Rabbi’s Corner – Pre-Election Edition

Dear Friends,
Try as we might, it’s nearly impossible to escape election season in America. For the past few months we (or at least I) have been inundated with ads, endorsements, accusations, and recriminations from politicians or their respective supporters and opponents. According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics 2010 campaign spending will near $4 billion dollars, truly remarkable considering the lack of a national presidential campaign.

I for one have considered it ironic that we need to spend this much money on the premise that if elected individuals would do some sort of good, when the $4 billion could do much more good if directed towards causes, programs, and charities directly. Perhaps more unsettling is that despite, politicians, pundits, and the public decrying the influence of money in politics, they have no qualms in perpetuating the current system.

Consider for the moment how much we expect candidates to carefully create, craft, and sell their image through various media. If a candidate doesn’t look right, we know it. Body language experts are called in to measure even minute expressions. For example, in 2000 Psychologist Joseph Tecce of Boston College observed that George Bush had a “blink rate” of 82 blinks per minute and Al Gore had a “bpm” of 48.

There’s a saying that we get the leaders we deserve. When we obsess over superficialities, encourage politicians to be caricatures instead of genuine people, and are more concerned with our leaders as public celebrities more than public servants, we should not be surprised when they do not meet up to our expectations. If the system is truly broken as outsides tend to say, then it is up to us voters to do something about it.

Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Josh Yuter