonesty, negotiating questionable business deals on his benefactor’s behalf or paying hush money to cover up Trump’s character flaws, Cohen re-defines the term “shyster.”
Second spot in the trifecta is reserved for Sam Nunberg, whose 15 minutes of fame spread across every cable news network Tuesday night, making him the talk of Washington. He is now the poster boy for anti-Semites who believe Jews have no loyalty to anyone but themselves. After years of seeking to be part of Trump’s inner circle, Nunberg jumped ship when he was included in a broad subpoena of documents and emails by special counsel Robert Mueller. Nunberg epitomizes the Talmud’s description of a weasel. “The weasel lives on dung-heaps and in holes and chinks of walls. It kills animals larger than itself and even attacks corpses.”
But the coup de grace came when national economic advisor Gary Cohn resigned on Tuesday following Trump’s unexpected announcement he would impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. I know the following statement is not news and has been reported on every broadcast outlet and in every print newspaper since the announcement of Cohn’s pending departure late yesterday afternoon. But it is worth repeating again and again. THIS IS THE SAME GARY COHN WHO DID NOT TAKE A STAND WHEN TRUMP DECLARED TIKI-TORCH CARRYING NEO-NAZIS AND WHITE SUPREMACISTS INCLUDED “SOME VERY FINE PEOPLE.” Cohn stood next to Trump that day and stood next to him during the debate over the tax cut which will prove to be a financial godsend for Cohn and his Goldman Sachs colleagues. Only when Trump threatened actions which might hurt Cohn’s personal bottom line did he break ranks. Gary Cohn IS the modern day equivalent of Shylock, the Jewish moneylender and the principal antagonist in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. Except in Cohn’s case, he chose to convert to Trumpism, instead of Christianity.
Let me be clear, my disgust of these three individuals arises from disbelief that thinking adults who were raised in the Jewish tradition of “Tikkun Olam,” which translates to “repair the world,” were so willing to forsake their heritage in search of some gold ring in the service of a man who prefers chaos and discord to harmony and order. But my greater fear is that Trump supporters will now view these men as traitors to the cause. In case you have not been paying attention, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) recently reported there was a 59 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents in 2017 over the previous year. As if those with an already existing anti-Jewish disposition needed another excuse to justify actions which have included bomb threats, desecration of cemetaries, harassment of school children and neo-Nazi rallies and marches.
If, on September 15, 2016, before the Economic Club of New York, when Trump said, “I’ll choose the best people for my administration,” he meant the best people to affirm the stereotypical prejudices of anti-Semites, it’s hard to disagree.
[NOTE: I know. You may be asking why I did not include Jared Kushner in this post. He certainly had an equally bad week. Two reasons. First, Ivanka chose him originally. Daddy is just trying to keep her in his good graces. Second, and more importantly, there seems to be no line he will not cross in order to protect his father-in-law or his business interests. Stay tuned. That too may change when Jared’s second term is 15-20 years in the Big House instead of the White House.]
For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP
y, you ask, did I choose these two markets? Because they are in the closest vicinity to Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District which as you are probably aware is holding a special election on March 13 to fill the seat vacated by Tim Murphy. “Retired” congressman Murphy is one in a growing parade of fallen evangelical, family values Republicans who resigned when it was reported this pro-life zealot urged a woman with whom he had an extra-marital affair to get an abortion. Instead of referring to Representatives as being members of the “lower chamber” maybe it’s time we call that wing of the U.S. Capitol the “Glass House.”
In an iconic 1996 Madison Avenue advertising campaign, a major cosmetics company flooded the airwaves and magazines with the following, “Promise her anything but give her Arpège!” Mr. Fifth Avenue is hoping the same sales pitch works a week from Tuesday. “Promise them anything…” But there is no Arpège. When they realize they were stiffed, it will be too late. Oh, they’ll smell the aroma, but it won’t be perfume.
Yesterday, my congressman John Rutherford (R-Jacksonville, FL) attended Donald Trump’s bi-partisan roundtable on stemming gun violence in the United States. The following is a transcript of his dialogue with Trump.