Op-Ed by Deborah Lipstadt

Op-Ed: Learning to love Obama after Clinton's defeat

Deborah E. Lipstadt

Deborah Lipstadt, a leading Holocaust scholar and Hillary Clinton supporter, explains why she now is unabashedly backing Barack Obama.

 

Published: 10/06/2008

 

 

ATLANTA (JTA) -- I am one of those 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling. I was a Hillary supporter. I did not support Senator Clinton because she was a woman but because I liked her policies and record. But as is often the case in life, my hopes were not to be. Once that became clear I sat on the sidelines, watching and wondering. Now I am firmly in the Obama/Biden camp. I have been both pushed and pulled in that direction. I am there as an American, a woman and a Jew.

 

John McCain is a firm pro-lifer, having voted against choice more than 120 times in his career. His running mate opposes abortion even in the case of rape and incest. While there is nothing fundamentally wrong with these beliefs, I object to having someone's personal views forced upon everyone else when it entails such a private family matter.

 

Furthermore, this view potentially conflicts with Jewish law, which holds that when there is a threat to the life of the mother, her life takes precedence over that of her fetus -- and leaves abortion decisions up to a woman and the rabbi with whom she consults. Many traditional rabbis take into consideration the issue of mental stress on the mother, permitting abortions in the case of Tay-Sachs and other genetic diseases.

 

Were McCain and Sarah Palin to write their pro-life beliefs into law, their policy could create both a direct obstacle to Jewish law and severe invasions into our private lives.

 

McCain's views on abortion are not, however, my primary reason for not supporting him. I find myself diverging with him on a far broader array of issues.

 

The Torah repeatedly instructs us to care for the "widow, orphan, poor, and the stranger." It is fundamental to Judaism that those who are blessed with "more" have an obligation -- not a choice -- to help those who have less. Taking care of the needy in Jewish tradition constitutes doing tzedaka, not charity. There is a world of difference between the two.

 

The root of charity is "caras," as in dear -- caress, care. The root of tzedaka is justice. Jewish law prefers that people give charity lovingly and kindly. But Jewish law teaches, even if you don't care to give, that you are obligated to do so. How then could I support McCain, who has voted against the minimum wage at least 10 times? How could I support someone who believes in the privatization of Social Security? Can you imagine what would be happening today as the economy lurches toward implosion to people who depended on private Social Security accounts? Social Security is a contract a society makes with its citizens: We will help you when you are old and needy.

 

How could I support a candidate, McCain, whose health-care program would leave millions uninsured and tax the health insurance benefits we now receive from our employers? How could I support someone who supports more tax cuts for the very wealthy and almost nothing for the middle class or the poor?

 

And then, of course, there is Israel, to which so many of us are deeply and viscerally connected. Groups of Jews who oppose Barack Obama want to strike fear into people's hearts on this issue. Why else would I regularly receive e-mails from them -- I like to know what the other side is saying -- referring to BHO, as in Barrack Hussein Obama?

 

Obama's record has earned him praise from AIPAC and Israeli leaders, as well as condemnation from Palestinian leaders. The recently defunct, solidly pro-Israel New York Sun declared in an editorial earlier this year: "Mr. Obama's commitment to Israel, as he has articulated it so far in his campaign, is quite moving and a tribute to the broad, bipartisan support that the Jewish state has in America."

 

Moreover, the paper noted, "he has chosen to put himself on the record in terms that Israel's friends in America, at least those not motivated by pure political partisanship, can warmly welcome."

 

Leaders in Israel -- on both sides of the political spectrum -- do not fear Obama's commitment to Israel. Israeli leaders from Ehud Barak to Benjamin Netanyahu were impressed by Obama. Netanyahu, the Likud Party leader, told the Jerusalem Post that he was "impressed with Obama's understanding of the Iranian threat and that they both agreed that a nuclear Iran was unacceptable." Netanyahu also said that he and Obama agreed on the importance of "preventing a nuclear Tehran" and that "when it came to stopping Iran there were no politics."

 

What about the famous "experience" conundrum? Obama's familiarity with the issues has impressed many people, including the veteran journalist David Horowitz, editor of the Jerusalem Post. Horowitz compared his recent interviews with President Bush and Senators McCain and Obama.

