Anti-Semitic Ad?

[andyfox]

James Webb, a former Reagan administration Navy secretary who left the Republican Party over the Iraq war, won the Democratic nomination Tuesday for the right to take on GOP Sen. George Allen in the fall.

Webb defeated lobbyist and longtime Democratic Party activist Harris Miller after a bruising primary in which voters decided between a traditional and unabashed liberal (Miller) and a former Republican (Webb).

Webb referred to Miller in a televised debate as "the anti-Christ of outsourcing," claiming that Miller, as a lobbyist for a major Internet-industry organization, helped drive technology jobs overseas. A Webb flier contained a caricature of Miller with a hooked nose and cash spilling from his pockets. Miller, who is Jewish, called the brochure "despicable"; Webb said it was not anti-Semitic.

Here is a link to the the flier:
http://notlarrysabato.typepad.com/do...lyer_color.pdf

What do you guys think?

[Gamblor]

Of course it's not anti-semitic. the coincidence that Miller happens to have physical characteristics similar to the ashkenazi american jewish stereotype, should not necessarily make satire of those characteristics an anti-semitic statement.

what i mean to say is that if miller happens to look like a stereotypical jew, an anti-miller flier that happens to make fun of his looks doesn't necessarily make fun of all jews.

the anti-christ line makes sense if the vast majority of the electorate identifies with the concept of an anti-christ. it's certainly insensitive to the jewish history of persecution based on their role in christ's death, but i wouldn't call it anti-semitic. the antichrist line is a pr blunder at most.

if he puts "miller is jewish and therefore hates americans" in there, you might have an argument.

try this
(ignore the first minute or so of hebrew introduction)

[elwoodblues]

Borderline to not anti-semitic. The money in the pockets doesn't say anything about him being jewish...I don't think it is unfair to look at how a candidate made their money (and how much he/she has for that matter.) The only way I would have guessed that Miller was Jewish is the image of him (not the money or the words in the ad.) The more the drawing actually looks like Miller, the less anti-semitic it would be in my mind. You walk a fine line when drawing caricatures of someone of a different race. Caricatures tend to exaggerate minor physical characteristics. I don't see these cartoons as overly caricaturish (is that even a word??) though.

I must be tired...this post really rambles.

[vulturesrow]

I think it may be a stretch to call it anti-semitic. Keep in mind that Webb has never been known for his tact however.

[Peter666]

I just saw a real life picture of Miller. The ads are not anti-semitic, but his parents clearly are for giving him a hook nose.

[jman220]

Nah. In poor taste definitely, but not anti-semitic.

[Phat Mack]

I don't see it as anti-semitic, or even as a caricature. It looks like a straight-forward representation to me. Here's a Harris Miller pic.

[elwoodblues]

if anything, the cartoon down-played the nose.

[Phat Mack]

Now that Webb is nominated, when can we expect to see some Webb-didn't-really-fight-in-Nam ads?

[jman220]

[ QUOTE ]
Now that Webb is nominated, when can we expect to see some Webb-didn't-really-fight-in-Nam ads?

[/ QUOTE ]

Or maybe he just was really incompetent and was always crashing his plane/tank/boat/car.