Comments on: CAMPAIGN 08: Obama’s appeal and his Jewish problem

By: Randi Locke

Randi Locke — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 02:45:42 +0000

I was Michael Lerner’s first assistant when he arrived in NY to launch the publication. Michael, my proudest moment during those months at the magazine was the impact you made on Hillary Clinton via your “politics of meaning.” How in the world did you get to your current place? I had hoped that your intense loyalty to The Clintons would not have morphed into a mezmerizing embrace of an opportunistic showboat who came from virtually nowhere. Spiritual progressive indeed. From where I sit it seems that whomever is furthest to the left on human rights warrants your support in spite of the wicked realities of 9/11, of fundamentalist Islamic hatred of Western civiliation, of the sea change taking place all over the map where urban guerilla warfare will replace conventional warfare. Mac is back, Michael. And he wil have my support because he is a friend of Israel and understands the palpable fears of a government who does not weild to illustrate their toughness but to DEFEND themselves! Had Obama not convinced millions to drink the Kool Aid, then Hillary – also a friend of Israel – would clearly have had my support in November, as she should have had yours from the start, unconditionally.

By: Tikun Olam-תקון עולם: Make the World a Better Place » Obama Campaign Hints AIPAC List May Have Been Used to Spread Obama Muslim Smear

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 09:20:00 +0000

[...] Michael Lerner has also dealt with this “war for Obama’s soul” over I-P policy in a recent e mail which he sent to his Tikkun supporters: Obams’s problem is that his spiritual progressive worldview is in conflict with the demands of the older generation of Jews who control the Jewish institutions and define what it is to be pro-Jewish, while his base consists of many young Jews who support him precisely because he is willing to publicly stand for the values that they hold. We can expect that this tension will be central should Obama win the nomination. But once in office, whether Obama actually pursues policies that are in accord with his highest beliefs as a spiritual progressive, or whether he finds it “too unrealistic” to try to buck the spineless Democrats who will bow to the Israel Lobby automatically, depends on whether we can build a powerful enough movement of ordinary citizens to push for a peace that provides security for Israel and justice for the Palestinian people. Obama has made it clear he would want to do that. [...]

By: Haim

Haim — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 17:37:09 +0000

What a load of crap. First why say Jewish Neocons? You do know there are antisemitic theories out there about all Neocons being Jews? Second I am a young Jew who is also a moderate and you are never going to get me to agree Israel has a strategy of domination, just saying doesn’t make it so. Third Israel did take the “first definitive steps toward peace”, they left Gaza and look what it got them. Israel also offered the Palestians 95% of what they wanted in 2000 at Camp David. When is it the Palestinians turn to take some steps? And Finally calling Gaza, which Israel isn’t occupying and doesn’t control the borders, an open air prison isn’t going to win anyone over. You may think you have the “majority” of young Jews because you got a few emails from Neturei Karta but you’d be wrong.