June 9, 2009--Obama & the Jews: Oy Vey
On the very day after he secured the nomination. Barack Obama did two significant and contradictory things—
He proclaimed that as leader of the Democratic Party it would no longer accept support from lobbyists and PAC groups.
And then he appeared before one of the most powerful PAC groups—the American Israel Public Affairs Committee—to assure them that he was an unwavering friend of Israel.
He is if nothing else a practical politician and this appearance was deemed to be a smart move since he, it is said, has a “Jewish problem.” It is alleged that fewer Jews than in the past are likely to vote for this Democrat because some think he might be a closet Muslim, or worse that he might be willing to talk with Hamas. He has already expressed willingness to engage in “tough diplomacy” with Iran, which also makes him suspect to the Israel lobby.
But while genuflecting (sorry) before AIPAC he misspoke about the future of Jerusalem, saying that it should remain undivided and serve as the eternal capital of Israel. Though the AIPAC crowd lapped this up, giving him a standing ovation, it was immediately seized upon by John McCain, who himself has an unclear position on Jerusalem, and by various parties in the Middle East who see the fate of Jerusalem to be a negotiable issue. So Obama the next day had to do some backtracking and clarifying. (See NY Times article liked below.)
Conventional wisdom claims that Jews vote as a block in a few key states, most notably in Florida where we know what happened in 2000 when thousands of folks in retirement communities in Broward and Palm Beach Counties wound up hanging enough chads to tip the election to George Bush. So if Obama is to have any chance at all of carrying Florida he has to be sure that Jewish voters there know how to cast their ballots and, more important, are inclined to vote for him. At the moment a lot are inclining toward McCain, feeling he is a more reliably ferocious defender of what they see to be in Israel’s best interest.
That same wisdom says that to appeal to Jewish voters a candidate must:
• Assume that even more important to Jews than their health care is their unanimous belief that Israel must be defended by the U.S. both politically and, if necessary, militarily in pretty much the same unquestioning manner as we have pledged our support for 60 years.
• Insist that Iran and Syria give up their plans to obtain nuclear weapons and that we refuse to deal with them until they do that as well as recognize Israel’s right to exist.
• Related to this, we continue to ignore the fact that Israel for decades has had its own arsenal of atomic weapons and rockets all pointed at targets in Iran and Syria.
• And that we continue to wink at the walls Israel has built to contain the Palestinians while at the same time cast a blind eye on Israel’s continued occupation and settlement of portions of the West Bank.
If a candidate proclaims all of these things, Jews en masse will vote for him. At least this is what both McCain and Obama believe.
Before I proceed, I need to say I am Jewish, hopefully not a “self-hating” one, and also insist that Israel not only has a right to exist but also, if necessary, to be protected.
The question is how best to help Israel survive. I contend by not submitting to the conventional wisdom. It may be good politics but it is not a geopolitically winning strategy.
To truly support Israel, as their best friend, we should play an honest broker role in the region, actively seeking to talk with and work out deals of benefit to both Israel and ultimately the U.S. Syria appears ready for a version of this—not wanting to see their country totally dominated by Iranian mullahs—and these very same mullahs may also be ready for a deal to protect themselves from their own secularized, restive populations.
I understand that Obama can’t say this in public because he would be demonologized even more than he is currently being caricatured, but I am hoping that this is how he is actually thinking about the Middle East.
But he has more than an Israel problem when it comes to appealing to Jewish voters. Yes, there is more racism in the Jewish community that Jews would like to acknowledge. And there is more anti-Semitism in the African-American community than blacks would like to admit. Obama has spoken about this and that is a very good thing.
He, though, also has a cultural problem: Jews, especially older Jewish women, are always suspicious of anyone who doesn’t eat. There is a lot of truth to the Jewish-Mother stereotype. They worry if you don’t eat enough.
Just come to my mother’s retirement community in Lauderhill. Sit with those ladies over dinner in their dining room. If you don’t eat everything on your plate and ask for seconds they cast a worried, even a skeptical eye on you.
“You’re not sick, are you? Have you had a checkup?” Or, “She’s so thin; she eats like a bird.” Or, “Eat, eat, it’s good for you.” What you’ve heard in the movies or on TV is not fiction, it’s being said right now at Forest Trace.
So to win over hesitant Jewish voters Obama not only has to make nice to AIPAC, he also has to let these women feed him. My mother and her tablemates Selma, Rose, and Esther would love to host him and load up his plate. And he’d have to finish everything.
