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September/October 2008

Selections from the 2008 Moment Magazine Presidential Poll

Poll Spread
Poll Results:
Barack Obama: 69.7%
John McCain 27.3%
Undecided: 3%
John McCain

I am not devoted to either candidate. However, I do not understand smart Jews voting for Barack Obama, who is an empty suit. John McCain sometimes looks like an old man. But I am a one-issue voter. I would like to preserve the Supreme Court and want future federal judges to be conservative and not activist. I fear the appointees of Obama, but McCain has said he will only appoint conservative judges.
Grace D.
Las Vegas, NV
Republican

In my lifetime, I’ve always concluded that if my favorite didn’t win, the other guy wouldn’t be terrible. Until now. I am truly fearful of Barack Obama. Israel’s security is in serious jeopardy if he becomes president. When he addresses AIPAC, he is our best buddy. Then the next day, he’s buddies with the Muslim followers. His entire campaign is a sham. And the worst part is that the Jews in this country are so die-hard Democrat that they want to believe him. This guy scares the hell out of me. And don’t even get me started on what will happen to my taxes.
Alan Bomstein
Clearwater, FL
Independent

The American president isn’t American Idol. Voting for a president because he is the most popular rather than most qualified is dangerous and just plain stupid. Barack Obama has no credible experience, and this is a very dangerous time. My son is in Iraq and I certainly do not want a president who wants to talk to the enemy. I have always loved my country even when Americans made questionable choices, like electing George W. Bush. I feel Obama will be the biggest of all mistakes we will make and not because he is black, but because contrary to what he says, his record indicates he hates this country and the white population.
Catherine Malachowsky
St. Petersburg, FL
Republican

I could never consider voting for Barack Obama because his whole Senate term in office amounts to around 146 days and in that time he got little to nothing done. I also do not trust his support for and commitment to Israel. One day he’s gung-ho pro-Israel, the next day after the Palestinians and Hamas make noise, he’s back-pedaling, saying he didn’t quite know what was meant by “undivided” Jerusalem. Perhaps if Obama were a true Christian, I’d have less problem voting for him, but when you are a “Wright” Black Liberation theology Christian for 20 years, you are not exactly a Christian as far as I’m concerned. And with all the Muslim input he’s had in his life, he’s got to be pretty mixed up. He recently was quoted as saying America is no longer just a Christian country because it is such a melting pot of religions. He’s way off base on that statement as he is on so many issues that concern me, such as lowering taxes and government spending, fixing our school system, improving our health care system but not socializing it, etc. I may not agree with many things John McCain believes in, but he’s a lot closer to my Jewish conservative principles than Obama.
Shirley Cohen
San Francisco, CA
Independent

Barack Obama is extremely left wing, and he will be bad for the U.S. in the war, bad for the economy. John McCain is a much better friend of Israel. We can’t afford a radical rookie at this point in our nation’s history.
Mark Cohen
Huntington Beach, CA
Republican

I don’t see how anyone who has family in Israel or loves Israel can vote for Barack Obama. There is nothing in Obama’s history to indicate that he’ll support Israel. Quite the contrary, he’s expressed an interest in meeting with terrorists. I expect he’ll want to pacify them. For 20 years he was an active member of a church that saw fit to honor Louis Farrakhan with a lifetime achievement award. That’s scary.
Len Solomon
Los Angeles, CA
Democrat

Senator John McCain’s position is better for this country than Senator Barack Obama’s on every major issue: winning and not surrendering in Iraq, smaller government, lower taxes, more freedom, increasing oil drilling and nuclear energy, free market health care reforms, constructionist judges, preserving the definition of marriage, and protecting human life. Senator McCain also has a lifetime of public service and has demonstrated good judgment and fine character.
Craig Hersh
Camas, WA
Republican

Obama is too messianic for me!
Howard Powell
Los Angeles, CA
Democrat

I am a registered Democrat. I think Obama sounds great and I agree with many of his views. But I will reluctantly vote for John McCain. I made the decision during the troubling campaign. On Meet the Press I heard Ralph Nader criticize Obama because previously Obama had been completely supportive of the Palestinian cause. Then came the Jeremiah Wright issue, which raised the troubling fact that Obama stuck with that black racist minister for 20 years, allowing his children to be exposed to such views for so long, including tolerance for the Nation of Islam and all they stand for. Obama sounds nice now. He is a great orator. But I do not trust him.
Norton Nedoss
Buffalo Grove, IL
Democrat