 

When he met a few months ago with Bush in the Oval Office, the president -- who at this point is "presumably as expert on Israeli-Palestinian policy as he is ever going to be" -- brought with him "no fewer than five advisers and spokespeople during a 40-minute interview," Horowitz wrote.

 

On his whirlwind visit to Israel, "McCain, one of whose primary strengths is said to be his intimate grasp of foreign affairs, chose to bring along Sen. Joe Lieberman to the interview" and "looked to Lieberman several times for reassurance on his answers and seemed a little flummoxed by a question relating to the nuances of settlement construction."

 

Horowitz's meeting with Obama was markedly different. Obama "spoke with only a single aide in his hotel room." (The aide's only contribution was to suggest that Obama and Horowitz switch seats, so the Post photographer would have better lighting.)

 

Obama did not lack for Middle East advisers. Dennis Ross, President Bill Clinton's special envoy to the Middle East and one who is widely respected for his knowledge and commitment to a secure peace settlement, and Daniel Kurtzer, the former ambassador to Israel and Yeshiva University graduate and its former dean, were "hovering in the vicinity," Horowitz wrote, but they were not in the room. Horowitz observed that Obama "knew precisely what he wanted to say about the most intricate issues confronting and concerning Israel, and expressed himself clearly, even stridently on key subjects."

 

Contrast that with Sarah Palin's rote repetition three times during the Charlie Gibson interview of precisely the same phrase about Israel that "We can't second-guess Israel." Is that all she has to say? Can she only speak in sound bites? Does she have any knowledge of the nuances of the situation?

 

The same thing happened in the vice-presidential debate. Palin spewed a lot of talking points -- two-state solution, no second Holocaust, embassy in Jerusalem -- but demonstrated no real familiarity with the situation.

 

I firmly believe that those who know the history and nuances of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the track record of the different players cannot help but come down on the side of a safe and secure Israel. But in order to help broker a real peace, they must know much more than rote talking points.

 

Many Jews, myself included, were deeply disturbed by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's most controversial comments, but there is nothing in Obama's record to indicate that he adheres to Wright's views. I was glad to hear Obama forcefully and publicly denounce them.

 

Contrast that with Palin, who sat in her church while a Jews for Jesus leader, David Brickner, preached that terrorism in Israel is God's "judgment" against Jews for failing to accept Jesus? Maybe she said nothing because she did not understand the implication's of Brickner's words, but that would be even more disturbing.

 

When Palin first ran for mayor of Wasilla, she did so as the town's "first Christian mayor." What does that have to do with being mayor? Is this someone you want a heartbeat away from America's oldest president, a man who has had multiple bouts with cancer?

 

Lest someone assume that I am contemptuous of her deep religious commitment, let me stress that it is the contrary. In my work and life I find myself more comfortable with those who are deeply committed to their faith -- whatever that faith may be -- than those who are totally unconnected and, even worse, contemptuous of those who are. I just don't want them imposing their faith on me.

 

Finally, let's talk about the 800-pound gorilla sitting in the middle of many people's election ballots. Jews have prospered in this country in countless and unimaginable ways. America has given us tremendous opportunities. While no one should vote for Barack Obama because he is black, the fact that a black man is a nominee for the highest office in the land constitutes an affirmation of the fact that at long last, some of the final barriers of discrimination are crumbling. For Jews it is yet another reminder of the blessings this country has offered them and other minorities.

 

For me, the choice is clear.

 

(Deborah E. Lipstadt is the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust Studies at Emory University and author of "History on Trial: My Day in Court With David Irving.")

Letter From Omri D.

Friends and Family,
 
I have been a lifelong Democrat and believer in the American Dream.  Some of my views may seem quite liberal (I'm a registered tree hugger) and others can be downright conservative (I believe markets should be allowed to solve most problems).  
 
Like many of you, I have watched in horror over the past 8 years as the Bush Administration has led our country down a path that even staunch conservatives have to be scared of.  The issue for me has rarely been his policies per se (I mistakenly supported the war with Iraq), though they have not been good for the country.  The biggest issue has been his administration's reckless disregard for long-held principles, agreements and standards of conduct in leading the nation.  Let me explain...
 
