Degree of difficulty

Spandex clad athletes competing in skating, diving or gymnastics are rewarded when the degree of difficulty of their signature routine is greater than others. Impressed broadcasters praise a performance because of an extra twist, flip or somersault. After all, over two thousand years ago Roman statesman Cicero said, “The greater the difficulty, the greater the glory.”

With less than two weeks to go in the 2024 Presidential contest former President Donald Trump has pulled even or maybe ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris. Kudos to the American electorate who are now rewarding Trump for overcoming the many impediments thrown his way and for his indefatigable tenacity. He wisely selected for his vice president JD Vance who also proved he could overcome adversity. Trump-Vance have plowed ahead, overcoming more challenges than any other presidential team has ever had to face.

President Trump has had to endure two hoax-based impeachments, two assassination attempts, multiple lawfare battles wherein he was mistreated, and the never-ending defamation advanced by the combined horsepower of the media. The Democrat’s use of the hyperbolically hateful term “Hitler” has not been invoked so often for anyone other than Hitler himself. The opprobrium is offensive for someone with Jewish grandchildren and for someone who has so helped the Jewish people. We only need to consider the Democrat Party’s desperation and make a contrast to how Trump’s opposition receives preferential treatment.

In the 2016 election, the Hillary Clinton campaign’s Steele Dossier Russian conspiracy travesty was treated with the utmost seriousness by the Democrat Party and was reinforced by mainstream media. Late in the 2020 race to the White House, fifty-one former “intelligence” officials erroneously testified that Hunter Biden Laptop was Russian interference attempt, and the FBI retreated from pursuing the case. A raft of questionable trials occurred with admittedly prejudiced judges affecting the cases. As an example, Leticia James, New York Attorney General, said as part of her campaign, “Oh, we’re going to definitely sue him. We’re going to be a real pain in the ass. He’s going to know my name personally.”

Donald Trump served as President for four years, and his multi-faceted achievements are more impressive because he had to govern while distracted by the above issues. He fought successfully with one hand tied behind his back. The 2024 voters are answering for themselves that they were better off with Trump in office than with Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. Harris has struggled to rationalize and deflect attention from her role, or the lack of a role, during the four years of the Biden Administration. She can’t duck the worsened economy, international unrest, border mayhem, and crime.

Jewish voters, and all voters who care about the safety of Israel, ought to identify with Trump’s plight. After all, Jews make up about 0.2% of the world’s population and Israelis about half of that. Israel continues to receive a wildly disproportionate amount of the world’s animus and Jews worldwide are victims of antisemitism. Israel, too, is surrounded by enemies and must constantly defend herself against unfair charges in the world’s judicial courts, courts of public opinion and governing bodies. Sounds like Trump and Israel have lots in common.

For competitor Kamala Harris, let’s look at her powderpuff leapfrogging into the 2024 Presidential contest. In the 2020 presidential primary contests she was the first to drop out. Then Joe Biden, following a DEI criterion for a VP, announced he wanted to select a woman of color. Kamala Harris checked the diversity boxes and brought with her an extremely progressive virtue signaling curriculum vitae. What Biden missed was her lack of a work ethic, intellectual agility, and likeability. Before this presidential run she was an underwhelming, far-Left backbench Senator who missed over 55% of her votes. And before that, well, ask Willie Brown and Nancy Pelosi.

In the summer of 2024, there was a quirky palace coup elevating Harris to replace and effectively retire an obviously flagging Joe Biden. Biden avoided a 25^th Amendment boot and Harris sidestepped any kind of primary competition due diligence. This unusual circumstance allowed the Democratic Party machinery to bypass the normal process, and Harris skipped the scrutiny that might have revealed her deficiencies and extreme politics. All in all, she went from warming the bench in the Little Leagues to playing in the World Series. She also chose Tim Walz for her vice president, passing over Jewish candidate Josh Shapiro who might have shed light on her inadequacies.

In the last desperate stages of her campaign, Harris has dragged out former Presidents Obama and Clinton, and their wives. Jews ought to recall that Barack Obama is the quintessential backstabber of Israel.  And let’s contrast Michelle’s icy silence about Israeli women raped by Hamas to her outrage over Boko Haram’s rampage in Nigeria. While Hillary Clinton, still suffering from an eight-year bout of TDS, now sees Trump’s use of Madison Square Garden as a recreation of a 1940 pro-Nazi rally. She forgot that her husband Bill accepted his nomination there in 1992. A more relevant historic reference for Hillary would be the very successful collaboration with Zionist Peter Bergson (AKA Hillel Kook) and Ben Hecht to raise awareness about the Holocaust with a pageant WE WILL NEVER DIE in Madison Square Garden in 1943. It was another time when the Jews were alone, and when they were poorly represented by progressive Rabbi Stephen S. Wise. Ultimately, Democrat President Roosevelt abandoned the European Jews. Sound familiar?

For Jewish voters who are still troubled by some of President Trump’s rougher edges, they ought to consider the hot war being fought in the Middle East. In these final days of the election, Israel is in the air retaliating against Iran’s provocations, and her soldiers are fighting and dying in Gaza and Lebanon to defeat the Iranian proxies hell bent on her destruction. With Trump as president, many doubt the war would have ever begun. Trump’s support would certainly have been more forceful than Biden’s avuncular “don’t.”

Do any Jewish voters still think that the waffling candidate Kamala Harris, an Obama acolyte, is the better Commander-in-Chief alternative? For four years President Trump delivered on his promises to Israel. He kept America safe and prosperous. Donald Trump is a tough guy who can handle the difficult situations, and you want him on our side.