Excellent letter to the editor from Newton, MA:
Jews, and liberal Jews in particular don’t and won’t vote Republican because GOP values are not Jewish cultural values. To wit: Jews believe (Talmud) that we should be responsible for each other. The GOP: Every man for himself.
GOP values clash with Jewish values when Republicans believe:
# government serves the interests of the rich (tax breaks) over the poor and middle class
# corporate welfare is worthy, public welfare is sinful
# management and bosses come before employees and unions
# guns are more worthy of protection than gunshot victims
# air and water polluters deserve more protection than breathers and drinkers
# drug companies and HMOs must profit before Medicare and other patients obtain health care
# oil companies must profit before homes are heated in winter
# good government and consumer/workplace regulation should be trashed at the expense of unfettered private sector profits
Perhaps Mr. Epstein has grown comfortable with Republican common cause with Christian Fundamentalists who believe America should be (and be governed) as a “Christian” nation, and whose support for Israel is predicated on the absolute necessity of Israel to fulfill their apocalyptic messianic vision.
Don’t expect sensible Jews to vote for a GOP expressing these values.
