Thoughts on the U.S. Election

by Rabbi Sue Levy
November 20, 2008

http://www.weeklyblitz.net/125/thoughts-on-the-us-election

Finally, the long campaign is over, and a President-elect can plan the business of governing instead of the business of winning. It is a welcome relief. Barack Obama inherits a country in serious economic trouble. We have more problems than it is possible to recount here. Those who look to our country as a beacon of hope may need to be patient while we attempt to dig through the wreckage of the past eight years and undo some of the damage. In the meantime, there are hopeful signs for readers of this paper.

When the votes were counted, the first noteworthy thing that happened is that John McCain picked up the telephone the same evening and called his recent opponent, wishing him well. Senator McCain offered not only his congratulations to Barack Obama, but also pledged to do everything possible to support him in the future. This gesture, following the bitterness of the campaign is something that can only happen in a country with a long heritage of democracy and peaceful change. While it is a pro forma gesture, the symbolism should not be taken lightly. We have had no riots in the streets and no political unrest of any kind; because that's the way we play the game here. Two parties do their best to win, and the losers, along with their supporters, come back at the next opportunity to try again. Between elections, we govern. When we disagree, we do so verbally, and life goes on.

Less than a week after the election, the next symbolic moment occurred as President George W. Bush and his wife Laura welcomed the President-Elect and Mrs. Obama to the White House. The incoming and outgoing presidents discussed policy issues, and the Obamas were given a tour of the official and residential areas of the White House that they will soon call home. Now they can choose bedrooms for the children, think about which furniture to keep, and plan the "mundane" details of dwelling there. The White House will soon be home to the Obamas, their two young daughters, Mrs. Obama's elderly mother and a dog which has been promised to the children. The fact that President and Mrs. Bush can do this with a genuine desire to make the Obama family's transition as easy as possible is, again, a indication of what can occur in a healthy democracy. It happened in the same day that Barack Obama announced that he will undo many of Bush's policies as quickly as humanly possible, and President Bush accepted this in stride.

Barack Obama received 78% of the Jewish vote across the United States in spite of the many efforts that were made to instill fear in the Jewish community that Obama would abandon Israel. In the Israeli press, the first announcements of Obama's election were greeted enthusiastically. To say that Obama will support Israel is not the same as saying that he will approve of each and every decision the Government of Israel will make. Israel is a strong democracy, and the voters there are the first to disagree among themselves. One should, therefore, not be surprised to find that an American president will support some Israeli initiatives and not others. We might still wish to keep in mind that the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) gave both Obama and John McCain the same 100% confidence rating in the months leading up to the election.

The first appointment Barack Obama made to his new government is that of Representative Rahm Emanuel, who will be the new White House Chief of Staff. Congressman Emanuel is an Orthodox Jew whose father is an Israeli. During the first Iraq War, the Congressman went to Israel as a volunteer where he worked in a non-combat position maintaining heavy equipment. Obama did not select him because he is a Jew or because of his love of Israel. Emanuel was selected only for his practical and political wisdom and his ability to serve in his role. Nevertheless, he will have the ear of the President many times each day, serving as a confidant and friend who will surely voice his feelings about issues pertaining to Israel. One should not make too much of this, because Emanuel and the rest of us are well aware of the fact that there will be a Vice-President, a Secretary of State and a National Security Advisor who will have much more influence in these matters than he will. But one should not make too little of it either. It is a clear statement of Barack Obama's comfort level with supporters of Israel.

The promises candidates make during campaigns are always tested by the realities of office. No president can deliver on every promise he makes, and few can accomplish as much as they want as quickly as they would like. This is going to be especially true in such troubled times. I believe, though, that we have reason enough to feel encouraged.

In Barack Obama's home State of Illinois, Congressman Mark Kirk was re-elected overwhelmingly in a district with many Jewish voters. He deserves to be congratulated. Although I am a Democrat, and he is a Republican, he is an honest man and a dedicated public servant, and we need more people like him in public office. He has been a wonderful friend to the editor and publisher of this paper, and his continued presence in Congress will be an asset to all who have counted upon his leadership.

How will the new administration work with the countries where Muslims are in the majority? We have little indication to date from the President-Elect about policies he wishes to pursue in the Middle East or elsewhere in Asia or Africa. (Aside from his feelings about the two wars in which we are engaged.) He will be the first American president to have a strong understanding of Islam and a longstanding respect for cultures different from his own. He is, after all, Barack Hussein Obama, who lived in Indonesia as a child and grew up in our most ethnically diverse State of Hawaii, and I believe he will honor the heritage of his Muslim father. I would be surprised to find him turn out to be a president who wants to export our American culture to people who don't want it and don't need it. I expect him to understand better than presidents we have had in the past that Islam is not monolithic and that there is wisdom and beauty in places other than Washington. For more than this, we shall have to wait and see.

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