Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
Calculating the stakes and the tasks in the Nov. 4 election
Click image to enlarge
   |
By RABBI RICHARD A. BLOCK
On Nov. 4 we will elect a new president and congress. Regardless of party affiliation and whichever candidates we support, the opportunity to choose our leaders and help determine the destiny of our nation freely, fairly, and without fear is, in a real sense, a miracle.
How sad and ironic, then, that so many Americans devalue and undermine our democracy by failing to vote. Since 1968, turnout in presidential elections has not exceeded 55% – or in other years, 40%– the lowest participation of any democracy in the world. Turnout for state and local elections is worse. This is disgraceful.
Whatever your political preferences, I implore you to vote and to urge everyone you know to do so.
I suspect that some Americans don’t vote due to cynicism about the political process, the view that all politicians are alike and nothing will ever get done. This argument, while vastly overstated and absolutely no excuse for not voting, does have some merit.
Bi-partisanship has been replaced by the politics of polarization, polemics, and relentless scheming for partisan advantage.
Increasingly, the goal of political ads is not disagreement with one’s opponents, but their personal destruction through distortion, guilt by association, innuendos, half-truths, or outright falsehoods.
Hit pieces masquerading as biographies are a particular tactic of the far right. We saw this in the Swift Boat libels of 2004 and, this time, in sleazy ads, e-mails, and books falsely accusing Sen. Obama of being a Muslim and implying that he sympathizes with terrorists or anti-Semites. Some of the worst have been aimed at, and even originated in, the Jewish community.
These despicable, mean-spirited tactics, reminiscent of the McCarthy era, cheapen our electoral process pollute our culture, insult our intelligence, polarize the Jewish community, and undermine democracy itself.
It is perfectly fine for the Obama campaign to question McCain’s understanding of the problems of ordinary Americans, but to do so on the basis of an ambush question about the number of houses he owns is silly at best.
Likewise, the McCain campaign has every right to question Obama’s readiness for the presidency, but to do so by likening him to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton or accusing him of a messiah complex is inane.
We are privileged to choose between two candidates whose pivotal decisions reveal much about them: John McCain, who endured years of cruel torture yet spurned the opportunity for an early release from captivity; Barack Obama, who rose from humble circumstances to achieve distinction at Harvard Law School but passed up the fast track to wealth and status, returning instead to inner-city Chicago to help those whom life had left behind.
It would be hard to overstate the stakes in this election: America’s standing and influence in the world; recuperation of our economy; the threat of global terrorism; the planetary emergency posed by global warming; ongoing genocide in Darfur; combating poverty, disease, and inequality here and abroad; healthcare; jobs; education; social security; the future makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court and the impact that will have on such issues as reproductive choice.
On each of these critical issues and more, there are marked differences between the candidates.
There is one issue, thankfully, on which the candidates are in fundamental agreement: Israel.
Both candidates unequivocally affirm Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and support foreign aid to Israel. Both recognize Jerusalem as the capital and advocate a two-state solution of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. And both have vowed to do everything within their power to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Of this I am certain. Israel’s security interests will be safe in the hands of our next president, whoever he is.
I am thrilled that the leading candidates for major party presidential nominations were a Vietnam War hero, a woman, and an African-American. What I find moving about the McCain candidacy is the seismic shift it reflects in national sentiment toward those who served in Vietnam. In the ’60s, returning Vietnam vets were often reviled. Today, even those who regard the Iraq war as another terrible blunder honor the men and women who serve our country so bravely and unselfishly. This is a momentous change for the better.
Hillary Clinton’s candidacy was even more of a watershed in our national life. Despite her failure to secure the nomination, her campaign dispelled forever the narrow, nonsensical and bigoted notion that a woman cannot lead our country as president and commander-in-chief.
Obama’s nomination may be the most dramatic event of all. Race is the great chasm, the open wound in our body politic and an indelible stain on American history. Voting for Obama or not, one can’t fail to be moved by what his nomination represents.
The McCain, Clinton and Obama candidacies also remind us how far we need to go in combating the pernicious prejudices that persist in our country, including ageism, sexism, and racism.
It is frequently noted that McCain is 72, as if that is a disqualification. As Deuteronomy reminds us, “…ask your elder and he will instruct you.” Whatever legitimate reasons exist for deciding against a candidate, age is not one of them.
Gender bias is another ugly and deep-seated form of bigotry. I don’t know how much of a role sexism played in Clinton’s campaign, but she was undeniably subjected to the kind of scrutiny and criticism no male candidate received. Whatever legitimate reasons exist for deciding against a candidate, gender is not one of them.
The Obama nomination is a proud hallmark of racial progress, but it is no panacea. Racial attitudes are notoriously difficult to measure in polls, but there is ample evidence that a significant number of Americans are unwilling to vote for a black candidate. Whatever legitimate reasons exist for deciding against a candidate, race is not one of them.
Any American, especially any Jewish American, deciding against a candidate because of age, gender, or race ought to be deeply ashamed.
These then are our sacred tasks: to demonstrate appreciation for the blessings of democracy by engaged citizenship; to judge candidates on the basis of character, competency and values, on the issues that concern them most and those that don’t and on the solutions they propose; and to work tirelessly to eradicate all vestiges of ageism, sexism, and racism, and every other form of prejudice.
Does this seem like a hopeless, overwhelming, or even messianic task? If so, Jewish tradition comes to comfort, challenge, and remind us, “We are not expected to complete the work, but we may not desist from it.” We’ve desisted dangerously long. Let’s get to work!
