During an April 18 interview on his nationally syndicated radio show, Bill O'Reilly asked former Wisconsin governor and Republican presidential candidate Tommy Thompson about an April 17 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial condemning remarks Thompson made during an April 16 speech, in which he said “earning money” is “sort of part of the Jewish tradition.” O'Reilly asked: “Why would the Milwaukee paper take a shot at you like this?” Thompson claimed in response: "[T]he Milwaukee paper has never supported me in anything ... and I feel bad." On the April 18 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly again brought up the Journal Sentinel editorial. He suggested that they were “try[ing] to hurt the governor” and repeated Thompson's claim regarding the newspaper: “I know they don't like him. The Milwaukee paper is liberal, and the governor is a moderate.”

But contrary to the assertions that the Journal Sentinel does not “like” Thompson because he is a “moderate,” the newspaper actually endorsed Thompson during his final re-election campaign for governor in 1998. From the Journal Sentinel's October 25, 1998, endorsement, headlined “An effective governor, Thompson merits 4th term”:

It's easy to quarrel with the political brawn of Tommy Thompson, but not with his success. He has proved to be a highly effective, dynamic, popular governor who has dared to make Wisconsin a laboratory for social change. For those reasons, Thompson, a Republican, has earned re-election Nov. 3 to a fourth term.

When Thompson took office in January 1987, the state's economy was practically on life support; today, it is thriving. Much of the credit must go to Thompson, who set out to overhaul Wisconsin's high-tax, anti-business reputation. While Thompson rarely hits the pause button when it comes to partisanship, he has shown an admirable tendency to be politically pragmatic, to embrace ideas no matter where they originate.

He has also shown a willingness to experiment. The best example is his welfare replacement program, Wisconsin Works, which has attracted a keen national following. While it's still too early to declare W-2 a success, Thompson deserves credit for attempting to do what few others have even tried fix a public assistance program that was hopelessly broken. Thompson also deserves kudos for his innovative BadgerCare program to provide quality health care to the working poor, and for his support of state plans to reshape the way Wisconsin provides long-term care to the elderly and disabled.

Until recently, the Journal Sentinel continued to show support for Thompson. Even the editorial condemning Thompson's April 16 comments acknowledged that the newspaper had expressed optimism about his presidential campaign two weeks earlier. From the April 2 editorial:

It will take a bizarre set of circumstances for Thompson (Wisconsin's) to win the GOP nomination, but there is actually more than a bit to commend his candidacy.

He could bring some Midwestern pragmatism to a campaign much in need of it. It seems that the burning debate in GOP circles is who is most conservatively pure.

Sigh. The nation likely has had it with politics by ideology. It is more in the market for someone willing to take good ideas wherever he or she can and who's not afraid of a little creativity.

Under Thompson's watch, W-2 welfare reform, school choice and BadgerCare were born. Yes, closer scrutiny might uncover some flaws in these programs and in the Thompson years (a budget hole Gov. Jim Doyle is still trying to dig out of). But at least Thompson, also a former Health and Human Services secretary, had the gumption to try new things.

This might be a novel concept for presidential candidates. We can attest. This Thompson's different.

The April 17 Journal Sentinel editorial described Thompson as “ill-suited to the presidency,” citing comments he made during an April 16 speech to the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. Thompson said: “I'm in the private sector and for the first time in my life I'm earning money. You know, that's sort of part of the Jewish tradition and I do not find anything wrong with that.” As the editorial noted, Thompson then made a “feeble” attempt at an apology:

He later made a feeble attempt to explain the inexplicable. “I just want to clarify something because I didn't (by) any means want to infer or imply anything about Jews and finances and things,” he said. “What I was referring to, ladies and gentlemen, is the accomplishments of the Jewish religion. You've been outstanding business people, and I compliment you for that.”

So an accomplishment of the Jewish religion is business acumen? Surely, a presidential candidate who would represent all Americans would know how hurtful stereotypes are. Surely, such a candidate would know, given this country's experience with anti-Semitism, that Jews as fixated on money ranks up there among the most hurtful of them.

Gaffes are nothing new to Thompson. But this was said to give him the aura of the average Wisconsin guy. No. The average Wisconsin guy deserves more credit.

On the April 18 edition of The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly defended Thompson's statements, asserting that Thompson “was basically giving the crowd a compliment and saying, 'You're good businesspeople' ” and agreeing that people deserve “the benefit of the doubt.” O'Reilly also asked of the Journal Sentinel: "[I]s it fair to take a guy's remarks, which aren't designed to be hateful, and ram them right down his throat?"

Additionally, O'Reilly likened the newspaper's condemnation of Thompson to the firing of former MSNBC host Don Imus, saying: “We are in the age of Imus. ... We are now under siege by people who are going to take what we say -- all right -- whatever the intent, all right, and try to hurt us with it.” O'Reilly also claimed: “The hatred of the Internet is driving this.”

