And the actual comments were?

So where is the anti-semitic comment? (Read Limbaugh’s text on the link)

He asks why so many Jews are liberals when its conservatives who stick up for Israel and oppose abortion rights.

He points out the stereotype that many people think Jew when they hear banker.

A disproportionate amount of people on Wall Street are Jewish and they voted for Obama. Now these same people are under attack and must be wondering why the person they supported is now coming after them.

He then talks about this book by a Jew which explains why Jews are liberals, and recommends it.

So tell me Sunny, where is the anti-semitic comment? Are you just not allowed to talk about Jews or how they vote?

I wouldn’t call Limbaugh centre-right. Tim Montgomerie advocates raising VAT to 20% to pay off the deficit. Thats John McCain thinking which Limbaugh would have nothing to do with.

Whoops – I’ve added in the comments.

He points out the stereotype that many people think Jew when they hear banker.

And their point is that this is trying to keep those old anti-semitic associations alive.

He condemns the stereotype that many bankers are Jews. Although actually, I would tend to think that maybe this stereotype is grounded, to some degree, in reality. Better not go there. What he said was:

There are a lot of people, when you say banker, people think Jewish. People who have prejudice, people who have, you know — what’s the best way to say — a little prejudice about them. To some people, bankers — code word for Jewish — and guess who Obama’s assaulting? He’s assaulting bankers. He’s assaulting money people. And a lot of those people on Wall Street are Jewish. So I wonder if there’s starting to be some buyer’s remorse there.

There is no evidence whatsoever about what Rush is trying to do. That is not merely editorialising on Sunny’s part, it is guessing. Prejudice in fact.

This is yet another b eat up like the claim Scott Brown endorses violence against women. Not even Jon Stewart was buying that. Hardly grown up politics.

Ok, we could get pedantic about this.

When he says: So I wonder if there’s starting to be some buyer’s remorse there.

What do you think that means?

I think it means he wonder if the Jewish community, which tends to be Democratic voting, contains many members who now regret doing so. But I am not Rush so I can’t be sure. I am pretty sure there is no hidden anti-Semitic meaning to the term “buyer’s remorse” if that is what you’re implying and I think it would be a heroic stretch if you were.

Have to say Sunny, I actually read it completely the other way round, in that Limbaugh is trying to suggest that Obama has some sort of latent anti-Semitism by going after bankers who are so often assumed, rightly or wrong, to be bankers.But, as you say, its a tad semantic

To be fair that’s pretty much acknowledged by the headline and the use of the word “borderline” which translates to “could be, might be, almost is if you want but isn;t 100% clear if it is”.

It’s a bit like saying “Mr Jones slammed for being borderline paedophile” when Mr Jones is a 40 year old man that says he finds 17 year old girls in school uniform a little bit of a turn on.

Banker isn’t a code for Jewish, it’s a code for thieving cunt who takes endless taxpayers’ money and lies constantly. What has that got to do with Jews? I have nothing for or against Jews, they are individuals who are either working-class or ruling-class depending on their personal situation.

If Obama really does make them pay a price for their failure then I applaud him. I don’t think he will, and Tory Brown certainly won’t. But for Limbaugh to defend banker scum, then throw around meaningless accusations that people who oppose them are antisemitic, is what we should deplore.

Why does Rush have semen dribbling down his forehead into his mouth?

… i’m 28 years old and the only place i’ve ever heard the stereotype, in any context, or form is from americans… anti-semite or not, even mentioning it in pacing DOES in, a form, perpetuate that stereotype.

Sunny you still didnt answer the question! Your comment in#3 is weak and inconclusive. American polls frequently break down by religion and show that Jews disproportionatly work in finance and vote Democratic. Thats established fact.

Your doing what Rush Limbaugh calls “drive by journalism”. You get in there, open fire, then leave the scene and watch the chaos.

#9 – you exemplify why Labour are stuck at 30% no matter what they say.

#10 – you’ve led a sheltered life

Given that 9 opposes Labour, & is a senior figure in another party, it’s hard to figure out what you think you’ve achieved by that comment, 11.

#12 – even if cabalamat is David Cameron they still retreated to the liberal position of smear.

That they are a senior figure in another party as you claim is more disturbing. It’s a good job you didnt name them because a comment like that would finish them in the mainstream media.

It looks like Rush has been swotting up on The Dummies Guide to Defending Bankers (also see, Goldman Sachs, Dominic Lawson, Matt Taibbi’s readers). The fact that he does it foolishly is evidence that he’s, well – a fool.