At its best, the office of the presidency operates from a mindset of humility, gratitude, and respect for the people who grant it.  Power is used appropriately; staffmembers are carefully chosen; department heads are targeted for their competence, ability to execute and intellectual honesty; longstanding laws that have contributed to the welfare of the nation are upheld; opposing views are listened to and respected.  George Bush and his team, all Republicans, mostly from the Religious Right, have knowingly and systematically disregarded these standards, unabashedly rolled back decades of progress on so many issues that most decent Americans support, and saddest of all, made a mockery of the institution of the presidency and all it stands for - all with a level of arrogance, hypocrisy and smugness that exceeds anything I think we've ever seen.  There is something fundamentally wrong when a president gets impeached for a personal indiscretion (albeit a terribly shameful one) and another president who sends thousands to die in a war, knowing it's not necessary, is allowed to serve out his term.
 
I voted for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Primary.  I believe in her.  But she lost and I was faced with a choice.  Being a strong supporter of Israel, I was tempted to cross party lines and support John McCain.  I've always like McCain and thought he would do a good job.  I didn't know much about Barack Obama, and was at best neutral.  
 
But as the summer wore on and the conventions came and went, I started to ask myself a critical question, "What is needed now?"  The only answer I can honestly get behind is Barack Obama and Joe Biden.  To be clear, this has not been easy.  For whatever reason, I have not fallen in love with Obama as many have and as I did with Bill Clinton.  He doesn't connect with me as he clearly does with so many in this country.  And yet, I trust that he will be true to his values and his intentions.  I trust that he wants the same things I want for this country.  I trust his ability to execute in this era and this climate.  

 

As for John McCain, he is someone I've always respected - until recently.  At his core, I still believe he has much to be proud of, but in the past few months, he has turned the keys to his soul over to the deeply conservative Republican base - Exhibit A, Sarah Palin.  We have been down this road before.  We have seen this movie.  It's bad.  The triumph of 'down home', 'good ole', 'have a beer with' Joe Six Pack presidents has been no triumph, but a travesty.  John McCain is a smart, hard-working, thoughtful man with an honorable past.  He has forever tarnished that past with his behavior in the past few months, and it's getting worse.  This is not a statesman.  This is not a leader.  He has become a follower (to his party's Rove-ian right wing reactionaries), a whiner (about everything), and an angry ranter (because he can't understand why he is losing).  His response to Barack Obama has not been to take the high road, but to get dirty.  The main reason he is doing this has now become crystal clear to me: HE JUST DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING INTERESTING TO SAY ABOUT THE ISSUES THAT MATTER.  When you have nothing to contribute to the dialogue, your only remaining strategy is to prevent your opponent from doing so.  I truly believe most thinking Americans (and yes, there are enough of these to make the difference in the election) see this.
 
As a Jew, Israel is a key issue for me, but it is not the only one.  While Republicans have outwardly been stronger friends of Israel than Democrats, I don't believe the range of policy discrepency between the parties is significant enough to make a big difference one way or the other.  While Bush has been a 'friend' of Israel, it has been on his watch that Israel is now more threatened than ever by its neighbors.  Intentions and policies matter - results matter more.  Besides Israel, I care about issues of social welfare and social justice.  I care about our relationship with the natural environment.  I care about education and healthcare.  I care about stability and fair play in our financial markets.  I care about basic competence in governing and restoring a sense of pride in being American, not because we are entitled to 'be the best', but because when we tap into the best in ourselves, we ARE a shining beacon, we DO give the world an example of what is possible - and that is something to be immensely proud of.  
 
To look back at what has happened to our world and our country since that fateful night in November of 2000 is a sadness.  To look back and not take the right lessons is even sadder.  And to look forward and not DEMAND a fundamental shift in how we think and work as a nation would be a terrible mistake.  In my book, Obama is not perfect, but nor should we expect that from him or any candidate.  The bigger question is what can WE do to restore a sense of honesty and dignity in our government and political figures?  What can WE do to restore a sense of kinship with our brothers and sisters across the country?  What can WE do to restore a sense of hope in our shared future?  The first thing is to help these two men, Barack Obama and Joe Biden get elected, however you can.  They won't solve all our problems, but I do believe they will create a new context and a spirit in which we can begin to heal as a nation, begin to look forward with fresh eyes, and reach back for inspiration to the values and dreams that have made us great before.  In that sense, they have the easier job.  The real work is ours.
 
