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Watching Blue America Celebrate
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More in Forward ForumThese days of Obamamania are dusting off the memory chips of my childhood. It is late fall, and the holidays of Christendom are upon us. There is great anticipation — and for the children in particular, great hope. In a few weeks, there will be joy and celebration, song and dance, drink and good cheer. Not for me, of course. For them.
And if it snowed on Christmas morning, my mother would say: “Snow! How nice for the goyim.”
Watching my many Democratic friends celebrate the election victory of Barack Obama, I am reminded of that feeling of waking up on a snowy Christmas morning, a Jew in America, and thinking, well, at least the goyim are happy.
Republicans — Republican Jews, no less — living in dark-blue states must console themselves with this. We can’t begrudge our neighbors and friends their chance to celebrate what makes them happy. To them, the victory of Obama was not just a political moment. It was a religious one. The victory of a young black man, a man of impeccable academic credentials, a man who spoke beautifully and has a beautiful family, a man who seems both serious and cosmopolitan at the same time — this victory redeems the political religion of blue-state America.
I don’t share this religion, but I can recognize why someone would celebrate this moment. America just elected its first nonwhite president, a man whose father was not born on the American continent.
Every religion has its own narrative, the story it tells to make sense of the world, and in the blue-state liberal narrative, the Obama victory is as significant as a divine revelation.
In the blue-state narrative, America was always a broken nation because of its first 300 years of legalized slavery. Through that historical prism, everything that follows — lynchings, segregation, racism, bigotry and even Hurricane Katrina — was America’s natural story, an inevitable series of self-inflicted losses. No matter the victory or achievement, whether it was in the emancipation of the slaves, the liberation of Europe and Asia, the industrial and cultural achievements of our greatest minds, the impact of race was always there.
As with any theological narrative, this one would often overshoot, and force historical events into a box where they did not belong. Or, the high priests of this faith would ignore events that didn’t accord with their narrative; for example, they would never acknowledge that George W. Bush’s school reform helped close the black-white achievement gap, or that Bush was the first president to ever fully confront AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and hunger in Africa.
A few days after the election, a friend of mine sent me a photo essay he described as affecting and meaningful. It depicted two children at an Obama rally, one white and one black, perched on their respective father’s shoulders. The white one hands to the black one an Obama sign, and then they both hold it aloft together.
To my friend, who happens to be black, this represented the best hope of America — an end to the racial conflicts that separated generations of Americans. It was like that Coca-Cola commercial with the kids on the mountaintop.
Don’t take this for cynicism. Like a Jew on a snowy Christmas morning, I am touched by this belief in a new historical era even though I do not subscribe to the theology behind it. I think it’s beautiful that my neighbors believe God’s grace is revealed to us by the story of a quiet birth on the outer edges of the Roman Empire. I marvel at the majesty of the Christmas mass held in the dark of winter, and enjoy the spirit of giving and charity that fills the hearts of the believers and nonbelievers alike. And yes, if it snows, I can be happy for the goyim.
But I still think the theology is wrong, the narrative is wrong, and, ultimately, that my neighbors are fooling themselves. Yes, America’s history has been shaped inexorably by race. But America is not a racist nation — it gave that up many years ago. Let’s face reality: Obama’s race didn’t hurt him. It helped him. A white candidate of similar background never would have received a chance against John McCain, Hillary Rodham Clinton or Joe Biden, for that matter. Obama wasn’t just given a chance. He was given the benefit of the doubt.
That doesn’t mean America doesn’t have a problem with race. America’s problems with race remain, and they are deeply challenging. They will outlast the inaugural and its rhetoric, the first 100 days — even the first 1,000 days — of an Obama administration. If another Category Four were to hit New Orleans tomorrow, the city would still flood, and its largely black citizens would still be left devastated and homeless, president-elect Obama notwithstanding.
Blue-state Americans may have trouble with this. Their political theology has held that racism explains a lot of America’s history — particularly all problems that are somehow race related. They are about to find out that that’s not really true — and not even Barack Obama can solve those problems.
Comments
Oh, there’s lots and lots to comment on about this sneering, patronizing neocon screed, but one salient issue jumps out at me right off the bat. To wit: where’s the utterly inevitable query from Yehuda asking what justifies the inclusion of this political analysis in a journal ostensibly devoted to approaching current events from an explicitly Jewish perspective? It’s funny, but it seems that Yehuda’s concern with the lack of a specifically Jewish focus in such articles expresses itself solely in connection with those authors with a progressive political orientation, as I have never seen any such objection raised in connection with articles authored by such luminaries as David Klinghoffer, Noam Neusner, and the many other neocon contributors to The Forward. I wonder why that is.
