Jeff Goldberg's Bigoted Labeling of Ileana

POR: CAPITOL HILL CUBANS



November 30, 2010


Last week, The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg accused the "Cuban lobby" of disrupting a supposed rapprochement between Cuba and Israel ("Bibi Apologizes to the Cuban Lobby").

Goldberg was referring to a conversation between incoming House Foreign Affairs Chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which she prudently warned him not to fall for Castro's rhetoric after 50 years of anti-Semitic hostility.

Where does Goldberg, who is a seasoned journalist, get off labeling a democratically elected Member of Congress as "the Cuban Lobby"?

Did Goldberg ever refer to current House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA) as "the Israel Lobby"?

Or U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) as "the Gay Lobby"?

Or U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) as "the Black Lobby"?

Or U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) as "the Puerto Rican lobby"?

Labeling an elected representative due to their ethnicity, race, gender, constituent makeup or any other reason, is simply inappropriate.

Goldberg owes Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen an apology for his disrespectful (at best) or bigoted (at worst) labeling.