Posted on 10/12/2008 10:16:56 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Children and grandchildren are making trips to their Jewish families in Florida to persuade them to vote for the Democrats
Jonathan Packman has spent the past few days enjoying poolside views of the Atlantic at his elderly Jewish grandparents' condominium, eating quantities of their Mandel Bread – while trying to ensure that “pop pop” and “mom mom” vote for Barack Obama.
“I think my grandmother is moving towards Obama,” he says. “My grandfather is still undecided. He is old-fashioned and is having a hard time getting his mind wrapped around voting for a black man.”
Mr Packman has travelled from the ultra-liberal city of Berkeley, California, hoping that he can use his influence as a grandson to flip Florida – and the White House – back into Democratic hands.
It is called “The Great Schlep”, an effort organised by the pro-Obama Jewish Council for Education and Research, which should lead to hundreds of grandchildren descending on the Fort Lauderdale area for the Columbus Day weekend to combine an annual family visit with some ruthless political activism.
The reason is that elderly Floridean Jews, most of whom have migrated south for some retirement sunshine, are potentially the key swing voters in this crucial swing state.
They make up about 5 per cent of the state population but in Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach County – where the shenanigans over hanging chads and uncounted ballots eight years ago gave the world President Bush – they number as many as one in four voters.
Although the latest polls in Florida suggest that Mr Obama is narrowly ahead, he has a problem with this usually reliably Democratic demographic. One survey suggests that he is supported by 57 per cent of Jews – compared with the 77 per cent for John Kerry four years ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
So “mom-mom” and “pop-pop” are too old and senile to be able to choose their own candidate?
Wexler was going to the condos in Broward & Palm Beach to shill for Obama. Half the crowd would boo him. If Obama gets 57% of the Jewish vote versus 77% for Kerry then Barry has big problems. We beat Kerry by +5 in 2004. I think Barry gets 50% of the vote and maybe less. Joe Lieberman is working this crowd for McCain.
Also don’t forget the PUMAs. I have not seen the FL ballot yet. Does it say Barrack Hussein Obama? Gramps going to punch the ticket for some guy named Hussein?
The grandkid (brat) said gramps “had a hard time getting his head around voting for a black man.” No sonny boy gramps may have a problem getting his head around voting for a stooge closely connected to Hamas. The grandchildren are morons. I hope Jewish children in Israel have more common sense. Conseravtive and Orthodox Jews “get it” about Obama. They are strong for McCain as are American Jews living in Israel.
The Times of London is printing such garbage.
Ignore the polls. Volunteer and donate.
Sad to have to manipulate your elderly grandparents or parents to achieve an electoral victory. WHO the HECK does that kind of thing??? It’s SICK!
HAHAHAHA.. Yea, because Jewish Grandmas and Grandpas are so well known for listening to lectures from their grandkids... BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...
Fauxbama will not defend Israel, has been caught taking insane amounts of money from folks involved with terrorism, one group of brothers gave him 30k each in blatant violation of election law from I believe the palestinian territories...
IF you are Jewish and you vote for Fauxbama, you truly should be having your head examined.
The idea that any person who is Jewish or a supporter of Isreal would vote for Barack Obama is a mystery on par with the existence of the Higgs Boson.
Isn't that what a bunch of them have been doing already?
What happen? Why have they gone for Obama?
All Obama knows is Marxist's, Muslims,& terrorists. Does his attachment to Farrakhan mean anything? Did the PLO pay for his Harvard education?
It's not about skin color. If Jews vote Obama, they deserve what they get. A few Jews here and there, a few Hillary Democrats, and some Hockey moms and McCain could win. They vote for Obama, for what? They hate Bush? He's not running. Bush derangement syndrome.
Well, if the little bastard can convince his jewish grandparents,,, to vote for a Muslim surnamed man, endorsed by Akmenidjad (sp?,,, who cares!) He should go into sales,,, high end real estate, or maybe very expensive machinery products.
Well, Sarah Silverman for starters. Check out her "Great Schlep" video:
Sarah Silverman and The Great Schlep
**WARNING: This video contains MANY expletives and graphic content.**
How sweet convince the old folks to let Obama preside over the destruction of Israel, a second Holocaust,and policies favorable to those who want to cut their throats.
