Most Jews are not one issue voters.
Do you park your most effective governors in the VP slot?
There's this belief that the VP is entitled to the nomination after the President's term is up. Biden was mad he didn't get the nod in 2016. And in retrospect, he might have won if he'd run. But Trump didn't think twice about Pence this year. So the question is, if Harris wins, does her VP automatically get the nomination after Kamala's term(s) is up?
Now normally there's a primary, but it didn't make any difference on the Republican side, Trump didn't even bother to debate, and on the Democratic side...Biden and his team and the party scared off anyone from running, ultimately to our detriment. (Then again, this short campaign leaves Harris fresh and unbattered.)
So...
I'd rather see Josh Shapiro or Gretchen Whitmer as president than Kamala Harris.
I know, I know, the ship has sailed. I get it. But these are two of the brightest lights in the Democratic party, do we really want to take them off the stage for four to eight years? And god forbid Kamala loses, will this tarnish her VP?
So there's all this disappointment that Shapiro is not the VP.
Not me.
Sure, Pennsylvania is in play. But Nate Silver, who was pro-Shapiro, vocally, also wrote that the VP doesn't really make that much difference. Yes, Pennsylvania is a swing state, but it's not the only one. Harris would have to win more than PA. But...
Shapiro is for vouchers, there's the sex "scandal" in his past, and he's Jewish...
We Jews have been persecuted for centuries and are pessimistic. Ask a Jew, do they really want a Jewish candidate? Of course they'd like a Jewish president, but in order to be one, you have to win. And is America ready for a Jewish president?
Sure, in 1960 they said America was not ready for a Catholic president, and Kennedy won.
And no boomer believed growing up that we'd ever have a Black president, yet Obama won two terms.
But it's not only Shapiro being Jewish, it's also the fact that Kamala is a woman of color.
Believe me, I don't think there was any antisemitism involved. After all, Harris is married to a Jewish man. And I can't speak to Harris's process, I can only speak to my own viewpoint and that of my fellow Jews.
Yes, I know Jews who are voting for Trump on his support of Israel and that alone. But I also know frummies, I know a lot of super-Orthodox Jews who have viewpoints radically different from my own. I'm not saying they can't live how they want. Then again, the way some groups take over communities, live on welfare and don't educate their children...
Jewish infighting. If you think Jews are a monolith, you're not one.
And unlike Christian religions, Judaism is based on questioning. You don't have to believe in God to be a Jew. All opinions are welcome, at least inside the camp. As far as outside...
Yes, there are pro-Palestinian Jews. Many from younger generations who did not live through 1967, never mind Munich and 1973, but they're not jumping to the Republican side with the nomination of Walz, if anything they feel more comfortable with Walz than Shapiro on the issue of Israel.
But the rest of us...
Jews are about intellectual curiosity. About helping each other. Does this sound like the Republican ethos to you?
I'm not going to delineate every quality of the Jews. And there are heinous Jews. And Jews who vote Republican. But the majority of Jews vote Democratic, and if you think the fact that Walz is not as vocally pro-Israel as Shapiro means they're going to vote for Trump or RFK, Jr., or sit out, you're delusional.
Jews are practical. Because we've been victims of antisemitism forever. If a Jew tells you they've never experienced antisemitism they're lying to themselves. I've experienced antisemitism from my earliest years, and it's amped up since October 7th, but that does not make me a one issue voter. I want antisemitism to go, but my loyalty is not to Israel first, but the U.S. There's this canard that all Jews put Israel over the U.S. That's completely untrue. However, I must honestly admit that I like that Israel exists, that I know there's a country where I can go and be accepted if antisemitism gets too far out of control. And if you don't think this is possible, you're probably a Holocaust denier.
As for Walz...
You can't argue with his resumé. He didn't grow up rich and he's got a long history of standing up for the hoi polloi.
That's what a lot of this Harris mania is all about. People feel like there's someone standing up for them. And it isn't even so much about Harris herself but the belief that something finally gave, that the dam has broken, that the old generations have been pushed aside, that we're in a new era and someone intelligent can see who we are and what are needs are.
This is where Trump and Vance lose. Even the concept of MAGA. Not only was America not so great in the past, we're all living in the present, with the future coming down the pike every day. Where's the plan, where's the hope. That's one of the reasons Obama won, hope. Which is evidenced in Harris's campaign, that things can change.
Biden was running against Trump. Believing if he just painted Trump negatively enough, he would win. That was not a strategy for victory.
Harris's campaign seems to be running independently of Trump at this point, it's got its own momentum, it's dismissive of Trump, as if he doesn't count, which is what the "weird" campaign is all about, like you can't take Trump and Vance seriously, they're cartoons, not worthy of your time and attention.
The momentum shifted just that fast. And it could shift back, that's the nature of politics, and sports. But so far, Trump has been employing a scorched-earth, self-immolation campaign. He's an out of control spinning top. He's not the alternative he was in 2016, a man running against the system, he's an egomaniac believing only he matters and victory is everything. You can't win without the team, and politics requires a huge team, and Trump keeps taking aim at his compatriots.
As for Vance... A phony with no experience. An out of touch flip-flopper.
I'm not sure if it's about issues or identities.
The bottom line is, can you teach old dogs new tricks? Can you convince anybody their beliefs are wrong? Have you ever tried to change the mind of a Fox viewer?
X is a cesspool. Not only pro-Trump/Vance, but filled with conspiracies and ad hominem attacks. I read an extensive post about Pizzagate earlier today. Yes, Hillary and the Democrats are running a child prostitution ring out of a pizza parlor? You're not going to convince these people to vote for Harris.
So as far as informing the public...I'm not sure that makes a huge difference.
But if it comes down to identities... This is where Walz triumphs.
Shapiro would have outshone Harris, he's no one's number two.
But the ace in the hole is Walz's oratorical powers. Man, this guy was meant to give speeches and relate.
I want you to watch this video:
tinyurl.com/mr22pra9 Just a few seconds will give you the flavor. This is not a natural born politician, this is not Joe Biden who spent his life in politics, this is a plain-speaking high school coach/teacher who you can relate to, who you can bond to, who you can get behind, who you feel good about. This guy is one of us, which Trump and Vance are not, and if you want to, you can even question Harris's bona fides in this area, but not those of Walz.
So stop overanalyzing the VP pick. I'm down with Walz, and if anything he's a net positive.
Minnesota is a great progressive state in the middle of the country that is seen as a red morass. Prince came from Minnesota, and continued to live in Minnesota. Al Franken came from Minnesota.
Can you criticize Walz and his positions? OF COURSE! It goes with the territory. But Walz is a good mouthpiece.
Harris added fuel to the fire. Right now she's running ahead of Trump in the race.
Don't discount those who hate the Democrats, those who embrace the values Trump espouses. But that's all about hate, disparagement, whereas the Harris/Walz ticket is about hope, and the future.
This Jew is optimistic.
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