Dear God, Why Do So Many People Vote Because of Their Politics? It's Crazy!

This is a few days late, but it really gets my goiter (considering a goiter is something that can be "got"). I've written/screamed about the Lamont race for some time now, but I am nowhere near as involved or vitriolic as some. The final numbers from the primary were exactly what I expected (I predicted a 4-7 point margin) and all the Dems have abandoned Lieberman like I thought they would. What I don't know yet, and what I want to see, is where all the Jewish money goes; over 70% of Joe's funds came from Jews, so what now? Where will the Jewish vote go?

One of my least favorite humans, Rabbi Mark Gellman has written an example of how not to make a political argument and write intelligently, and then coyly disguised it as a column for MSNBC.

His argument boils down to what sounds more like a Matisyahu lyric than a serious statement: "Where my Jews at?" I am not kidding, Gellman actually wrote:

[Lieberman] lost because Barbra Streisand's highly publicized contribution to Lamont and because of the number of Jews who hated Bush and the war more than they loved Joe. That's why he lost, and I don't get it.

Blaming Barbra? Are you trying to piss off the Jews and the gays? The worst part is that Gellman believes that Jews should vote for Lieberman because he is Jewish, and more importantly a famous Jew. He sees the world as one in which blacks vote for Obama because he is black, not because he will fight for them, and one in which Catholics voted for Kennedy because he was Catholic, not because he was a strong leader... and his dad stole the election for him.

My favorite part of Gellman's piece was this sparkling turd gem:

In truth I am also bewildered about why Jews do not support President Bush more than the pathetic 22-26 percent (depending on which exit poll you look at) he received in 2004. Bush would win a landslide in Israel, and never once invited Yasir Arafat to the White House, but that is a bewilderment best left for another day.

No, Mark, that's a bewilderment best left inside your twisted little mind, you know it's that place where you chastize voters for voting their politics instead of their demographics. But wait, I don't want to be unfair. I will let Mark make his argument in his own words. As best as I can tell these are his points, verbatim:

1. Joe Lieberman did not lose the Democratic primary because of his support for the war in Iraq. He lost because of his lack of support from Jews.
2. My disappointment is with my people. I simply do not understand why so many Jews bailed on Joe.
3. In truth I am also bewildered about why Jews do not support President Bush more than the pathetic 22-26 percent (depending on which exit poll you look at) he received in 2004
4. What has frozen me is the lack of support for Joe by Jews.
5. Joe is the most famous Jewish politician of all time
6. He is principled and intelligent ... and he is one of us! What more do you want of the guy?
7. So he supports the war. So what?
8. My best friend is a priest

OK, #8 aside, Gellman's entire article is a testament to the fact that he is flabbergasted. It's not an argument or a piece of journalism, but rather one giant, inarticulate shrug.

Rabbi Gellman: Why Joe Lieberman Lost (MSNBC)