This encouraging Haaretz piece highlights Kerry’s determination to achieve a peace agreement in Obama’s second term.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Julianna Storch
Israeli Diplomat Alon Pinkas publicly berates Prime Minister Netanyahu for jeopardizing Israel’s vital alliance with the United States in his Yedioth Ahronot piece. Read Pinkas’s full article after the jump.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Julianna Storch
As Chemi Shalev points out in this article, Chuck Hagel’s positions on the Arab-Israeli conflict are right on target, even if his positions on Iran and Hezbollah may rightly concern those (including me) who see the Iranian regime as ideologically & fanatically committed to develop nuclear weapons that MUST be stopped. But the whole wave of attacks against Hagel, as Shalev demonstrates, are more biased and politically motivated against Obama by right-wing Republicans and apocalyptic Jews, as this article from the New Yorker persuasively points out.
Bernard Avishai draws a parallel between McCarthyism and the current campaign against Senator Chuck Hagel led by groups in the American Jewish Community. He calls upon leaders in the American Jewish Community to speak out against the too often employed practice of lambasting politicians with nuanced stances on Middle East politics.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Julianna Storch
Israel sets the record straight after the US gun lobby held up Israeli society as a model for successfully using guns to protect civilians. When the Newtown shooting instigated a cry for tighter gun control in our country, gun lobbyists called for more armed guards at school and used Israel as a positive example of such a practice. This article posted on the ABC News site makes clear that Israel equips schools with armed guards to protect children from terrorist attacks rather than distributes guns to prevent disgruntled shooters from entering schools. Further, Israel’s gun control laws prove much stricter than those in America, causing Israeli citizens to demonstrate ample need, ability, and mental health in order to acquire a gun.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Julianna Storch
Below is Mitt Romney’s concession speech.
As much as I dislike partisan bickering, I admire when political leaders accept election results with elegance and urge unity. It is not something we should take for granted. It is a sign of a vibrant democracy, one absent in many parts of the world.
As a fierce independent who was undecided for a significant time, here are four core reasons why I am absolutely convinced a vote to re-elect President Obama is imperative:
1. Character: Obama is not perfect, but he has a core set of values that guide him quite consistently; Romney morphs at each opportunity to say what the current audience wants him to hear – he has no discernible core; some excuse his pandering during the primaries as a basic reality of politics; but the way he outright switched positions from one day to another on virtually every issue goes beyond anything I can remember in decades of following elections; if Romney were to be elected, politicians would feel that gives them the license to handle themselves the way Romney did, undermining paramount values like truthfulness and transparency.
2. Climate Change: this video says it all.
3. Choice: Romney has repeatedly stated he will oppose women’s choice as it relates to their own bodies. Abortion is a truly tragic event. But the federal government should not be manipulated to impose a dogma over women’s lives.
4. Conflict: If Romney were to be elected, it is highly unlikely that Olmert or Livni will step in to run in Israeli elections; Netanyahu will almost surely be re-elected and be seen as the man who stood up to Obama and brought him down (which in and of itself is a terrible precedent for the US and Israel); Netanyahu and Abbas are almost certain not to be able to get to peace – quite the opposite, Netanyahu, already co-opted by the settler movement, may annex the West Bank, ending the prospects of Israel and Palestine and the Arab and Muslim world achieving peace; 50 years later, even those who blessed the day Israel annexed the West Bank, will curse Netanyahu and Romney for turning the region into another Lebanon or Balkan region; in contrast, if Obama is re-elected, Olmert can be elected and can achieve a historic resolution of the conflict with Abbas within the first year of their administrations.
On the economy, Obama and Romney each turn me off for different reasons, and I worry about the deficit equally under both scenarios because politicians have shown no bipartisan courage or leadership. On reigning in Wall Street abuses, Obama’s lack of action against Corzine upsets me greatly, but Romney is far more beholden to special interests. On Iran, Romney is unlikely to be able to do any more than Obama has – and he went on record and said he’d follow the same policies. Obama has made plenty of tactical mistakes in foreign policy (some of which turned into strategic blunders), but overall he has managed turbulent times with greater dexterity and international credibility and support than Romney would be able to command.
In the New Yorker’s online News Desk David Remnick draws attention to the damage done by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the international stage with his “Neocon Strategy.” He specifically criticizes the way in which Netanyahu has inserted himself into American politics with derision of Obama and an alliance with Romney.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Julianna Storch
Dr. Ephraim Sneh is always on target with his strategic analysis of the politics in play in the Middle East. This is no less the case in his latest piece about the state of affairs between Israel and the US vis-a-vis Iran for the Israel Policy Forum.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Julianna Storch
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My friend Ruben Navarrette wrote this insightful article about the ascendance of Julian Castro and Ted Cruz into the national political stage. He persuasively argues that this is a potentially game-changing opportunity for the Latino community, and for America overall, and that it is healthy for Latinos to prominently participate in both parties and not be taken for granted.
I have met Julian Castro once for lunch and was enormously impressed. Like President Obama, he transcends the checkbox of an impressive ethnic leader. He is without doubt a man of great character, powerful intellect, and sincerity of purpose: dedicated to help improve society. His ascendance will surely help America increase its competitiveness and global leadership.
On the need to improve the lot of the Latino community, for their benefit and that of all, we have a long way to go, particularly on perceptions among the broad population. My sense is most Latinos are well liked but viewed monochromatically as the hired help, as unsophisticated laborers. So these role models will help.
We similarly could benefit from a Hispanic version of the 80s Cosby Show or other entertainment icon that gives proper dimension to Latino values and character. Chuey and the (I think?) Mexican guy that helps Jimmy Kimmel are funny but won’t help on this front because they just reinforce the stereotype of the cute diminutive curious specimen. The movie A Better Life, one of the best movies I’ve seen in years, and one that is still haunting me, at least highlighted the strong working and family values, and the incredible challenges and injustices, that indigent Immigrants have and face. But it is not a story that would gain wide distribution, or that would challenge the stereotype.
I think I wrote an earlier post about how poorly Latinos fare in American Idol, an unscientific barometer for how some exceptional performers were dismissed by the population. This season the Judges finally exercised their power to push through the candidacy of a Latino star, but it only further demonstrated the challenge we face.