Rick Perry Still Out of Touch with the Jewish Community

Sara Fried — June 17, 2013 – 3:20 pm | Foreign Policy | Separation of Church & State | Women's Issues Comments (0) Add a comment

^{Photo by Gage Skidmore}

Texas Governor Rick Perry has a history of taking positions opposed by many in the Jewish community.

In 2011 he led “The Response,” a prayer rally hosted by Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate group the American Family Association and featuring several participants who had made absurd comments about Jews and advanced theological justifications of the Holocaust. Governor Perry later said in a debate that he would start foreign aid to Israel at zero: “Israel will get its foreign aid, but it starts at zero just like anybody else.” Rick Perry has also been prone to more innocent mistakes - his most memorable being a Republican debate in November of 2011 in which he promised to cut three government agencies: Commerce, Education, and um…um…“oops.”

Since his failed campaign for the Republican nomination, Governor Perry has continued to distance himself from most Jews. On Thursday, Governor Perry again chose to promote his right-wing values and take positions at odds with the Jewish community. He signed into law the “Merry Christmas” Bill, which eliminates legal consequences for teachers and schools that say “Merry Christmas” or display specific religious symbols as long as more than one religion is represented. The bill signing ceremony was incredibly festive, with Governor Perry “surrounded by sleigh bell-ringing Santa Claus impersonators.”

The Anti-Defamation League of Houston criticized the bill, saying: “ADL wouldn’t have a problem if it merely authorized private holiday greetings of a student and teachers choosing, but where we think there could be a problem is with the public religious displays,” said ADL Houston’s spokesperson Dena Marks.

The same day, Governor Perry vetoed an equal pay bill similar to the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Perry claimed in his veto statement that he opposed the bill because it duplicated federal law. However, according to The Huffington Post, the state bill makes it easier for employees who have been discriminated against to sue, and fills in certain gaps in the federal law.

Appearing at a whimsical signing of a bill criticized by the ADL and vetoing critical women’s rights legislation weren’t enough for Governor Perry, who had another “oops” moment this weekend. While speaking at the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference, Governor Perry attempted to criticize the administration on its handling of Benghazi, saying “I fear where we’ve come to in America, where our administration won’t make one phone call to save our men and women in a embassy in Lebanon.” 

For the record, Benghazi is in Libya.

This is just his most recent in a series of incidents showing how out of touch Governor Perry is with most Jews, and that he still is not ready to serve as a national leader.

Comments

There are no comments for this entry