Alan Dershowitz Targets Ron Paul in Piece about Anti-Semitism going Mainstream Again

Alan Dershowitz has an interesting piece about why anti-Semitism is becoming more mainstream these days. He doesn't let Ron Paul off the hook.

Via Stonegate Institute:

For the first time since the end of World War II, classic anti-Semitic tropes—"the Jews" control the world and are to blame for everything that goes wrong, including the financial crisis; "The Jews killed Christian children in order to use the blood to bake Matzo; the Holocaust never happened—are becoming acceptable and legitimate subjects for academic and political discussion. To understand why these absurd and reprehensible views, once reserved for the racist fringes of academia and politics, are now moving closer to the mainstream, consider the attitudes of two men, one an academic, the other a politician, toward those who express or endorse such bigotry. The academic is Professor Brian Leiter. The politician is Ron Paul.

Later in the piece, Dershowitz expounds on his problem with Ron Paul:

Paul has, according to The New York Times, refused to "disavow" the "support" of "white supremacists, survivalists and anti-Zionists who have rallied behind his candidacy." (These "anti-Zionists" believe that "Zionists"—Jews—control the world, were responsible for the bombing of the Oklahoma federal building, and caused the economic downturn, because "most of the leaders involved in the federal and international banking system are Jews.") He allowed his "Ron Paul survival report" to espouse David Duke type racism and anti-Semitism for years during the 1990s, claiming he was unaware that they were being promoted under his name. Edward H. Crane, the founder of the libertarian CATO Institute, has said, "I wish Ron would condemn those fringe things that float around" his campaign, but he refuses to reject the support of these anti-Semites who form a significant part of his base. The New York Times has criticized Paul for his failure to "convincingly repudiate racist remarks that were published under his name for years—or the enthusiastic support he is getting from racist groups," including those that espouse "anti-Semitism and far right paranoia."

Even now, Paul continues to accept contributions from Holocaust deniers, from those who blame the Jews for everything and from other bigots, thus lending some degree of legitimacy to their hateful views.

When Nazi anti-Semitism began to achieve mainstream legitimacy in Germany and Austria in the 1930's, it was not because Hitler, Goebbels and Goering were espousing it. Their repulsive views had been known for years. It was because non Nazis—especially prominent academics, politicians and artists—were refusing to condemn anti-Semitism and those who espoused it.

It has been said that "all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Leiter and Paul may or may not be good men, but they are guilty of more than merely doing nothing. They are, by their actions, helping to legitimate the oldest of bigotries. Shame on them!

Paul's camp has been quite bold when it comes to running negative ads that target his Republican opponents. Huntsman, Gingrich, Perry, and Santorum can all attest to it.

If Paul continues to up the ante with negative ad campaigns (the ad against Huntsman was particularly egregious), he might start seeing ads from his opponents that focus on the support he gets from anti-Semitic individuals and groups.

Read it all.