I’m being serious because if he did that then I guarantee that in November he’d carry Florida.
He proclaimed that as leader of the Democratic Party it would no longer accept support from lobbyists and PAC groups.
And then he appeared before one of the most powerful PAC groups—the American Israel Public Affairs Committee—to assure them that he was an unwavering friend of Israel.
He is if nothing else a practical politician and this appearance was deemed to be a smart move since he, it is said, has a “Jewish problem.” It is alleged that fewer Jews than in the past are likely to vote for this Democrat because some think he might be a closet Muslim, or worse that he might be willing to talk with Hamas. He has already expressed willingness to engage in “tough diplomacy” with Iran, which also makes him suspect to the Israel lobby.
But while genuflecting (sorry) before AIPAC he misspoke about the future of Jerusalem, saying that it should remain undivided and serve as the eternal capital of Israel. Though the AIPAC crowd lapped this up, giving him a standing ovation, it was immediately seized upon by John McCain, who himself has an unclear position on Jerusalem, and by various parties in the Middle East who see the fate of Jerusalem to be a negotiable issue. So Obama the next day had to do some backtracking and clarifying. (See NY Times article liked below.)
Conventional wisdom claims that Jews vote as a block in a few key states, most notably in Florida where we know what happened in 2000 when thousands of folks in retirement communities in Broward and Palm Beach Counties wound up hanging enough chads to tip the election to George Bush. So if Obama is to have any chance at all of carrying Florida he has to be sure that Jewish voters there know how to cast their ballots and, more important, are inclined to vote for him. At the moment a lot are inclining toward McCain, feeling he is a more reliably ferocious defender of what they see to be in Israel’s best interest.
That same wisdom says that to appeal to Jewish voters a candidate must:
• Assume that even more important to Jews than their health care is their unanimous belief that Israel must be defended by the U.S. both politically and, if necessary, militarily in pretty much the same unquestioning manner as we have pledged our support for 60 years.
• Insist that Iran and Syria give up their plans to obtain nuclear weapons and that we refuse to deal with them until they do that as well as recognize Israel’s right to exist.
• Related to this, we continue to ignore the fact that Israel for decades has had its own arsenal of atomic weapons and rockets all pointed at targets in Iran and Syria.
• And that we continue to wink at the walls Israel has built to contain the Palestinians while at the same time cast a blind eye on Israel’s continued occupation and settlement of portions of the West Bank.
If a candidate proclaims all of these things, Jews en masse will vote for him. At least this is what both McCain and Obama believe.
Before I proceed, I need to say I am Jewish, hopefully not a “self-hating” one, and also insist that Israel not only has a right to exist but also, if necessary, to be protected.
The question is how best to help Israel survive. I contend by not submitting to the conventional wisdom. It may be good politics but it is not a geopolitically winning strategy.
To truly support Israel, as their best friend, we should play an honest broker role in the region, actively seeking to talk with and work out deals of benefit to both Israel and ultimately the U.S. Syria appears ready for a version of this—not wanting to see their country totally dominated by Iranian mullahs—and these very same mullahs may also be ready for a deal to protect themselves from their own secularized, restive populations.
I understand that Obama can’t say this in public because he would be demonologized even more than he is currently being caricatured, but I am hoping that this is how he is actually thinking about the Middle East.
But he has more than an Israel problem when it comes to appealing to Jewish voters. Yes, there is more racism in the Jewish community that Jews would like to acknowledge. And there is more anti-Semitism in the African-American community than blacks would like to admit. Obama has spoken about this and that is a very good thing.
He, though, also has a cultural problem: Jews, especially older Jewish women, are always suspicious of anyone who doesn’t eat. There is a lot of truth to the Jewish-Mother stereotype. They worry if you don’t eat enough.
Just come to my mother’s retirement community in Lauderhill. Sit with those ladies over dinner in their dining room. If you don’t eat everything on your plate and ask for seconds they cast a worried, even a skeptical eye on you.
“You’re not sick, are you? Have you had a checkup?” Or, “She’s so thin; she eats like a bird.” Or, “Eat, eat, it’s good for you.” What you’ve heard in the movies or on TV is not fiction, it’s being said right now at Forest Trace.
So to win over hesitant Jewish voters Obama not only has to make nice to AIPAC, he also has to let these women feed him. My mother and her tablemates Selma, Rose, and Esther would love to host him and load up his plate. And he’d have to finish everything.
I’m being serious because if he did that then I guarantee that in November he’d carry Florida.
posted by Steven Zwerling at
9:42 AM
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