Memo to American Jews: Listen to Ed Koch and Vote for Barack Obama
Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy month.
Now that the McCain-Palin crowd have figured out that they are on course to lose the White House, expect a resurgence of all the sleazy and all too familiar GOP tactics designed to appeal to the basest prejudices and most primal fears of the American electorate. Look for all the old calumnies and lies to resurface: Barack Obama is a Moslem, or was a Moslem, or could be a Moslem. Obama is a radical, or was a radical, or knows a radical. Obama is an anti-Semite, or was an anti-Semite, or knows an anti-Semite. Obama supports sex education for kindergartners. Obama will raise everyone's taxes. Obama is somehow un-American because, well, he doesn't look like us (hint, hint). Remember the vile swift-boating of John Kerry four years ago? Be prepared for the updated, vitriolically enhanced 2008 version.
It has already started. Yesterday, Sarah Palin publicly accused Obama of "palling around with terrorists who would target their own country." Since she uttered this incendiary smear on the very day that a front-page New York Times article conclusively debunked the notion that Senator Obama has had anything but the most superficial contacts with Bill Ayers, a founder of the radical Weathermen of the late 1960s and early 1970s, not only Governor Palin but her handlers and speechwriters knew perfectly well that her allegation was blatantly false. They also know that Obama has called Ayers "somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8." But none of this matters to the scorched earth Svengalis of the McCain-Palin campaign.
The GOP's unprincipled electioneering is likely to become especially ugly in the Jewish community. We are certain to hear Joe Lieberman's sonorous voice shamelessly distorting Barack Obama's record and trying to scare elderly Jewish retirees to vote Republican.
Here's an urgent memo to Jews in South Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Missouri, Colorado and Nevada (not to mention New York, California, New Jersey, Illinois and elsewhere) who listened to Ed Koch rather than Joe Lieberman in 2004: Please do so again this year!
Four years ago, Lieberman endorsed and campaigned for John Kerry, while former New York Mayor Ed Koch strongly supported George W. Bush. Indeed, the Republican ticket's success in Florida was credited in large part to Koch's endorsement. As between Koch and Lieberman, the Jews living in the Sunshine State clearly considered Koch to be the more credible.
I don't know what makes Joe Lieberman tick. The Connecticut Senator, who used to care about civil liberties, choice, gay rights, and the like, has stood by silently while the McCain campaign has spread lie after lie about Barack Obama in their ads. He looked the other way while his new cronies mocked Obama relentlessly at the Republican Convention. Earlier this summer, when he was being considered by McCain as a possible running mate, New York Times columnist Gail Collins described Lieberman as "a guy who will do anything to move up" and who "is certainly capable of dumping everything he has ever believed in and assuring the anti-choice, anti-union, anti-government folk that he is on their team."
This time around, Ed Koch is supporting Barack Obama. In 2004, Koch believed that George W. Bush was going to be better for Israel than John Kerry. Less than a week ago, Koch told a Jewish audience in Florida that this year, the Democratic and Republican presidential and vice presidential candidates "are all in support of the security of Israel; that is no longer on the table. Take it from me, I know. I know Israel would be protected by an Obama-Biden administration."
Ed Koch is absolutely right, of course. Barack Obama has a consistent record of strong, unwavering support for Israel. In June of this year, Senator Obama told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, that "Israel's security is sacrosanct. It is nonnegotiable." In a similar vein, Obama has been unambiguous in his opposition to Iran's nuclear ambitions. "I will do everything in my power," he said in his AIPAC speech, "to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon." Obama also has longstanding ties to the Jewish community and shares the values of the overwhelming majority of American Jews.
When Ed Koch first endorsed the Obama-Biden ticket, he explained that:
"the country is safer in the hands of Barack Obama . . . . Protecting and defending the U.S. means more than defending us from foreign attacks. It includes defending the public with respect to their civil rights, civil liberties and other needs, e.g., national health insurance, the right of abortion, the continuation of Social Security, gay rights, other rights of privacy, fair progressive taxation and a host of other needs and rights.
"If the vice president were ever called on to lead the country, there is no question in my mind that the experience and demonstrated judgment of Joe Biden is superior to that of Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin is a plucky, exciting candidate, but when her record is examined, she fails miserably with respect to her views on the domestic issues that are so important to the people of the U.S., and to me. Frankly, it would scare me if she were to succeed John McCain in the presidency."
It would have been nice, even honorable, if we could have had an election campaign based on ideas and ideals, but the Republican attack machine knows that it cannot compete on such a level playing field. The McCain-Palin campaign is convinced that the only way they can win is by scaring and lying and defaming. It's up to the voters to send them back into their caves or under their rocks. And to all of you across the United States who look up to and respect Ed Koch for his honesty and personal integrity, I repeat: If you followed Ed Koch's lead rather than Joe Lieberman's in 2004, please follow Ed Koch's lead again on November 4th and vote for Barack Obama.
