McCain and Palin on campaign trail
Photo: AP
Barack Obama
Photo: AFP
Good morning America
Obama victory would signal America’s desire to shake off evangelical belligerence
The slavery in America is one of the darkest stains of the modern Western world. It is a moral debt that cannot be erased, but rather, can only be repaired and healed. A long and bloody civil war was needed 150 years ago in order to announce the abolishment of slavery. Another 100 years had to pass before the civil rights movement put an end to racial segregation and oppression under the auspices of the law. However, only now we may be able to officially announce that the circle has been closed.
Voting Republican
Survey finds 46% of Israelis would vote for Republican nominee if given chance to elect US president; Democrat Barack Obama receives 34% of votes. Almost half of those polled believe McCain would better impact Jewish state
There is a great difference between the various phases: In the 1860s, an immense federal army was required in order to defeat the states that supported slavery. In the 1960s, the establishment’s security forces enforced their authority in the racist south. However, on Tuesday, millions of Americans headed to the polling stations to elect a black president out of their free will.
Force had been replaced by faith, hope, and love even. This is a truly poetic historical moment. One needs to be a great paranoid, or just a smalltime racist, in order not to be touched by it.
Two days ago, I met an acquaintance who holds American citizenship. “Did you vote already?” I asked her. “I’m going right now,” she replied. “To the embassy?” I wondered. “No,” she said as her eyes were glittering. “I’m going home.” I was surprised to hear she was traveling all the way to California, which has been a longtime Democratic hub. “My vote won’t make a difference, but I want to be part of history,” she explained.
Meanwhile, a family friend who visited us three weeks ago showed off her ballot, which she was about to send via air mail. I think I saw her kissing the envelope.
Obama is a gifted campaigner. However, more than this is needed in order to explain the emotions he stirs, the scope of the enlistment in his favor, the legions of volunteers, and the donations. The groups he brings together – elites, liberals, the urban middle class, workers, young people, minorities, immigrants – represent an America that wishes to shake off evangelical belligerence and return to the right path. This is great news, and not only for the United States.
It is a little embarrassing to see that Israel is among a delusional handful of countries where Obama prompts reservations, while McCain and Palin enjoy the support of the majority. In a huge global poll undertaken by The Economist, Israel is in good company with Algeria, Congo, and Iraq. It would be worthwhile for Israelis to peek out of their fortified and ethnocentric ghetto where they insist on closing in; at the very least, they can replace it with walls of hope.
