New York 9

In the few short weeks since the special election in New York’s 9th District we have heard every possible opinion and explanation. The race to fill Anthony Weiner’s vacant seat has been the subject of much debate. Was it voter anger focused on the President? Was it the voter disgust aimed at Weiner? Was it a referendum on the economy? Was it the Jewish vote that expressed anger over Obama’s failings on Israel-related policy decisions? Was it the influence of Ed Koch crossing party lines in protest of those decisions? Like so many, I believe it was all of the above and that is the biggest lesson. Democrats are hiding their heads in the sand if they do not hear the wake up call. It is the beginning of the “perfect storm” in which an entire litany of mistakes and wrong assumptions will soon avalanche into a snowball that could carry the 2012 elections in a new direction.
Readers of my columns know that I have been critical of the President since before he was elected. I believe my criticisms have been justified and confirmed by the last two and one half years of failure. The economy is worse. People have less faith in a better future. Government has grown bigger and more intrusive. After long expected speeches all we get are re-wrapped packages of ideas that have already been tried and have failed and, for those of us who look at foreign policy, Israel is less secure.
One of the interesting results of being a columnist is that people like to talk to you (or, maybe, at you.) I am surprised how often (and in the most unexpected places) someone will approach me and comment on something I have written. It wasn’t that long ago that I was a pariah- a Jew who didn’t like Obama. All of a sudden things have changed- maybe I wasn’t so crazy after all! So what does the race in New York’s 9th mean?
I believe that the “myth” that Jews must be Democrats is starting to be questioned for the first time. Yes, we had many reasons to vote Democratic in the past. Many of those reasons still make sense. I will confess- when I moved to Florida I registered as a Democrat without any hesitation and with very little thought about the issue- it was just a “given.” However many of us as Americans are discovering that the Democratic Party has changed. It took a while for that message to sink in but it is now coming home to haunt us.
We now have to stop looking at labels and ask, who really represents the things in which we believe? I don’t mean that in a philosophical or religious way- what do we believe about America, what do we believe about the economic well-being of our country, and what do we believe about American values? While I would never suggest that Jews vote as if Israel is the only issue, I would ask you to consider what the current administration has done to de-rail any chance for peace. We may have to wait to really understand what New York ‘s 9th will mean in the bigger picture, but it is time to re-think some of our assumptions.



This column appeared in the South Florida Jewish Journal