Menachem Rosensaft is a lawyer in New York City
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If Bush was able to get elected twice, be scared. McCain and Palin are different than Bush, they are worse
It bums me out to hear the reports that the elderly Jewish population is going for McCain. They, as a group, are suspicious of someone who looks different, someone who comes from a different background or is from a different race. That fear is being exploited. I believe it's a generational thing. I remember when I was growing up, I learned about the Holocaust and how we can never let it happen again. I also observed that the mere mention of someone being anti-semitic, whether it was true or not, condemned that person forever. There is a group of neo-conservative Jews who know this and are on a campaign targeting fellow Jews telling them that if they vote for Obama, they are risking the wellbeing of the state of Israel, and of Jews everywhere. Fear, based on lies. What's worse is that I hear Jews repeating the contents of these emails verbatim as if they were fact to try and influence other Jews not to vote for Obama. Obama supports the Jewish people and the state of Israel. He always has throughout his life and political career. The Neo-Cons are the ones who have taken our country and Israel down a dangerous path. Israel is more threatened now than it was eight years ago.
Actually, having a US president who owes AIPAC no favours might be the best thing for all concerned, including Israel. Arafat's not the only one in the area who's never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
My question is whether this message is getting to the right people? The elderly who don't necessarily read HuffPo?
Well, young comedian Sarah Silverman has done her part, with a foul-mouthed but hilarious routine aimed at young Jews urging them to lobby their grandparents. I think it might help.
Here's the link.
http://www
She is vulgar but the campaign is brilliant!
Israel is much more reluctant to use nuclear weapons in its self-defense than is the current U.S. administration. I fear that our so-called leaders do not know or care about the results of nuclear fallout and devastation, not only on the landscape and the ecology, but also the climate. Not to mention the peoples and civilizations the middle east and perhaps the rest of the world.
Perhaps Koch has finally realized that all the posturing and chest-thumping of Bush and his ilk have done much to exacerbate the situation, and would have done so even if there had been no Iraqi War 2 or war in Afghanistan? His constant bellicose utterances have only spurred our enemies on to more nuclear research and a constant hunt for more and more weapons. Our govt should have directed its efforts to preventing the sale of the former Soviet Union's nuclear arsenal and advanced weapons technologies. And now it comes out that Kim Jung Il's government was engaged in large scale sales of weapons and weapons technology to our enemies in the middle east. Now that Kim Jung Il may be dying, his govt has revived nuclear weapons development, perhaps fearing a preemptive strike from the U.S.
Much of the gop rhetoric has ignored the fact that the U.S. did not fight in Israel's defense in any of its wars. Israel has done an excellent job of defending itself, and probably has a much wiser notion of what strategies should be pursued.
Four years, ago, Ed Koch entered a supermarket on Broadway. A woman from the local Democratic club, who was registering voters, called him a "traitor," for supporting Bush. He tried to explain but she would not give him an opportunity, simply calling him a traitor.
I am happy that he will vote for Sen. Obama, as I hope to vote, but I do not take political advice from the former mayor.
Because Bush lied as he did with the Iraq war. He failed a lot of people who voted for him.
Excellent article Mr. Rosensaft
I believe that every American ,not just Jews should watch this video
http://www
Best regards
Does any intelligent Jewish voter really believe that the unpredictable, evangelical right which has weakened the United States, morally, economically and militarily is really a better friend of Israel, than a United States which is able to come to the aid of its allies, because of its strength, and which has the respect of other nations when it speaks?
"Never again" was the rallying shout of Jews, internationally, referring to the inhumanity of the holocaust. I have always interpreted this as a statement against genocide, whether it targets Jews, South African Citizens, black or white, as well as Arabs, Persians, Christians and Muslims. It is no more acceptable for right wing Americans, Jewish or not, to advocate driving Arabs and Muslims into the sea than the converse. Intelligent Jews, whether they live in Israel, the United States or anywhere else on planet earth advocate a just peaceful solution to all human conflicts. Hopefully so do all intelligent Christians.
The Koran advocates peace and humanity as worthy goals for Muslims. Only religious fanatics interpret the scriptures of their religion to incite acts of inhumanity, and they do so for their own profit/ self-aggra
I'm certain that there will be Jews who panic at the thought of a United States President who is not in lock-step with every statement issued by every Israeli politician, but I believe and hope they are few and far between.
A strong, independent United States, respected by other nations is the best friend for Israel.
Unfortunately, many of my fellow co-religionists merely vote according to their tax rates: I hope that has paid off for them after the crash.
Sarah Silverman is saying the same thing as Koch (but in a much funnier way). Check out her video for "the great schlep" on YouTube.
It's here:
http://www
If he feels that way why did he support Bush?
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