October 19, 2009 8:38 PM

South Carolina Republicans Use Jew Stereotype to Defend DeMint

By
Charles Cooper
Topics
In The News
(CBS/AP)
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Last week, State Senator Bakari Sellars wrote in The State that United States Senator Jim DeMint, R-S.C., had failed to do enough to get federal funding for the state. On Sunday, a couple of South Carolina Country Republican Chairmen defended DeMint in a joint letter to a local newspaper where they resorted to the stereotype of penny-pinching Jews to make their point.

In their response, published in The Times and Democrat, Bamberg County GOP Chairman Edwin Merwin and Orangeburg County GOP Chairman James Ulmer offered the following logic:

"There is a saying that the Jews who are wealthy got that way not by watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies and the dollars taking care of themselves," Ulmer and Merwin wrote in their letter. "By not using earmarks to fund projects for South Carolina and instead using actual bills, DeMint is watching our nation's pennies and trying to preserve our country's wealth and our economy's viability to give all an opportunity to succeed."

A spokesman for Sen. DeMint was not immediately available for comment.

UPDATE

Late Monday, Ulmer put out the following notice:

Last week I co-authored a letter to the editor which focused on the vital importance of reining in the unsustainable and excessive federal government spending which is going on currently in Washington, D.C. In one of the paragraphs which I wrote, I quoted a statement which I have heard many times in my life, truly in admiration for a method of bettering one's lot in life.

I admit that perception is indeed reality to many and that I could have certainly worded that sentence much better. I sincerely apologize for this great error. If I had quoted that great man from Pennsylvania, Ben Franklin, using his, "A penny saved is a penny earned," I doubt I would be writing this note.

I meant absolutely nothing derogatory by the reference to a great and honorable people. I hope that anyone and all who were offended by my comment will accept my humble apology.

  • Charles Cooper is an executive editor at CNET News. He has covered technology and business for more than 25 years, working at CBSNews.com, the Associated Press, Computer & Software News, Computer Shopper, PC Week, and ZDNet. E-mail Charlie.

Add a Comment See all 41 Comments
by emlages October 23, 2009 4:38 AM EDT
How silly.

I am not thrifty because I am a Jew.
I am not a Jew because I am thrifty.

To make any comment that indicates otherwise would show racial intent.
To call to attention any connection of my Jewishness because I am thrifty, or my thriftyness because I am a Jew, is a clear indication of ignorance on the part of the one making the comment.

Being Jewish has nothing to do with being thrifty. Let's look at all persons who are thrifty as a group.

Are they all Jews?

I'd say they are not.

A poll of the group's religious choices would vary greatly. I'd also say on a percentage basis of that group, the number of Jews would be comparable to the overall population of religious percentages.

1. All Jews are thrifty.
2. All southern members of political parties are stupid.

I wonder if the second comment would be racial?
Reply to this comment
by belay55 October 20, 2009 7:10 PM EDT
For those who like to revise history, the KKK, Jim Crow laws and other forms of segregation, were all courtesy of Democrats. Google Dixiecrat and learn what you are talking about. Lincoln was a Republican.
Reply to this comment
by pjk12354 October 21, 2009 5:30 PM EDT
But it took Republicons to really cultivate them & make them what they are today...........
by noloyalisti October 20, 2009 1:54 PM EDT
My question is, how do you defend DeMint or the Republican party for anything? They are both a train wreck going over the cliff? I am embarrassed for South Carolina. Are they still stuck in the '50's? I mean the 1850's.
Reply to this comment
by babooph October 20, 2009 10:20 AM EDT
These deluded ones likely are not aware of the absolute first rate -HIGH DOLLAR -job Robert Moses did for NY!!!He did not spare the dollars & the state still enjoys his genius-unlike what SC will get from these fools.
Reply to this comment
by BeckieBest October 20, 2009 9:09 AM EDT
Republicans are so out of touch with reality that they don't realize that this kind of thing exposes them as the racist nutjobs that they are.
Reply to this comment
by briannorwood October 20, 2009 9:48 AM EDT
So true. I got a "Obama Hates Whitey" email last week from a guy I know. It was filled with out-of-context quotes from Obama's two books.

