Frum people voting twice against Obama?
So my wife had a conversation with a woman who told her that her father voted twice for McCain; once under his English name, and once under his Hebrew name. She said that many frum people were doing this in the Chicago community.
Frankly, I think this has got to be some kind of mis-information. I'd hope that the election administrators have some way of weeding out people who try to defraud them, but then again...
Regardless of whether it is true or not, the fact that this woman was proud of this type of behavior is disgusting.
In general, this election showed me the depth of how much bigotry exists in this country. I had conversations around a Shabbos table with college educated professionals who basically espoused the belief that Obama would be a bad president solely due to the fact that he was black skinned.
Frankly, I think this has got to be some kind of mis-information. I'd hope that the election administrators have some way of weeding out people who try to defraud them, but then again...
Regardless of whether it is true or not, the fact that this woman was proud of this type of behavior is disgusting.
In general, this election showed me the depth of how much bigotry exists in this country. I had conversations around a Shabbos table with college educated professionals who basically espoused the belief that Obama would be a bad president solely due to the fact that he was black skinned.
posted by e-kvetcher at 7:03 AM
9 Comments:
I agree with you. I simply can't believe how Orthodox Jews have come under the influence of Fox News -Rush Limbaugh axis. I can't get my hands around the change from earlier generations where FDR, Harry Truman and Adlai Stevenson were Jewish heroes. Every MO Jew seems to be to the rght of Netanyahu.
At my shul, (which for all I know may be your shul as well) we've had one guy call another guy who is a Democrat a Jew-for-Jesus. This may be the most ironic thing I'd heard in a while given the fact that the same people accused Obama of being a Muslim, while not recognizing the influence of the Evangelicals on the Republican party.
But what the guy was trying to say is that if you vote for Obama you are a traitor to the Jews.
I am not old enough to know - were FDR,Truman,Stevenson heroes to the frum community as well as the non-frum?
>In general, this election showed me the depth of how much bigotry exists in this country
In this country? or did you mean to say the Orthodox Jewish community? In my neighborhood, people were literally dancing in the street most of Tuesday night
>In this country? or did you mean to say the Orthodox Jewish community?
I meant both. I don't think that it is limited to Ortho Jews.
>In my neighborhood, people were literally dancing in the street most of Tuesday night
That may be true. I don't think it represents many other places in this country. But like I said in the post, I can understand uneducated, "low-class" people being bigoted, but these are college educated professionals!
>I don't think that it is limited to Ortho Jews.
true, you may find the same happen in Mormon Communities and the like, but the majority of this country (especially the educated)doesn't have this problem. The proof is in the election results where Obama trounced McCain.
I was young at the time but as I remember it everyone in my extended Orthodox family voted for the Democratic candidates. Sen. McCarthy and HUAC were considered very dangerous. I remember the excitement when Eisenhower turned against McCarthy. I never knew anyone who thought social security and medicare was an infringement of liberty or some such nonsense.
One reason I keep on trying to say a good word for liberalism in politics and moderation in religion is an image that has remained in my mind all these years. I remember a now deceased Art Scroll gadol, walking down the street carrying a copy of the then very liberal New York Post under his arm. The gadol's children would say that the Post with a daily pinup (even then) is a shtick tinuf and totally forbidden.
I conjecture that this turn to the right started in the 70's after the '67 war and the collapse of the seriousleft because of idiots like the Weathermen and Abbey Hoffman.Charedim were threatened by hippie culture and until today associate liberalism with smut and promiscuity.(see my little exchange with R.Maryles 11/03)
My Israeli landlady treated me to a long and unironic rant about how an Obama win would be a tragedy for the US and for Israel- because all blacks (not the word she used) are bad people. (She proved her thesis with a story of a black woman who once took her seat on a bus).
Granted, she is above averagely bigoted, but she didn't even seem to understand why I might be shocked and disgusted by her sentiments. She chuckled when I backed away and said I didn't want to listen to this.
As somebody who vaguely opposed Obama for his economic policies and lack of experience, that little tirade made me want to vote Democrat for the rest of my natural existance.
I don't believe that this could have been that widespread. Is it that simple getting listed twice on the registration lists? Also remember that this is a felony - depending on the state a conviction can result in many years in prison.
I'd like to remind everyone that, as b. spinoza said, no matter how bigoted the U.S. is, we elected a black man by what essentially amounts to a landslide. so... you know. just saying.
also, it's a fine chicago tradition to vote early and often. how can anyone condemn orthodox jews for being staunch traditionalists? I thought that was our m.o.
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