House Speaker Paul Ryan slams Trump over Star of David tweet

[DonViejo]

Source: Reuters

05 JUL 2016 AT 12:03 ET

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan on Tuesday slammed as “ridiculous” Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s social media post depicting Democratic rival Hillary Clinton against a backdrop of cash and a Star of David, and said anti-semitic images have “no place in a presidential campaign.”

“Candidates know that,” Ryan, the highest-ranking elected Republican, said in an interview with radio station WTMJ in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “I really believe he’s got to clean up the way his new media works,” he said.

Trump on Monday defended the post, saying he had not meant the six-pointed star to refer to the Star of David, which is a symbol of Judaism. Rather, he said, the star could have referred to a sheriff’s badge, which is shaped similarly except for small circles at the ends of each of its six points, or a “plain star.”

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Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/2016/07/house-speaker-paul-ryan-slams-trump-over-star-of-david-tweet/

[marble falls]

1. When even Ryan sort of gets it, its got to be serious.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. Yes, but notice how Ryan waited 3 days before weighing in. Not leadership.

Ryan wanted to see which way the wind was blowing and how strongly.

Even if Ryan has zero courage, most other Republicans have negative (less than zero) courage since they have been ducking and avoiding the issue entirely.

[politicaljunkie41910]

18. The problem is that Trump and Company continue to lie about everything. The news has reported that

the image of Hillary complete as we originally saw it originated on a White Supremist website as depicted in Trumps original tweet. Later Trumps Director of Social Media claims that he (the Director) created the image himself and secured the 6 pointed star from a Microsoft image maker (????) which was in fact a LIE. It's now a given fact that the entire Trump campaign is comprised of LIARS who will say anything knowing it's a LIE and they call Hillary Crooked?????? Trump and his campaign workers should never be allowed to see a Picture of the White House, much less the inside of it The White House, EVER. There is no credibility at any level within that organization.

[wordpix]

20. "the way his new media works" bwahaha

The new = the old. Apparently, The Donald has one staffer on social media all day and at night, it's Donald's turn. So reported one of the cable channels this a.m., I believe MSNBC.

[pandr32]

2. Trump's explanations after the fact are ridiculous

Who the hell would ever believe that the star is like a sheriff's badge? Since it was deliberately placed in the ads it leaves one shaking their head...sure Trump, you put a sheriff's badge right in the middle of an anti-Hillary Clinton ad

[PatSeg]

5. And if it WERE a sheriff's badge,

what is that suppose to mean in the ad?

Of course, his motive could have been to raise another controversy, so he could get his ad shown for free all over cable news. He really knows how to not pay for things.

[Moonwalk]

11. Actually, I think it's GREAT that he tried to explain it as a "sheriff's badge." Now...

...Trump not only has many GOP of the Jewish faith re-thinking their vote, but law enforcement who might take offense to whatever implication that ad suggested against them if Hillary and money was atop a sheriff's badge. (Granted, I've no idea what it would mean, either, but it's certainly not a compliment to law enforcement).



Not, by the way, that I think *anyone* is buying Trump's bull about it being a sheriff's badge. The problem is, while many of Trump's die-hard followers are as anti-semitic as they are anti-anyone-not-white-and-Christian, a lot of right-wing, GOP voting religious organizations (though anti-semitic at heart) are pro-Israel because, you gotta protect the holy land form those darn infidels, right? For Jesus' return.

Which is probably the other half of why Paul Ryan is having this little meltdown (part 1 is he doesn't want to lose the republican Jewish vote). Jews are the "enemy of my enemy" to many right-wing Christians, and any republican not supporting them is against the Holy Land.

[pandr32]

14. It is so hard to keep up!

I thought Republicans loved Israel and invited the Prime Minister to address Congress. At the same time they embrace white supremacists who hate Jews as well as POC and Muslims.
I agree with you and hope that law enforcement bristles with the implausible "sheriff's badge" explanation.

[Moonwalk]

26. Actually, it's very easy to understand. Jews, like other minorities, are not viewed as members of...

...the "going to heaven" race like Christian Republicans. BUT, Jews are doing Christian Republicans a favor by keeping Israel out of the hands of Islam. So long as they keep in their place and work for superior race, they're acceptable (this pretty much goes for all minorities, non-christians and women). But they're also expendable because, well, they're not white, male, wealthy, Christian Republicans.

