Slamming George Soros is anti-semitic?

Now, I think anti-semitism is a terrible thing. I’m extremely sympathetic to the idea propagated by some that Israel controls the United States’s foreign policy is an anti-semitic idea. Around the world (and especially around the developing/Arab world), anti-semitism is pretty well accepted, and I find this disgusting.

But is mocking George Soros really grounded in anti-semitism? How can anyone actually make that argument?

A skit dealing with the Wall Street bailout ended with a revelation as to the true villains who masterminded the crisis and benefited from it are all wealthy real-world Jews, specifically Herb and Marion Sandler (identified by a caption as “people who should be shot”) and George Soros, portrayed as a cold, arrogant manipulator. Described in the skit as “owner” of the Democratic Party Soros chortles over the fact that all the $700 billion of the bailout will end up in his pocket. He also plans to profit from the coming devaluation of the US dollar. As a parting shot, he uses his money to get a pretty young gentile woman to leave her husband and come to the aging financier. In sum, every stereotype of the evil Jewish banker is used in this skit.

Where to begin? Well, how about the fact that George Soros, you know, actually HAS caused serious devaluation of the currency of a number of countries, devaluations that threw those countries into turmoil. He did that solely to make a bucketload of money. Two bucketloads, even. He’s also donated millions upon millions of dollars to pro-Democrat groups like MoveOn. I think it’s fair to describe him as one of the “owners” of the Democratic party, if such a term can be used for any one individual.

It just so happens that George Soros also happens to be Jewish. To be honest, I had kind of forgotten. Do you think the writers at SNL even know he’s Jewish?

Herb and Marion Sandler, meanwhile, pushed tons of dubious subprime loans, in the process earning themselves two bucketloads of money. I definitely didn’t know they were Jewish. But I can assure you that labeling them as people who should be shot has absolutely no relationship to their religious preference.