Hamas/Gaza War Musings #35- Bibi's Foolishly Playing to the Democrats

We've all heard the saying that trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results is a definition of insanity and the most accurate way of describing Prime Minister Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu's security policies --how he ends wars--

That's why we're in the mess we've been in the past year plus. The mess is the war. We've been attacked every year or two since early into Bibi's reign as Israel's Prime Minister. I don't understand why so many, otherwise brilliant, people vote for him, trust him and politically worship him. Netanyahu has been giving us a 21st century appeasement policy.

We haven't won any of these wars; we just end them, first cousin to surrender. Bibi claims that "we showed the Arabs that we're stronger, can't push us around." Duh?!? It has never worked. If it's the right policy there wouldn't be fighting a dangerous war for Israel's survival since October 7, 2023. It's clear. I'm a CPA's daughter and 1+1=2. This isn't even Second Grade Arithmetic. Why are so many people dumb when it comes to politics?

And now I keep hearing that we're letting the Americans, those deceitful allies, sic, negotiate a deal/ceasefire with Hizbolla. Beyond insanity, these are the Democrats, the party of Obama, AOC, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Biden, who's no better than any of the others. 

The tough war savvy crew Donald Trump has been nominating is certainly horrified. Horrified because we're not showing any war smarts, none of the heroism Trump is old enough to remember well from 1967.

If I sound depressed, it's because I am depressed. IMHO Bibi is only making things worse. When Trump tells Israel to finish the war, he means WIN IT! 

I know what you want to ask me. "Who should replace Bibi?" Right? Honestly, I want to postpone elections as long as legally possible, because Israel can't afford raising the level of competition/disagreement/debate among citizens. If Netanyahu would only resign from all public offices, then the next in line in Likud would become Prime Minister. No elections needed.

Our soldiers are fighting hard, not only against Arab terrorists but also against some bad policies of the higher ups, those above the glass ceiling. Elections would cause too many internal fights.

I know that some people are certainly upset that I've written this. But I can't stay quiet, sorry. If you agree with me, please share this post, thanks. I'm looking forward to your comments, too.

Bernie Sanders is 100% WRONG!

The State of Israel envisioned by Leftists both here and abroad is one that wouldn't survive in the real world. It encourages, strengthens and plays in the hands of our unabashed enemies. Bernie Sanders, J-Street and all those others are horrendously and tragically wrong!

Sanders: One can be pro-Israel and rap its government

It doesn't matter one single iota that they claim to love Israel and be pro-Israel. It just makes their stand more dangerous and more tragic.

Israel is a tiny country surrounded by dangerous enemies which unabashedly proclaim their aim to destroy and replace the only Jewish country in the world. It is impossible, totally unrealistic, illogical to make peace with enemies like that.

Speaking before a conference held by J Street, a liberal Jewish American organization that primarily lobbies for a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians, Sanders said that "those of us who support Israel have got to tell the truth about policies that hurt the chances of a peaceful resolution." (Jerusalem Post)

Neither Israel nor the so-called "occupation," sic, is the cause for the tension and terrorism between Israel and her neighbors. Blaming Israel is a totally facetious antisemitic lie, even when said by Jews.

Anyone who reads the history of this part of the world can easily learn that the Jewish People have always had enemies that attempted to invade and destroy us. Yes, quite of few managed to occupy this land, the Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Turks etc., but none of them has ever destroyed us.

The Jewish People/Nation is among the oldest in the History of the World. We keep on returning to our Ancestral Homeland, and each time we must fight our enemies, a new one for each generation.  And, yes, Jews like Sanders and those in J-Street have always been around assimilated into foreign cultures and supporting our enemies.

We are now in the Jewish Month of Adar, and the Holiday of Purim is less than a couple of weeks away. Read the Purim Megillah and see that then most of the Jewish People occupied by Persia were very much like Bernie Sanders, celebrating the rise of King Achashverosh and ignoring the plans of Haman. The Jewish Mordecai had to infiltrate Ester into the royal palace to save the Jewish People.