In other words: if all of Islam magically vanished tomorrow, Evangelical Republicans would say, "Thanks, Jewish people, but now that we no longer need you to fight those Islamics, it's time to leave the Holy Land to us. We've been entitled to it since Jesus walked there." And the anti-semitism would come out into view. Paul there probably knows that most of his GOP buddies agree with Trump's anti-semitism—just like they agreed with all he said about Hispanics and African-Americans and women. But he and they know you keep those opinions under wraps. Jewish people have money, they vote, and keeping the Holy Land out of Islamic hands (i.e. the need to be pro-Israel) is a cause celebrity among Evangelicals.

That's the problem with Trump. It's not that he's saying anything most of these hard-line, Tea-party, Evangelical Republicans think is wrong. It's just that saying such things out loud disillusions all these voters that they need. The ones they keep duping into thinking they can be part of the "superior race" club if they just vote Republican. Exactly like they keep duping the poor into thinking they can be rich if they vote Republican.

See. Easy to understand.

[PatSeg]

15. This is true

The more he tries to appeal to his hard core base, the more people he offends. That base is not easy to please. They need regular doses of hate and racism to stay interested in their candidate.

[pandr32]

16. You are likely right

...even when wrong Trump gets lots of free airplay

[PatSeg]

19. The MSM is responsible

for much of this. Trump has been saying and doing outrageous things for years, knowing full well it will get him free airtime for his so-call "brand". They keep falling for it and Trump keeps using them.

[passiveporcupine]

24. He's one of the best playahs I've ever seen

and that is not a compliment.

[PatSeg]

25. Oddly

He isn't really very talented at it, just outrageous enough to get attention. If he wasn't rich, no one would pay any attention to his silly antics.

[yardwork]

8. On top of a pile of cash.

[Gormy Cuss]

12. But some of his best family members are Jewish

so he CAN'T be antisemitic, right?

[tblue37]

17. Not to mention the white supremacist and neo-Nazi sites they repeatedly

visit to find makes and images to use or comments to retweet. That is a point that needs to be hammered in ads *after* Trump has the nomination for sure.

[pandr32]

23. Exactly!

Trump and Republicans are indistinguishable from avowed white supremacists--all the same.

[wordpix]

21. explanation was the star/idea was from the Crooked Hillary twitter feed

Someone who follows #Crooked Hillary put it out there and Donald swept it forward.

hmmmm---now that we know Drumpf picks stuff out of that trash bin, we could fill it with all kinds of goodies...

[bucolic_frolic]

3. Ryan is playing both sides of the Trump wall

and showing a weak, wishy-washy side every time he comments

Cleaning up Trump's use of media is ok? It doesn't do anything
to change the candidate, and the candidate can't be changed
because you can't change people

[yardwork]

9. That's Ryan.

[truthisfreedom]

4. Ryan waited until today? Wtf?

Is this the concerned parent stepping in to say "Donny knows better"?

The only reason Ryan is doing this is that Hillary's ads pointing at the star are gaining traction and somebody has to suggest the possibility that the donald still has time to clean up his act.

[Bluenorthwest]

6. Ryan is a key accomplice of Trump's and as long as he is such I assume he shares and endores

the entire Trump Road Show. I have no reason to do otherwise.

[asiliveandbreathe]

7. Jenga anyone - with Ryan sitting at the top -

He has allowed this rhetoric to go on too long..Ryan - Ayn Rand - too late - you and your ILK have a mighty hill to climb...to even start to sway a National vote for the republiklans...you created this pile of dog doo -

[Moonwalk]

13. Trump is the iceberg sinking the whole republican ship....

Poor Paul Ryan. He had such a cushy little position there. Everyone loved him and no one gave him a hard time. He was just coasting along...and then came Trump. Even then, he probably figured he could stay neutral as Switzerland, neither supporting nor condemning Trump. Unfortunately, Trump is causing the GOP to sink. I think Paulie's just realized that there aren't many lifeboats left.

See, if enough republican voters decide to stay home rather than vote for Trump (because, say, they're Jewish...), then who is going to vote in those republican representatives and senators? Who is going to keep the GOP congress afloat? It's tough when the captain of a 1% cruise liner realizes he actually has to do something before he loses all his passengers.

Though, unlike the Titanic's Captain, I doubt Paul will take responsibility and willingly go down with his ship.

[JNelson6563]

22. Probably got a scolding from Bibi so *had* to act.

[WhiteTara]

27. I wonder how Sheldon Adelson feels about the ad.

I wonder if his head is splodey sploding over whether to let Hillary win or choose to support the blatantly bigoted anti-Semite.