In his Aug. 26 Letter, “On Cause of the Riots,” Henry R. Marbach states that he does not understand liberal Jews who support Democrats like President Barack Obama. Here are just a few reasons:
Today’s Republican Party has very few moderates and the Tea Party’s increasing involvement is shifting the party even further to the right.
Current Republican leaders propose policies similar to or worse than these of the Republican George W. Bush administration, which converted a three-year budget surplus on track to completely eliminate the federal debt into a major deficit, created very few net jobs (none in the private sector) and left the economy in a major downward-spiraling economic freefall.
Republicans have been doing everything possible to keep the Obama administration from pulling the country out of the terrible economic conditions, often voting against and filibustering legislation they had previously supported and sometime co-sponsored, in attempting to regain power.
Republicans generally support the wealthy and corporations, rather than middle-class and poor people, and back cuts that will have devastating effects on social, health and welfare programs that help Jews and others.
Obama, along with many Israeli military and security experts recognizes that, while it will be difficult to achieve, a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is essential for Israel to avoid renewed violence, effectively respond to her economic, environmental and other domestic challenges, and remain a Jewish and democratic state.
While Democratic policies have not always lived up to our dreams, largely due to Republican obstructionism, a return to Republican rule would be a nightmare.
Professor Emeritus, College of Staten Island
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