RJC New Ad Trys to Tie Obama to Pat Buchanan

Aaron Keyak — September 18, 2008 – 6:20 pm | Barack Obama | Election 2008 | GOP Hypocrisies Comments (1) Add a comment

Yesterday, RJC released a new ad trying to tie Senator Barack Obama to Pat Buchanan. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency called the ad campaign what it is in Ami Eden's piece, "RJC (mis)plays the Buchanan card."

 Eden accurately describes the ad in his article:

[The RJC ad] declares that the Democrat's "Dangerous Views on Israel Have Just Been Endorsed by Pat Buchanan." At issue is Buchanan's recent assertion during an MSNBC broadcast that "I think Barack is right, we ought to talk to the Iranians" and "he's right to say the Palestinian people have got a terrible deal over there and their suffering ought to be recognized. That's Obama's position. It's my position."
The ad goes on to say: "The Anti-Defamation League says Buchanan 'publicly espouses racist, anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and anti-immigrant views.' Yet, Buchanan calls his views on Israel, Iran and Palestinians the same as Obama's."
And the final line (in bold and larger font): "Pat Buchanan says he shares the same views on Israel as Barack Obama. Those views are dangerous, reckless and wrong."

It's hard to know where to start with all of this, since the ad is misleading and hypocritical on several levels

 Later in the article, Eden asks some damaging questions when responding to this new RJC ad:

RJC decided to open up a ridiculous can of worms by citing the ADL (wonder how the ADL feels about being used in this way, especially since its director, Abe Foxman, has said that both presidential candidates are solidly pro-Israel). What exactly is the RJC trying to imply by noting the ADL's assertion that Buchanan espouses racist, anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant views? That Obama should in some way be tainted on all of these fronts because Buchanan happens to say he agrees with him on some other issue? That Obama shares Buchanan's alleged hangups with black people, and hence they end up in the same place on Israel?

According to this way of thinking, it would seem that the much more relevant point is that the ADL says Buchanan is racist, and he agrees with McCain on affirmative action. Or, the ADL says Buchanan is anti-immigrant, and he is now closer to McCain on the issue than he is to Obama.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

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