Is Steve Bannon really anti-semitic?

WhatFor

Mon, Nov 14 2016, 1:40 pm

I've made no secret of the fact that I was anti Trump on this site, but I'm asking this question to get answers from both sides. I have enough reason to dislike Trump, and I don't need hyperbole regarding his appointments to dislike who he is and maintain my belief that he's woefully unfit for office.
So my question is: is Bannon really anti-semitic?
I haven't read Breitbart, so if anyone can point to specific articles, I'd appreciate it.
I'm not looking for articles that have political viewpoints that oppose yours. I'm interested in articles that are actually anti-semitic.
Also, I know his ex-wife has said during divorce proceedings that he didn't want to send the kids to a certain school because of its Jewish population. I tend to approach statements made during divorce proceedings with at least a minimal level of skepticism because divorce is a situation where people tend to have great motivation to completely trash the other party. That said, it's certainly a weird accusation to fabricate. Like, it's not something that's going to give one party more money or greater parental rights, but maybe I'm just inexperienced in this.
Thoughts?

Oh, and please, please, please- this thread is about Bannon. Please put your thoughts on Trump and Hillary in the billion other threads about them. Thanks!!

ectomorph

Mon, Nov 14 2016, 1:50 pm

ectomorph wrote:

His ex wife said he said he didn't want his daughters in school with Jewish kids. But she skipped town instead of testifying against him. She also accused him of abuse.

Oh! Also he allows anti-Semitic comments on Breitbart which has greatly enabled white nationalists.

No one really knows if he's an anti-Semite. Whites in general have been encouraged by BLM to think of themselves as white instead of just people. That has done more for white nationalism than the kkk did in 100 years. He's just a symptom of that.

Hiring him was certainly a nod to the alt right, but imho an appropriate nod considering they elected him almost single handedly.

WhatFor

Mon, Nov 14 2016, 1:52 pm

ectomorph wrote:

His ex wife said he said he didn't want his daughters in school with Jewish kids. But she skipped town instead of testifying against him. She also accused him of abuse.

Not at all saying she's making that up, but at least for me, accusations made in the context of divorce are relatively weak due to the motivation to lie. So while I have an easy time believing that, I wouldn't present that as an argument without any additional evidence of that iykwim.
Was there any corroborating evidence with that? Does anyone have input as to what would be the benefit of making such a statement during a divorce proceeding? (As in, what did she stand to gain, if anything?) Trying to determine how much weight her statements should get.

ectomorph

Mon, Nov 14 2016, 1:55 pm

WhatFor wrote:

There's two sides, and then there's the truth. She got her daughters.

But I believe that even if he isn't anti semitic he at least sympathizes with them. Or he should crack down on the Breitbart comments section, which is a horrible thing to read if you are Jewish.

rfeig613

Mon, Nov 14 2016, 1:55 pm

I don't believe that a disgruntled ex wife is an objective or accurate source of information on this man's character.

Joel Pollak, an Orthodox Jew who ran for Congress against Jan Schakowsky, who also works at Breitbart, said the following: "I think Steve is a national hero," Pollak told NBC News. "From my perspective, in terms of what I believe, I'm an Orthodox Jew, I am an immigrant, I'm married to a black woman, and I live in a liberal city. And Steve saved this country by helping Donald Trump win and restoring balance in the Supreme Court and giving Americans an opportunity to take their government back.":

I believe he's ne'eman, and I trust Pollak's judgment.

The usual suspects object to him (ADL, CAIR, Kasich). These actors are so biased and liberal I can't take what they say seriously.

In terms of Breitbart moderation policies, you'd need to hire lots of people to just read through hundreds of comments. I think this needs to be looked at without the usual hysterics and whining we've seen in abundance lately.

SixOfWands

Mon, Nov 14 2016, 2:02 pm

Well, Bannon has stated, "We're [Breitbart] the platform for the alt-right." And, of course, may people in the alt-right believe that white folk are genetically superior and deserve their own homeland. Without Jews.

That's a start.

Breitbart also runs headlines proclaiming things like William Kristol is a "renegade Jew." (I knew Kristol very slightly, many years ago, and never even knew he was Jewish!) And statements such as, “Hell hath no fury like a Polish, Jewish, American elitist scorned."

You can read JTA http://www.jta.org/2016/11/14/.....annon Daily Beast http://www.thedailybeast.com/a......html and ADL http://www.thewrap.com/steve-b.....ague/ (sorry, couldn't find a direct link, but this quotes the ADL)

Fox

Mon, Nov 14 2016, 2:04 pm

Actually, one of the reasons that I started reading Breitbart a few years ago was precisely because it didn't have so much of the sly anti-Semitism ("We're just criticizing Israel!") on so many MSM sites.

Does Steve Bannon have any great love for the Jewish people. I doubt it. Very few non-Jews do.

Does he actively discriminate against Jews? Are his opinions animated by a particular dislike of Jews?

I've never seen any evidence of that from Breitbart. There are tons of Jewish writers there, and there's apparently a mincha minyan at their main LA office. They also have a branch in Yerushalayim that reports on tons of stories that you typically don't see elsewhere (or see much, much later).

Breitbart writers are young, sarcastic, and make jokes, and while I can't remember any specific ones revolving around Jews, I'm sure there have been. If you're bothered by edgy sarcasm, then Breitbart's stable of provocateurs is not for you.

The bias occurs in the editorial process, not in the reporting. They cover stories that will be complimentary to young conservative sensibilities, and use headlines designed to get everyone riled up. That said, the reporting itself is usually accurate, and I really like the fact that they are very rigorous about disclosing their reporters' other associations. For example, if I wrote at Breitbart, every article would includ at the end, "Gertrude frequently contributes to Imamother using the screen name Fox."

