🚀 go-pugleaf

I really like Rabbi Lappin.  He is atypical, and does not follow the party line.  He
is very politically incorrect, and I love it.



Tracey



"Tracey.Levin" wrote:

> Rabbi Lappin's Thoughts on Senator Lieberman
>
>   Source: Rabbi Lappin News e-mail
>   Published: August 9, 2000 Author: Rabbi Lappin
>
> The whole nation has now heard that Vice President Al Gore selected Connecticut
> Senator Joseph Lieberman as his running mate, that Lieberman is
> the first Jew to be so honored, and that he is an Orthodox Jew.
>
> Our first reaction is, "What a country!" The Lieberman nomination confirms that
> anti-Semitism just isn't a politically significant problem in present-day
> America. In this regard, comparisons have been made to John F. Kennedy's
> nomination. We note that in 1960, even parts of the mainstream press
> raised questions about the fitness of a Roman Catholic to hold national office,
> whereas no such arguments have been made in the present case. So, at
> the very least, we can say that attitudes toward Jews in the year 2000 are
> considerably more positive than attitudes toward Catholics were in 1960.
>
> Beyond that, we're happy to concur with the general view that Senator Lieberman
> is a man of great personal character and probity, that he brings some
> real moral weight to a presidential ticket sorely lacking it, and that he has a
> record of standing with the right people and saying the right things on a
> number of subjects. And-especially in light of our less sanguine thoughts that
> follow-we must emphasize the importance we place on saying the right
> thing. In the current sad state of American culture, very often simply calling a
> spade a spade is an act which both takes considerable courage and all by
> itself can change things for the better. For example, Senator Lieberman's
> relatively mild criticisms of Hollywood have touched off reactions that are
> positively hysterical in comparison. Why? The movie moguls he has outraged are
> completely protected from the government by the First Amendment,
> they are rich beyond the dreams of avarice, and they certainly have more power
> to shape public opinion than a mild-mannered senator from
> Connecticut. The only possible explanation is that the Hollywood elite, in their
> hearts, know that Senator Lieberman's words are true.
>
> That's the good news, but there is bad news as well.
>
> First, we suspect that most of the "moderate" or "centrist" positions Senator
> Lieberman has taken will be rendered moot by the very different ideas of
> Vice President Gore. For example, will Senator Lieberman's ostensible support
> for school vouchers really mean very much, when confronted by the
> teachers' unions-on which his election may depend? Will his criticisms of
> Hollywood cause the cancellation of next week's fundraiser at the Playboy
> mansion? The answer to both is, "We doubt it."
>
> Second, in some cases we must reject not only the company he keeps, but even the
> positions Senator Lieberman has taken personally. We are deeply
> disturbed that a man who considers himself an Orthodox Jew voted against the
> proposed ban on partial-birth abortion. In so doing, he missed an
> opportunity to link arms with the majority of Americans who reject that barbaric
> practice, and instead tragically embraced the views of a radical
> minority. And he has cast many other votes disturbingly out of step with his
> professed religious beliefs-and disturbingly in line with the "orthodoxy" of
> secular liberalism. Also-as in the case of the debate on confirming Justice
> Clarence Thomas-Senator Lieberman has displayed a troubling tendency to
> talk one way and vote another. (Our friend Don Feder-who will be speaking at our
> national convention on September 10th-filed a column today giving
> more details on this topic. The link is
> www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/feder1.asp.)
>
> Third, we are concerned about the tribalism evident in some Jews' reactions to
> the nomination. Of course, we would not be human if we didn't take
> some pride and satisfaction that one of "our own" has received such a high
> honor. Nevertheless, we believe we have an obligation to restrain that sense
> of ethnic pride, and consider the ideas candidates represent, and not their
> religion, race, sex, or any other such category. If we are justly please that
> the
> nation has progressed to the point that no respectable person would oppose a
> candidate just because he is Jewish, then how can we in good
> conscience support him primarily for the same reason? The Left has already done
> a great deal of damage to American ideals by paying so much undue
> attention to our 'tribal' affiliations. We reject this. Tribalism is unworthy of
> an educated democracy.
>
> Finally, we do not look forward to the confusion-already beginning to
> emerge-caused by the gap between Senator Lieberman's private faith and his
> public positions. For example, we have already had to assure numerous Christian
> friends that the Torah does not sanction abortion-on-demand.
> Similarly, we hope our friends in the Orthodox rabbinate realize that a Vice
> President Lieberman could often put them in a position where they must
> choose between publicly criticizing the highest-ranking elected Jewish
> officeholder in American history, or standing silent, and thus conveying a
> dangerously false impression of Jewish law.