From the April 18 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

O'REILLY: “Personal Story” segment tonight. Speaking before a Jewish group in Washington, presidential candidate Tommy Thompson said, quote, “I'm in the private sector, and for the first time in my life, I'm earning money. You know, that's sort of part of the Jewish tradition, and I do not find anything wrong with that. ”

Well the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel pounced on Thompson's remarks saying they were inexcusable. Thompson replied on The Radio Factor today.

[begin audio clip]

THOMPSON: I feel terrible about it, because I have worked for Israel and been involved in Israel for a long time. And any time, you know, I say something that's hurtful to anybody, it bothers me. I guess it's my Irish --

O'REILLY: But isn't that almost impossible, though. If you are going to run for president, you're gonna have to give hundreds of speeches, probably thousands of speeches.

THOMPSON: And I do.

O'REILLY: And sometimes you're going to make a mistake in the way you phrase things.

THOMPSON: That is true. And I made a mistake and apologized.

[end audio clip]

O'REILLY: All right. With us now, Rabbi Irwin Kula, president of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership and author of the book Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life. So, Rabbi, are you offended by that?

KULA: You know, I'm not offended by it. But you have to understand that canard, that stereotype of Jews and money has been used for hundreds and hundreds of years to justify persecution, justify oppression. So it's very, very hurtful. It has a legacy of real hurt. And not just in general, but personally.

Many people, in fact people probably in that room, remember someone throwing coins into a corner and whoever bent down they said, “Jew, Jew.” So Jews and money is a very serious stereotype.

Now, once we understand it can be used dangerously and has been. You know, by Nazis, American anti-Semites in the 1920s, Islamic fascists today across the Islamic world. Google “money and Jews” and your hair will stand up.

So there's a lot of hate in the world, and stereotypes actually can be used to create more hate. Now, given that --

O'REILLY: Right. I was -- I mean, I was basically going to say that, obviously, Governor Thompson's remarks -- right -- were not intended to be either controversial. He was basically giving the crowd a compliment and saying, “You're good businesspeople.”

So why would the Milwaukee Sentinel go and try to hurt the governor? I know they don't like him. The Milwaukee paper is liberal, and the governor is a moderate.

But is that fair? Is it fair to take a guy's remarks, even though we understand -- and I think what you said is right on. But is it fair to take a guy's remarks, which aren't designed to be hateful, and ram them right down his throat?

KULA: No, of course not, Bill. Here is where we are right now. We're in a culture in which, both on the right and the left, however you define extremists, everyone is out to kill each other.

O'REILLY: Right, right.

KULA: And all that does, all that does is it assures that those of us who actually have some wisdom -- and wisdom is making distinctions -- don't get heard. Here is what making distinctions are here. What was his motivation and intent?

O'REILLY: And it was obviously not malevolent.

KULA: My God, he came to a Jewish group, a liberal Jewish group.

O'REILLY: All right, so then the question becomes: We are in the age of Imus --

KULA: Post-Imus.

O'REILLY: All of us who are in the public eye, whether it's politicians or commentators or even a rabbi, even when you're preaching to your congregation.

KULA: Right.

O'REILLY: We are now under siege by people who are going to take what we say -- all right -- whatever the intent, all right, and try to hurt us with it.

KULA: Correct.

O'REILLY: So that's not a good place to be, Rabbi.

KULA: That is the end of a culture that can actually grow and evolve and learn. Because here's what we needed to do here.

O'REILLY: Right.

KULA: Great, the guy misspoke. Obviously, he misspoke, was a compliment to people. He was going to a liberal group. That's what we want.

O'REILLY: Just explain the history of it so everybody learns what the history is, but don't vilify the governor.

KULA: Exactly. Learn the history.

O'REILLY: Right.

KULA: An apology happens -- benefit of doubt.

O'REILLY: Last question: What can we do to fight against this political correct madness? What can the folks do?

KULA: There are two things. First of all, we have to be careful and not say about someone else what we wouldn't want said about us. That's just rule No. 1.

O'REILLY: Thompson wants to a good businessman.

KULA: No, that's rule No. 1. Now second, we have to begin to give people the benefit of the doubt.

O'REILLY: Yes! Yes, Rabbi! The benefit of the doubt.

KULA: I'm telling you, if we don't I'm telling you where did that common sense go that we don't give people the benefit of the doubt and just use a little common sense?

O'REILLY: Dissolved in the hatred of the Internet.

KULA: Yes.

O'REILLY: The hatred of the Internet is driving this. Rabbi, your book is great. We appreciate you coming in.

KULA: Thank you.

O'REILLY: Thanks very much. When we come back, Dennis Miller on the Virginia massacre and gun control.

From the April 18 edition of Westwood One's The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly:

O'REILLY: Yeah. Why would the Milwaukee paper take a shot at you like this?

THOMPSON: Well, the Milwaukee paper has never supported me in anything. And --

O'REILLY: All right. So it's a political thing.

THOMPSON: I don't know why they -- and I feel bad.