Rabbi Richard A. Block is senior rabbi at The Temple-Tifereth Israel. This is excerpted by the CJN from his Rosh Hashanah sermon.
How sad and ironic, then, that so many Americans devalue and undermine our democracy by failing to vote. Since 1968, turnout in presidential elections has not exceeded 55% – or in other years, 40%– the lowest participation of any democracy in the world. Turnout for state and local elections is worse. This is disgraceful.
Whatever your political preferences, I implore you to vote and to urge everyone you know to do so.
I suspect that some Americans don’t vote due to cynicism about the political process, the view that all politicians are alike and nothing will ever get done. This argument, while vastly overstated and absolutely no excuse for not voting, does have some merit.
Bi-partisanship has been replaced by the politics of polarization, polemics, and relentless scheming for partisan advantage.
Increasingly, the goal of political ads is not disagreement with one’s opponents, but their personal destruction through distortion, guilt by association, innuendos, half-truths, or outright falsehoods.
Hit pieces masquerading as biographies are a particular tactic of the far right. We saw this in the Swift Boat libels of 2004 and, this time, in sleazy ads, e-mails, and books falsely accusing Sen. Obama of being a Muslim and implying that he sympathizes with terrorists or anti-Semites. Some of the worst have been aimed at, and even originated in, the Jewish community.
These despicable, mean-spirited tactics, reminiscent of the McCarthy era, cheapen our electoral process pollute our culture, insult our intelligence, polarize the Jewish community, and undermine democracy itself.
It is perfectly fine for the Obama campaign to question McCain’s understanding of the problems of ordinary Americans, but to do so on the basis of an ambush question about the number of houses he owns is silly at best.
Likewise, the McCain campaign has every right to question Obama’s readiness for the presidency, but to do so by likening him to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton or accusing him of a messiah complex is inane.
We are privileged to choose between two candidates whose pivotal decisions reveal much about them: John McCain, who endured years of cruel torture yet spurned the opportunity for an early release from captivity; Barack Obama, who rose from humble circumstances to achieve distinction at Harvard Law School but passed up the fast track to wealth and status, returning instead to inner-city Chicago to help those whom life had left behind.
It would be hard to overstate the stakes in this election: America’s standing and influence in the world; recuperation of our economy; the threat of global terrorism; the planetary emergency posed by global warming; ongoing genocide in Darfur; combating poverty, disease, and inequality here and abroad; healthcare; jobs; education; social security; the future makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court and the impact that will have on such issues as reproductive choice.
On each of these critical issues and more, there are marked differences between the candidates.
There is one issue, thankfully, on which the candidates are in fundamental agreement: Israel.
Both candidates unequivocally affirm Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and support foreign aid to Israel. Both recognize Jerusalem as the capital and advocate a two-state solution of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. And both have vowed to do everything within their power to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Of this I am certain. Israel’s security interests will be safe in the hands of our next president, whoever he is.
I am thrilled that the leading candidates for major party presidential nominations were a Vietnam War hero, a woman, and an African-American. What I find moving about the McCain candidacy is the seismic shift it reflects in national sentiment toward those who served in Vietnam. In the ’60s, returning Vietnam vets were often reviled. Today, even those who regard the Iraq war as another terrible blunder honor the men and women who serve our country so bravely and unselfishly. This is a momentous change for the better.
Hillary Clinton’s candidacy was even more of a watershed in our national life. Despite her failure to secure the nomination, her campaign dispelled forever the narrow, nonsensical and bigoted notion that a woman cannot lead our country as president and commander-in-chief.
Obama’s nomination may be the most dramatic event of all. Race is the great chasm, the open wound in our body politic and an indelible stain on American history. Voting for Obama or not, one can’t fail to be moved by what his nomination represents.
The McCain, Clinton and Obama candidacies also remind us how far we need to go in combating the pernicious prejudices that persist in our country, including ageism, sexism, and racism.
It is frequently noted that McCain is 72, as if that is a disqualification. As Deuteronomy reminds us, “…ask your elder and he will instruct you.” Whatever legitimate reasons exist for deciding against a candidate, age is not one of them.
Gender bias is another ugly and deep-seated form of bigotry. I don’t know how much of a role sexism played in Clinton’s campaign, but she was undeniably subjected to the kind of scrutiny and criticism no male candidate received. Whatever legitimate reasons exist for deciding against a candidate, gender is not one of them.
The Obama nomination is a proud hallmark of racial progress, but it is no panacea. Racial attitudes are notoriously difficult to measure in polls, but there is ample evidence that a significant number of Americans are unwilling to vote for a black candidate. Whatever legitimate reasons exist for deciding against a candidate, race is not one of them.
Any American, especially any Jewish American, deciding against a candidate because of age, gender, or race ought to be deeply ashamed.
These then are our sacred tasks: to demonstrate appreciation for the blessings of democracy by engaged citizenship; to judge candidates on the basis of character, competency and values, on the issues that concern them most and those that don’t and on the solutions they propose; and to work tirelessly to eradicate all vestiges of ageism, sexism, and racism, and every other form of prejudice.
Does this seem like a hopeless, overwhelming, or even messianic task? If so, Jewish tradition comes to comfort, challenge, and remind us, “We are not expected to complete the work, but we may not desist from it.” We’ve desisted dangerously long. Let’s get to work!
Rabbi Richard A. Block is senior rabbi at The Temple-Tifereth Israel. This is excerpted by the CJN from his Rosh Hashanah sermon.
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of clevelandjewishnews.com.
You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments. Registration is free.
Registered users sign in here: |
Become a Registered User |
