"Send the Mensch to Congress"
Diane Ellis, Ed. ·
May 12, 2011 at 3:47pm
Dan Adler is just one of many Democrats angling for California's 36th District Congressional seat freshly vacated by Jane Harman. But Adler's got something the other candidates don't: a line of shocking, politically incorrect, and arguably offensive political advertisements. Most of them don't comply with Ricochet's strict Code of Conduct, but here's one that does. Barely.
(h/t Daily Intel)
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Comments :
Dec '10
Re: "Send the Mensch to Congress"
I don't find that ad offensive, except to any sense of logic. Asians and Jews should stick together because we're both minorities? And that has what to do with Medicare?
I guess if all you got is being Jewish, that's all you got to run on.
Dec '10
Re: "Send the Mensch to Congress"
So I went to his website. Other than Patty Duke using the s-word in one of his videos, I don't see what's offensive. Sean Astin is now his campaign manager (explaining why Patty Duke is in one of the videos), and the "Rudy" video was kind of cute.
What did you find so shocking and un-PC?
May '10
Re: "Send the Mensch to Congress"
A Korean laundress lost my shirt once. It was a custom shirt, with a loose-but-not-too collar and french cuffs. In the spirit of Adler-approved racism, I wouldn't trust a man supported by Korean laundresses.
PS: Ching-chong, ting-tong. Quit interrupting my epiphany, Adler!
Edited on May 12, 2011 at 4:21pmAug '10
Re: "Send the Mensch to Congress"
This has kind of a 1980s burger commercial feel to it.
Jun '10
Re: "Send the Mensch to Congress"
It's a racist ad to me. Pretend Adler is a self professed Christian and change the Korean lady to a white male. Modify dialogue accordingly. Then it sounds pretty bad!
May '10
Re: "Send the Mensch to Congress"
Racist? No. Weirdly focused on race for no apparent reason? Yes. Embarrassing for Jews? It should be.
Jul '10
Re: "Send the Mensch to Congress"
"Hello, little Asian person. Since you are, you know, a member of a key minority, I'm here to pander to you. Healthcare? Oh, no problem. By the way, did you know that Jews are technically minorities too? No? Yeah, I'm just like you - except that I'm like, tall and Caucasian...."
Edited on May 12, 2011 at 6:16pmOct '10
Re: "Send the Mensch to Congress"
I can't figure that guy out. His site has a bunch of one-line issues he supports (to say the right things to the Democratic base). On the other hand, his sponsors page doesn't list any labor unions, so I don't know how serious those one-liners are (the only issues he seems to concentrate on is the Israel/Palestinian conflict (he's pro-Israel) and improving technology in the classroom).
Feb '11
Re: "Send the Mensch to Congress"
Jul '10
Re: "Send the Mensch to Congress"
To answer the lady's question, in context, mensch translates as condescending doofus.
Oct '10
Re: "Send the Mensch to Congress"
it's funny, not racist.
Jul '10
Re: "Send the Mensch to Congress"
Is pandering racist? If so, it is racist.
May '10
Re: "Send the Mensch to Congress"
I don't see this as a natural alliance. Their children will be competing for the same seats at Harvard.
Jul '10
Re: "Send the Mensch to Congress"
Berkeley, actually.
Dec '10
Re: "Send the Mensch to Congress"
Israel P., when he says, "My family's Jewish," I take it to mean that his wife adopted Judaism and they're raising their kids Jewish. I take it that way because on his district, his marrying outside the faith and raising the kids non-Jewish would be a big liability. I noted from a clip on his website that he's running against three Jewish women in the primary, who all seem to be really hard Left.
May '10
Re: "Send the Mensch to Congress"
I too went to the site and watched the ads and was not shocked. The Korean cleaners ad is a little ham-handed but not racist. It basically addresses race in a way that the Korean population probably appreciates. His wife is Korean, his son half-Korean -- my guess is he probably gets the sensibility right based on that inside knowledge.
He' s substance-less and pandering, but as one of his speeches notes: the District is going to be represented by a Democrat, it might as well be him. He gets some points for creativity, and likability. If people remember his unconventional ads -- that could well be all that's needed to put him over the top.
And ouch! -- what about poor Sean Astin -- he's reached that awkward age.
May '11
Re: "Send the Mensch to Congress"
It's not racist. If it were racist, it would be funny.
Dec '10
Re: "Send the Mensch to Congress"
By the way, did anyone notice that in one of the bio clips on his website, Adler briefly shows a picture of his younger self shaking hands with Ronald Reagan? Interesting little subliminal tip there: "I'm not a wild-eyed Socialist like my opponents."
Mar '11
Re: "Send the Mensch to Congress"
Technical word for it is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_essentialism
Strategic essentialism is a major concept in postcolonial theory. The term was coined by the Indian literary critic and theorist Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. It refers to a strategy that nationalities, ethnic groups or minority groups can use to present themselves. While strong differences may exist between members of these groups, and amongst themselves they engage in continuous debates, it is sometimes advantageous for them to temporarily 'essentialize' themselves and bring forward their group identity in a simplified way to achieve certain goals.
Jun '10
Re: "Send the Mensch to Congress"
The message is that only members of minority groups care and understand the issues of minority groups. It's "racist" since it imputes certain attributes to non-minorities.
Per the Oxford Dictionary: the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race , especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.
It is amusing to watch Adler hoisting himself on the Democratic petard of racial identity politics.