Stop listening to those drunk on foreign, non-Jewish wine and values.

We must learn from history and not ignore it!

Chodesh Adar Tov!

Trump is Inching Ahead of Hillary, No Surprise!

abc news

Too many people have been claiming that Donald Trump is bad as the Republican Presidential Nominee, because he hasn't a chance in hell to win against Hillary Clinton. Well, if that's your best excuse against him, you had better look for another one.

Fox News Poll: Trump tops Clinton, both seen as deeply flawed candidates
Donald Trump tops Hillary Clinton in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, according to a new Fox News Poll that also finds majorities of voters feel both frontrunners lack strong moral values and will say anything to get elected.
Trump has a 45-42 percent edge over Clinton, if the presidential election were held today.  That’s within the poll’s margin of sampling error.  Last month, Clinton was up by 48-41 percent (April 2016). 

Personally, I am not at all surprised.

From the very beginning, the media and pundits have overwhelmingly underestimated Trump's appeal to American voters of all colors, socio- economic groups, stripes etc.

No doubt that history will call the American 2016 Presidential Elections, the voter rebellion or the rise of the anti-establishment candidates. The fact that Bernie Sanders of the Democrats has not only refused to concede defeat to Hillary Clinton, but actually is continuing to win primaries, and Donald Trump has totally mowed down every single Republican wannabe is a wake up call to all willing to listen.

American voters are disgusted with how the country is going down the drain, whether it's the legitimizing of illegals, outsourcing which is leaching jobs from America or the fact that they don't feel at all safe in public toilets with the now very flexible definitions of male and female.

With less than six months to the U.S. Presidential Elections, what's your prediction now?!?

Does Trump Have a Chance to Beat Hillary?

As we all know, all the experts, the pundits the poll mavins say that Donald Trump hasn't a chance in hell to beat Hillary Clinton, but please don't forget that until not that long ago, the same experts, the pundits the poll mavins were saying that Trump's candidacy hadn't a chance in hell and was no more than a joke.

How many times did we all see headlines claiming that NOW TRUMP WILL FALL/FAIL etc?

I have no insider information, and I don't even live in the United States, but I've been following politics since I was a little girl, back in New York in the mid-twentieth century.

One thing I've noticed over the many decades is how completely wrong "experts" can be as they inevitably project their own mindsets on others.

In many ways one should look at the Ronald Reagan political phenomena to understand Trump's popularity with ordinary Americans. Reagan, though he had left his acting career much earlier for politics, the Leftist media still did its best to portray him as a flaky actor without any real substance. Ordinary Americans, the "Silent Majority" and the the  Reagan Democrats, who were "disillusioned with the economic 'malaise' of the 1970s and the presidency of Jimmy Carter" surprised the pundits by voting Republican.

Trump is the antiestablishment candidate par excellence, and he may even attract some of the Bernie Sanders supporters who can't abide the thought of super-establishment carpetbagger Hillary in office. And also many of those Sanders supporters won't vote at all, since they find Hillary and the system uninspiring at best. Bernie's supporters may find that the more the Republican Party try to sabotage Trump the better he'll look to them. And that sabotage will also galvanize others who hate the Bush Machine to support Trump.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend" is an ancient proverb which suggests that two opposing parties can or should work together against a common enemy. The earliest known expression of this concept is found in a Sanskrit treatise on statecraft dating to around the 4th century BC, while the first recorded use of the current English version came in 1884.[1][2]...Wikipedia

Here in Israel there's a very long history of extremely inaccurate polls, so don't be surprised if Trump wins. Hillary is the candidate people are told to vote for so "there will be a woman in the White House," sort of like the awful tasting medicine one is forced to take to make them feel better, does not have much in the charisma department.

How Trump could beat Clinton

Six months is along time in politics....

Bernie Sanders: Vote for Him Since He's Jewish or Davka Don't?

When I was growing up, in the middle of the previous century in New York, the accepted "rule" was to support anyone Jewish, because we could trust Jews to do the best for us. And also, when voting in the Herut (prior to Likud primaries) I'd look for any female name on the list and vote for her, just because I wanted to support women in that bastion of male power politics. I've come a long way, baby, and now I'm most suspicious of Jews in politics/office, out of Israel, and I check out female candidates/wannabes as carefully as the males before giving them my vote.