There are a lot of people, when you say banker, people think Jewish. People who have prejudice, people who have, you know — what’s the best way to say — a little prejudice about them. To some people, bankers — code word for Jewish —

There. That should make it clear even to Sunny that Limbaugh wasn’t peddling an anti-semitic line; quite the contrary.

First off – my thanks to Sunny for projecting this across a wider audience.

The Anti Defamation League (a hint in the title there, folks) said “Limbaugh’s references to Jews and money … were offensive and inappropriate”. I commend these words to those who have so far been reluctant to accept that Limbaugh was causing offence.

The story is continuing to run, and some of us will continue to observe events, as well as the behaviour of other right leaning media outlets, such as Fox News Channel. For anyone doubting the consequences of waiving the impartiality rule I suggest a view of the video linked from this post:

http://zelo-street.blogspot.com/2010/01/republican-wrong-one-year-on.html

I’m not sure what’s borderline about this; it’s just plain anti-Semitic.

Sunny,

This is really pathetic. A really weak topic, even by your recent standards.

Limbaugh, like him or loathe him, is a smart guy who is very careful about what he says and provides transcripts of his shows to negate smears like this. What he does is discuss how he regards ‘liberals’ view the world and this often includes sometimes accuing them of holding views they project onto others.

So if Limbaugh says that people percieve bankers as being Jewish it has absolutely no basis as an anti-semitic remark. Neither is noticing that many people working within the banking community are in New York, vote Democrat and are also Jewish – take it from me, my American friend are all three.

This isn’t the same as hunting for Rod Liddle, Limbaugh is smarter, organised and doesn’t lead a trail of conversations on football messageboards for left wing malcontents to trawl through.

He also has people such as the entertainer Lloyd Marcus blogging in support, as he did last October when Limbaugh was stiched up as supposedly being a racist by people opposing his buying into a NFL team:

http://www.lloydmarcus.com/?p=688

Hermeneuticals / rumpypumpy etc – please come back when you have something intelligent to add.

After all, you’ve given 7 piss-poor reasons as to why the BNP is left-wing on your blog. I’m not surprised the trolls are out to support one of their own (also applies to Rod Liddle etc).

Sunny,

I’m not sure which bit of my message was not sufficiently intelligent for your erstwhile consideration, but as I don’t agree with you about this topic that must make an idiot, eh?

I posted a link to Lloyd Marcus’s website which answered previous accusations against Limbaugh. Would you be so kind to honour stupid old me with your opinion about what Lloyd Marcus said?

I’ll presage this by saying that I don’t know (or care) what Limbaugh actually thinks. Heck, he might spew out nonsense to piss off Media Matters. However, the guy does make race-baiting comments, pretty consistently. He’s a propagandist! Anything that narks off people his listeners dislike is grist to his mill, and complaining about it is futile. Especially when this quote doesn’t really indicate anti-semitism; just a typically buffoonish attempt to smear Obama.

Still, deploying one guy in his defence is pretty funny. Especially when the guy in question is from a propagandistic organisation himself.

Ben,

Try this for size. It’s a link to Limbaugh’s site answering the accusation of anti-semitism.

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_012210/content/01125108.guest.html

Eh? I haven’t claimed that he’s anti-semitic. Just that – contra your comment at 18 – he makes race-baiting comments and is a blustering propagandist.

It’s surprising how many folks will defend a terrible bigot and far-right trash talking hypocrite.

It’s also surprising how many of them frequent a left-leaning blog.

24. Daniel Hoffmann-Gill – “It’s surprising how many folks will defend a terrible bigot and far-right trash talking hypocrite. It’s also surprising how many of them frequent a left-leaning blog.”

I am curious. Are you asserting that valuing the truth and accuracy is a Right Wing thing that the Left has no interest in? That the Left does not care if a smear is accurate or not as long as it hurts someone on the Right?

For the record, I have in the past denied that Stalin was anti-Semitic. I don’t think he was. That does not make me a Stalinist or a fan, in any way, of his work. For that matter I will (quietly) deny that Hitler was insane. Doesn’t make me a Nazi either. Welcome to the world of grown up politics.

Sunny,

If you are still interested, a bit of balance here:

http://matzav.com/its-not-rush-limbaugh-who-should-apologize-foxman-has-chutzpah

SMFS:

A terrible question, poorly put, is never worth answering because to answer it would give it validity that it does not deserve.

And you justify your take on politics all you want, it stinks to high heaven, ‘grown-up’ or not.

It’s surprising how many folks will defend a terrible bigot and far-left trash talking hypocrite and rape advocate.

It’s is not surprising he frequents a left-leaning blog.

I was also wondering if that was spunk or spit sliding down the picture. In which case, does the donor of the unidentified bodily fluid love him, hate him or it just happened to be the closest magazine to the bed.

Weird.