Kesher Talk

Bush postpones moving U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem: Reuters reports that U.S. President George W. Bush signed a waiver on Monday postponing for six months any relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but said he remained committed to such a move in the future. The U.S. Congress passed a bill in 1995 aimed at moving the embassy to Jerusalem, but then-President Bill Clinton repeatedly made use of an escape clause in the measure allowing him to postpone the move on the grounds of national security.

Is Bush as committed as he was when moving the embassy was a part of his presidential campaign? Perhaps at the time, he was simply trying to woo Jewish votes, but it was also a way to take a different, strong stand on Israeli issues. It is a shame that he has not felt the need to actually follow through on the concept.

On the other hand, he has finally seemed to come around, at least a little bit, on the importance of Israeli security. So, a pointless diplomatic gesture to play nice with Arab states on the one hand, while making a small tangible effort to help Israel on the other. A give and take, but Isrqael must take what it can get.

The Jewish vote: While we are on the subject, now is a good time for Jewish Americans to reconsider their knee-jerk political allegiances. While Hillary Clinton is now one of Israel's most staunch defenders in the U.S. Senate, she only recently transformed from a moral equivocator -- presumably to appeal to her Jewish voting base in New York. While it is good to see that Jews have sway with some pols, it is unfortunate that more Jews do not notice how little sway they have over the Democratic party. Similar to African Americans in some respects, the party takes Jews for granted. While it takes certain stands in order to appease them once in a while, the party leadership knows that Jews do not deviate from the party too often, no matter what the party does.

I am not proposing the abandonment of the Democratic party. That would be stupid. I propose, as I did during the 2000 elections, that Jews should at least play it cagey rather than be taken for granted. You should vote for whomever you want, just don't be an automaton. The sooner the Democratic party realizes that the "Jewish vote" is up for grabs, the sooner they will realize its higher importance.

On the opposite side, the Republican party tends to lean in favor of a secure Israel, but to appease the neo-conservatives and the Christian fundamentalist voters. But since Israel is not at the top of their lists of importance, these blocs do not always get the party to come through where it matters most. The party has taken to writing off Jewish votes, not even bothering to try to solicit them much anymore. That is a mistake, both for them and for Jews. They need to be shown differently, and that can only come in polling numbers, and votes.

There was an interesting intra-conservative battle this summer over wooing Islamic votes to the Republican party. Why shouldn't they have those kind of debates about Jewish votes?

posted by Howard @ 12/18/2001 12:06:10 PM