Road To The White House

Action, MCD Words

MATTHEW BROOKS

Special to the Jewish News

A

we say in Yiddish, "Let's
talk tachlis." Let's get down
to the real things that matter
most. Family is No. 1: edu-
cation for the kids, health care for our
parents, retirement security for us. The
economy is next. And for us, of course,
Israel is a special priority.
Who will do the right thing for our
families, our economy, and Israel's
safety in the years to come? The
answer to all of these questions is
George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.
Under the Clinton-Gore administra-
tion, our country's education system
has continued to fail. We've always
taken pride in our neighborhood
schools, but our kids continue to fall

es

Matthew Brooks is the executive direc-

tor of the Republican Jewish Coalition,
the independent, national grassroots
organization of Jewish Republicans.

What

WILLIAM B. DOCKSER

Special to the Jewish News

S

upport for Israel is not the
political equivalent of vanish-
ing cream that makes all other
blemishes on a candidate's
record disappear.
Yet, Gov. George W. Bush and Dick
Cheney, like so many Republicans,
seem to think that if they declare loud-
ly enough that they are pro-Israel,
Jewish voters won't examine where they
stand on all the other issues about
which we care so deeply.
But the day of the one-issue voter is
history. Jewish voters want more than a
pandering position paper and a few
kind words. We are a politically sophis-
ticated community with a very broad

William B. Dockser is national
chairman of the National Jewish
Democratic Council, the independent,
national grassroots organization of
Jewish Democrats.

10/6
2000

10

behind their peers in other countries.
Forty percent of fourth-graders can't
read. Our kids know less history, geog-
raphy, science and math than we did at
their age. The priorities in our schools
are wrong and thanks to the layers of
bureaucracy in the education system,
we parents have very little influence on
how those priorities are set.
Vice President Gore opposes
parental choice in education —
whether that means vouchers, charter
schools, or block-granting federal pub-
lic education money so that it fulfills
local needs rather than national red-
tape requirements. Gore talks about
smaller classrooms and more teachers,
but his plan won't have those results.
He has no system of accountability for
schools receiving federal funds, so
there's no way to enforce higher stan-
dards.
Gov. Bush, on the other hand, has
made tremendous improvements in
education in Texas. He has raised
teacher pay, made schools accountable

L

W Matters

range of interests, and Israel is one of
them.
We are pleased that Bush has had so
many positive things to say about
Israel, but he has no record to judge;
Cheney, however, does, and it is noth-
ing to brag about.
As a member of Congress, Cheney
voted frequently against foreign aid and
more than once to cut aid to Israel. He
didn't oppose arms sale to Israel's ene-
mies and, in fact, he once said he that
as secretary of defense he wanted to see
more of them and to improve U.S.-
Arab ties.
Cheney complained that [former
president] Ronald Reagan was too soft
on Israel, opposed moving the U.S.
embassy to Jerusalem and rarely, if ever,
joined colleagues in the many pro-Israel
initiatives during his congressional
years. This summer he even called for
lifting sanctions against Iran.
By contrast, Vice President Al Gore
and Sen. Joe Lieberman have exempla-
ry pro-Israel records that go back to

trolled prices and ultimately, rationing.
Under Bush's proposal, Medicare
recipients would have a choice of pri-
vate insurance plans which could pro-
vide more benefits than the current
Medicare program does,
including preventative, eye,
and dental care. Seniors
would be able to change their
plan to meet changing needs,
without penalty.
All seniors would receive
help in paying for prescrip-
tion drugs and would have
protection against catastroph-
ic medical expenses over
Matthew Brooks
$6,000 a year.
The Schools Issue
As for our retirement, we
know that Social Security won't be sol-
Gov. Bush will make schools account-
vent in 20 years. Gore's plan to
able to the communities and families
"reform" Social Security is just shifting
they serve and give parents the oppor-
funds around on paper, moving insol-
tunity to choose the best education for
vency a few years into the future with-
each child.
out making any real changes in the
When it comes to health care, the
system.
key again is choice. Gore's plans for
Gov. Bush's proposals will protect
Medicare would push every senior into
the benefits for today's seniors while
a government-run HMO. You get one
offering retirement security to us and
chance to opt in and that's it for life.
our children by letting us put two per-
The government would become the
cent of our Social Security taxes into
largest purchaser of prescription drugs,
personalized investments. Private
which will lead to government-con-

to parents, and rewarded schools that
improve scores for all students. The
achievement gap between white and
minority students in Texas has nar-
rowed considerably on his watch.
He will use annual testing
to make sure students are
learning, require school-by-
school report cards and give
parents options if their child
is in a failing school, allo-
cate $2.4 billion to train
and recruit quality teachers,
and expand Education
Savings Accounts.

views on others. Indeed, any discus-
sions of faith are invariably coupled
with a message of inclusion — inclu-
sion of those adhering to different
faiths, as well as those who adhere to
no faith.
Bush, who declared June
10, 2000, to be "Jesus Day,"
sees matters quite differently.
He "supports ... prayer in
public schools," wants to see
the Ten Commandments
posted "on the wall of every
public place," believes cre-
ationism should be taught
alongside evolution, and sup-
William B. Dockser ports "sectarian, proselytizing"
Church-State
prayers before high school
football games.
There the differences are even more
Reproductive rights is another area
pronounced. Church-state separation
where there is a clear choice between
is probably the single most important
the two tickets. Gore and Lieberman
issue for most Jewish voters, who are
are strong defenders of Roe v. Wade,
concerned about the efforts of the reli-
which
Bush and Cheney want
gious right and its allies to chip away
repealed and replaced with a constitu-
at the wall separating church and state.
tional amendment banning abortions.
Gore and Lieberman are staunch
Passage of hate-crimes legislation,
defenders of the wall of separation,
now being blocked by GOP congres-
and while they speak of the impor-
sional leaders, is a high priority for near-
tance of religion in their lives, they
ly all Jewish organizations and has the
believe it is an intensely personal deci-
strong
support of the Democratic ticket.
sion and do not seek to impose their

their first days on Capitol Hill.
They've been more than strong sup-
porters; they're leaders.
Lieberman has played a "crucial
role" in every single piece of legislation
affecting U.S.-Israel relations for the
past decade, according to
the American Israel Public
Affairs Committee.
But Jews are multi-issue
voters, more now than any
time in more than a genera-
tion, so it is necessary to
compare the domestic views
of the two tickets as well.

