NJ Senate Campaign

wispalover

Mon, May 30 2011, 5:16 pm

Came home from shul to find this leaflet waiting for me. I was so disgusted (and not just cause I'm a republican!), and was wondering what the response would be if a white politician put something like out. Not to mention, is his only basis for getting votes his skin color? Isn't that exactly what MLK Jr set out to ask people to overlook?

nylon

Mon, May 30 2011, 5:56 pm

You've never seen frum politicians campaign to their community? I have. I've seen Asians and Hispanics do it too. It's called "mobilizing your base."

White politicians (especially Christians) don't do this because they don't have to. They have power already. It's a false equivalence. Although in the past, white ethnic groups (Irish, Italians) absolutely did this.

It's not a black thing and it's not a racist thing. It's trying to get your community behind you to break into power.

wispalover

Mon, May 30 2011, 6:02 pm

I get that. My issue, though, was with the pictures (I don't think you can see them clearly) and with the idea that his entire campaign and manifesto is that he is black. I thought it was divisive and inappropriate.

auntie_em

Mon, May 30 2011, 6:08 pm

I also get upset when candidates make elections racial. It happens a lot here in Chicago, although I don't think I have seen anything as racial as the flyer you posted.

I think most people see through these kinds of things, luckily.

I do wonder if the President knows his picture is being used like this, not to mention his campaign slogan!

amother

Mon, May 30 2011, 7:31 pm

It annoys me that he couldn't be bothered to check the spelling before publishing this. Or maybe he's just not that smart.