Get to Nevada.  Get to Colorado.  Get to Florida.  Get to Ohio.  Get out the vote.  Now is our chance.  Now is our time.
 
Omri 

Letter from Professor Steven Fine

Recently my family contributed money to the campaign of Barack Obama for president of the United States. This is the first time that I have ever contributed to a political candidate-- just as it is the first time that I have placed a candidate's bumper sticker on my car-- in Hebrew of course!.

This is the first time that I have publicly supported a political candidate.

My support for Obama/Biden is based upon a thorough study of Obama's positions and my belief in their ability to carry out Obama's domestic and international agendas. I am thoroughly convinced that Barack will be a marvelous president, restoring civility to our national culture.

Obama/Biden's commitment to the security and well being of the State of Israel is absolute, as both have proven throughout their careers. For me, support for Israel is a non-negotiable point, and they meet this test with flying colors.

I am aware that many Jews have concerns about Obama's candidacy, especially within my own Orthodox community. Some of these concerns are rooted in deep-seated American ethnic strife, while others have been created by "swiftboating" and the worst kinds of Lashon ha-Ra. This slander is being manufactured to play on our worst fears and most devastating communal traumas. There is no truth in any of this fear mongering.

I urge each and every one of us to vote for Obama/Biden, and await besorot tovot, great tidings, on election day!

Steven Fine

Steven Fine is professor of Jewish History at Yeshiva University and director of the YU Center for Israel Studies

Letter from Dena F.

I AM AN ORTHODOX JEW WHO IS SUPPORTING BARACK OBAMA

I have been an observant member of the Orthodox Jewish community for the last 25 years.  But I was raised in a family of left wing activists who believed strongly that the function of the government was to provide services to its citizens.  In spite of being frum all these years I still feel that way.  So I am by nature more comfortable with the Democratic Party even with its warts.

I did not, at the beginning of this election cycle, even consider that this article would even have to be written.  After all everyone I spoke to, and they had all voted for George Bush, admitted that the country was a mess and President Bush had done a terrible job and left us in a terrible way.  I assumed there would be no question that we had to vote them out and move in a new direction.  But that does not appear to be the case.

Why do I support Obama?  First of all he is a person with real critical thinking skills.  That means he has the capacity to analyze complex problems without imposing an ideology as a primary filter.  Republicans like to make fun of the way he will explain the context of the issue before he addresses the answer directly.  I have heard him speak, and debate many times and he has always answered a question even though the answer might not be popular to his audience.  That is what I am looking for in a President, someone who is not afraid to lead even when it is not popular.  After all we are electing the President of the United States, not the winner of American Idol. 

Secondly, Obama is talking about renewing a sense of community where Americans help each other and work together to solve problems facing all of us.  What a change from the "us vs. them" perspective we have been living with for the last eight years.  So many problems this country is facing- growing debt, too many people uninsured or without health insurance, global warming, dependence on oil which forces us to do business with tyrants and terrorists, the stress on the family unit from two working parents, financial troubles and rampant materialism, --these are all issues that affect us all regardless of political or religious persuasion.  Barack Obama talks about how to bridge our differences so that we can find common ground to work from to actually solve problems.

There was an energy, a feeling of unity that permeated the country after 9/11.  No matter where you went people felt connected to one another and we knew we were all in this together.  And what happened with that miraculous feeling? Was it harnessed to solve problems and join us in common purpose?  No it was ignored so that it dissipated and left behind those typical class and ideological wars.  Barack Obama can restore that feeling and use it to tackle the difficult problems facing us.  

With recent crumbling of financial institutions and the difficult days facing us ahead, having a leader who can bring unity, can make a big difference. Barack Obama first spoke about the potential problems of subprime loans and the resulting packaged securities in 2006.  He will restore reasonable and responsible regulations to a system that badly needs fixing.  Barack Obama has said that while we should support free markets the role of government is to make sure they operate fairly.  

The Republican Party, and this includes John McCain and Sarah Pallin, believes in doing away with regulation, because they think the free market will provide a “trickle down economy.”  In fact Phil Gramm, McCain’s chief advisor, was the architect of the two changes in the law that directly led to terrible results from the lack of regulation we are living with right now. 

