Why is race such an issue to people? Or is it mainly an issue for members of the media?
When I first heard that the Democratic vice-presidential nominee would be Joseph Lieberman, I did not think at all about his race or religion.
My mind immediately went to his ideas, his policies, and his integrity (or lack thereof).
If the various newspapers and news services did not pose questions like: “Will anti-Semitism play a role in this November’s election?” I probably would never even have noticed that he is Jewish.
If a potential president has bad ideas, it matters little what his race is.
If, for example, he believes the government should further restrict your freedoms and individual rights more than it already has, then it matters little whether he is Jewish, Catholic, or atheist.
If, on the other hand, he wants to increase your freedoms and enhance your individual rights — through across-the-board tax cuts; through privatization of Social Security and Medicare; through deregulation of health care and business; and through staying out of your bedroom — then I welcome such a candidate regardless of his race or creed.
The sad truth is that, this year, neither major political party is particularly interested in expanding freedom and individual rights. Both Democrats and Republicans want to expand the role of government through such policies as nationalizing the drug prescription industry upon which our very lives and health depend; and “saving” the massive welfare schemes of Social Security and Medicare — both of which are going bankrupt and restrict our freedom to choose such plans in a competitive marketplace.
Anti-Semitism might or might not be an issue in this year’s election. It would be sad if it became one. It’s even sadder, however, that the issue of freedom and individual rights will evidently be ignored altogether.
