Jewish Values Voters in the 2014 Mid Term Elections

NJDC Intern — October 22, 2014 – 3:47 pm | 2014 Election | Barack Obama | Democrats | Domestic Policy | Separation of Church & State Comments (0) Add a comment

If there’s one thing American voters agree on, it’s how divided they are. With the all-important midterm elections coming up, Americans are divided sharply down the middle, with 44% of voters saying they will vote for a Democratic candidate for their House of Representatives district and 41% going for the Republican candidate. The closeness of these polls makes it extremely important for Jewish Democrats to get out the vote.

Polling has shown divergent attitudes toward many issues that may affect the elections, including President Obama’s signature healthcare reform law, The Affordable Care Act. Republicans in the House have voted to repeal Obamacare over and over again, even though they have no plan to replace it. Americans are also unsatisfied about the functionality of the government. The Republican’s strategy has been to paralyze government and try to drive the country into the ground just so they can make President Obama look bad and help their chances in the next election.

The tenets of Judaism have a very specific message as the type of life and society in which a Jew should live. The Jewish community in America has helped fight for progressive issues throughout our country’s history. The Jewish community was at the forefront of the civil rights moment and women’s suffrage, and more liberal sects now support marriage equality and LGBT rights. It is our job as Jews to facilitate this progress through our vote. The call for justice within the Jewish faith is immutable.  

The Jewish ideal of a community that cares for each other calls for universal healthcare, equal pay for equal work, continued support of Israel and, most importantly, the separation of church and state. These issues are basic parts of a free society, and they are crucial to Jewish Americans.

Thomas Jefferson said that, in order for the Republic to work, the voters had to be educated and informed. That is, perhaps, our biggest challenge. We, as a country, can’t make an informed decision because most of us just don’t know what’s going on. That’s why our government is so gridlocked. And the only antidote is to stay informed and vote.

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