And one thing I've learned when it comes to Jews trying to make it in foreign politics is that they overcompensate their Jewish identity by being extra-anti-Israel to prove that they are loyal Americans, Brits etc.

AP Photo/John Locher

I'm relieved that Bernie Sanders seems to be well out of the running for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, because Hillary has an unbeatable lead in delegates. As an Israeli, one who recognizes the historical and strategic importance of our Biblical Homeland, I was very suspicious and wary of Sanders's extreme radical ideology/politics, because his philosophical bedfellows support and identify with the Arabs here, not the Jews.

There is no doubt in my mind that Israel's capitulation and trust in America as a friend in 1973, which blinded our leaders here to the  then upcoming surprise Yom Kippur War was because Henry Kissinger, yes, a Jew, was Secretary of State for Nixon. The harrowing stories of those early days of the war show how close we were to defeat. The Nixon-Kissinger Government carefully allowed just enough additional arms to create a stalemate between Israel and Egypt, but Gd planned differently and enabled us to defeat Egypt and Syria. This caused great dispapointmt to Nixon and Kissinger who had planned on moving in as peacekeepers. The American army units were waiting in Europe since late that summer. Yes, although Israel was taken by surprise, the USA knew in advance!

And I've long since those innocent days in the early 1970's ceased to vote for "any female." I always supported Geula Cohen, may she live and be well, for her dedicated and consistent pro-Land of Israel politics, not because she was born with a womb. I davka consider voting for someone just because she is a woman is as sexist as voting against someone because of their sex. And voting for someone because he's black, asian or whatever is just as racist as voting against for the same reason.

Ture equality is looking at what's in the person, their achievements and ideology. We should never let sentiment get in the way of our voting choices!

Republicans More Pro-Israel than Democrats

My gut feeling about the antipathy and unreliability of the American Democrats towards the State of Israel is shown in the numbers in this article:

The US may offer Israel the ‘largest single pledge’ of military assistance in US history
Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Chris Coons were behind the letter, which was signed by 51 Republican and 32 Democratic senators*.
Republican presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz was one of the signatories, while Sanders was not.

And besides those numbers, don't forget that POTUS wannabe Bernie Sanders has not shown support for the bill.

I have no doubt that the timing of the bill is connected to the campaign, but the important thing to remember is that the two Democratic frontrunners are extremely problematic when it comes to Israel. It is beyond ambivalence or neutrality. Hillary Clinton has a long history of anti-Israel policies and statements. She also has some gevaltik pro-Israel (or good faker) speechwriters, so listening to Hillary talk, you'd think she's the epitome of pro-Israel, but it's an act. As the late President Ronald Reagan was known to say, "I don't know how someone not an actor can be President." (Sorry for the paraphrasing, but I haven't found the exact quotation online.)

And radical Leftist Bernie Sanders has shown and stated much more sympathy and understanding for the Arabs, even the Gazan terrorists, than for Israel and Israelis.

Just because they mantra over and over that they love Israel and are pro-Israel means nothing. It's just words! Think of abusers who claim "love" as they beat and punish their victims!

One thing, no doubt, is that the Republican frontrunners will be better for Israel than the Democrats, especially since the Bush Machine does not control them. I am very relieved that the grassroot Republican voters defeated the Bush Machine in the early primaries.

*emphasis mine

Bernie Sanders, More Radical Leftist than Jew

You can call Bernie Sanders a "mehadrin radical Leftist" and a shanda, too. And even though many Jews in the USA and Israel may find this hard to accept, he would not be good for Israel if elected President of the United States of America. And I don't know how good he'd be for the USA...

Radical anything isn't all that great. A good government cares for all. And even in the American "winner takes all" system, in which the Executive branch aka the president does not need to work with a formal coalition (the Israeli system,) most winners, regardless of their political philosophy,  find themselves moving towards the "center." For Sanders, that would probably leave him still well to the Left of Obama.  That's because Sanders is a strong dedicated ideologue, of a generation that takes its politics very seriously, like religion.

