Jewish Voters Must Say No to Obama

(TCV) – Little more than 24 hours after Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) stepped to the microphones to address the anti-Semitic, anti-American and anti-white rage of his ‘spiritual advisor’ and pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, many Jews are taking a second look at the junior Senator and Democratic frontrunner.

By Wednesday the Obama campaign was trying to make Jews understand that his 20-year relationship with a preacher and church that gave an award to Louis Eugene Walcott (sorry, Louis Farrakhan, do all racists change their names?) and who blamed America for everything from the AIDS virus to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 was just a relationship of a man sitting in the pew of a preacher from the “old black school.”

Unfortunately for Obama he did not talk until the controversy was out of control and when that happens it is far too late. As of this writing I know Jewish leaders and Israeli politicians who are willing to say that an Obama Administration would be “the worst for Israel” of all the candidates and that Obama was “unacceptable” to the Jewish population not only in Israel, but the Diaspora abroad.

Jewish voters give their votes anywhere between 25 and 27% to Republicans – the balance of Jewish voters in strongholds like New York and California vote in a huge Democratic bloc. Even more than counting on Jewish votes to get Democrats over the top it is almost equally important to get Jewish money. Obama now has a problem: why would any Jew give money to a man who associates with a pastor and a church that awards anti-Semites and bigots?

It is a bit more difficult to tally Jewish money in politics since there is no record kept of the faith of the voter. But, taking the afternoon to compare the directory of membership at my synagogue with records of political contributions it is clear that Jewish political contributions are equally important to Democrats.

So did Obama go far enough in his flag draped explanation about his relationship with a preacher who is willing to honor an anti-Semite and treat Israel like a dirty word? And why all the flags for a guy who won’t wear a flag on his lapel for fear of looking like he was pandering?

Instead of explaining with a condescending “it’s a black thing” and “we all disagree with our pastors” (no we don’t) not quitting his church he brought out of the woodwork people like the Black Panthers and other black separatists who admire anti-Semitism. They also believe that America is a bastion of evil where whites and especially Jews cause there to be inequity in America not unlike that seen during the 1950s in the south.

With friends like Wright, Farrakhan and the Black Panther Party on his side Obama does not need any enemies. The relationship with Wright puts him in the pantheon of black separatism and worse than that is Obama raised more questions than answers when he gave his address. His campaign called his remarks courageous, but courage would have been taking the anti-Semite to task; not telling us that he is like our crazy uncles.

Truth be told I probably would not have voted for Obama whether or not the highlights of Wright’s hate-filled sermons came to the public record or not, but I was willing to give Obama the benefit of the doubt with regard to his judgment. It is that judgment that Obama is using as his only qualification to be Commander-in-Chief and the leader of the free world – a world that has enemies throughout and enemies that would love a person in the White House who did not care if Israel was wiped off the map.

Obama has not explained how in 20 years of sermons, personal contact and experience that he never heard an utterance of an inappropriate or anti-Semitic nature by his own pastor. I’ve not been an adult for 20 years, but in the time I’ve been an adult I would remember well sermons, particularly those during High Holy days, that involved hatred for America or the kind that paint Israel as a demon.

The worst part of Obama’s non-explanation was that he gave it with the hope that it would end the questions concerning his pastor, but it hasn’t. In fact it gave us more to think about. How could a church release a “best-of” DVD of hate and Obama be oblivious to it? How could Wright blame America for everything from AIDS to crack and Obama be oblivious to it? How could Wright be the leader of Obama’s church and be part of his life for 20 years and Obama not be aware that he blamed Israel for the ills of the Middle East – including the fact that Wright and Obama believe that “cynicism” is the reason that there is not peace in the Middle East.

Cynicism? Does Obama, through Wright’s instruction, really believe that the people of Israel want peace so little that it is cynicism rather than the hatred of the Arab governments and people that surround her that keep peace from happening? If Obama misjudges the Middle East in theory – how will he do when he is in the Oval Office and is called upon to judge issues for real?

All Obama did on Tuesday was show just how poor his judgment is. His association with Wright’s church in Chicago may have made him a hero with the black left and helped in a segment of Chicago politics, but for someone that aspired to the highest office in America he should have known better.

Obama knew that Wright was a problem. When he announced his candidacy for the White House – the New York Times reported that Wright was “dis-invited” by an Obama staffer before his announcement. Obama’s knowledge that Wright was a problem a year ago makes it that much more difficult to believe that Obama did not know Wright was a problem ten years ago. That kind of bad judgment cannot be permitted in the White House – particularly when the only thing helping the Jewish vote make a decision is party affiliation.

The Jewish leaders and lay people that I talked to today are just as willing to vote for John McCain, who was at the Western Wall in Jerusalem today, as they would be willing to vote for either of the two Democrats. One unanimous thing that happened today is that I could not find one person in the Jewish leadership willing to say that they support Barack Obama’s run for the White House and it was not lost on Jewish leaders that while McCain was at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem that Obama was trying to damage control for his association with anti-Semitic and anti-American people that he chose to associate with for two decades.

Jewish people need to examine Obama’s record much more closely and if Obama refuses to not only stand up and “renounce” or “repudiate” the comments and awards that he clearly knew were going on around him then the Jewish vote and Jewish money has an obligation to Israel to stay home or to go to McCain.

Barack Obama’s campaign has done little more than trot out supporters who happen to be Jewish elected leaders in order to explain and disassociate him from his preacher and his church. My microphone is open to the Obama campaign and I suggest that they take me or another Jewish broadcaster up on the offer because two days ago I was willing to go quietly if Obama was the Democratic nominee. Today I am unwilling to see him get to the White House and will do everything in my power to see that Jews are not only aware, but outraged, at his conduct and the pretense that he didn’t know anything untoward was happening right under his nose.