Monday, April 8, 2019

‘Beto’ and Other Names in Politics and Life

National Review
William Safire took up the question of names, and their pronunciations, in his language column, back in 1983. “Your house may not be your castle,” he wrote, “but your moniker is your property to pronounce the way you like and to correct others about.”  . . .

. . . "Let’s go back to Texas. Last year, Beto O’Rourke ran for the U.S. Senate, losing to the incumbent, Ted Cruz. The senator’s full name is “Rafael Edward Cruz.” (His father came from Cuba as a refugee.) The future “Ted” grew up as “Felito.” But in junior high, he wanted out of that name. He tells the story in his autobiography, published in 2015.

"The problem with “Felito,” Cruz says, “was that it seemed to rhyme with every major corn chip on the market — Fritos, Cheetos, Doritos, Tostitos — a fact that other young children were quite happy to point out.” He continues, “I was tired of being teased. One day I had a conversation with my mother about it and she said, ‘You know, you could change your name. There are a number of other possibilities.’”

"This hit the young man like a thunderbolt. “It was a shocking concept,” Cruz says. “It had never occurred to me that I had any input on my name.” He decided on “Ted,” derived from his middle name, Edward.

"Self-reinvention is as American as apple pie. Think of Jay Gatsby, a.k.a. the Great Gatsby, who started out in North Dakota as “Jimmy Gatz.” “Gatz,” huh? Possibly Jewish? This has been a theory, or suggestion, among literary critics.

"There was a time when many American Jews felt they had to Anglicize, or de-Judaize, their names. I think of a pair of tenors, who were brothers-in-law, as it happened: Rubin Ticker became Richard Tucker; Pinky Perelmuth became Jan Peerce. Italians got in on the act as well: Dino Crocetti became Dean Martin." . . .

Pathetic Democrats have become the party of apologies

NY Post




. . . "Some of these apologies (like Warren’s and Sanders’) were necessary and some weren’t. But, politically speaking, they’re self-defeating. If you’re apologizing, you’re losing, and America doesn’t like losers. As Kathleen Parker put it in The Washington Post, directing her remark at O’Rourke, “Once you start apologizing, especially for things over which you had no control, you are more likely to be perceived as weak — and not real smart.”
"The contrast with the man all of these Democrats seek to replace as top dog is excruciatingly evident. President Trump has done a lot of things most would agree merits an apology, but then again you do project a certain aura of strength when you never back down from any dispute, no matter how trivial.
"At some point in most campaigns, voters get a jarring reminder that the world is a dangerous place and that toughness and confidence are more reassuring in a difficult moment than cringing, blanching and begging. The Democrats sometimes act as though they’re ashamed of their country. They can’t afford to seem as though they’re also ashamed of themselves."
Next they will travel the world, apologizing for the United States. I know that's a long shot but it could happen. TD

Omar and Farrakhan; the pillars of tolerance

Omar Refuses To Condemn Gays Being Stoned To Death Under Sharia Law, Violence Against Israel From Hamas    . . . "Omar has been embroiled in an anti-Semitism scandal since the first day she arrived in Washington, D.C.

"Omar has been condemned multiple times by her Democratic colleagues for pushing anti-Semitic conspiracy theories used by Nazi Germany and using anti-Semitic tropes. Omar has compared Israel to the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism in media interviews where she also suggested that Israel should not be allowed to exist as a Jewish state. Omar has suggested that her Jewish colleagues devised a plan to silence her by accusing her of being anti-Semitic and suggesting that Omar was expecting one of her Jewish colleagues to have dual loyalties to Israel. Omar also claimed that pro-Israel groups were paying off U.S. politicians to have dual loyalties to Israel.

"Omar's anti-Semitism is so extreme that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, while not using her name, clearly directed scorn at Omar during speeches at AIPAC this week." . . .

Netanyahu, Democrat Leaders Blast Ilhan Omar At AIPAC. Omar Explodes.  . . . "I stand with Israel, proudly and unapologetically," [House Majority Leader Steny]  Hoyer said."So when someone accuses American supporters of dual loyalty, I say: accuse me." Hoyer then blasted the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign that Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) both support and on which Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) refuses to take a clear stance. "When the curtain is pulled back, everyone can see what the [BDS] movement truly is: a front for delegitimizing the Jewish people’s right to selfdetermination," Hoyer said. Hoyer took aim at the three anti-Semitic freshman Democrats, saying:"By the way, there are 62 freshman Democrats. Do you hear me? There are 62, not three." 

Sorry about the robo-voice in this video but you should find the light it sheds on Omar of interest. TD