I sent an email back saying how offensive the email was.

What I got back was another email which said basically, if you criticize Obama, you are racist.

He just didn't get it.
by bruce691 October 20, 2009 8:09 AM EDT
Sen DeMint:
Just remember that many Jews are here today because of this penny saving. It allowed us to bribe our concentration camp gaurds and save our lives.
Reply to this comment
by BeckieBest October 20, 2009 9:13 AM EDT
Where do you hide pennies when you are stripped naked, fumagated, and given a stripped concentration camp uniform to wear?

Where were they saving these pennies?
by imprisoncheney October 20, 2009 7:49 AM EDT
Will Bill Kristol -- and David Frum and Frank Luntz and Chucky Kra. pphammer and Ben Stein and Matt the Drudge -- continue to defend these sociopaths?

Jews helping fas. cists. That's rich.
Reply to this comment
by pjk12354 October 20, 2009 12:42 AM EDT
I am going to go to bed tonite praising God and realizing that God is not a Republican.
Reply to this comment
by LeftyLoudMouth October 20, 2009 3:55 AM EDT
Well He sure is not a pro-choice Democrat.
by toldyouso21 October 20, 2009 10:40 AM EDT
y LeftyLoudMouth October 20, 2009 3:55 AM EDT
Well He sure is not a pro-choice Democrat.

God may not be a Democrat but he most certainly IS pro choice.

Human life (if lucky) 75-100 years.

Eternal life--forever

Does God force choice for the eternal life ? No. He leaves choice and the results up to each person: "Choose you this day whom ye shall serve, for you cannot serve both God and mammon"

Now..if God does not sweat or force people to 'join or serve Him' or even push for a certain view (He leaves it up to each person no matter what the end result) then why do so called "Christians" think they need to invest in worrying about what goes on in a temporary life position and that they need to demand laws to enforce THEIR point of view--when God does not do that for eternal life.

Looks like when Christians got that message to "Conform not to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind" They have collective Dyslexia.

Maybe they thought the bible said " Make others conform to the what you want as Christians and transform the world so there is no need for heaven except in your mind'

So called Christians need to stop trying to appoint themselves personal sidekicks of God. God is prochoice. If he allows it for souls and allows it for the acts of men, it is not the place of Christians or Assemblies of God people to decide to go one step further by taking away choice.

Not one person will be going to heaven whose behavior was not voluntary due to the church controlling or destroying choice.

God wants willing followers who know the difference between their existence temporarily on earth and a heavenly kingdom. Those who choose abortion will either repent or answer for it--but you never saw Jesus trying to reinvent or rework the laws of Casear.
by BeckieBest October 20, 2009 12:30 AM EDT
Another daily example of how racist and insane the GOP really is.
Reply to this comment
by ALBrainTrust10 October 20, 2009 3:57 AM EDT
That's like saying that anything a wacko leftist Democrat says proves the entire Democrat PArty believes the EXACT SAME THING.
by imnho October 20, 2009 12:00 AM EDT
The republicans use to hide there racism behind a cloak of conservative poltics. For some reason they have dropped that cloak and are coming out of there bigotry closet. There not even bothering to disguise there hate
Reply to this comment
by lmartink October 20, 2009 12:21 AM EDT
Unbelievable! This represents an incredible new low in Republican politics as they continue their plunge into the depths of oblivion.

They have descended below the levels of disgust, abhorrence, arrogance, supreme anger, colossal stupidity, sheer ignorance, repugnant bigotry, and unadulterated, bald-faced racism.

The only question is how many new records can be set? How low can they really go? Well, to answer, just keep following the news. At some point they will go even lower than this. You watch. You know I will be right.
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