My dad is awesome

[chanaleh]

Yeah, I voted this morning, OK? Took just under an hour. But I have a better story to tell.

Yesterday afternoon, when I checked my cellphone around 5:30pm, it showed three missed calls from my dad over several hours, without leaving any messages. (tapuz: "Crap! Is he okay?" Me: "Well, that was my first thought...!") So I called him back.

Why was he trying to reach me?

He had recently finished reading Obama's book (The Audacity of Hope), and the thing that was still weighing on his mind was, what is Obama's stance on Israel? "I can't seem to find a clear answer," he said. "So I called to find out from you what the conventional wisdom is."

I told him that the reason he can't find a clear answer is that there isn't one -- that it's a rather murky question, with editorial arguments coming down on both sides! That the "conventional" conventional wisdom seems to be "Obama is a threat to Israel," and that some otherwise-Democratically-aligned people are sticking with McCain purely on the good-for-the-Jews angle. But that I have also heard impassioned arguments as to why Obama is actually pro-Israel, and that most of the [liberal, Jewish] people I know, myself included, are not letting the possible controversy diminish their support for him.

And we proceeded to have a 25-minute conversation wherein he laid out his grave and heartfelt concerns about the current election and the outgoing ("I've voted Republican since I was 18, but...!") administration.

I was just so impressed. I'm still marveling at it.

Also, I emailed him the following links afterwards:

http://www.jewsobamaisrael.com/ (this is someone I know from my synagogue, and she gives a bunch more links on the topic)

From YNetNews: Obama better for Israel; Israel needs active US peace-making involvement, not empty expressions of solidarity

From the New York Sun: "Mr. Obama's commitment to Israel, as he has articulated it so far in his campaign, is quite moving..."

From Haaretz: Obama supports Israel. Period.

Conversely: from Arutz Sheva, an Israeli news source with a known conservative political slant: Arab-American Activist Says Obama Hiding Anti-Israel Stance

... I've been kind of in the camp of "ready for all this narishkeit to be over" for some time now. But I'll duly be showing up at gedalia's at some point later tonight, after I get some work done at home, hopefully to see history being made.

ETA: Or, on second thought, maybe I won't, as I suddenly seem to be feeling rather more crappy and running a low-grade (99.5F) fever. :-P I've had this cold/cough for nearly 2 weeks; it ought to have run its course by now, surely? ... But at least we made it to Ben & Jerry's for our free cones before I started feeling it.

Comments

Re: your current music

[msmidge.livejournal.com]

Sam's been saying "O-O-Bama!"

Re: your current music

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

The music is to the tune from Jesus Christ Superstar. ;-)

Behind us in line this morning was a patient young dad with 2.5-year-old daughter in tow. He kept up a running conversation, trying to keep her distracted and settled in her stroller... and she kept asking where was Barack Obama, when were they going to see Barack Obama? SO CUTE.

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

I haven't really researched Barack Obama's positions on the Middle East and Israel, but McCain's supporters have certainly been spreading FUD in at least two ways. First, they're alleging that he's some kind of "closet Muslim," which, as far as anyone can tell, is an outright fabrication. Second, they keep quoting his full name as "Barack Hussein Obama", in an effort to (1) make him sound Arab and/or Muslim again (ooooh, scary!) and (2) to create an association in peoples' minds with Saddam Hussein, the deposed former dictator of Iraq. Any time they're grasping at those kinda straws, you know they don't have anything of substance they can go on.

[avram]

Of course, this question is complicated by the fact that the noisiest faction in the US on matter relating to Israel says "pro-Israel" when they mean "anti-Palestinian". (And sometimes "anti-Arab" and "anti-Muslim".) "This candidate is anti-Israel" is generally code for "This candidate doesn't hate Palestinians enough."

toddlers and politics

[msmidge.livejournal.com]

Sam apparently got mad that the TV was tuned to news when he wanted Tom & Jerry, so he said, "NO OBAMA!"

[magid.livejournal.com]

Refuah shlaimah.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

I didn't know what to say beyond "oh, cool, good for you" but then I saw this picture:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v13/fakeplasticlove/obama/pretty11.png

(in this photoessay, from 'Chapter Fifteen" http://adinfinitum.livejournal.com/235775.html)

And I had to link you to it.

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

Is that the Kotel?? Oh right, I heard something about him going there. :-D

P.S. the photo essay makes me laugh and cringe just a wee bit, but I like it.

BARACK ON!

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

The photo essay is pure fangirl joy, and deliberately over the top, so, yeah, it made me both cringe and squee too. :)