Monday, October 13, 2008

Monday's Paper

"The Man Behind the Whispers About Obama"
By Jim Rutenberg
A1


By Isabel Kershner
A11


By Peter H. Schweitzer
A29



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2 comments:

  1. ShamShamOctober 17, 2008 at 2:57 PM

    Article One
    Regarding the rumors labeling Obama as a secret Muslim, I believe there is an unfair focus on the American-Jewish community: "[These rumors] have found resonance among some Jewish voters."

    I believe to a degree this is true, particularly among staunch right-wing or anti-Muslim elements of the Jewish community. Nevertheless, is this Jewish "suspicion" any greater than the larger Christian community? That is by no means clear.

    Article Two
    Great observations. Two I'd like to highlight.

    1) You recognize that Kershner presents the root cause of Israeli-Arab dissatisfaction as essentially Jewish discrimination. While this is true to a degree, Kershner feels no need to bring to light Israeli-Arab rejection of any sort of Jewish claim to the land, particularly among the Arab-Israeli leadership.

    2)You make the excellent point that Kershner speaks of how religious Jews were principally behind the Jewish retaliation against Akko's Arab residents. Conversely, she makes no mention of the pull of Islamic fundamentalism among the Arab populace, which probably played a larger role in fomenting the rioting and hatred ("Death to Jews) against Akko's Jewish populace.

    Article Three

    Perceptive lexical insight. One on-line dictionary provides the definition of the verb pander as such:

    to act as a pander ; especially : to provide gratification for others' desires (films that pander to the basest emotions)

    Do politicians need to "gratify" the Jewish voter? I believe they need to attempt to earn their vote but I don't believe that entails a wholesale "gratification" of Jewish concerns, particularly given the incoherence of what those Jewish concerns are.

    A point I'll add. By the author's last sentence, is he insinuating that Barack Obama, by having a button in Hebrew (the "ultimate" insider gimmick), has been able to better ingratiate himself with the Jewish community than McCain by appearing more authentic? Even if this is not what the author intended, in my perspective this is how it comes off.

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  2. DanielOctober 18, 2008 at 9:21 PM

    Article One:

    Good point Matan. Since the article is not just about the Jewish community, but about the Obama rumors, a comment about the rumors resonance with the community at large would've been appropriate balance.

    Article Two:

    In an attempt to balance Israeli discrimination against Arabs, much is said about Israeli Arab leaders and their hostile rhetoric against the Jewish state. This is vital information. However, more should be made of the fundamental resistance to buy into the system by Israeli Arab communities.

    Converseley, there is a need among the Israeli establishment to contain certain aspects of Arab growth -- in cities and throughout the country.

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