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“Why is he here?” is the question that Jewish Federation fundraiser Ellen Sarnoff told the New York Times everyone was asking in anticipation of Mayor Bloomberg’s pro-Barack Obama speech in front of a Jewish audience in Boca Raton, Florida last Friday. “Is it to endorse Obama and make nice with the Jewish community here? Or is it to endorse McCain?”
The confusion apparently stemmed from the fact that Michael Bloomberg, who had once been a Democrat but has since opted for being an independent after a brief status as a Republican, apparently came to Palm Beach County to buttress support for Barack Obama. Speaking before a breakfast meeting of about 200 people at the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, where he apparently is well admired, Bloomberg sought to quiet and put to bed rumors that Barack Obama was secretly a practicing Muslim.
“Let’s call those rumors what they are—lies,” Bloomberg said. Referring to rumors that Obama is a Muslim, he said, “This is wedge politics at its worst, and we’ve got to reject it—loudly, clearly, and unequivocally… Of all people, we know how hurtful these forces can be. We know the evils they can stir up and the violence they can inflame.”
I don’t know for sure, but it seems to me that if there had been any Muslims in attendance at the Boca Jewish Community Center where he spoke, they would have had a reason to be offended. Was Mayor Mike trying to say that ipso facto if Barack Obama was indeed a follower of Islam then the Jewish People would justifiably have what to fear? If so, then it is highly ironic, because in light of the very public anti-Israel comments that have been made over a 20-year period by Obama’s reverend and mentor, Jeremiah Wright, it would seem that Israel-loving Jews would have more reason to be wary of the brand of Christianity that Obama and his reverend have apparently decided to endorse.
Mayor Bloomberg, moreover, who—as the writer for the Times pointed out—rarely makes allusion to his faith, did so pointedly by referring to “our people” while cautioning his audience not to resort to labels unfoundedly. He failed to explain, however, how simply categorizing Barack Obama as a practitioner of his father’s faith would in and of itself “be hurtful” or “stir up evil.” Was the slightly demagogic mayor simply trying to lecture the Jews of the Sunshine State on how to be good people?
The mayor, who said that he has yet to endorse either side, told his audience that he would “speak out against intolerance for both candidates.” Again, however, he failed to adequately explain how deeply held suspicions by voters could constitute “intolerance” per se or articulate what possible intolerance against the Republican presidential candidate he was referring to. If Bloomberg was referring to Senator McCain’s age, then I am sure he could have chosen many less tolerant venues in which to do his preaching, because the state of Florida is probably close to being the senior citizens capital of the world.
So if Mayor Bloomberg has not decided yet to support either candidate, what was his purpose for being in Florida? Rumors have been circulating that Mayor Bloomberg is trying to get himself selected to be on the ticket as vice-presidential candidate for either Barack Obama or John McCain. Although the gregarious yet sometimes pugnacious mayor was trying to appear bipartisan before his Florida audience, by specifically gearing his speech toward whitewashing any damage that may have been caused to the reputation of Barack Obama during the primary process, he left little to the imagination about which side he is leaning toward supporting.
Moreover, if Bloomberg’s appearance before a crowd that overwhelmingly approved of him in the critical swing state of Florida was not set up by Barack Obama’s campaign team, then it was a highly strategic maneuver by the mayor to have himself seen as an important asset to have on board with either candidate. There is a strong possibility that it was a not-so-subtle message to John McCain that he’d better get Bloomberg on board soon, before Bloomberg gets a call from the Obama camp.
For Mayor Bloomberg to accept an invitation to join the Democratic ticket would not be a major surprise, since he was, for most of his life, a Democrat. In some ways, moreover, his short yet successful career in politics has echoed the sentiments of “change” that the Obama camp has been promoting, being a billionaire businessman who supposedly entered politics not for personal status or aggrandizement (or salary—he works for $1 per year) but in order to effect substantive change in the way government works. He undoubtedly has met with a good measure of success, having been elected to a double term as mayor.
