The Way It Iz

The violence in Israel for two weeks has spilled out into the rest of the world. Jews in multiple countries have been attacked for what is perceived as Israel’s crimes. Anti-Semitic violence is back up to pre-COVID levels, and here in New York is no exception. Last Thursday, Joseph Borgen was brutally attacked on the streets of Manhattan, and he joined me for a conversation this week about the incident and what he wants to happen moving forward.

Of all the promises President Biden made during the 2020 presidential campaign, none were more important for the fabric of the nation than the promise to unite the country. Once he had won the presidency, Biden reiterated this promise. “I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide, but to unify,” Biden said in his November 7 victory speech, “who doesn’t see red states and blue states - only sees the United States.” Throughout the campaign, the former Vice President looked to contrast his message of unity with President Trump’s extremely divisive four years in office.

So it finally happened. The CDC released guidelines stating that fully-vaccinated individuals may gather in groups unmasked indoors or outdoors without social distancing. There are, of course, exceptions to this rule. Firstly, state and local governments do not have to adopt these guidelines into law. These are, in fact, only guidelines and the despite the power the CDC has wielded over the last 14 months and counting, they do not have legislative authority. Additionally, busses, trains, and other forms of public transportation will still require masks, and of course immunocompromised individuals are recommended to continue to be cognizant of their surroundings and remain distant and in masks.

If you identify as a liberal, you probably looked at the headline to this article and thought “all of them,” or “how do you pick?” Well, the points you’re about to read clearly aren’t for you. The point of this exercise is to examine the points constantly made by conservatives (both pundits and average Joes alike) that do not accomplish their goals. It is my hope that these arguments will stop being used in debates.

March 10, 2020: The start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was Purim Day. At that time, we had no clue what was going to be coming our way for the next 15 months and counting. It’s true that there were some communities that saw the effects of COVID prior to Purim, and others that would not see the effects until a week or two later, but that was the day that many, especially in our communities, remember the pandemic starting.

Messaging is possibly the most important factor into swaying the public to one side of a political issue. Even if one side is clearly in the right, it can be defeated by a good message that counters the narrative just by its effective use of rhetoric. This is obvious. Messaging matters. It’s why the Biden administration is packaging its new “American Jobs Plan” as an infrastructure plan. While there are many infrastructure-related items in it, the bulk of the cost goes to things that historically have not been considered “infrastructure.” They are simply trying to change the definition of “infrastructure” to incorporate a bunch of other agenda items because infrastructure is something that tests well with both Democrats and Republicans.