WhatFor

Mon, Nov 14 2016, 2:06 pm

The fact that he doesn't remove anti-semitic comments is also not, in and of itself, compelling evidence to me that he's anti-semitic. There is a legitimate argument to be made for arguing with hate speech rather than censoring it. In fact, some believe that censoring hate speech gives it more power, but allowing hate speech enables good people to shut it down. Not taking a position on that here, just noting why that's not a compelling argument to me.

The fact that he works nicely with Jews is also not at all compelling to me that he's not anti-Semitic. Without getting into specifics, I'm sure many of us are familiar with people who worked nicely with Jews and were/are also anti-Semitic.

Miri7

Mon, Nov 14 2016, 2:13 pm

I don't know him. One of my main concerns is that he proudly carries the banner of the alt-right. "Alt-Right" has become the name that the white nationalist movement now goes by. White nationalism is a nicer way of saying white supremacy and movements such as the KKK.

So, while he himself may or may not be anti-Semitic, to the alt-right, anti-semitic segment of the population, his involvement signals that Trump and this administration is essentially on board with them and has given someone sympathetic to their views a big role in the white house.

This is very concerning to me. Several people in my circles (or their children) have already been subjected to anti-Semitic slurs or acts where the perpetrator referenced Trump. ("Are you sorry you lost? Well stop whining, you Jews all are going back to the ovens now where you belong...." type of thing.) So it wasn't just the "normal" anti-Semitism, but was linked directly to the election.

With regard to some groups - immigrants, muslims, etc, I am concerned about policies that will be enacted, whereas with regard to Jews, I'm concerned that a group of people now feel they have greater license to voice and act on their anti-semitism. This fire is fed by including Bannon in the administration.

Fox

Mon, Nov 14 2016, 2:25 pm

SixOfWands wrote:

"Alt-Right" wasn't actually an insult until this election cycle. It was just a designation for younger, more in-your-face conservatives who rejected the Republican Party's inertia. And, yes, there were white nationalists, racists, etc., who liked to stir things up, usually on 4chan in the comfort of their mothers' basements.

But the left's portrayal of the alt-Right as some sort of updated KKK is ridiculous. It's as if I claimed that Melissa Click or someone similar was the progressive left and posed a real threat to my safety.

SixOfWands wrote:

Breitbart also runs headlines proclaiming things like William Kristol is a "renegade Jew." (I knew Kristol very slightly, many years ago, and never even knew he was Jewish!) And statements such as, “Hell hath no fury like a Polish, Jewish, American elitist scorned."

Breitbart is going to have to start giving out awards for not getting it. The purpose of these headlines is to make fun of the homogeneity of the opinions of liberal Jewish voters. It's part of their belief that minority voting blocs should get off the liberal "plantation."

Of course, it's okay if you don't find this funny. But if you're offended by this, please, please, please don't listen to anything Sonnie Johnson says about the AA community. Your ears will explode.

SixOfWands wrote:

You can read JTA http://www.jta.org/2016/11/14/.....annon

Summary: Some people think he might possibly be anti-Semitic but there's no real evidence.

SixOfWands wrote:

Daily Beast http://www.thedailybeast.com/a......html

Would that be the Daily Beast whose parent company just happens to have well-known media executive Chelsea Clinton on its board of directors?

Couldn't open the last link.

Like I said, Steve Bannon is unlikely to go to the mats for Jewish interests, but a sarcastic headline by a Jewish writer that makes fun of Jewish liberal groupthink shouldn't count as anti-Semitism.

MagentaYenta

Mon, Nov 14 2016, 2:25 pm

Miri7 wrote:

...

This is very concerning to me. Several people in my circles (or their children) have already been subjected to anti-Semitic slurs or acts where the perpetrator referenced Trump. ("Are you sorry you lost? Well stop whining, you Jews all are going back to the ovens now where you belong...." type of thing.) So it wasn't just the "normal" anti-Semitism, but was linked directly to the election.

...

The unintended consequences of the end of PC.

sky

Mon, Nov 14 2016, 2:35 pm

ectomorph wrote:

aren't many papers like that? Reading the comments in the Asbury Park Press on articles about Lakewood and the neighboring Jewish communities is just horrible.
Does that make the editors anti-semetic, or just reflect is readership?

PinkFridge

Mon, Nov 14 2016, 2:47 pm

Fox, I'm having trouble quoting you.
Yes, many people used alt-right in a different context before this election, but I know that a lot of the right, NRO types and others, now believe that it represents what everyone is afraid of and that that is the most accurate current definition. I'm not dissing Breitbart as I've never read, just heard quite a lot about it, but enough to give me some pause. (Even though I can't help but think of Match Game every time I hear the name Breitbart. [Hint: the shver.])

FranticFrummie

Mon, Nov 14 2016, 2:57 pm

Andrew Breitbart was a Zionist Jew, and a staunch supporter of the State of Israel. This had a lot to do with his decision to start a news and opinion website.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.....tbart

The current tech editor, and provocateur in chief, is Milo Yiannopoulos. He's halacically Jewish, a practicing Roman Catholic (due to being raised by his father's parents), flamboyantly gay, and says outrageous things all the time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.....oulos

If Bannon can survive in that atmosphere, I think he'll be able to see beyond his personal biases (whatever they may or may not be), and get the job done. If not, he'll probably here those famous words - "You're fired!"

I may despise some of the things that Breitbart commenters post, but I will defend their right to say it. As long as no one is calling for violence and death, then it still falls under "free speech." As a friend of mine wisely put it, "I'd rather have my enemies standing in front of me, than have them sneaking up behind my back."