Israeli generals duped into supporting Obama

‘Pure and simple deceit,’ says enraged Uzi Dayan of American Jewish group that told him and other top Israeli figures they were being interviewed for documentary on Mideast challenges and found themselves touted as Obama supporters

Frightened by the emotions it sets free? I think that’s it’s point. Should I feel shame for the tears?

Anything is better than that this mindset wins again.

Strictly I prefer tears from laughter too, watch especially the end.

I don’t like Obama. It has nothing to do with Israel, his middle name, national security or that he’s black. If looks alone counted, he’s got McCain beat — he’s young, handsome, sexy and articulate.

He’s also been running for President since his “community activist” days; he taylors his speeches to his audiences and changes his positions to fit his needs of the moment; his earmarks have gone to his wife’s hospital as payback for her obscenely gigantic raise; other earmarks have gone to his lobbyist lawyer pals; his mortgage comes from another Chicago pal who both sits on the hospital board with Michelle and gave the Obamas a $1.3 million mortgage.

This is not “Change.” This is politics-as-usual.

His slogan of “change” is nothing more than smoke and mirrors. He is a politician from the heart of the Chicago political machine, and that he will say anything to get elected. Morally, he is an empty suit.

He will do nothing to advance the peace process.

I don’t like McCain either. I wanted to vote for Hillary–but that’s no longer an option.

On Oct. 6 the Los Angeles Times published a story on McCain’s early Navy record. “This examination of his record revealed a pilot who early in his career was cocky, occasionally cavalier and prone to testing limits.”

While it’s true that a lot of personal transformation occurred after that, I think it’s fair to say that McCain is still “prone to testing limits”.

No direct talks with Iran. Missile confrontation over the nuclear issue. The possibility of risk-taking pre-emptive strikes. I don’t really want a maverick testing limits in this milieu.

But these facts are not apparent to the people I spent Rosh Hashanah afternoon with – my mother and her friends, older American Jews who do not read the Israeli press, and who may not know more than one or two Israelis, but who have a strong emotional reaction to anything they see aa a threat to Israel. These are voters who have a strong historic relationship with the Democratic Party and whose own self-interest – economic and social – is to vote Democratic. But they can be pried away if they can be led to believe that Obama is bad for Israel. The right accordingly has targeted them, with anti-Obama propaganda pitched at the lowest emotional level: Obama is a Muslim, he’s not an American, he hates Israel, he’s a terrorist.

The “Obama is a Muslim” message has been particularly effective, spread by viral emails and word of mouth. That is why this video spends so much time on it, and on the name “Hussein.” You probably found the whole “Hussein” business confusing and boring. But it is essential that Jewish American voters lose their fear of the name, which the right routinely uses to smear Obama, as if his father and mother actually named him for Saddam.

This video shows that actual Israelis are not afraid of Obama. You know that already, but the target audience does not. It’s intended to neutralize a fear that you don’t share – the fear that Obama is a stealth candidate, a secret Muslim and an ally of terrorists. You may think that fear is absurd, but it’s real. Once the fear can be overcome, an actual debate can be started. But the first step is to show that real Israelis of all ages and political views would welcome an Obama presidency.

One must consciously hold emotion in check in politics because as in any form of advertising, those creating the material know exactly how to push your buttons. The only way to deactivate those buttons is to turn off the power supply at the source – in your head (well, maybe your endocrine glands).

The greatest testimony to emotion as a lever in politics is the shallowness of American political dialogue. Obama is best placed to take advantage of the heartstrings – he’s black! His dad was African! He is the promise of America made flesh! It not only goes to the electorate’s heads, it can also cloud the mind of the elected, witness all the talk as a president nears the end of his term of his legacy.

The number one reason I have to vote for Obama is to remove as many of the incompetents and ideologues of the current administration as possible while preventing the addition of more with McCain and CutiePie.

The past eight years have not been all dark, they have increased my admiration for the strength of the United States system of government – we have survived the malign, conniving Dick Cheney who held us all beneath contempt.

Nonetheless, I think it may work on those voters who have no actual ideological or political objection to Obama, but just feel uncomfortable with him – somehow sure that he is unsafe for Israel though they can’t say why. The “why” may have to do partly with racism, and partly with being influenced by viral emails. The ad says: Calm down. Israelis are comfortable with him. You can be as well.

This hints at a paradox of politics: It’s not true that all voters are superficial. But a significant portion of those who waver back and forth and make up their mind at the last minute are influenced by how the candidates strike their feelings. At some point, campaigns will focus on those voters, and the overall discussion seems to get very shallow. Alas, there are also Jewish voters who would rather go with how they feel than think about the candidates’ positions.