In PA, the GOP has flooded the airways and post-offices with their anti-Obama sleaze in what appears to be their only synchronous and coherent effort to date—a last ditch attempt to paint Barack Obama in a scary light. And their attacks are tainted with an odd focus on frightening Jewish PA voters like me. Yesterday, the Republican Party of PA sullied my mailbox with the product of this effort.
To Whom It May Concern:
Thank you for validating the hard work I have invested convincing my entire Israeli-American family of voting age (coincidentally, all Floridians) to throw their support behind Barack Obama and urge everyone they know to follow suit. If your Floridian counterparts are conducting the same smear campaign down there, now is the time for them to double-down. Everyone I know has already voted (for Obama).
For many reasons, your scurrilous attacks on Obama will also fail to resonate with Jews like myself in PA. For starters, Pennsylvanians have spent a long time becoming familiar with Barack Obama, and everything we’ve learned belies the mud you people are slinging. For every Jew I hear voicing reservations about Obama, there are 10 more asking where they can find a Hebrew Obama bumper sticker like mine. That’s why the attacks like the one that disgraced my mailbox yesterday reek of desperation.
Still, I’d like to discuss your mailer point by point.
Your mailer claims:
Obama says: HAMAS and Hezbollah have "legitimate claims." (David Brooks, Op-Ed, "Obama Admires Bush," The New York Times, 5/16/08)
David Brooks? Really? Okay, I’ll try to ignore the fact you’re taking PA voters for idiots by quoting an unabashed GOP tool. The OP-Ed you cite reveals that Obama discusses these "legitimate claims" in the context of the illegitimate means Hamas employs, which, as Obama notes, undermines their grievances. Most Israelis and American Jews understand that the conditions many Palestinians live under, regardless of the cause, are a tragedy. And most of us understand that Palestinians have a legitimate claim to the same rights we take for granted in the US.
As the Brooks editorial notes, Obama prescribes a foreign policy that "looks at the root causes of problems and dangers." What’s frightening to me as both an Israeli and an American is that McCain doesn’t recognize this as a necessity to conduct the US’s international affairs—especially in the wake of the disaster sowed by seven years of doing the exact opposite.
Your mailer claims:
Obama says: "I would" when asked if he would be willing to meet separately, without precondition, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea. (CNN/Youtube Democratic Party Presidential Candidate Debate, Charleston, SC, 7/23/07)
Good. Reason #1289 why I support Barack Obama.
Your mailer claims:
The Wall Street Journal said Barack Obama’s foreign policy "could strengthen Mr. Ahmadinejad." (Jay Solomon, "Obama Foreign-Policy Pledge Sparks Criticism from Rivals," Wall Street Journal, 3/26/08)
Excuse me, but Iran didn’t have control of Iraq until after the Bush/McCain boondoggle in Babylon. Nothing could strengthen Ahmadinejad more than the existing Bush foreign policy.
Your mailer claims:
"We don’t mind – actually we like Mr. Obama. We hope he will (win) the election..." HAMAS Political Advisor Ahmed Yousef (Mosheh Oinounou, "A Hamas Problem for Obama?" Fox News’ "Cameron’s Corner" Blog, foxnews.com, 4/16/08)
Some should advise your campaign to steer clear of this sort of specious guilt by association. The path down this road naturally leads to a rousing endorsement of McCain by the head terrorist in charge, Osama Bin Laden:
Inshallah, we’re looking forward to four more years of Bush policies with this McCain fellow. George Bush has been good for us and we think McCain could be even better. Imagine, he might even widen the war against us and persuade more shahids to join our cause. McCain, we wish you well in ‘08.
Your mailer claims:
The four years ahead are far too critical for global security to place the presidency of the United States in the hands of a leader whose campaign is leaving us with more questions than answers." (Former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Danny Ayalon, Op-Ed, "Who are You, Barack Obama?" The Jerusalem Post, 1/23/08
Spot on. Add that to the enormous list of reasons why I support Barack Obama.
Your mailer claims:
Jesse Jackson said of Barack Obama’s foreign policy, "Jackson believes that, although ‘Zionists who have controlled American policy for decades’ remain strong, they’ll lose a great deal of their clout when Barack Obama enters the White House." (Amir Taheri, Op-Ed, "The O Jesse Knows," New York Post 10/14/08
Now that’s just rich. The GOP’s receiving foreign policy cues from Jesse Jackson.
I understand that my correspondence will probably fail to convince you to take the high road during your final lurch, as the GOP descends into rigamortis over the next two days. Nonetheless, I’d like to end on a positive note: Thank you for convincing me to take off more work and pick up a few more canvassing shifts over the next three days (typical, lazy community organizeacrat that I am). It’ll be interesting to see how our ground game stacks up to your transparent and baseless junk mail this Tuesday.
Good luck!
I placed the letter in an envelope along with the mailer, which was marked up with the following:
They should receive my response on Election Day.