Here’s an oddity from the Richmond Times-Dispatch:
Brat said that he cast “one of the few no votes” on the Iran deal in the House of Representatives.
“The Jewish lobby called and said they want a yes vote. I asked them, ‘Can you tell me (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s position?” Brat said, to applause from his audience.
The Jewish lobby?
Of course, perhaps Brat is a tad bit confused, as the U.S. House of Representatives has not voted on the Iran Deal just yet — and 218 of the 246 House Republicans have already signed on to oppose the deal. House Democrats are scrambling to keep party discipline, as just 43 House members are required to come to the side of light and justice to reject a presidential veto.
…but the Jewish lobby.
Is that like the Jewish banking system? Or the Jewish-run Hollywood conspiracy? Personally, my favorite is the idea that Jerry of Tom & Jerry fame is a creation of the Jewish conspirators because mice are dirty, Jews are dirty… Jews play tricks on cats, tie dynamite to their tails (only for the cat to remain virtually unscathed for take 20) and make them run into walls. Something like that.
The Jewish lobby.
Huh.
I mean, completely appreciate the support for Israel, mind you. But “the Jewish lobby” I’m sure isn’t a monolith.
UPDATE: So the friendly folks at the Anti-Defamation League point this out:
The exaggeration of the power of the “Jewish lobby,” the disregard for the consistently broad-based American public support for Israel, the omission of the very many interests that the U.S. has in a strong and safe Israel, and the overriding theme that policymakers are controlled by this so-called “lobby,” adds up to an effort to delegitimize pro-Israel activists and has elements of age-old anti-Semitic conspiracy theories alleging insidious Jewish efforts to dominate seats of power.
Wikipedia — perhaps not exactly the most scholarly of content, but more accurate than not — has an overview of the historical use of the term “Jewish lobby” that is not positive.
Judge for yourselves.
Personally, I’m still struggling with the word choice. Glad he’s voting to oppose the Iran Deal; not sure where “the Jewish lobby” line comes from.