I was introduced to Judaism with the story of Chanukah's: how a light burned on, fueled by faith, though the oil ran out. Today Jews burn that light symbolically in wax candles but that burning wax is symbolic of, reaffirming Jewish faith. As a young president of SYO chapters in Queens NY-- before being kicked out for being an uncircumcised goy-- I emphasized that story as the basis of the Jewish identity. It must have worked as I got official commendations of appreciation for bringing faith back in these youth chapters. As a Christian, I kept that story in my heart-- even as, through Habonim-- I was introduced to the tangle that is the Jewish state in Palestine, Israel. As demoralizing as the Middle East has been for us all, NOW-- ESPECIALLY NOW-- we must rekindle that light that keeps burning on despite the depletion of fuel. And, since we are all Americans first, let's look at the Obama victory this month, not as some sort of First or Second Coming of the Messiah, but as a testament to OUR-- yes, us all, Americans all-- faith in the power of democracy and faith in freedom-- the very faith that that I witnessed when I first arrived in America, driving my schoolmates when I first came here-- mostly Jews-- exhibited in taking American racism head on far from home in the South. Israel is a complex ethno-national issue. But racism in America is an issue of ONE people in ONE nation, ours. And WE ALL should take pride in how we Americans ultimately overcame our racism this November. In noting this amazing election, I cannot forget that , more than any other group of people, it was the AMERICAN JEWS that kept the lamp of liberty lit long after the oil ran out, waiting for the rest of us to overcome our racism. Republican Jews, like all Republicans, or ex-Republicans like me, should celebrate that they will now have another chance to escape from a party that was taken over by rodents who had scared away the majestic elephants that led it so long. The rodents this year lost, and perhaps the strong, solid and courageous elephants will now join with the blues to rebuild America in this era of critical illness. WE MUST BEGIN WHERE JEWS ARE AT THEIR BEST: EDUCATION....JEWS MUST DOUBLE, NEIGH TRIPLE, THEIR COMMITMENT TO SCIENCE AND MATH HIGH-TECH EDUCATION. In a paroxysm of xenophobia the war on terror ended our world-wide brain piracy of other lands to keep America in the high-tech lead. So Jews-- the born teachers that they are (pedagogically and by example)-- must now work to bring the least of us, at the very least, to where should be the most of us. Just as you did with your kids for JFK, Jews must send their kids into public service to teach and to do science and math. Jews are not the only but are the best at teaching people to truly apply Martin Luther King's admonition to judge each other "by the content of one's character, not by the color of one's skin." Focusing on this will not betray the Zionist obligation you bear to your brethren in Israel. For, as your example of faith that keeps the Jewish light of faith in the goodness of caring burning bright, is seen by Israelis, they will sense the mission and the challenge to bring their Arab brethren out of the one crop (oil) banana republic status of today into the high tech regional peace of tomorrow. All Arabs I know would want nothing more that to have Israel-- a close relative-- educate their children and guide them into the global high-tech economy of tomorrow that will save and green the planet. Thus, Jews will not only be "the light onto the [Arab] nations," as the Founders dreamed, but also the light onto the American nation. Why Jews? Because they proved at Chanukha that the Divine Light of Hope burns brighter fueled by faith than fueled by oil-- how apt!
Let me do some gentle editing of this article: "The victory of a man of impeccable academic credentials, a man who seems serious— this victory redeems the political religion of blue-state America. I don’t share this religion."
You don't share a respect for the intellect? You don't share a religion that has a respect for serious people? You dismiss someone because he speaks in complete sentences, or in your words, to in a way dismiss him because he "spoke beautifully"?
As someone who is deeply committed as a Jew, I deeply identify with Obama on so many levels. We are blessed with a new leader who has a calm temperament, a deep intellectualism, and a courage I have not seen. He has also brought out the best in America, a pride in service to our country and tolerance for people with funny names.
Jews have moved from country to country in search of a land that wouldn't murder us. We thought we found a haven in ancient Egypt, Medieval Spain or 20th century Germany. Of course the problem of race is not solved, but at least it is looking more likely that the USA in the 21 century is safe for us, and for others as well.
You might want to start trying to understand why so many people support Obama. Try listening to some Obama supporters- we're not simply blinded by his oratory or the color of his skin.
"It still remains to be seen if Obama is eligible to be President as a "natural born citizen" as required under the Constitution."
Thank G-d McCain wasn't elected. He was born in Panama, and he was clearly ineligible to be president. I'm kinda sure Fox News and the rest of the MSM didn't mention that.
To ds: You thought (incorrectly) that I protest articles that have no particular Jewish angle only if they are of a "progressive political orientation". Actually, I don't have the tools or the sensitivities to recognize the political orientation of the various writers (I do not live in the USA, so the codes are not always so clear). If I don't protest, it's only because the article probably didn't catch my eye. In the case of this article, you are essentially right in that Mr Neusner doesn't really have a Jewish insight - although he does go through the motions of reminding us that a Jew is speaking ("if it snows, I can be happy for the goyim"). But it is a poor article in my eyes - not because of Mr Neusner's political leaning - rather, because there is no insight into the Jewish experience. By the way, the main editorial of the Forward very often has absolutely no Jewish angle as well (including this week as well). Unfortunately, the reader is not invited to leave a comment there, so I can never protest. Especially in the editorial page, it should always be obvious that this is a Jewish newspaper presenting a Jewish view of the world.
Obama's background and experience are every bit as impressive as his last two predecessors.
It still remains to be seen if Obama is eligible to be President as a "natural born citizen" as required under the Constitution. There are numerous lawsuits around the country (17 at last count) with two in front of the Supreme Court, and one in California filed by Alan Keyes and the Independent Party against Obama, Biden, the California Secretary of State and all 55 California Electors. If Obama does not finally produce his records and demonstrate that he meets the "natural born citizen" standard he will not be able to assume the office. Obama and the DNC have brought a potential crisis to this country by ignoring the request of citizens since last February to have Obama vetted or qualified. Instead Obama and his legal team have effectively sealed all of the relevant records. Instead of celebrating this could turn an immense disgrace and a Constitutional crisis of epic proportions. The mainstream media continue to ignore this issue.