I wrote yesterday about the National Jewish Democratic Council’s self-destructive attack on Sheldon Adelson’s “dirty money.” Since then, it appears that some responsible figures have sat down with the NJDC and gently explained why this campaign was a terrible move. The Jewish Democratic group posted a quasi-mea culpa on its website late yesterday, effectively ending its anti-Adelson campaign (h/t JTA):
Regarding our recent campaign surrounding Sheldon Adelson, we don’t believe we engaged in character assassination; we stand by everything we said, which was sourced from current, credible news accounts. Accusations against Mr. Adelson were made not by us, but by others, including Senator John McCain (R-AZ). Nonetheless, we regret the concern that this campaign has caused. And in the interest of shalom bayit (peace in our home/community), we are going to take down our petition today. Moving forward, we’ll continue to work hard to fight against the unique threat posed by the outsized influence of certain individual megadonors, which rightly concerns most Americans and most American Jews.
As embarrassing as it is for the NJDC to walk the campaign back, it’s better for them than letting it drag on. Remember, this was the same group that claimed any criticism of Obama’s Israel record amounted to using Israel as a “partisan wedge issue.” Unless the NJDC was willing to publicly call on Alan Dershowitz, the Anti-Defamation League, the Birthright Israel program, AIPAC, and Yad Vashem to cut ties with Adelson, they had no standing to demand Mitt Romney and Republicans to stop taking his donations.
The NJDC should get a black eye over their campaign to defame Sheldon Adelson. Adelson is a man who earned his money the old fashioned way – through grit, hard work and guts when everyone told him he was wrong. He contributes generously to many causes and employs thousands in his hotels and casinos. The NJDC has enough on its hands defending Barak Hussein Obama's miserable record on Israel without stepping into waters way over their heads.
And this justifies Adelson's exploitation of gambling addicts and his (at least indirect) support of prostitution? Double standard strikes again
And your proof of this is? Or is defamation and character assassination your standard of truth?
1. Adelson owns and runs casinos. Therefore, by definition, he profits from gambling addicts. n2. Prostitution, which is legal in Macau, centers around casinos. Therefore, he supports prostitution. nAnd your indignation points to the real issue here. NDJC did not condemn Adelson. It said that the GOP, which condemns the businesses that have enriched Adelson, should not be taking money from him. nI have no problem with either prostitution or gambling. Do you? If you do, and you support Adelson, you are a hypocrite. nNext question?
You can't draw a direct link between legal prostitution in Macau and Adelson's business interests UNLESS you have direct, incontrovertible evidence that he (a) paid for the services to take place WITHIN his properties and businesses, and (b) did so KNOWINGLY and WILLINGLY. Are you seriously going to contend that the NJDC has such proof? And that they are willing to go against their own religious beliefs in airing it in court? Because, that's what it comes down to now – since Adelson has filed a slander lawsuit against them. n nThis is obviously political, and obviously meant to punish Adelson for supporting candidates and political interests they don't like. Everyone sees that – that's called motive. The NJDC public prominence and links to the Democratic Party constitute means. For opportunity, you have the upcoming election; all of which Adelson's lawyers will show as slander in court. And, remember – this isn't Britain, where claims of slander are infinitely more difficult to prove in Crown courts than they are here in he States. Adelson, though, has far more resources in which to make his case than NJDC does. n nI'd say it's game, set, and match in favor of Adelson. And if it were me, I'd take the NJDC for every dime they own.
My guess from your tone is that you're a recent law school graduate at best; I hope for potential clients' sakes that no one is paying you for your opinion, or at least if they are it's someone like Adelson who can afford to lose. n1) You are describing the basis a criminal prosecution, not some comment by a critic. n n2) I said that Adelson supports prostitution by running a business that attracts prostitutes in a country in which prostitution is legal and that brings in potential clients for those prostitutes by its very nature. So did the NJDC. n n3) It's "libel", not "slander" n n4) Claims for libel are in fact much harder to prove in the US than in Crown Courts, because of the "public figure" exemption (see Time, Inc. v. Hill, 385 U.S. 374). My guess is that Adelson is simply filing a nuisance suit in order to cost the NJDC money, and I expect all it's going to do is cost a bunch of idealistic lawyers a lot of pro bono time, since it's bound to fail. If it doesn't, and SCOTUS ultimately reverses the Time inc. exemption, it will ultimately force FOX news out of business. n n5)I don't wonder you fail to address at all the fact that Adelson, were he to be the person he claims to be, should have brought this matter to a beis din. n nI hope you don't apply for a position at my law firm after you have completed your studies without a far better reasoned brief than you have made here. n nCase dismissed.
