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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
January 8, 2008
1 Shevat 5768
President Obama? At the very least, he's certainly no race huckster — and that's why they haven't embraced him
By
Michael Goodwin
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
"Let's go change the world" is the battle cry of Barack Obama's inspiring stump speech, and his army of supporters is on the march. Like their leader, they are young and idealistic, determined to shape a new political order. Hear him talk, hear them roar and you quickly get the point. Theirs is not a political campaign. It's a movement, a revolution, a crusade even.
His Iowa troops turned out in record numbers, 100,000 more than in 2004, shattering the predictions that only veteran caucusgoers would show up to support Hillary Clinton or John Edwards. Obama even beat Clinton among women and among those who view health care as the top issue, her supposed political safety net.
Unless Obama screws up before Tuesday, the Iowa bounce should carry him to victory in New Hampshire. The hardest part in the race for the nomination would be over. His dream, their dream, is in sight.
And so, just as clearly, are the questions. Is America ready for that much change? Is America ready to elect a black President? Yes — and maybe.
Start with the dramatic change Obama vows, the coin of the realm now in both parties. The Bush years have few friends, yet Clinton cautiously positioned herself as a bridge between them and the future. But voters don't seem to want halfway measures, and suddenly the entire rationale for her candidacy is on life-support.
Her experience has become a liability in the current climate, which Obama helped to create with his powerful orations and clever arguments. The "Change We Can Believe In" signs at his events exploit the doubts about her — the trust issue — while also attacking her claim that she is a change agent. He argues that her experience has proven only that she has bad judgment. He compares her with George Bush. Ouch.
He has used the same jujitsu on her pitch to return to the days of the Clinton presidency, reminding voters she was central to the rancid partisanship that continues to divide us. Who wants that again, he asks?
Even Edwards, an Obama threat because he splits the anti-Clinton vote, could ultimately help him. Iowa was probably Edwards' high-water mark, and when he gets out of the race, Obama will get most of his support.
Those are the political logistics, but there is still the question of whether Obama's youth — he's 46, Clinton is 60 — and his inexperience will get in the way. They won't, provided he doesn't get wacky or careless under the pressure of being the front-runner.
So far, his charisma and the enthusiasm of his supporters have given him license to be vague. He has used the freedom to push the envelope, saying, for example, he would talk without conditions to Iran and North Korea. It looked like a gaffe at first, and any other candidate would be pilloried. He got away with it because it proved he would be different. He has to be careful, though, that being different doesn't suggest he's dangerous.
Which leaves the racial question. Is America ready to demolish that taboo?
It's a huge hurdle, higher than the one Clinton presents in trying to become the first female President. But I believe that if Obama is the nominee and if the country wants big change in November as much as it does now, Obama can shatter that barrier, too.
Part of the reason is that race is not central to his identity or campaign. That he is of mixed race and a product of top schools — Columbia and Harvard — is reassuring to many whites, probably more so than to blacks, who have been slow to warm to his candidacy.
Obama has used that to his advantage, too. Unlike Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, race men to their cores who have not embraced him, Obama has run a campaign based on unity, not interest-group grievance. He talks of national hope and healing ideological divides, which include race, but are not limited to it. He seamlessly evokes the great moments of American history, from Valley Forge to Selma, without drawing distinctions among us. In his words, the civil rights triumphs belong to all of us.
Sure, it's a bit sappy and might even be a mirage. But for now, Obama is offering the kind of distinctly American Dream that only rarely appears in politics. In his hands, it might just have the power to change the world.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and the media consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Michael Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the New York Daily News. Comment by clicking here.
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