David Gregory took over MSNBC’s prime time election coverage earlier this year from Professional Angry Person Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews because Olbermann embarrassed the poorly rated cable network with his blatantly partisan tirades against the GOP, conservatives and really anyone who doesn’t share his hyper-liberal world view.
But now Gregory has proved himself as big a partisan as Olbermann–maybe even better. On his "Race for the White House" show October 27 Gregory casually accused Jews who don’t support Obama of racism when he questioned Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fl).
Gregory asked her if now that Obama’s initially low poll numbers among Jews have risen to levels equal to John Kerry’s in 2004 means that "some of the out and out racism in the Jewish community" and other concerns that once led Jews to withhold their support has "dissipated."
Out and out racism?
Now it’s decreased?
But who says it was there in the first place? Who besides Gregory?
He offered no evidence to back up his indictment of the entire Jewish community in Florida as recovering racists.
The only stereotyping here comes not from Jews but Gregory who has now caricatured Jewish McCain supporters as bigots.
Obama’s growing support among Florida Jews could be due to a multitude of factors. Maybe they’re flocking to him because the economy has imploded. Maybe they no longer believe that insufficiently pro-Israel or even hostile to the Jewish state. Maybe they are no longer bothered by his association with the illustrious Jeremiah Wright.
Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, an Obama supporter, said via email that for "anyone to be for McCain does not mean they are racists. They and I believe in most cases Jew or Gentile are impressed with McCain’s war hero status and alternative ideas on government.
"Normally, Gregory is a fine reporter. Jews have every right to be concerned about the security of Israel. I have concluded that Obama and McCain will stand up to Islamic terrorism." Some Jews, like some of any other group, are prejudiced. But upon even cursory examination Gregory’s assumption collapses under the sheer weight of its own stupidity. If "out and out racism" is why many Jews initially withheld their support from Obama there is no reason to think that this kind of inveterate racism would have vanished within weeks.