Barack Obama

Barack Obama combines the skill of an artful politician with the caring qualities of a true leader. I have lived in Arizona for almost 30 years, long enough to watch the whole self-promoting, manipulative political career of John McCain. He is a man of bad character, erratic temperament, terrible judgment and dishonesty. My husband, a Vietnam veteran himself, holds McCain in contempt because of many of his actions, particularly his cold, uncaring attitude toward veterans. A McCain presidency would be completely unacceptable—and a national nightmare.
Dianne Wisse
Phoenix, AZ
Independent

I believe Barack Obama will be as good for Israel as any candidate. I consider this a non-issue. I believe the selection of Supreme Court justices together with other federal judicial appointments, the adoption of a green energy and environmental policy and the return to a caring approach on social and cultural issues, including a woman’s right to choose, all override any hesitation I might have for Obama. I believe that the Republican Party promotes values that are, for the most part, antithetical to Jewish concerns for tikkun olam. It is my particular Jewish background that impels me to vote for Obama.
Ruth C. Reidbord
Pittsburgh, PA
Democrat

While I greatly admire Senator Barack Obama, the primary reason that I will be voting for him is the same reason I would have voted for any of the other contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination: His appointees to the U.S. Supreme Court (and lower federal courts) are much more likely than those of Senator John McCain to decide cases in a manner that upholds civil liberties and economic justice.
Ted Hochstadt
Falls Church, VA
Independent

At one of his town hall meetings, John McCain told his audience that he knew how to win wars. As an 85-year-old veteran of World War II, I don’t want a president who can win wars, I want one who can prevent war.
Stanley M. Blumberg
Port Jefferson, NY
Democrat

George Bush and the Republicans have turned this country into a disgrace, with torture, war, lying, and deception as its trademarks. Anyone who thinks that Israel is better off now that Republican policies have made Iran into a major power is sadly mistaken. The country cannot afford to continue these policies under John McCain.
Theodore L. Steinberg
Fredonia, NY
Democrat

Barack Obama’s policies and philosophies align with my values as an observant, thinking Jew. He has given every indication that he will work to repair the world. I feel that John McCain will continue to break it. I also feel that Obama has the diplomatic skills and credibility to bridge the chasm of mistrust with the Muslim world and will be more likely to help bridge the even greater chasm between Israel and the Muslim world.
DeLisa M. White
New York, NY
Democrat

I will not vote for John McCain because of his votes against women’s rights; he consistently stands opposed to abortion. Also, McCain himself has said that he knows little about the economy. But that is what the next president is going to have to deal with. Obama is attracting the youth of our country in large numbers. If young people don’t get involved in politics, our democracy is doomed. Obama has the charisma to draw them in.
Judith Simon
Stony Brook, NY
Democrat

McCain’s failure to distance himself from the religious right as he did in 2000 means that he is beholden to those who view the United States as a Christian nation, where all others are second class citizens. Obama’s values as a Democrat are much closer to what I believe as a Jew than McCain’s.
Joshua Pepper
Nashville, TN
Democrat

Obama opposed the 2006 Palestinian elections, warning that the United States shouldn’t force Israel to allow an election that included Hamas. George W. Bush and McCain both supported that election, and of course Hamas won. Obama is the lead sponsor of a Senate bill to divest from all companies doing business with Iran. Fourteen Republicans have yet to sign on, including McCain. Obama is the only candidate who will put energy independence at the forefront and who will keep every option on the table when dealing with our enemies, including both tough diplomacy and military action. McCain has been the lead cheerleader for the disastrous war in Iraq, which has made Iran stronger and the United States weaker.
Alexander Chester
Cambridge, MA
Democrat

I feel compelled, for the sakes of my grandchildren and great-grandchildren, to do whatever I can to help remake this nation into one of compassion, respect and moral strength. I want this to be a nation that once again leads the world in decency and courage, in respect for the environment and in demonstrated concern for basic human rights. I will, therefore, vote for Obama for president. I believe that Obama is the brightest light we have seen on our political horizon for some time. He represents change, not just for its own sake, but because our country has lost its way and needs to be guided by someone with fresh perspective.
Harriet Katz
Monroe Twp., NJ
Democrat