Barack Obama's Win From A Jewish Perspective

Going to talk here a little about Iowa politics, not Iowa weather. It's cold, snows a lot in winter. What else can you say?

Barack Obama Won in Iowa because he is Pareve.


Plain and simple. Obama is like Soy Milk! Goes with anything, does no harm, heatlhy for you.

Yes, he inspires. My right-wing, republican daughter who is 26 and likes Guiliani likes Obama. She's lived in NY a lot. She wouldn't vote for Obama.. but she likes him. He inspires. I'm more inspired by Edwards but NOTE... they also both want to end the war. Iraq. Health care and the Economy ...DUH!

But, more than inspiring... Obama is what Jews call Pareve. Neither meat nor milk, can be eaten with anything at any time. He is neither black nor white but can be accepted by both groups. And, let's get real.. the oriental and native American do not have a big vote in this country. Mostly.. you are either black or white. Obama is a man who calls himself black who was raised by a white mother and a father from Kenya who did not raise him but gives him that slightly exotic worldly appeal. Raises his "sexy" and "interesting" quotient but basically he was raised by a white mother who sadly died young and did not get to see him rise to be an inspiring politician who could walk either side of the road and scare no one.

I mean this man looks like he could be working for the CIA or maybe as an accountant. Very clean arrow. Very beautiful wife who sort of looks a bit like a black 1960s version of Jackie Kennedy. Two beautiful young daughters... real visual up there for people are baby boomers.

He could just as easily be called white as he can black, or just neither. He might easily just be called an American of mixed heritage who wants us to GET OUT OF IRAQ, wants universal health care (anyone who has lost a mother to cancer cannot be called just playing an issue.. it's from his heart) and who is worried on the Economy.

He does not offend, at least not yet.

In the Jewish world of KOSHER... you can't eat milk with meat. He is sort of like Soy Milk. You can put him in your coffee after a pot roast, you can have him over your whole grain cereal, you can sneak some out of the carton while the fridge is open after eating a Roast Beef sandwich. You can get Soy Milk in Plain, Vanilla and the ever now popular Mocha. I'm serious, not playing the race card here.. you can buy Mocha Soy Milk and put it in your morning coffee for that added little ooppfh... like Starbucks at Whole Foods.

Obama can be packaged and appeal to many... offend few, for now anyway.

You don't have to wait 6 hours after eating meat.. you don't have to wait an hour after milk... a lot of people love to eat Pareve.. gives them options for what they want to do later in the day. They can decide what they REALLY want for Dinner later... all options open. Soy is nice, but at some point you want to go to Ghiradelli's and get a Mint Ice Cream Sundae! You try to be healthy, you really do but it's not the same as Half and Half in your Coffee...

Like soy milk.. he appeals to the young and those ready to make a change.

Last but not least... he is from ILLINOIS... HELLO??

Does anyone here really understand Iowa? It's not Kansas. It's not New Mexico. Unless you want to fly into Des Moines or some small little airport to get out of Iowa you have to FLY out of or into a nearby airport and most likely that airport is CHICAGO. IF you live up in the NE part of the state like my son.. you can fly out of Minneapolis but even half of those flights fly through Chicago.

People in Iowa follow one of 3 teams.. and most follow the Chicago Bears.
The Vikings... Green Bay or Chicago.

Iowa in some ways is like a really far out suburb of Chicago...

Iowa did not vote for a "black senator from Miami, Florida" .. they did not vote for some Democrat from LA.. they did not vote for a New Yorker of mixed heritage.

They voted Pareve.. for one of their own. A Pareve vote that keeps their options open and at the same time can be viewed as a SAFE vote for CHANGE.

Trust me... his being "black" was not an issue and he was from just across the border.. no ...not the Rio Grande.. across the Mississippi... Illinois. They had the choice of voting for Hillary (lady) or Edwards (southerner) and that makes Obama almost look like he is a home grown, native son!

He was more at home in Iowa than he will be in places like Florida or Maine or Nevada.

IF he can win in from those phunky cities, those congested big town places where people want loud, in your face people who look like fighters not inspirers, if he can win in Texas... THEN.. he is the REAL THING.

Right now.. Obama is a Pareve voice for change, sort of like soy milk... of any flavor.

People have now voted for change and inspiration and a good guy, with a real family image.

Not some old lady opening presents alone under a Christmas Tree (bad bad commercial and if you ask me, bad, bad campaign Hilary is running) nor does he look like a Santa Elf like Guiliani... he was a nice normal American man sitting at home with his little family...

People like Edwards... they know he loves his family, they know he could sit home and be rich but he would rather make a difference, he would rather be part of the process.

People like the concept "love of my life"

How can you not have that phrase tug at your heart .. especially if you are a woman and it seems a lot of women love Obama. My daughter likes him.. wouldn't vote for him but she likes him.

Hard not to like.

Me? I like Edwards. I like Huckabee.. I AM VERY IMPRESSED BY HUCKABEE...as a candidate, people WANT to like him. I like McCain, always have.

Obama? I don't trust him and down the road I think people will begin to wonder if they should vote their heart for inspiration and change and something different that isn't really scary or will they be moved by constantly changing political events ongoing decide he is not yet ready for Prime Time.

He is sort of like a young Sidney Poitier who is a whole lot whiter (I think of him as a man of color.. a true American, a nice looking mutt) who seems honest, rational, strong, wears a nice suit, has a short haircut and you want to like him. Sort of a To Sir With Love look for the baby boomers.

Just overheard a commercial for a beauty product on TV while I am typing this... explains how it is made from soy and is therefor healthy, used the quote:

"total soy, guaranteed to protect against past damage"

Bottom Line... this was not about him being the First Black Winner there... this isn't a race issue, he was a Pareve choice for change from a neighboring state on almost home ground.

Barack Obama is in the world of Jewish cooking and politics what we call Pareve.

Soy. Pareve. Goes with anything..

Something to think on..
Good Shabbos
Besos Bobbi