I just returned from an Obama campaign strategy meeting here in Miami, Florida. The theme of the meeting was, 'How to reach out to Jewish Voters'.
As a campaign volunteer, I was intent on going to this meeting to meet other volunteers to exchange ideas and learn a few things. As it turned out, I was unexpectedly confronted with another issue - The Republican Party talking points' impact on the fragile and uneasy minds of older Jewish Voters.
The question and answer forum quickly turned into a sometime bitter exchange between a few supporters and some so-called "Independents", who had covertly transplanted themselves in this particular gathering.
I have come to discover that hard line Jewish Lieberman supporters have begun to infiltrate these gatherings, armed with Republican talking points which they pretend to phrase into questions. Irregardless of the answer, they will argue their position with more talking points that always end with the line, "maybe Joe Lieberman is on to something".
This is the second such gathering I have been to within the last week, in which I have recorded such an incident. However, today's "undecided Independent voters" had surely taken a few excerpts from last night's Lieberman speech.
One of the gentlemen was quick to inform the gathering that Lieberman would be speaking at a local Synagogue over the week-end. This is the beginning of a hard line push to distort Senator Obama's message and create some doubts in people's minds. Lieberman has reached a point of no return, where only ensuring a McCain victory is tantamount to keeping him employed in the near future.
The most popular topic of discussion at today's gathering was 'the Reverend Wright' saga and its' impact on Obama's views pertaining to Israel. Lieberman and his supporters are quietly reviving this issue behind the scenes, primarily in Synagogues, in order to scare the older Jewish voters into McCain's camp.
Note that Lieberman is on his way here to South Florida, armed with a venomous tongue. And these older Jewish retirees do pay attention to his twisted rhetoric. One gentleman looked me in the eye and said, "my neighbor is a Rabbi who marched with Martin Luther King Jr., and he won't vote for Obama because he is misinformed." Add to that, a tenatiously malicious Lieberman, a McCain foot soldier, spewing a twisted tale of how Senator Obama won't protect Israel and you quickly have the makings of a major epidemic of lies and innuendos in a combustible tonic. False rumors will spread like wild fire in the Santa Ana winds. We can't afford to let our guard down this time.
Luckily for us, Chuck Schumer is making his way to South Florida on Sunday to begin pushing back at Lieberman and his base. The rest of us must inform the misinformed at every opportunity. Merely brushing off Lieberman as a traitor will not do the trick. He is a man on a mission.