Barack Obama will work to improve conditions for the middle class again.  Bush inherited a surplus and is leaving us the largest deficit in history.  Obama’s tax plan will reduce taxes for most Americans except those earning more than $600,000.  His plan will give money to middle class earners while asking the very very wealthy to pay more. 

McCain’s policies will continue the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.   His plan proposes to give a new tax cut of $270,000 to people earning over 2.87 million per year.  With a deficit out of control and a war that McCain wants to continue with a cost of a billion dollars per month, the idea that you can continue to cut taxes and run a government is unrealistic. 

McCain’s solution is to propose cutting the federal budget by 20%.  Since most of the expenditures occur in programs that cannot be cut such as social security and Medicare, he will be forced to cut direct services to people, cut education and health services and put off badly needed investment in infrastructure.  

If you think those cuts will not affect the Frum community, think again.  McCain supported Bushes veto of the S Chip program that makes sure women and children have health insurance.  This is a program very used by Frum people.  Some states like Maryland stepped and provided full funding for this program but the states are now hurting and may not be able to continue to do so.

Barack Obama’s has a real plan to rejuvenate our economy.  He proposes to invest in renewable energy jobs, rebuild infrastructure, help middle class families cover the cost of college for their children, and make sure people have the health insurance they need.  He is the candidate that can reawaken the American people to service and hope. 

In terms of Israel, Barack Obama has always been a strong supporter.  It is ironic because when he ran for Senate in Illinois he was accused of being too cozy with the Jewish community.  

Obama wants to restore diplomacy as our first line of defense and restore cooperation with our allies in world events.  McCain cannot get enough of war.  Besides wanting to stay in Iraq for as long as it takes to win, he is now threatening to go to war with Iran and Russia (a move that will necessitate a draft as the military is bleeding people who cannot endure a 4^th or 5^th tour).  I don’t think we can afford four more years of that kind of mentality.  

John McCain, although he likes to portray himself as a maverick, has voted with the Bush Republican's 95% of the time.   And the positions he took as a maverick, he no longer supports- he was against offshore drilling but now wants to “drill baby drill”, he was against the tax cuts as being fiscally irresponsible but now he supports them.  While he would like to say he will bring reform he has fully supported all the important Bush policies.   

I also want to address Sarah Pallin.  If elected, McCain will be the oldest President elected and has a history of recurring medical problems.  Pretending that she might not move into the While House is not realistic.  

She is unprepared to be President.  She lacks experience but even more important is that she sounds like George Bush.  She is an ideologue and a black and white thinker.  I don’t want another cowboy in the White House.  

She has no foreign policy experience.  As she said herself she has not given the Iraq was much thought.  Her personal experience with economics is irrelevant to most of our situations as she lives in an oil rich state that gives its citizens a $1200 rebate from oil revenues. She has no record of supporting Israel.

But she does think that G-d is on the side of the issues she personally supports whether it is the war in Iraq or building a pipeline in Alaska. 

I am writing this because I hope you will take the time to watch the debates and read what the candidates really propose to do if elected.  This election is too important to let your biases and fears to guide your choice.  Take the time to actually listen to the candidates speak and see if those positions will actually improve your life.  

I urge you to take another look at the real Obama and judge for yourself.  

Letter from Dina R.

Hello, my name is Dina. I have a Masters Degree and a Doctorate in Social Work from Yeshiva University School of Social Work. I have been teaching at NYU School of Social Work for the last 27 years. I have worked with the Jewish elderly and with Jewish families facing infertility and
pursuing adoption. My husband, who is a doctor at Maimonides Medical Center in Borough Park, Brooklyn, received his medical degree from the Albert Einstein School of Medicine of Yeshiva University. I have two children, Etan a college student and Elana a graduate student. I was born in Bistritza, Rumania to two Holocaust survivors whose families were killed in the Holocaust, including four children between them. I emigrated to the US in 1960.  Let me tell you why I support Barak Obama.

I have read Obama's books, his speeches and spoke to many Jews who have followed his career. I think that he is an unusually thoughtful, moral and dedicated public servant who is committed to improving the lives of Americans. I think that he truly practices "tikun olam" in his attempts to
address the difficult issues of a dysfunctional health care system, poverty and the need for higher quality education.

