The 2008 Election

EDITORIALS BY RABBI MICHAEL LERNER N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 8 W W W. T I K K U N . O R G T I K K U N 9 I t’s an exciting time for America and the world. WithBarackHusseinObamapreparingtoentertheWhite House,wecanalltakeahugesighofrelief.AnObamapresidency will open up incredibly important possibilities for savingtheearthfromdestruction,movingfromamilitarist to a generosity-based approach to foreign policy, and addressing social justice and poverty issues. We may finally address the crises plaguing our education and health-care systems.Timetocelebrate!Andtobless: Bless the millions of African Americans and whites dismissed as “utopian,” “unrealistic,” or “ahead of their time,” who struggled notonlyagainstovertsegregationbutalsoagainstthesubtle,pernicious forms of racism that have continued to distort our economic ,cultural,andpoliticallives. Bless those of us who were killed, went to prison, dropped out of school to become organizers, lost jobs or career opportunities, and lost relationships and friendships because we were “too driven by our desire to fight injustice.” Bless those who were ridiculed andputdown,butwhocontinuedtostruggle—thatstruggleeventually reshaped the dominant values in this society sufficiently to allowforthisremarkablemoment. Bless those who will continue to struggle until people of color andpoorwhites,women,homosexuals,andimmigrantsnolonger face economic discrimination, racist caricatures, police harassment , poverty, or underfunded educational and health care options . BlesstheAmericanmajoritywhotranscendedracism,refuting the left-wing cynicism that saw Americans as fundamentally racist,orstupid,ortoobrainwashedbythemedia,orforevertainted by “white-skin privilege” and unable to care for the well-being ofothers. Bless the United States for preserving a democratic process that prevented the worst fantasies from coming true: that these electionswouldbecalledofforstolen,thatObamawouldbemurdered , or that a last-minute war would be started solely to galvanizeright -wingpatriotisminthemonthsbeforetheelection.Bless the leaders of the U.S. military who refused to cooperate with the Bush/Cheney crowd in ordering a war against Iran as a way to influencetheelection .BlesstheAmericanelectorateforcomingout in record numbers to utilize democratic rights that had been won inhardstrugglebypreviousgenerationsofpatriots. Bless Barack Obama, our first spiritual progressive president, whosepsychologicalandspiritualsophistication—combinedwith hispassionatecommitmenttosocialjusticeandpeace,hispowerful intellectual capacities, and his emotional stability—allowed himtoliberate“thelefthandofGod,”thevoicewithineveryperson on this planet who wants to overcome the voice of fear and give precedencetothevoiceofloveandgenerosity.Thissecondvoiceof kindnessandhopeistrappedwithinasetofpsychologicalandsocialconstraintsthatmakeussometimesappearasthoughwehave lost our ethical and spiritual foundations and are too afraid to hopeorloveonceagain. Bless God for making all this possible, for making us in the Divine image, for constantly calling us back to our highest selves and to our highest capacities, and for giving us the freedom to transcendthelegacyofpainandcrueltyembeddedinfamiliesand economic and political institutions—a legacy that has been psychologically passed from generation to generation—so that we mightreachthiswonderfulmomentofjoyousreaffirmationofthe possibility of real tikkun olam, real healing and transformation of ourworld.No,thisisnotthemessianicage,andweareveryaware of all the problems, not only with the country but with the likely formtheObamaadministrationitselfmighttake,butstill...thisis amomenttocelebratethepositive! Most Americans will be relieved first and foremost at the ending of the George W. Bush Administration. For sheer criminality andvenality,theBushyearscompetewiththeworstexcessesofthe Nixon years. Nixon was an inveterate liar and, along with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, was also a certain war criminal. His The 2008 Election FLICKRCC/ISSAC VIEL editorial:Editorials+Columns 11/5/08 2:48 PM Page 9 AP PHOTO/GARY HERSHORN, POOL 10 T I K K U N W W W. T I K K U N . O R G N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 8 unrealized impeachment trial would have been light punishment considering that he prolonged the Vietnam War for political advantage ,withmillionskilledormaimedalongtheway. And Nixon was far worse than Bush in his systematic repression of domestic dissent, working hand-in-glove with J. Edgar Hoover.NotonlydidNixonusetrumped-upfederalchargestojail those of us who were leaders in anti-war demonstrations, he also encouragedlocallawlessnessbypoliceandtheFBI. Yet Nixon was constrained by a powerful anti-war movement that rallied tens of millions of people. The government could not containtheanti-warmovement,whichcreatedacultureofdissent and open rebellion against existing social norms. The movement eventually manifested in a liberal Congress ready to challenge the sinsoftheadministration. No such constraints were brought to bear on the Bush administration . Most extraordinary of all was that the Bush administration asserted its right to “interpret” legislation in ways that were clearlyeithernotimplementingorovertlydistortingtheintention oftheCongress,whiletheCongresssimplyslunkawayindisgrace, rather than confronting and impeaching both...