While the Carter, Bush, Obama and and other political families loved to show what dedicated churchgoers they are, we shouldn't expect that from Bernie Sanders. From what has been revealed about his religious allegiance, he lives neither as a Jew nor a Christian. As I said, his Radical Leftist ideology is his "religion." Sanders is so far removed from the Jewish American community and organizations, he hadn't a clue that his appointee as Jewish Outreach Coordinator, Simone Zimmerman would alienate him even further from mainstream Jewish America. Zimmerman’s anti-Occupation, pro-BDS stance got him less support form American Jews rather than more.

No doubt you know that I also don't want to see Hillary Clinton as United States President, and we all know that the Democrats have a pretty empty bottle of tricks this year. The only two wannabes are of retirement age.

That brings us to the other party, the Republicans. Now I know that most American Jews prefer breaking the Jewish Mitzvah of kashrut, only eating the permitted foods, but they are strict when it comes to "voting Democrat." I suggest they throw out their lobster and bacon and then try voting Republican, no matter who gets the nomination.

Negative Voting: They are All Crooks, Liars or Both! Part 1

I've reached a rather jaded stage in my following of politics, an occupation or hobby I've had for over half a century. There isn't a political party I support either here in Israel or in my native United States of America. If you read my political articles here (this blog,) you know that I don't vote in American Elections, although I'm not shy about blogging/writing my opinions. And I've reached the conclusion that if I was to vote in the 2016 Presidential Elections, I'd cast a "negative vote." That means that I'd vote for anybody but a Democrat. I'd vote Republican, not because I think a specific candidate is so great, but because as weak or rotten as the Republicans may be, the Democrats are a gazillion times worse.

credit

Photo illustration by Slate. Photos by REUTERS/Brian Snyder and iStock.

The two only Democratic frontrunners promote foreign policy, not only in terms of US-Israel Relations, but in general which I consider as bad for the world. Not only wouldn't either be any better than the present POTUS himself, but don't forget that Hillary was Obama's first Secretary of State and is responsible for some of his bad moves, when he was still on a learning curve. And Bernie has been on the extreme Left of the American political spectrum since POTUS was in diapers.

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

And although I've written some blog posts which could be perceived as pro-Trump, I really don't think he'd be all that different from Cruz would be if elected. My feeling is that in order to win, the Republican machine must rally around someone with a good chance, because otherwise the Democrats will just use the anti-Trump or whomever statements in their campaign later on. It will just backfire. A lot of time and money were invested in Bush III and some other losers who hadn't a chance in hell to win. The "machine" should have just done their campaigning as a national anti-Democrat campaign and let the wannabes fight it out without interference.

Many of my friends are hoping for a Cruz nomination. He has been making inroads in the primaries, and it would be easier for the Republicans to market him.

You may have noticed that I haven't mentioned much about ideology and platforms. It's more image and marketing and branding that really counts in politics and elections. So few politicians who make it to office end of keeping their promises. In Israel they claim that "it looks different from here." And I think a lot can also be blamed or credited to the "Yes, Minister" syndrome which humorously portrayed how little power the office holder/minister has versus his bureaucratic/permanent/civil service staff.

When I, bli neder (no vow,) write a Part 2, I'll tell you about the much more complicated Israeli political system.

Trump Should be Cheered by AIPAC!

Donald Trump. (photo credit:REUTERS)

As a long time American olah, immigrant in Israel, I just don't get the point behind the planned protests during Republican front-runner Donald Trump's appearance at AIPAC.

• First of all, it's rude and immature
• Second, it's a sign of closed-mindedness, Liberal not liberal...
• Third, it's a chillul Hashem, makes Jews look bad
• Trump's policy/statement about Israel is the most honest and sensible of all the candidates and top American officeholders I've ever heard!

Everyone knows that Trump's speaking style is to exaggerate and speak in headline grabbing ways. When it comes to his policies, they aren't what the headlines reported. 

