With GOP tactics unsurprisingly featuring viral smear emails, ugly push polling and false and unconscionable ad campaigns, there is some concern that Jewish voters, and in particular elderly Jewish voters, may be swayed into supporting Huggy Bear, despite his abysmal record on just about every issue that Jews (overwhelmingly progressive) hold dear.
In most states, of course, we make up far too small of a percentage of the population to make a difference in the final outcome, but here in Florida, the story is different. It is with this in mind that the Jewish Council for Education and Research is sponsoring the The Great Schlep this Columbus Day weekend.
The idea, which I think is brilliant, is to send young Jewish Obama supporters (ages 18-24) down to their adoring grandparents here in Florida to convince them to vote for Obama.
I quote from the organizer:
The Times article got me thinking about how to change the minds of elderly Floridian Jews - people near and dear to my heart. By the end of the day it had come to me: THEIR GRANDCHILDREN. If there is anyone a Jewish grandparent will listen to it's their (brilliant, gorgeous) grandchild. I wrote up a couple of pages of ideas for a marketing campaign, sent it to everyone I knew, and within a few days I was on the phone with a friend's (Jewish, brilliant, gorgeous, recently engaged) son who has a (big) job at a (big) ad agency in New York City.
My idea is about to become a reality: A campaign is underway to help Senator Barack Obama become president, by educating and changing the minds of Jewish voters in Florida. (I know that I don't have to remind you of the importance of this swing state). Our messengers will be their own beloved grandchildren, who, like us, recognize the importance of an Obama victory. The campaign is called THE GREAT SCHLEP.
They now have a website, which has just become operational this morning, at http://greatschlep.com There is a facebook group, a signup link, a donations link (also one on Act Blue), and a pdf with talking points to try to persuade Jewish voters here as to why they should trust and support Barack Obama. (A brief skim of the talking points reveals them to be overwhelmingly positive: i.e. they are not trying to counter the Reverend Wright smears by pointing out that the recent sermon by Jews for Jesus founder David Brickner at Sarah Palin's church, before which Palin's pastor called Jews for Jesus one of the reasons he had gone into pastoring, and during which Brickner seemed to indicate that terrorist actions in Israel are retribution for Jews not accepting Christ as the Messiah. I, personally, see no reason why such things should be off bounds, given the merciless pounding of Rev. Wright, but it is not my operation.)
Anyone who has an elderly grandparent here in Florida, knows someone who does, or would just be interested in contributing to the cause, please check out and support this creative and, to my mind, extremely useful idea.
-- Stu