In many ways, Mayor Bloomberg can be seen as the ideal candidate for Barack Obama to select as his partner on the ticket. This is because by being Jewish—but not too Jewish—Bloomberg could have a powerful effect in offsetting the damage that has been already caused to Obama’s reputation by the Jeremiah Wright debacle and by his recent backtracking from remarks that he made to the AIPAC conference that were wholly supportive of Israel.
In addition, Mike Bloomberg’s upbeat, engaging nature seems to fit in well with the Democratic nominee’s plans to engage bellicose nations like Iran and Syria in dialogue. Unlike his predecessor Rudolph Giuliani, who refused throughout his eight-year tenure to speak with Al Sharpton, Mayor Bloomberg has rendered himself virtually at Sharpton’s beck and call and has met with him at City Hall on numerous occasions.
Bloomberg has also been somewhat apologetic for ousted Khalil Gibran Academy principal Debbie Almontaser after she was fired, stating that she gave a reasonable explanation of why she refused to condemn the wearing of a T-shirt by a student extolling the use of the word “intifada.” Buttressed to some degree by Bloomberg’s notions of “free speech,” Almontaser later sued and lost, her case recently being dismissed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on the grounds that as an employee of the public-school system she was not entitled to unrestricted free speech.
The Almontaser case, however, was not the first or only time that Mayor Bloomberg has resorted to notions of free speech to defend what seems to be the rearing of the head of radical Islam in the city’s administration. In early 2006, the chief chaplain for the New York City Corrections Department, Imam Umar Abdul-Jalil, made a remark in a speech before a group of Muslim students that “the greatest terrorists in the world occupy the White House” as well as taking a shot at the “Zionists in the media.” Bloomberg permitted Mr. Abdul-Jalil to keep his $76,000-per-year taxpayer-funded job—despite the fact that there are more converts to Islam from the prison system than anywhere else and that Mr. Abdul-Jalil was probably feeding them with hate-filled rhetoric, as well. Ironically, the mayor just a few weeks earlier, after a trip to Albany, had arranged for a city employee working in the state capital to be fired for committing what many would consider to be the much more innocuous infraction of playing a game of solitaire on his government computer.
If it has been Bloomberg’s style to insulate city employees who spout religious venom at the country and government which employs them, one can only imagine what kind of Teflon coating he would apply to Barack Obama, who for 20 years tolerated the hateful invective of Jeremiah Wright, who was certainly exercising his free-speech rights.
Bloomberg’s game of political “hot potato” with the candidates that he supports would likely make him an ideal match for Barack Obama, who seemed to have difficulty within a two-day span a few ago deciding whether he was for Jerusalem’s being the undivided capital of Israel or against it. If selected to become Barack Obama’s running mate, Mayor Bloomberg, through his support of Israel, will give the Democratic candidate the extra credibility that he needs among Jews to be able to have a strong chance in winning the key states of New York and Florida. In fact, with the vivid recollection by Democrats of the disaster that occurred in Florida in 2000 that many believe cost Al Gore the presidential election, he may be already considered indispensable.
Lawrence Kulak is a freelance writer and an attorney. He can be reached at craniumrust@yahoo.com. ♦
1 - Posted on 6/29/2008 2:41:08 PM
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Every individual has the option to vote for whomever he wishes for, it's in the constitution.
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by Anonymous |
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2 - Posted on 6/29/2008 2:41:51 PM
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Yemach Shemo!!! Al Tiftach Peh Lasatan
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by Anonymous |
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3 - Posted on 6/29/2008 2:42:18 PM
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many yidden like Obama, and will vote for him, many like McCain and will vote for him, it's a free country.
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by Anonymous |
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4 - Posted on 6/29/2008 2:42:44 PM
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If a Yid votes for Osama Uh Uh Uh Barack Hussein Obama they should have thier yichus checked 'cause they aint too smart!
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by Anonymous |
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