On Faith and the Democratic Primary
Saturday I took a look at Not Larry Sabato’s criticism of a Harris Miller quote from the Miller/Webb debate.
Then Kenney the Elder chimed in and took Ben Tribbett to task:
We’ll start with this instance from NLS:This has gotten Ben quite upset, especially considering that he is Jewish himself.
There might be nothing more uncomfortable than a candidate whose analogies don’t come from personal experience. Harris Miller is Jewish and doesn’t go to church!Now this comment, and comments like these have been circling ever since the “anti-Christ of outsourcing” slander was uttered by former Reagan Secretary James Webb.Virginia Virtucon picked up on it, as did J’s Notes and Two Conservatives, coming to the same conclusion most of us are coming to: James Webb’s supporters are making a caclulated effort to “jewbait” Harris Miller.
But who’s over-reacting here?
While Ben may not have been purposefully “jewbaiting” Harris Miller, what exactly is the purpose of pointing out Miller’s faith?
The problem with Ben’s post is that it is no argument. It is simply a statement used in an attempt to counter a quote from Miller, a statement that does nothing to actually discuss the issue behind Miller’s quote. So what is someone supposed to take from that? That Miller can not use the words “church” or “choir” in an analogy because as a Jewish man he has no clue what he’s talking about? What is being targeted here? If you are not actually debating the issue behind the quote, you are debating whether or not the man is fit to use certain words merely because of his faith.
What people will take away from Ben’s post is not that Miller’s quote has no grounds but that Miller is Jewish. And what does that have to do with anything? That Ben is also Jewish is besides the point, especially given that 99.9% of his readership up to this point had no idea of his faith. All people see is a man who is a Webb supporter highlighting Miller’s faith in an attempt to discredit his words.
Contrast this with what Shaun has posted. Ben feels his faith has been criticized when that is not the case. Shaun is focusing on Ben’s words and backs up his criticism with a reasoned response. The issue is not Ben’s Jewish faith, just as the issue should not be Miller’s Jewish faith. Where Ben failed to justify his criticism with anything but Miller’s faith, Shaun validates his own with everything BUT Ben’s faith.
The reaction to this comes from the nature of the beast that is blogging. You are known only by what you share in your words. And your words will be taken in whatever context you have established over time. If your context is one of splash and trash tabloid you have to expect consequences for what you say. If your context is one of reason and thought then one should be able to expect the same in kind.
