'Silverman's a sick yenta'
Irked by the overwhelming response to the popular comedienne's pro-Obama video, Republican Jews mount counterstrike with 'the ultimate Jew' - Jackie Mason
As the US presidential elections approaches the final stretch, the fight for electorate-rich Florida just messier.
You would be hard pressed to find a politically conscious Jewish American who hasn't devoted four minutes this week to watching foul-mouthed comedienne Sarah Silverman's contribution to The Great Schlep.The grassroots initiative calls on young Jewish Democrats to migrate southward on Columbus Day weekend for an impromptu visit with their Floridian grandparents. The goal? Get them to vote for Barack Obama.
But now the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) is hitting back with a celebrity YouTube video of its own – with stand-up comic Jackie Mason slamming Silverman's insinuation that racism is to blame for Obama's difficulty in winning over the senior Jewish vote.
"Who ever said they had thoughts of bigotry in their mind?" asks an irate Mason in the notably austere video.
"But they try to convince you that just because he accomplished nothing that's not the reason you're not voting for him, you're not voting for him because you're a bigot. The fact he accomplished nothing is the reason you're not voting for him," he says, klezmer music playing in the background.
"You're not a bigot, and don't let her convince you that you are. She's a sick yenta for mentioning it."
Mason also criticizes Silverman and other celebrities for presuming to tell others how they should vote.
"Don't vote for McCain because I told you to, vote for him because you want to," he implores the viewers,
"…vote for the man who you think is best for this country."
While the popular Silverman may resonate far more with the Schlepper generation, by choosing Mason the RJC is consciously appealing straight to the target audience both camps are trying to reach.
The Miami New Times notes however that during the GOP primaries Mason was pointedly less infatuated with McCain, saying he was "disgusted" by what the candidate was willing to do to win an election.
"He blatantly lied about what Romney said about timetables in Iraq, and he got away with it. The voters in Florida believed his lies. Let us hope, that the rest of the Republicans of this country don't make the same mistake…. when it comes to becoming President, the only thing he will sacrifice is his morality. John McCain is a fraud."