And everyone knows that politicians lie and promise pretty much anything if they think it will give them more votes. When they finally get into office, they rarely keep their campaign promises. So I don't think that anyone should get so concerned about the Archie Bunker style talk. It's no more real than all those United States Presidents who had promised to support moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. 

The only topic Donald Trump has been rather quiet about has been Israel and the Middle East. He has admitted that the more facts he hears it's not easy to decide what he thinks. Trump hasn't repeated the usual mantras that make American Jews feel "loved." Considering that they are just "mantras," slogans --LIES-- that produce cheering crowds and not real policy, BIG DEAL. Why should American Jews keep on believing the same lies over and over again? 

Maybe if Trump is elected he'd spend more time on America's problems and keep out of my neighborhood. That would be nice. Because one thing for sure, whether Hillary or Bernie, it would be very bad news for the State of Israel!

Are Bibi's Days Numbered?

Miriam Alster/Flash90)

There are people all over the world trying to push Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu out of office. Now, it's not that I'm a great fan of his --I have just too many complaints-- but like most Israelis, there just isn't an alternative, neither on the Right or Left of the Israeli political spectrum. And if there's one truism that applies for any politician running for a nation-leading spot in this world, it's that when in office his/her supporters will be very upset and disappointed. Very few, whether in the USA or Israel or anyplace else keeps important campaign promises, especially when it comes to Israeli issues.

Barely a year had passed between Netanyahu's two most recent elections, and lots of pundits and politicians, especially the wannabes, have been predicting that his razor-thin majority of just 61 wouldn't/couldn't last even as long as his previous government. Well, so far they're wrong.

The members of Bibi's coalition seem to be sufficiently afraid of elections to keep the coalition going. And many actually prefer Netanyahu as Prime Minister much more than they'd like to see Herzog of Labor aka National Union as PM. Jeremy's Knesset Insider describes the situation very well in his My Weekend Perspective: The Key to Defeating Netanyahu is Phase 2.

One of the reasons that Israeli political party leaders are afraid of elections is that for decades already, certainly since 1977, the polls frequently underpredict the popularity of the Likud. And that is why we've seen Likud led coalitions for most of close to forty years. Also, in recent years Netanyahu has proven himself to be a very capable and wily politician. Again, I don't like his policies. I'm past disappointment, because I have seen too much. I heard him say, during the short time that Ehud Barak was Prime Minister, that he thinks a Prime Minister should be a Centrist, so ideology plays second fiddle to that. And what he calls Center I call Left. That mix does give him a national popularity which can't be denied. Remember that I'm an uncompromising unabashed Right wing extremist compared to most Israelis.

The Israeli Left has nobody who can be considered a national leader. They are trying to promote Moshe Kahlon and maybe Gideon Sa'ar. About Sa'ar, I don't think he's "hungry" enough for the climb to top office, and I don't know if he really wants to risk his marriage for it. Basically his wife, TV news presenter Geula Even, would have to curtail her career if he was to return to active politics.

There's an irony in one of the complaints about Netanyahu, his age. Although he may be approaching Israeli retirement age, he's still younger than the top contenders for the American presidency, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump.

POTUS- Does It Really Make a Difference for Israel?

As you may know already, although I greatly enjoy "punditing" about American presidential politics and elections, I've never voted in American Elections even though I do have a legal right. There are two major reasons for this.

• Having voted with my feet to live in Israel in the summer of 1970, just before what could have been my first chance to vote (at that time you needed to be 21) I've always felt that one should only vote in elections of the country one resides permanently.
• Considering the twists and turns from election platform to actual policy all Presidents make and the consistently anti-Israel policy/ideology of the State Department, I just don't trust any candidate with my vote. It doesn't matter who wins, the policies will never be what I want from America.

We've all heard the promises and faux sympathy and understanding from presidential wannabes, and we've all heard beautifully written, crafted and professionally performed speeches by visiting candidates and POTUS'es, and everyone with half a brain should know by now that it's all a sham. It's as fake as the wizard in The Wizard of Oz.

