Why I´m Voting Obama

I´m a Jew, I´m a Zionist, and I am supporting Barack Obama for President.

I am voting for Obama because I truly believe that Obama’s interests serve my interests, the nation’s interests and Israel’s interests in the best possible way.  This election is a choice between two very distinct paths.  Forgetting even liberal and conservative agendas, as a Jew, as an American, a Zionist, as a woman, hell, as a human being, I cannot support anyone else but Barack Obama.

Romney’s economic policies just don’t add up. Trickle down, at one time, may have been a sound economic policy to run a nation on but the politics and economics of greed have taken over. Those with the power to create jobs through favorable tax conditions are not creating jobs in America, they are taking their money and putting it offshore or creating jobs where wages are significantly lower. It is no longer trickle down, it is trickle out. The only way to bring America back to it’s strongest position is through a strong and expanding middle class.  In order to do that America needs innovation and new industry not the business as usual of the Banks and Wall Street walking all over the rest of us.

While Romney and the Republicans may make more sweeping statements and offer grand gestures to Israel, while they may be a better friend to Bibi Netanyahu, support for Israel is more than a sum total of huge statements and gestures.

Sure, I wished that Obama would have demonstrated more outward support toward Israel, but his support is 100% there where it counts.  It´s been there with economic aid, in supporting the Iron Dome system, in blocking the Palestinians’ unilateral declarations of statehood and in standing by Israel with Iran by pushing for tougher sanctions. Many are blaming Obama for not doing more, and yes, he could have done more but at the same time since Israel’s existence, there have been US Presidents with stronger ties to Israel through the decades, but even the ones who were considered the best friends to Israel were not able to solve Israel’s numerous issues in the region.  Even Clinton, who pushed the peace process the furthest it had been since the Camp David Accords, was not able to broker a final deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

While I know many Jews within Israel (both American/Israelis and others) are highly critical of Obama and feel that Romney will be a more pro-Israel President.  Beyond grand statements on the campaign trail, I don´t see where Mitt Romney´s vision and values share anything in common with those of Israel.  He is at best controversial and at worst dead set against issues like abortion, women´s rights, immigration and equal opportunity for all, to say nothing of his Church´s baptizing Jews after death.    Beyond the rhetoric I find it so difficult to see how it is that Jews are supporting Mitt Romney at all, much less to see that beyond winning Jewish votes, Mitt Romney has any real allegiance toward Israel.

Sure there is the whole Muslim Brotherhood thing with Obama.  I still yet have to see one ounce of legitimate proof that Obama supports the Muslim Brotherhood. A commenter recently told me that there is proof that Obama has, since the start of his Presidency, had representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood at the White House more than 100 times.  That would be once every two weeks for the past four years.  I´m no math major but that, on it´s face is impossible.

I don´t think Obama is perfect, I don´t think Obama has handled Israel perfectly but it´s the hardest freaking job in the world.  Bush didn´t handle the job perfectly and neither did Clinton and neither did any President leading back to George Washington.

For me, ultimately I feel that the best America for Israel is one where America is in a strong economic position and that means one where the pursuit of happiness means equality of opportunity for everyone in the nation, not only the privileged few. Not just for the rich, not just for the native born, not just for men.

Economically, politically and ethically I cannot support any other candidate than Barack Obama.