UJC GA Highlights Jewish Community's Rift On Bush
The JTA reports,
Shoshana Cardin dismayed some members of the audience — and delighted others — with her prepared remarks on the challenges the Jewish community faces under the Bush administration.
“There is a contradiction between our agenda and the Republican sweep,” said Cardin, a past president of the federation system and of JTA. “The struggle to adapt to an agenda that is as Christian” as the Republican agenda, she said, “is our struggle.”
She also said Bush’s comments in his first news conference after re-election, when he pledged to “reach out to all who share my goals,” were troubling.
“That doesn’t exactly include me,” Cardin said in her remarks Monday. “To reach out means to all, not only to those who share his goals.”
Cardin’s speech was one of two clear ripples the presidential election sent through the United Jewish Communities’ General Assembly, held Nov. 14-17 in Cleveland.
The second controversy, over whether to send President Bush a letter congratulating him on his election victory, was further proof that the Jewish community hasn’t completely come together in support of the administration a few weeks after a bitterly divisive election.
Don’t forget to read the line following the blub jewschool posted…..
Cardin is a registered Democrat, but she told JTA that she voted for Bush because she believes he understands the importance of the war on terrorism and has the strength to wage it.
Cardin makes her strongest point just reminding us of Bush’s pledge to “reach out to all who share my goals.” Anyone insightful enough to spell out exactly what those goals are? Heavy on the specifics, and go easy on the vague platitudes like “freedom on the march,” please.
That was me up there at 11/21/04 08:30am. The anonymity was unintentional.
I think Cardin’s letting the left’s scaremongering distort her perceptions.
On Bush’s own websiite, it says:
“President Bush’s goals include strengthening the nation’s public schools, reducing taxes for all taxpayers, strengthening the military, saving and improving Social Security and Medicare, and encouraging Americans to be responsible citizens.”
More specifically, I think we can look forward to a foreign peace policy that rewards democratic states over dictatorships, and a domestic policy that encourages more competition in education, and encourages social mobility.
While Bush espouses a personal socailly conservative philosophy that is far from mine, he does have a libertarian streak as evidenced by his New York Times interview, in which he said that he supported the notion of civil unions for gay couples. The Times asked if this mean t he was opposed to the offical party platform, and he said, unequivically, yes.
Michael Edelman: “More specifically, I think we can look forward to a foreign peace policy that rewards democratic states over dictatorships, and a domestic policy that encourages more competition in education, and encourages social mobility.”
Still looks like the Saudis and Pakistan get to skate on alot of human rights abuses. And what sort of consequences can we put behind a foreign poicy agenda with our military stretched to the point of increasing dependence on private security firms, and without our traditional allies. There are fewer (and getting fewer still) nations among the Iraq “coalition of the willing” than there were when we started, and we keep hearing wildly differing reports on the size and strength of the Iraqi security forces.
Domestically, education needs a level playing field before there can be any flavor of competition. But first property taxes in inner cities have to pump out the same kind of revenue as upscale suburban school districts. How does Bush’s policies address that? I’ve looked, but I can’t find an answer (not even a bad one).
(Cont’d): “On Bush’s own websiite, it says:
‘President Bush’s goals include strengthening the nation’s public schools, reducing taxes for all taxpayers, strengthening the military, saving and improving Social Security and Medicare, and encouraging Americans to be responsible citizens.’ ”
Just shows how much the Bush-Cheney campaign would say whatever necessary to win — precisely the complaint we heard about Kerry-Edwards in the conservative echo chamber. Go figure!