Dorothy confronting the "wizard"

Passengers aboard the "St. Louis." These refugees from
 Nazi Germany were forced to return to Europe after both
Cuba and the US denied them refuge. May or June 1939.
Photo: US Holocaust Memorial Museum credit

For reasons beyond my comprehension, American Jews still think that being and supporting the Democratic Party is more Jewish than Yom Kippur in some fokokt belief that FDR saved them from Russian pogroms, even though it's well-known that he sent escaping Jews back to the Nazi gas chambers. So your typical American Jew is debating between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. 

Hillary rewarding Suha Arafat's
anti-Israel lies

Hillary's claims and speeches are so far removed from the truth she should get two Oscars, one for acting and the other for screenwriting. 

And then there are those who will vote for anyone born Jewish without reading the fine print, so they want Bernie Sanders. And they consider Sanders' time as a volunteer on an Israeli kibbutz over half a century ago to be proof of his pro-Israel bonafides. There's only one problem with that and it's a biggee. Besides the fact that Sanders' policies vis a vis Israel are to the Left (meaning more pro-Arab) than even Hillary's, the kibbutz he stayed at was Kibbutz Sha’ar Ha’Amakim, one of the last to give up its worship of Stalin. Granted he has been understandingly silent about that in order to distance himself from that rather embarrassing detail. But it is a well-known fact that Sanders is on the far Left of the American political  spectrum. And in recent decades, the further Left the closer to the pro-Arab/Palestine sic manifesto.

I've been totally enjoying Donald Trump's trashing of the Republican machine, and quite a few people I respect and trust have told me in private (meaning I can't name them) conversation that they support him. Caroline Glick has come out in support of Senator Ted Cruz, if her opinion makes a difference to you.

In all honesty, I just don't know, because I don't trust anyone in politics. And there's one thing for sure, and that is the power of the State Department, which is very skilled at overriding the U. S. President. Besides Truman's demanding that the American U.N. delegate vote for a Jewish State, November 29, 1947, there haven't been many pro-Israel rebellions from the Oval Office. 

POTUS can encourage the State Department to go further Left, pro-Arab, but has one ever taken it to the Right when it comes to Israel?

What do you think? Comments welcome...

Bernie Sanders: Good for Israel or Jews?

For someone of my age who grew up in the United States, the idea that a Jew is now considered a "frontrunner" of sorts to be President of the United States is rather amazing. But as an Israeli for almost half a century, I look at it with different eyes.

Friends and family of mine in the states who feel about the issues, the "situation," in Israel as I do, don't vote Democrat. And I strongly doubt that they'd change their minds to try to put a Jew in the White House. Intelligent and idealistic people vote policy not "color," religion or "pride." The novelty of having a Jew as President of the United States is not enough of a reason to have an extreme Leftist who repeats the same anti-Israel mantras as Obama and the United Nations.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaking at a campaign fundraising reception at the Avalon Hollywood nightclub in Los Angeles, October 14, 2015. (David McNew/Getty Images/via JTA)

In all honesty, even though your typical assimilated America-first Jew will finally feel fully accepted and relieved to finally have a Jew holding top office, my priority is how he relates to the State of Israel and its very complicated simple* security issues.

Sanders own campaign site makes it clear that "evenhandedness" is a good way to describe his policies vis a vis Israel and the so-called Palestinians, sic.

Jewish Heritage: Bernie is Jewish, but he does not favor Israel over the Palestinians, nor does he otherwise let his religion influence his positions regarding the conflict.
Two-State Solution: Bernie believes that Israel and the Palestinians can, and should, peacefully co-exist, and that Palestinians should have a country of their own.
On Netanyahu & Iran: Bernie is not a big supporter of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and believes that diplomacy, not military action or economic sanctions, can keep Israel safe from Iran.

Many presidential wannabes convincingly mouth pro-Israel platitudes while running for office, but we haven't yet seen anyone change the traditional pro-Arab and anti-Israel policies emanating from the State Department.

