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.
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
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
No comments:
Post a Comment