You're doing a LOT of guessing and assuming in your reply; first of all, I'm not a lawyer, or a person in the law (in fact, I very much support Shakespeare's view of lawyers). I'm simply offering my opinion on this subject. If I'm wrong, then I'm wrong. It seems to me, though, that if Adelson did what the Democratic plantation masters wanted him to do – vote and support in lockstep liberal officeholders and candidates – you and I wouldn't be having this nice friendly little discussion. But, because he stepped off the plantation, he needs to be brought down … and so, he suddenly becomes a pimp. And the American people and courts are supposed to just go along with all this (those who aren't on the liberal plantation, that is)? Adelson is supposed to stand by and watch his name dragged through the mud, just because he's not hanging with country club liberals who sing their theme song, "Our Way or the Highway?" while supporting a political party that is tearing this country apart? n nAll this boils down to a central problem liberals have; the concept of tolerance, especially with people who disagree with you. n nNo, I'm not in the law; but I've worked at law firms, and they were the worst jobs I've ever had in my long life. Rather sling burgers at McDonalds than spend time around lawyers; the work's much more honorable. n nThe thing of it is, though … I'm glad Mr. Adelson can get the legal representation he requires to cut the throat of this whole case before a judge, in PUBLIC, if you will. n nTo me, that's JUSTICE … and I enjoy that a WHOLE lot more than I do lawyers. So, don't bother waiting for me to show up asking for a job; I'd rather be a liberal. n nHow's that for "tone"?
I am well known for and proud of my opposition to any misuse of the legal system, even when it is by those I otherwise support. I refuse to support J Street because of its consistent lashon hara. If "liberals" were actually of a mind that you portray them to be, they would not be opposing Citizens United, they would simply have embraced it. n nThere are times when I wish that the ultra rich were less greedy and more in line with the principles that Adam Smith actually promoted in Wealth of Nations, but that sadly is not the case. Adelson was accused of promoting prostitution originally not by the liberals, but by his own former employee who is a Jew with no known political affiliations. n nAs for "tolerance" I think that liberals more or less uniformly support the principle "What is hateful unto you, do not unto others. That, like most people, they react quickly and often unwisely to attacks like those mounted daily by FOX News and its minions is sad. n nAs for Mr. Adelson getting the legal representation he requires, anyone with money in this country can. That is what you should be complaining about, and will if you ever are in a position to incur the ire of someone with more money than you.
You progs love to make accusations without positing any provable facts…here is another. Why do suppose drug and other types of addicts are exploited by the progressive policies followed by the NJDC from the Obama machine! For their votes. Give them entitlements, remove the consequences and voila! a prog voter…event though he can't see straight!
that's just plain silly. The provable facts are that Adelson makes his money from gambling casinos. Since the casinos are in Macau, it is unlikely that any poor people are going there. You are obviously ignorant of the pathology of gambling addiction, which affects as many if not more of the middle and upper middle classes as it does the lower class. Try thinking before you post next time.
If the big guy is guilty so are the underlings who help him. To be consistent you would have to ask every employee of a casino to quit. You would have to ask every Indian Tribe that runs a casino to shut it down. Please speak up against these "bad guys" if you dare.
Does the fight against the unique threat posed by the outsized influence of certain individual megadonors extend to George Soros?
GS does not care what anybody says.
"…we’ll continue to work hard to fight against the unique threat posed by the outsized influence of certain individual megadonors…" n nTHIS is what it was all about. Heaven forbid that there are powerful people on the right — only the left is allowed to have such folk. It had nothing — NOTHING — to do with anything Adelson may have done or even known about and everything to do with him being on the wrong side of the political fence in a world where the personal and political are now the same. n nIf only he had been wise enough to donate to the "correct" political side, he could have raised his money in the most horrific manner imaginable and no one would have cared. And it isn't Adelson who was targeted here but others who might be inclined to support candidates to the political right of Vladimir Lenin — the message being do so and what happened to Sheldon Adelson will happen to you as well. n nThis is the real threat — the same thing happens in academia all the time. The attack rarely is effective in silencing the specific conservative they go after, what it does is keep a hundred more from ever expressing their views.
I'm sure they took down the ads because they saw oldleftie's remarks about lashon hora on the Moveon.org thread and realized they had treated Mr. Adelson unfairly.
Great minds think alike. Now let's see Commentary do the same for MoveOn.org.
He/she/those who laugh last, laugh best. The door on Adelson's money making capers has yet to be closed. At the end of the day, perhaps coming very soon, those championing Adelson as something other than a subverter of democracy, are going to have to a lot of cleaning up and explaining to do.
The National Jewish Democratic council withdrew the call on Romney but didnt have the guts to apologize to Adelson. n nAs an Israeli i feel that The National Jewish Democratic council is degrading us and has nothing in common with Israel or Judaism. n nTheir excessive flattery towards Obama permit them to lash out at Adelson who does much more for Israel than all of this bunch of Liberals. n nI cannot refrain from the thoughts of what happend around history to so called Liberals who used to forget they were Jewish
The National Jewish Democratic council withdrew the call on Romney but didnt have the guts to apologize to Adelson.