And we must not forget that although Sanders doesn't deny being a Jew, his wife isn't and neither are their children. It's davka Donald Trump who has Jewish grandchildren...

*I changed the adjective to simple, because in all honesty, anyone who listens with even half an ear to what our Arab enemies unabashedly say know perfectly well that they are out to destroy us, and they have the support, financial and diplomatic of most of the world, especially the United Nations and the European Union.

Bernie Sanders and the Jewish Issue

Everyone who follows American politics knows perfectly well that a high percentage of Barack Hussein Obama voters chose him for one reason only:

"It's about time there's a Black man in the White House!"

Those voters honestly didn't care about his background, experience, platform etc. when choosing to vote Obama. And there are many Hillary Clinton supporters who are saying something very similar:

"It's about time there's a woman in the White House!"

So my question is:

Will there be any sizable number of voters saying  "It's about time there's a Jew in the White House?"

Do Americans want a Jew in the White House?

"Ninety-one percent of American voters say they're willing to vote for a Jew. Other statistics are less encouraging" (Salon.com)

Will they really accept one? Or will they davka vote for the opposing party or not vote at all?

"Regardless of what the polls say (and respondents are always capable of deceiving pollsters, whether by lying to them or themselves), there are plenty of early signs that Sanders’s background will be used against him. Back in June NPR host Diane Rehm confronted Sanders with the charge that he was a dual citizen of the United States and Israel, a conspiracy theory rooted in a baseless online rumor and has its roots in the old anti-Semitic canard that Jewish politicians can’t be loyal to non-Jewish countries." (Salon.com)

I'm old enough to remember well the hullabaloo when John F. Kennedy, a Catholic, was nominated by the Democrats for the Presidency. Many were convinced that his religion, non-Protestant, would make him unelectable. It could be one of the reasons the popular vote between him and Nixon was so close. Or could Nixon's Quaker background have also put him to a disadvantage and therefore cancelled out JFK's Catholicism?

I think there is a very big difference between saying they would accept a Jew in the White House or even vote for a Jew if he's running against the very controversial Donald Trump or anti-Muslim Black Ben Carson versus, davka, supporting a Jew, because they think "It's about time there's a Jew in the White House."

Carson received a barrage of backlash after telling "Meet the Press" on Sunday that he "would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation." He clarified on Monday, saying that he would support a Muslim president -- if he or she denounced their religion. (HUFFPOST)

Remember that non-Blacks, (white, oriental etc) voted for Obama because of his color, but I can't imagine any non-Jew making a point of voting for Sanders because of his religion.

And honestly, I don't think that time will bring more political options/possibilities for American Jews. Due to assimilation the percentage of active identifying Jews in the United States will only decrease, and all population studies show that Muslims will increase. That will strengthen antisemitism. The "land of the free and the home of the brave" will never fully accept Jews to all echelons of power.

The New "American Revolution," 2015/2016

Two hundred and forty 240 years after that first American Revolution, which carved out a new country populated mostly by a motley group of transplanted Europeans in an enormous continent far west of England and Europe, there's a new revolution taking place. The electoral system developed by those first revolutionaries in the 18th century didn't give too much power to ordinary citizens. Democracy as we know it did not exist then.

First of all, only men could vote. And there wasn't a direct vote for the President/Vice President ticket. And there certainly weren't primaries.  Today in the United States, the new president is inaugurated late in January, even though elections are held early November. Actually, the inauguration used to be in March. That's because each state had to vote first and then instruct its representative whom to vote for in the Electoral College. Only after the that stage was there an elected president.

The Electoral College is a process, not a place. The founding fathers established it in the Constitution as a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens.
The Electoral College process consists of the selection of the electors, the meeting of the electors where they vote for President and Vice President, and the counting of the electoral votes by Congress.
The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President. Your state’s entitled allotment of electors equals the number of members in its Congressional delegation: one for each member in the House of Representatives plus two for your Senators. (NARA)

Nowadays, the process remains, even though it's easy to count the popular vote within hours of closing the polling stations all over the country. In theory there can be a President who received fewer votes than the other candidate, because the Electoral College system awards only full amounts per state. To me this system is unwieldy and undemocratic. I don't understand why it still exists. But a change in the electoral system isn't the true aim of this post.

