Last month, several Tea Party activists formed a right-wing coalition to oust Rep. Joe Straus (R) as Texas House Speaker. They began circulating emails with anti-Semitic messages against Straus, who is Jewish. The groups ran robo-calls and sent out e-mails demanding a “true Christian leader,” […] Last week, the Texas Observer’s Abby Rapoport reported that she had obtained an email exchange between two members of the Texas State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) – Rebecca Williamson and John Cook. “We elected a house with Christian, conservative values. We now want a true Christian, conservative running it,” Cook said in one of the emails.
You may think that, when confronted, the leaders of this political pogrom would deny it or bow their heads in shame. You would, alas, be wrong:
Cook then explained his views to Rapoport in a subsequent telephone interview: “[… ]It’s not anything about Jews and whether I think their religion is right or Muslims and whether I think their religion is right. … I got into politics to put Christian conservatives into office. They’re the people that do the best jobs over all.”
You may think that these folks would avoid the oldest cliches of the racist or anti-Semite in defending themselves. You would once again be mistaken:
Cook insisted he is not prejudiced against Jews: “They’re some of my best friends,” he said of Jews, naming two friends of his. “I’m not bigoted at all; I’m not racist.” […] “How can they possibly think that if Jesus Christ is a Jew, and he’s my favorite person that’s ever been on this earth?”
So, Rep. Cantor, do you still think that the Republican party is a welcoming place for people of the Jewish faith like yourself? And if not, when might you be planning to speak up about it?
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