Florida House candidate defends Ulmer, Merwin
By BRIAN TROUTMAN, T&D Online News Editor Tuesday, October 20, 20095 comment(s) | Default | Large
While many became enraged by an op-ed column by local GOP leaders, Yomin Postelnik came to their defense.
Postelnik, a Republican candidate for Florida’s House District 91, wrote a column that was quickly circulated among blogs and online community forums in which he, a Jewish man, defended the actions of the Orangeburg and Bamberg Republican Party chairmen.
The column by Jim S. Ulmer Jr., Orangeburg County chairman, and Edwin O. Merwin Jr., Bamberg County chairman, praised U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint’s stand against congressional earmarks. In lauding DeMint’s frugality, the two men wrote:
“There is a saying that the Jews who are wealthy got that way not by watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies and the dollars taking care of themselves. By not using earmarks to fund projects for South Carolina and instead using actual bills, DeMint is watching our nation’s pennies …”
Postelnik said his initial response after reading the column was pleasant, though many have voiced their opinion that the column was insensitive and racist.
“My first thought was they meant to be complimentary,” Postelnik said. “I don’t think the wording was highly sensitive at all.”
Though Postelnik said he does not feel the racism while reading the column, he understands those thoughts by those who were offended.
“I can understand someone reading it and associating those words with a negative context. But to me the intent was very clear. The way that anyone can become wealthy is through being frugal.”
Postelnik said that most of the response he has gotten to his written defense of the op-ed column written by Ulmer and Merwin has been positive.
“I want to make sure I do whatever I can do to help them out,” Postelnik said. “I really don’t appreciate people using my ethnicity for malicious intentions or to score political points.”
Postelnik wrote: “Two Republican county chairmen in South Carolina wrote an op-ed in support of one of our greatest Senators, Senator Jim DeMint. In their op-ed, they innocently used the argument of the frugality purportedly displayed by some Jews as a role model for sound economic policy. Their choice of words was open to misinterpretation, but their well meaning and intentions were not.
“Democrats pounced on one line in the op-ed and even a great Jewish conservative organization, afraid of what this would do to Republican recruitment, wrongly chastised the writers. To be fair, the organization stated that the intentions behind the op-ed seemed fine, but that the wording was problematic. The trouble is, it’s only problematic if you grow up among Jews and know that saying “the Jews who became wealthy” sounds like a slur based on the way it’s been used by those who are less than friendly. These two gentlemen were using Jewish frugality as a compliment, as was clear from the context of their remark.”
Postelnik believes that most of the negative response to the column written by the two GOP chairmen is an attempt by the other party to use race and ethnicity as a weapon against the GOP. He said that for character of Ulmer and Merwin to be judged on one line from an op-ed column is unfair and not something he supports.
“The statement was meant to be innocent,” he said. “To take one line out of something that they meant as a compliment and to bash them over the head with it is not something I am open to.”
Postelnik’s column was first posted on CanadaFreePress.com and AmericanDailyReview.com. He references himself as “the first visibly observant Jewish candidate for state office in my state.”
In defense of Chairmen Merwin and Ulmer, two hardworking GOP leaders
By YOMIN POSTELNIK
Two Republican county chairmen in South Carolina wrote an op-ed in support of one of our greatest Senators, Senator Jim DeMint. In their op-ed, they innocently used the argument of the frugality purportedly displayed by some Jews as a role model for sound economic policy. Their choice of words was open to misinterpretation, but their well meaning and intentions were not.
Democrats pounced on one line in the op-ed and even a great Jewish conservative organization, afraid of what this would do to Republican recruitment, wrongly chastised the writers. To be fair, the organization stated that the intentions behind the op-ed seemed fine, but that the wording was problematic. The trouble is, it’s only problematic if you grow up among Jews and know that saying “the Jews who became wealthy” sounds like a slur based on the way it’s been used by those who are less than friendly. These two gentlemen were using Jewish frugality as a compliment, as was clear from the context of their remark.
Democrats are always quick to pounce on any misconstrued line that they can use to portray the party as racist. Republicans need to simply speak the truth. The statement that should have been issued would be one that praises the intent of the county chairs and then explains that a better choice of words could have been used, while pointing out that in their region the meaning of their words was purely complimentary. Attack Democrat scandalmongers, not well meaning conservative op-ed writers.
As a party, we should be less concerned with the hissy fits of Democrats, who know all too well that the more they act out, the greater the reaction they will get. We should be more concerned with defending good party leaders and, when needed, privately training them to avoid unnecessary albeit well meaning remarks that are open to misinterpretation.
The basis of societal harmony demands that when people inadvertently use language that can be construed in a negative light, they be afforded the courtesy of being told as much privately. They can then be asked to issue a clarification. In similar vein, Chairmen Merwin and Ulmer should have been asked to issue a clarification, not have been made the subject of a press release.
I agree that the line “There is a saying that the Jews who are wealthy got that way not by watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies and the dollars taking care of themselves” is a poor choice of words. But I think that this is only obvious to people who’ve grown up in areas where many Jews live and who understand that the same line has been used as an insult.
Furthermore, as the first visibly observant Jewish candidate for state office in my state, as someone who served as a director of the Ten Commandments Commission and who has fought for Judeo-Christian values, allow me to make the following clear: The same liberal Democrats who are quick to yell “anti-Semite” are the same people who’ve attempted to sell out both American and Jewish security in order to curry favor with the world’s “intelligentsia” (a misnomer if ever there were one). By contrast, the Republican Party has stood for the inalienable rights of all people since its founding right through to this day. Republican intent trumps Democrat pandering hands down, no contest, TKO.
Messrs. Merwin and Ulmer are fine people and I’m proud, not ashamed, to be in same the party as they are. When we start parsing words instead of measuring intentions, we all have a problem.
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TAS wrote on Oct 28, 2009 2:03 PM:
dunningfan wrote on Oct 21, 2009 11:10 PM:
You defame the writers and then you accuse someone who simply stands up for what's right of abandoning his family. You're an all around class act. "
rump wrote on Oct 21, 2009 5:41 PM:
confisus_sum wrote on Oct 21, 2009 2:35 PM:
TAS wrote on Oct 21, 2009 11:04 AM: