It’s over. The hype, the ads, the campaigning, the debates…we all know how the election this year turned out. There is much to say, and writing this immediately after President Barrack Obama was re-elected I am overwhelmed by a number of different reactions.
Jews & Politics: Onward!
It’s over. The hype, the ads, the campaigning, the debates…we all know how the election this year turned out. There is much to say, and writing this immediately after President Barrack Obama was re-elected I am overwhelmed by a number of different reactions.
Before I say anything about the Presidential election per se, I want to say how proud I was to have spent election night with my family in my home state of Nebraska. Our State responded to the turmoil of the past four years by effecting a clean sweep for Republicans in every major race. Republicans picked up a Senate seat and re-elected Congressmen Lee Terry (in 2002 he discovered his Jewish roots and, since then, has been a frequent visitor to Crown Heights), one of Israel’s strongest supporters in Washington.
I had the opportunity to work with Congressmen Terry in the summer and can honestly say his victory was the highlight of a very emotional night. The Honorable Hal Daub, a former Nebraska Congressman and Omaha Mayor, won his race for Regents. Hal has a unique connection to the Rebbe: on the first Proclamation from Ronald Reagan honoring the Rebbe’s birthday he was one of the Congressional signatories, and since he signed in a distinctive royal blue ink – his name stands out.
Deb Fisher (R) won the Senate seat formerly held by Ben Nelson (D), and will be an admirable advocate on behalf of Israel.
Now on to the Presidential campaign, the jewel in the crown…
I want to give full appreciation for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, who I feel ran one of the most honest and well-oiled campaigns I have ever seen. They truly made me excited about the kind of future this country could have – their passion and love for America re-ignited a fire that had been almost snuffed out by four years of economic turmoil and deprivation.
But I want to state how afraid I am for the trials which will face Israel in the coming years. We will have to keep a close eye on how America treats the Holy Land. With the growing threat of Iran and the current Administration’s transparent negativity toward Israel and proven incompetence in foreign policy in general, the Jewish people and Israel will likely be in for some very perilous times.
I am deeply disappointed that America has become dominated by pop culture; by extension, we have elected a pop culture President. I have no doubt in my mind that Barack Obama is President right now because he is deeply entrenched in the current pop culture wave that has overtaken our country. Obama toured with a hip-hop musician, benefited from inordinately successful fundraising events thrown by actors, and he even engaged an iconic rock star to be his personal band – just a sample of the support Hollywood threw the Democrats’ way. Most telling of all, he had (and still has) the unconditional, irrational and total allegiance of the mainstream media. This dangerous and almost hysterical obsession with suppressing any negativity about Mr. Obama coupled with the youth vote, which is completely desensitized to every important issue not benefiting the here and now, and it’s no wonder the “Pop Pres” was re-elected.
There are a number of other disturbing shots that were fired over the past few months with increasing intensity. Race baiting (Joe Biden’s famous claim to a largely Black audience that “Republicans want to put y’all back in chains”); fear mongering (“Republicans want to throw Granny off a cliff”) and so on were common. However, the saddest thing may be that Obama clearly managed to convince people that continuing a “poor man’s” mentality is the right route to go. By painting Mitt Romney as some money grubbing bureaucrat, he effectively turned people away from voting toward a rich future, instead ensuring a continuation of a philosophy and a course of action that embraces socialism, if not Marxism, and poverty.
This is the future we must now live in for the next four years. America made her choice – we knew what we would be getting this time and still chose this. The American people want instant gratification without any personal responsibility.
During this campaign and in my experience paging at the Republican National Convention, I met some awesome young people working to re-define the standard set by this pop culture generation. Despite the results of tonight’s election, I believe it would be a mistake to give up. I now truly believe we are fighting for Israel’s survival, for our success and most importantly, for the future of our children.
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan may have lost this election; an argument can be made that a large portion of our country’s mindset has already been lost, but now it’s up to us. By working together to ensure that personal responsibility, business ethics, and societal morality once more become the norm and not the exception, we can save ourselves from another four years of disaster and prepare for 2016. Onward!
money buys elections...
People, please watch this expose on how campaigns are now financed.
http://www.thirteen.org/pro…
well put
but so sad
It will be a long, hard, hellish 4 years
This nation, its leaders and president/vice president will walk with the face of Gd against them for the entire 4 years of their term!
Pride before a fall and a haughty spirit before destruction.
In addition,cursed is the nation, its leaders and its women.
Mrs. Y. Weber (Crown Heights)
B”H
The Abrahamson (and Seigel) family is one of which Lubavitch can be SO very proud!
Rabbi Abrahamson, your essay addressed the concerns of so many of us. Thank you for taking the time to write it and send it to CrownHeights.info. It is definitely one of the more thoughtful analyses of the election, among the frum news sources.
(And baby Ella is SO adorable! A belated mazel tov to the Seigels, and to all of the happy grandparents!)
mike kane
barach is a great pres
Issac
No matter how we feel,america felt the 47% comment Romney made was unacceptable and they showed it on election day
Hashem runs the world.
So far, the G-d fearing people are keeping a close distance with Obummer this term. He doesn’t look so happy about it. Only Hasehm can help!
Who stole America-s soul?
A generation ago, America was still, relatively, a moral, G-d fearing country. But, little by little, a cancer grew, which eroded our traditional values, and this what we are stuck with now.
There are many precedents to this. For starters, let’s go back to before 1973. Until then, even the Liberals were saying that homosexuals are sick people – “you should feel sorry for them.” Also, it was in the late 60’s that women wearing pants became popular. And the list can go on.
In 1973, the psychiatric society decided that homosexuality was no longer a mental illness. As much as we opposed that, we didn’t think it would go much further than that. Lo and behold, a couple of years later, they enacted ordinances banning discrimination against them. But whoever thought, in their worst nightmares, that such “marriages” would be promoted (“just as ‘normal’ as straight”)?! And to add insult to injury, the children in school are being “educated” to accept this.
So, is it any surprise that the “new” generation of Americans are going for this? I’m afraid that the seeds of our, once great country’s, demise was planted a long time ago. Maybe the Ribono Shel Olam is finally getting fed up, and is now doing something about – I hope in a not too uncomfortable way.
Hopefully, we will all win!
Nobody in their right mind wants him to fail because it will affect all of us! I personally hope he does well, for everyone’s sake.
Sadly, the writing on the wall makes one wonder!
Declasse-intellectual
In a previous article, Bloomberg nannyism struck again against donating food to the homeless because his government could not determine the nutritial value. This is the first initial wave of tghe attack on the individual, their rights and beliefs and freedoms. Need I remind you about the first wave to control the practices of bris, we have had already the proposal to censor the internet, And, of course, Congressman Dingle’s famous quote that the health care bill purpose is to control the American people.
Then again we have had an indication of of what he tinks of Bibi and Israel.
Confused
Yet 70% of Jews voted to re-elect Obama!?
Misery Loves Company
Look at history, Jews have been wrong many, many times!