As this is the Erev Yom Tov, I would normally share a D’var Torah. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the reaction to it by so many people that I respect who comment here (reactions that include fear, anger, frustration, and looking for someone to blame for it all) I feel the need to get something off my chest.
When former President Barack Obama was in the White House, I could not stand the bigotry and lack of objectivity by so many of his detractors. Especially from those commenting here. In some cases it amounted to pure unadulterated bigotry disguised as criticism of his policies. When it came to Israel, he was attacked by many as an antisemite. They mostly refused to acknowledge that he was in any way pro Israel - when that was far from the truth.
He was clearly NOT an antisemite. He was a philosemite who chose an Orthodox Jew to be the Secretary of the Treasury. He continued the tradition started by President Bush (43) of hosting an annual Chanuka party in the White House. I believe he was the first President to host a Pesach seder there.
Regardless of all the so-called ‘proofs’ many used to show that he was anti Israel or an antisemite. He was NOT either of those.
He was pro Israel. He showed that support by providing Israel with more military aid than all of his predecessors. He supported spending US tax dollars for Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’ anti missile defense system. He supported US assistance in maintaining Israel’s military edge. There had never been closer ties between the US and Israel including sharing military and intelligence at unprcedented levels to that time
It is true that his views were not always in concert with my own on certain aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Which I noted during his time in office. But I am certain that he meant what he said about always having Israel’s back. He just had a somewhat different view of how that was to be implemented. A view not unlike many Israelis on the left. (About half the country.)
Now we have a different man in the White House. And I see the same degree of unreasonable prejudice about him from the Left. It is beyond troubling to me when so many intelligent people are so blinded by hatred, that they refuse to recognize any possible good a President does. It doesn’t matter if it is coming from the Right about Obama or the Left about Trump.
This is of course not to say that the current President doesn’t have what to criticize. Of course he does. I was first in line to reject the possibility of his becoming President. So much so that I voted (and urged everybody else to vote) for his opponent even though I couldn’t stand her. I believed he would destroy the country – if not the entire world. But I was wrong.
It is now 3 and a half years later. And if not for this dreaded virus, we were doing just fine. MUCH better than I had predicted. In fact until a few weeks ago, my guess is that this country was in the best economic shape it had been in since the Great Depression!
The American relationship with Israel has never been closer. Relations never warmer than they are now. And yet his detractors have an inability to see anything in him that is positive… explaining away the great economy we had as not true. Or if it was, it was really the product of the Obama administration. Which the President cynically took full credit for.
His pro Israel policies are explained as not really pro Israel at all... doing more harm than good. This blind hatred of the President by so many people on the Left has never been made clearer than during the ‘new world order’ caused by this invisible and deadly virus. That was made abundantly clear by the stunning response from one of the more intelligent commenters here when I asked him if there was anything positive he could say about the President. Here was his response:
This president has nothing that anything nice can be said about. He has demonstrated no quality or characteristic that can be seen as positive. Pilate had more humanity.
The inability to see any good at all – or even the humanity in someone - instead seeing them as worse than Pontius Pilate – the Roman governor of Judea who - during Bayis Sheni - was responsible for crucifixion of the Christian ‘god’ - shows just how compromised their objectivity is.
It aggravates me beyond words that intelligent people can be so biased that they see everything a person does in only the most negative light - unable to judge anything they do objectively.
No where has this been more evident than now. In virtually every instance, they view this pandemic as Trump’s fault. Maybe he didn’t invent the virus (they might concede reluctantly). But he may as well have in their eyes. They blame only him for its spread and thereby the unnecessary death of thousands of people because of his late reaction to it. As though he were holding a gun and firing it at innocent people. There is absolutely no discussion about other reasons for the spread of the virus. Only that what is happening now is all Trump’s fault. And are angrier than ever at him for that.
Not a word is said against the Governor of a state that has almost half of all COVID-19 infected patients in the country. The same charge against Trump of not acting soon enough to order a ‘shelter in place’ can be made against the governor. That might have minimized the massive devastation there. I suspect that New York state has some of the finest epidemiologists in the country. Surely they must have given him the same kind of warnings the President had. Had the governor acted a lot sooner thousands of lives would have been saved!
And yet, not a word of criticism about the governor. You will not see me criticizing him either. He too is human just like the President. And just like the President had he acted sooner, we would all be in better shape. Meanwhile both of them are working hard to see a positive outcome.
Let me add the reason given by Trump detractors as to why the governor is not criticized while the President is... is because the President is the leader of the country and could have ordered the states to comply with a shelter in place order.
But that is a meaningless explanation. First - because the governor of New York is a leader too. What’s true for the big goose is true for the little goose. Perhaps more relevant is the fact that governors are now claiming that the President has no jurisdiction to dictate anything to the states. Which many of them - including New York’s governor have been saying now in response to the President declaration that as President - it is his decision to make about when to open up the country..
Those attacking Trump here are not alone. The left leaning media fawned all over President Obama as though he could do no wrong. All of his policy decisions were near perfect. But when it comes to this President, there is absolutely nothing positive to any about him from the media. The lack objectivity is beyond obvious – although the pretense is still there. And it is fodder for those that love to cite these ‘objective’ journalists to corroborate their own biased views.
The truth is there for anyone willing to open their eyes. Trump is not pure evil, nor is he pure goodness and light. The same thing is true about Obama.
The problem at this point in time is that that Trump’s antagonists will scoff at this post and say that it’s me. That I am the one that has no objectivity. That I am the one that cannot recognize the truth right in front of me. This post will not change anyone’s mind, unfortunately. But I still had to speak my mind here. I suppose there is a part of me that hopes that I can reach at least someone who was blind - but will now see. That the truth is a mixed bag.