An Old Argument and Rebuttal

This was posted by Jeff Hauser a few months ago. It is a common argument and an old one as to why Jews shouldn't vote Republican. Here is the article and some possible rebuttals [in brackets].

Jewish Values & Politics

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

[tax cuts help everyone! Thinking the government knows what to do with your earnings better than the earner is paternalistic, socialist, and a disincentive to work and wealth creation. 95% of taxes are paid by the wealthiest half of the populace; the lowest quartile re income essentially pays no taxes (other than sales taxes and social security, which the Dems are fond of keeping at the status quo, or raising).

Reagan cut taxes and the Jimmy Carter hyper-inflation eased, and stayed away. That helped everyone, richer and poorer. Countries that go to lower income taxes and/or flat taxes have the best economic growth on the planet (Estonia of all places has one of the world's fastest-growing and inclusive economies!).]

# corporate welfare is worthy, public welfare is sinful

[it was Bill Clinton who started :"Workfare", prodded forcefully by a Republican Congress. But it's reduced welfare rolls dramatically. True, if the inner city isn't on welfare, more generations of Dem voters are less likely, but it's a good risk to take.]

# management and bosses come before employees and unions

[The labor argument in favor of unions is very weak: their corruption, enrichment of leaders, etc is decades old. Outsourcing is not a government policy, but capitalism will allow jobs to flow where they should. And while I don't agree that the U.S. is to be labeled a "Christian" country, I'll gladly call it capitalist.]

# guns are more worthy of protection than gunshot victims

["Every Jew a .22". It's true that guns don't kill people; bad people kill people. There's a huge supply of weapons out there and the bad guys have more than their share. Good citizens, short of being vigilantes, have the right, if not the obligation, to protect themselves. The police can't be everywhere, and extra-constitutional judicial coddling of criminals reduces the disincentives to commit crime.]

# air and water polluters deserve more protection than breathers and drinkers

[Al Gore has the environment covered with his movie & his personal Internet, so no need to address the air/water. But it's great that the personal freedom to smoke outdoors in public is being constrained by the Greens & the Libs.]

# drug companies and HMOs must profit before Medicare and other patients obtain health care

[If they didn't profit, there'de be no new drugs. Almost no new drugs have been invented in Eurpoe or Canada since they got socialized. And Medicare Part D?? Who's that for?]

# 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.

[ad hominem attacks are a staple of radical rhetoric, but conservatives (in this case Republicans) need not stoop so low; the facts suffice. (Though "liberal" Jews are often liberals first, and Jews...well, a distant third)]