Bush III aka Jeb Bush

Hillary Clinton

I see this upcoming Presidential Election as a People's Revolution in the USA. The public is showing a strong disregard for mainstream, conventional politicians. A year ago, or even six months ago, all the pundits took for granted that the candidates/nominees would be Democrat Clinton II versus Republican Bush III. You can't get more conventional than those two. And even though Hillary Clinton is biologically female, from her ill-fitting pants suits to her policies her sex is irrelevant. And I'm referring to Bush III as Bush III, because it's so clear that if he wasn't a Bush, he would never be considered "presidential material."

Granted there's still more than a year left before the 2016 elections, but I don't know if besides being the only two candidates surviving a plague that wipes out all of the others, there's a chance that Bush III aka Jeb and Hillary will develop enough popularity to win enough primaries to get nominated.

Republican Donald Trump

Democrat Bernie Sanders

The conventional political pundits are still trying to predict the falls of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. Trump is no stranger to headlines and controversy, the builder is not an expert in building political machines. Sanders, on the other hand, is used to being considered on the ideological fringe as a politician and wasn't known nationally until after his campaign began gathering momentum.

The primaries system has given the American voters, the ordinary citizens, a power they never had before. And now in 2015, we see that they have rejected the political machines in both major parties.  Eight years ago, the Kennedy women anointed Barack Hussein Obama as Democratic candidate and pulled the political rug from under Hillary. That was the tipping point for Obama's success.

This year, ordinary citizens from the  the Right and Left have chosen their favorites, neither of whom have strong backing within their respective parties. And, yes, I do consider this revolutionary, The New "American Revolution," 2015/2016.

The 2016 Presidential Elections are sure fun to blog about!

The Rise of the Dark Horses, Trump and Sanders, American Presidential Hopefuls

As a longtime observer of political machinations, I'd say that this latest upcoming American Presidential Elections is among the most entertaining so far. Two of the most unlikely candidates/hopefuls, one from each end of the political spectrum are doing better than anyone could ever have expected.

Maybe I should call this piece "Against All Odds." Who would have thought that Donald Trump would be trumping the Republican establishment?

With all the bad press he gets for saying what people think, but professional politicians wouldn't dare mouth, he is attracting support. At this stage of the campaign with just under a year and a half before actual elections, there are two things this signifies, when looking at the poll chart above. One is that there are an awful lot of hopefuls, and the other is that none seem to be very popular. Trump polled 15%, and another five between 9-11%, which shows a very divided Republican public.

Unlike Jeb Bush, who for most is just another Bush, Trump has a strong, though eccentric "brand name," known, not only in all areas of the United States, but all over the world. Many people are attracted to Trump because of his massive financial success, of which he reminds people 24/7 by naming his buildings, hotels, developments etc after himself. "Modest" and Donald Trump just don't go together.

Donald Trump is the unabashed Right of the Republicans.

His nemesis is Bernie Sanders who is from the radical Left of the Democrats. It is said that he has moved to a more moderate stand over the decades. When Sanders first announced his candidacy, many people reacted with "Who?" And even now, when he's coming up second to Hillary Clinton, people aren't quite sure where he stands on some issues. And just in case you're curious. I wouldn't support or vote for him just because he's Jewish. His stance on the Left of the political spectrum does not mean that his policies vis a vis Israel would be good IMHO. Actually, most of the American Left, including Jews, harbor opinions dangerous to the security and continued existance of the State of Israel.

It seems that after over six years of Barack Hussein Obama as POTUS, the American people want someone as different as different can be. And I'd say that both Trump and Sanders fit that bill. That doesn't mean that they have a chance to get their party's nomination. But they are certainly adding some needed spice and fun to the campaign season.

This is just the "starter" of the American Presidential Elections; there will be lots of news and changes and surprises by the time it is over in November, 2016. Hold onto your hat; I expect a very bumpy ride for the USA.