Jewish Groups Irked by Cross on Republican Podium
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Speakers at this week's Republican convention make their remarks at a wooden podium that some Jewish groups find offensive because its decorative panels appear to form the shape of a Christian cross.
A cross is even more visible in a waist-high gavel stand adjacent to the podium, leading some to question whether the party is trying to send a subtle message to its base among conservative Christians.
"It is the very height of insensitivity for the Republican Party to feature a cross at the center of the podium of this convention," Ira Forman, executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council, said in a statement.
"This wooden cross must be at least three feet (one meter) tall, and it sends a signal of exclusivity loudly and clearly."
Two other Jewish groups interviewed by Reuters expressed similar sentiments.
A convention spokesman declined to comment about the podium flap, telling reporters he did not understand why people were asking questions on the issue.
So Reuters interviews three Jewish groups (only quoting one in the article) and declares this issue about the podium a "flap?" Give me a break. The one spokesman for a Jewish group the quoted in the article is from a partisan political group. Given the tone of this year's election they're going to think that just about anything the Republicans do is offensive.
Did they bother to interview any Republican Jewish groups? Or independent Jewish groups? Or were they only interested in a partisan reaction to this "flap?"
This is apparently what they're talking about:
You'd have to be drunk or something to think that the main podium looks like it has a cross on it. The smaller podium obviously has a design that looks like a cross, but it still a stretch.
Honestly, its kind of a dumb thing to get upset about.