JustASC

Marc Tracy nominates CNN’s Belief Blog for the most tone-deaf lead of the week:

The following may cheer those who complain that Jews exercise too much influence in the American political system.

“The massive overrepresentation of Jews on Capitol Hill, long a source of pride for the community, has been shrinking in recent years and could drop in the coming election cycle from 41 to the mid 30s, a level last seen 15 years ago,” Nathan Guttman recently wrote in The Forward, the Jewish newspaper.

Maybe CNN is on to something — tell a story from the perspective of the haters and bigots most likely to be cheered by the news.

Think of the possibilities for these stories:

Immigration from Mexico Decreasing as Mexican Economy Improves

The Great Migration? Many Blacks Returning To The South

Census: Fewer black children in biggest US cities‎

Atheists least likely to be elected president, less likely than gays, lesbians or members of Reverend Wright’s church

More Babies Can Mean Less Education for Moms, Study Shows

My headline, by the way, comes from a joke I once heard Joseph Telushkin tell at a fundraiser:

A plane carrying Jesse Jackson, Shimon Peres, and Pat Buchanan crashlands on a deserted island, where they discover a brass lamp. They rub it and out pops a genie.

“I will grant each one of you one wish,” says the genie.

Says Jackson: “I would like to go to Africa, and lead all my brothers and sisters in the world back to their homelands.”

Says Peres: “I would like to return to Israel, where I will be joined by every Jew in the world in the land of their forefathers.”

Says Buchanan: “I’ll have a Coke.”