The Politics of Change or a Change in Politics

By Eric J. Schorr
List College / Columbia University

As I write this article, it is nearly the November mid-term elections. When I discuss the upcoming firestorm of political activity with friends and family, the first question everyone seems to ask of candidates doesn't concern the economy, it isn't about jobs or the markets, and it isn't even about Afghanistan or Iraq. What I have been hearing asked most of late is, "Are they good for Israel?" Now, this is a fair question to ask, especially in light of the political roller coaster that the United States and Israel have been on in the last year alone. Israel has had lots of explaining and coddling to do since the gaffe last March during Vice President Biden's visit to Jerusalem. That being said, I would like to offer a different approach to the political climate of this country to my friends, family, and anyone else whose voting record can be traced based on the aforementioned question.

This past April, nearly a month after the political fallout of the Biden visit, nearly twenty students from Columbia University, Barnard College, and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America boarded a coach bus early one Thursday morning and drove down to Washington, D.C. There, we convened at the AIPAC office building to change into suits and ties, eat a little breakfast, discuss strategies, and then break up into groups to make our way to Capitol Hill. That day, the handful of us -- college students, mind you --- who woke up at around 4AM that morning, met with almost twenty different congressional offices. Not all of us had the opportunity to sit with a Congressman or Congresswoman during our meetings, but for the ones who did, we were able to directly convey our concerns about support for Israel, foreign aid legislation, and what was then the upcoming vote for increased sanctions against Iran. Yet, what we were doing that day was not simply advocating for Israel as college students. Rather, we were expressing our right as American citizens to lobby our congressional representatives on issues that are important to us.

Why did these politicians take time to listen to us? Was it simply because some of us are their constituents and would be voting in their next election? Or was it something else? Nearly a week after our trip the vote count on the IRPSA (Iranian Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act) legislation came out, with nearly full consensus across both houses of Congress. Could our efforts a week before have made an impact? Possibly, but I believe instead that the politicians who voted for the IRPSA bill did so not because of some underlying passion for the State of Israel, but because of their dedication to the United States of America.

For the last two years, many people in this country have been lamenting the politics of change. What I suggest, then, is a change in politics. My friends and family shouldn't be asking if a politician is good for Israel, but should instead seek politicians who are good for America. A politician who is good for this country will help guide us out of this recession, will push for more bi-partisan legislation, and will seek to narrow the divide that has plagued our politics for far too long. A politician who is good for this country will recognize the challenges we face overseas, the increased threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, and the spread of anti-Semitism and extremism around the globe. Ultimately, a politician who is good for America will inevitably be good for Israel, and that is one change I can certainly believe in.

Eric is a junior in the Joint Program between Columbia University & the Jewish Theological Seminary. He is currently studying Middle Eastern Languages & Cultures with a focus in Arabic at Columbia, and Modern Jewish Studies with Honors in Hebrew at the Seminary. He currently serves as Vice President of LionPAC, Columbia University's largest pro-Israel public affairs committee.

[Posted 11/6/10]