The good news for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is that he's in the conversation when the topic is potential presidential candidates in 2016. The bad news? That means gaffes from when he was a measly county executive also are topics of conversation. A story at Madison.com notes that in an undated letter to a Jewish constituent, Walker writes that he'd be happy to display a menorah at the county courthouse. "Thank you again and Molotov," the letter says, with Walker (or whoever typed it under his name) presumably confusing Molotov for "mazel tov."
Walker is now receiving some ribbing along with some advice as a result:
- Daily Intelligencer: "While gearing up for a potential 2016 presidential run, Republican Wisconsin governor Scott Walker has been forced to acquaint himself with donor bases whose cultures he's not exactly familiar with. Like Judaism, for example!"
- Washington Post: "As Walker makes the rounds ahead of 2016, he should just keep it simple. 'Shalom' is Hebrew for hello and goodbye, so the margin for error there is small. And if you really want to impress the crowd at a boozy fundraiser offer a hearty, 'L’chaim!'"
- Huffington Post: Assuming Waker did mean "mazel tov" and not an incendiary device, that's still a little off. The phrase is "more traditionally used to congratulate someone at a wedding or bar mitzvah, for example. Many goyim may not know that a better way to greet someone during Hanukkah would be to say 'Chag Sameach,' which translates roughly to 'Happy Holiday.'"
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