@Pandora You said unless he was actually of Jewish descendant and he was pretending. He was a Jewish descendent on his father’s side. He can have Jewish bloodlines and be a Christian. This is why I tell Jews that even if they aren’t religious, and don’t care about their Jewish identity, they still might as well tell their kids they will be hated just for being born to a Jewish line of people. Antisemitism is probably part of what keeps the Jewish religion alive.
@zenvelo So what. If telling his constituents he’s Jewish means they won’t vote for him then I really don’t care. I remember the first time I saw a political ad that talked about the candidate being Christian, or having Christian values I thought to myself, where am I? Bible Belt. He certainly could have done something to show he is a practicing Christian. The Christians like the Jews right now. They think we are chosen, they assume we believe in God. We are perceived as being on the side of good against the Arabs and Muslims. Not that I am saying the “Jews” are against the Arabs and Muslims at large, but the Evangelicals see it more black and white than I do.
I read up on him a little more and I don’t think he himself was antisemitic at all. It sounds to me like dishonesty and corruption pained him greatly, I can identify with that, and he was having trouble dealing with it. I might be projecting, but that’s how it seemed to me.
He went to Yankee Ivy League schools, you know, where all those Jews go and Obama (and Bush) freely admitted to the press his paternal grandfather was Jewish. His mistake was choosing an antisemitic party I guess? Not that the Republicans are all antisemitic, far from it, but in his part of the country I guess maybe enough are.
I highly doubt he killed himself only because some yahoos thought he was Jewish. I think it was a combination of pressures including maybe the idea the race was slipping away for him.
Politicians know there will be negative ads and false statements about them that they will have to deal with. He couldn’t deal well I guess. I do have some empathy for the man if that was the case. It isn’t uncommon for men to be depressed and even suicidal when their “jobs” aren’t working out, or worse they lose their job. Especially, if they are going to hit a difficult financial time because of it. I have no idea his financial situation.