We had about a dozen people over last night for a debate watch party in our living room. My wife propped a sign up in front of the TV: “Pro-Israel, Pro-Obama.”
We hosted distinguished Boston University professor Hillel Levine, who flew to Ohio yesterday to help the Obama campaign. Levine, an expert on Arab-Jewish conflict resolution, is planning on speaking over the next few days to Orthodox Jews in Cleveland suburbs and Evangelical Christians at area churches. The fact that he’s here in Ohio these final weeks, is, I think, indicative of what we are all starting to realize about the Obama campaign: It’s so different; it’s inspiring people to act in so many fresh, tangible ways.
This is not your father’s Oldsmobile.
My Uncle Jon just told me that in solid conservative Ohio last night, California Sen. Barbara Boxer came in for a debate watch party that was literally overflowing. The atmosphere, as he heard about it, was proud and jubilant, unlike anything he can recall, especially in Southern Ohio, this close to a presidential election.
He told me that he and his wife have offered to house out-of-state Obama volunteers, but because of so many people opening their homes for just this purpose, they haven’t needed the extra living quarters.
At the end of our debate watch party, we were all discussing who won. The folks in the room who I see as most objective (read: not me), felt that the cutaways to McCain simply doomed him. He looked angry, dismissive, at times, nearly apoplectic. (For more discussion about the debate, see comments at the end of “My Debate Question” post.)
I think, though, at the end of the day, it was Prof. Levine’s analysis that was more on target than any octo-box of pundits could have been: Obama, he said, was a mensch.
Whether it was his refusal to pile on Sarah Palin, or his repeated willingness to agree with, even compliment, certain of McCain’s ideas, while respectfully disagreeing with his policies, Obama took the high road.
For those who might disparage this as somehow un-substantive, I’d point out that being a mensch is nothing like being a guy who you “want to have a beer with.”
A mensch is someone who radiates fundamental decency; someone who shows fortitude and firmness of purpose.
At the end of the evening, Prof. Levine gave my wife and I a gift, a copy of his out-of-print book, “In Search of Sugihara: The Elusive Japanese Diplomat Who Risked His Life to Rescue 10,000 Jews from the Holocaust.”
The back cover of the book features this blurb from Congressman Tom Lantos: “Sugihara is unique because he demonstrated that every individual is empowered to resist tyranny and that one can act in accordance to the dictates of a higher moral authority that advocates justice, humanity, and compassion to all mankind.”
Justice, humanity, and compassion.
As Bruce Springsteen sang at Ohio State ten days ago, Sing loud if you’re gonna take it back.