Obama has spoken about "a strong commitment to the security of Israel". I trust him and his advisors to deliver on that commitment. He has had close working relationships with Jews who share that commitment.

The policies of our present administration, which would be continued if the Republican candidate were chosen, have brought disaster economically, politically and internationally. Our reputation abroad has plummeted at the same rapid rate as our economy. I believe that Obama's wisdom, capable advisors and his willingness to confront difficult questions can lead us to a better, more just and enlightened world.

I wish you a healthy, happy and peaceful New Year.

First Letter - posted by M. Leader

Hello,

Hope you are well. I don't know if you know, but I am fairly involved in the Obama campaign. I am writing because a number of my friends and family seem surprised that someone like me – who comes from a politically conservative, religious Zionist background – will be voting for Barack Obama. Indeed, the revelation has been greeted with the kind of deep sighs and mournful head-shaking from people in my shul that is usually reserved for news of children who marry non-Jews or get a tattoo.

The more people I talk to about this subject the more obvious it is that the argument for an Obama presidency is not merely being ignored by the religious Jewish community, but actively blocked from discussion through the power of peer pressure and assumption.

Since I pride our community on its willingness to analyze ideas on their merit, I felt it was important for those of us on both sides who have thought seriously about the subject to share our opinions. So I wanted to write (completely as a private citizen – this has not been dictated or vetted by the campaign in any way) and encourage you, especially if you are someone who feels that it is "obvious" that all religious Jews should vote for McCain, to give this email some consideration and perhaps forward it to friends who think the same way in the hope that they will respond with their own views. (I apologize in advance for my use of outlines and bullet points – too many years in school and lawyering.)

Like many people with my background, in this election I will be voting on the following issues, roughly in order:

1. The security of America (tie)

1. The security of Israel (tie)

3.   The economic future of myself and my family.

4.   Everything else.

 

Regarding the first two issues: I am voting for Barack Obama not "despite" his views on Israel and the threat of Islamic terrorism, but because of them.

My basic outlook is that the security of Israel and America are intertwined, and that generally anything that makes America more secure and healthy is by definition better for Israel. And in general, I take my cues on security and diplomacy in the region from the Israelis. Israeli policy in dealing with the constant existential threat from its Muslim neighbors has always rested on three pillars:

1. Be open to negotiations anywhere, any time with your enemies. Israel has in the past held successful negotiations with Syria, Egypt. Jordan, Lebanon and Hamas/PLO/Hizballah, both direct and indirect, at times when hawks in the US urged them to have no contact. These negotiations have led to two permanent peace treaties and numerous temporary ones that have saved countless Jewish lives.

2. Cultivate and engage allies in your struggle. Israel's most obvious ally is the US, but it also goes to great lengths to cultivate the goodwill of the Europeans, Africans and even moderate Arabs in the fight against terrorism, to the point of unilaterally releasing prisoners and announcing cease-fires when the Israeli government feels it is safe to do so.

3. Always keep a credible military threat on the table, and use it only when absolutely necessary. Israel has the strongest military in the region by a substantial margin. A key priority is never getting bogged  down in long missions which take the focus of the IDF away from its ability to project power and invite an attack by a foolish neighbor. Similarly, Israel engages in military action only when it is actually and undoubtedly threatened.

The comparison to the current situation in America is obvious. As the Bush regime has rightly noted, the US now faces an existential struggle with the same group of actors that threatens Israel. Specifically, Barack Obama and John McCain both recognize Iran and Russia as the greatest threats facing our countries, ones which must be countered with a united international front and a credible military option. The difference between them is that the Bush administration, with McCain as it's most vocal cheerleader, has chosen to refuse negotiations, alienate allies and rashly commit all our military power to a muddled quagmire with no discernable end. Barack Obama wants to actually find out what kind of threat our enemies represent before attacking, build a coalition of allies that support our goals of international security and restore our now non-existant military deterrance by ending the massively misguided and wasteful war in Iraq. Somehow, this proven Israeli model of international security is scorned by the Bush/McCain/GOP crowd as "weak" and "naïve" while continuing the failed policies of the last 8 years is promoted as strength.

