Not happily, not comfortably, but in a word, yes, I am going to vote for Sharon. I know about Sabra and Shatila, but Ehud Barak has so completely betrayed the hopeful vote I cast for him in 1999 that by now even most of my ambivalence is gone, replaced by an urgency to oust Barak and his band of professional delusionaries.
The current system may be cumbersome and hard to explain, but it has magnified the power of the tiny Jewish minority in this country.
For a few strained hours last week, I was afraid we\’d be witnessing the Jewish version of Elian Gonzalez, Part II. Could Jewish blood pressure withstand the tension of the Palm Beach vote taken hostage?
Whatever happens in this election, we\’ll always have Lieberman. It is easy to forget now, amid the post-election chaos, just how momentous a day Aug. 8, 2000, was. Al Gore stood before supporters in Nashville (little did we know those may have been his only supporters in Tennessee) and called Lieberman \”someone with the experience, the character and the judgment to become the president at a moment\’s notice.\” Then Gore said words that should ring in the ears of American Jews from that day on: \”With pride in his achievements, I am here to announce my running mate for vice president, Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut.\”
I\’m writing this on Recount Wednesday, following Cliff-hanging Tuesday. The national and local scenes are running through my mind, a nightmare set on permanent rewind.
The broad range of Jewish public policy concerns are distilled to a few litmus-test questions, almost all on the Middle East; candidates are encouraged to spit back slogans, not detailed explanations of what they really think or what they would really do once in office.
Never in American history has the choice for American Jews in a presidential election been as clear and obvious as it is this year. Never.
For those who are loath to consider Bush as the next president, the principled Green Party is turning out to be the Nightmare Party.
The race for the 41st Assembly District is the perfect microcosm of the Jewish voting dilemma.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.