That to me is ridiculous. The Bush/McCain policies have broken our military, bankrupted our future and made Iran (and Russia) exponentially stronger due to our destabilizing adventure in Iraq and absolute refusal to take any steps towards ending our demand for oil. Giving them another 4 or 8 years to continue would be, in my opinion, madness.

The only retorts I hear from my Jewish friends to these facts are vague feelings that Obama is just "not good for the Jews", usually through some combination of fears that he is a secret Muslim/Black Panther/PLO supporter, that he is a "flip-flopper" for being inarticulate in his statement supporting Israeli claims to Jerusalem, or that he doesn't have enough of a history of supporting Israel in government.

It is, of course, everyone's prerogative to make personal judgments about the candidates.  I have listened closely to Obama since the beginning of his candidacy, as I have to McCain, Clinton, Edwards, Romney, Giuliani etc. and now Palin. What I have seen is someone of exceptional forthrightness, intelligence and integrity. I do not think he is Moshiach, but I have also not seen him pander to the right (like McCain) or the left (like Edwards). Instead, I have seen him talk about unpopular topics to antagonistic groups, like promoting gay rights before conservative black churches and faith-based initiatives to left-wing Democrats. Unlike McCain and others, I have seen him resist the impulse to engage in gutter Rovian politics in order to score cheap political points. I have seen him choose a VP that can lead the country rather than one chosen only to help him win an election. He has had every opportunity to lie and pander and backtrack on major issues but he has not. So when he strongly and consistently states his support for Israel, and backs up that oral support with a voting record that is identical to McCain or Hillary's on Israel issues, I believe him. Moreover, according to everyone who knows either man, McCain is universally described as "impulsive" and someone who makes quick calls on issues "from the gut", much like our current President. Obama, on the other hand, is consistently described as calm and thoughtful, someone who considers the ramifications of a variety of options before commiting to a course of action. Which personality do you want making the call on Israel and America's safety in a complex and dangerous world?

As to the economy – in this election I may be one of the few who will not be an economy issues voter. But I own my own business, and like most Americans I hope one day to be in the highest tax bracket. When I am there, I will no doubt want to pay as few taxes as possible. But regardless of how much I make, I know that my economic and even physical security depend upon the overall health of the nation's economy.  Bush has added over $32 trillion to the debt the next generation has to pay and turned a budget surplus into an annual deficit of half a trillion dollars. The wage gap between average workers and CEO's has skyrocketed to levels not seen since before the Great Depression. Like Bush, John McCain has admitted he knows nothing about the economy, and like Bush he is self-evidently much more interested in exciting overseas adventures than the boring details of steering the nation's finances. We literally cannot afford to elect someone who has promised to continue the Bush economic policies without any deviation.

Finally, as regards "everything else": America, as we all know, has been the single most welcoming country for Jews in the history of the world. After two millenia of persecution and oppression across Europe and the Arab world, America was the first (and perhaps still only) place where Jews have enjoyed absolute equality of opportunity. We and other minorities have flourished here specifically because the founding fathers instituted  three "chiddushim" that the world had never seen before: a country based upon the separation of church and state, a government with checks and balances between branches of power, and a professional bureaucracy that carried out the workings of government without regard to partisan politics. For the first time everyone was officially equal under the law, and citizens were not at the whim of an absolute dictator or king. This system has served us and America incredibly well for two hundred years, and been respected by politicians of all stripes…until now. For the first time in the modern era, we have a government that is pushing the slow, steady encroachment of a politically active Christianism into every sphere of public life.  John McCain, who once rightly identified the aggressive leaders of the Christian right as "agents of intolerance", has now so fully accepted their direction that he felt compelled to nominate one of their own as his Vice Presidential candidate. The Bush/McCain philosophy displays an utter contempt for Constitutional limits to executive power, shows complete disregard for the traditions of open and accountable government and has replaced impartial professionals with incompetent cronies at every level of government, from FEMA to the Attorney General. This is not good for America, and certainly not good for the Jews or any other minority in this country.

So, if you have made it this far, thank you for your time. And thanks for putting in the thought and balance necessary to make this momentous decision.

I look forward to hearing any and all responses soon!

best,

ML