You can’t make up how stupid and immoral huge chunks of our population have become.
Not exactly sure what happened to them, but the trend in Florida according to the polling data cited shows that they are an abnormality. Obama is having a hardier time sealing the deal with Jews than Kerry did. That’s not good.
When did they switch from R to D? Clinton? Bush? That’d be interesting to know.
Where did you read Cali is in play?
You know what’s interesting though — I live in Simi Valley (trends conservative) and all of the Yes on 8 lawn signs are out this weekend (must’ve been delivered at the same time).
I kid you not — probably 20% of the people in my neighborhood have one out.
Prop 8 may bring a LOT of conservatives out to vote this year in Cali.
But even then, I don’t think it can balance out the sheer number of liberals and illegals in San Fran and Los Angeles.
Jonathan Packman
Senior Financial Analyst at Whole Foods Market
San Francisco Bay Area
Jonathan Packman’s Summary
Retail Food professional with 10 years of experience at major public and private supermarket chains. Has held several positions with Whole Foods Market ranging from competitive strategy and analytics to retail operations. Currently is developing the budget for the Whole Foods Northern California Region for fiscal year 2009.
Jonathan Packman’s Specialties:
Financial analysis, pricing analysis, competitive strategy, marketing, category management, retail operations, multi-unit management.
Jonathan Packman’s Interests:
Longboard surfing, Telemark skiiing, food & wine, travel.
Jonathan Packman’s Groups:
Slow Food Aqua Terra Convivium, Cornell Hotel Society
Jonathan Packman is Bakery Coordinator (Director) for Whole Foods Market’s Northern California Region, where he is respon-sible for the merchandising and operation of high-volume bak-eries in 23 stores and a commercial bakery manufacturing facil-ity, comprising about $50 million in annual retail sales.Previously he was Pricing and Competition Coordinator for the Northern California and Pacific Northwest Regions. In this position Jonathan developed the pricing strategy and competitive positioning of 30 stores in two Whole Foods Market regions.
As an advisor to the region’s purchasing team, he helped regional buyers maintain the company’s competitiveness by pursuing products procured from local farmers, ranchers, artisan cheese-makers, winemakers and seafood farmers. Initially a pilot pro-gram, this position has proven its financial value to the company and is now being rolled out in all Whole Foods Market regions.
Jonathan is the Northern California loan representative for Whole Foods Market’s local producer loan program, which of-fers small businesses the opportunity to borrow up to $100,000 each at low interest rates. The vision for the loan program is to enable small growers, artisans and manufacturers that meet Whole Foods Market’s quality standards to grow without the hindrance of limited funding. He facilitated four Local Grower and Supplier Seminars in Northern California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. These seminars offered emerging small businesses the opportunity to learn how to do business with Whole Foods Market.
A 1999 graduate of the Hotel School’s Master of Management in Hospitality Program, Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Arts de-gree in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont.
in Burlington. He received culinary training at L’Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda, Maryland, and apprenticed with Nora Poul-lion at Restaurant Nora in Washington, D.C., the first organically certified restaurant in the United States.
Intending to become a multi-unit restaurant manager upon graduation from the Hotel School, Jonathan interned at Weg-mans in Ithaca and has since held operations and marketing po-sitions with Central Market/HEB in Texas and Safeway in Pleas-anton, California.Jonathan is an avid longboard surfer and telemark skier, and lives in Berkeley, California with his wife, Liz Kaplan, Samuel & Noah.
California Law Review
Notes & Comments Editors
Liz Kaplan
******
Immigration Update
Liz Kaplan,
2005–2006 RAC Legislative Assistant
*(Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism)
Immigration reform has risen to the top of the national agenda in recent months as the U.S. wrestles with such issues as backlogs in family-based immigration, cuts in social services to immigrants, an increasing number of deaths at the U.S.-Mexico border and the challenge of 8 to 12 million undocumented residents in the U.S. living in the shadows of society. The Reform Movement is among the many business, labor, immigrant-rights and religious groups that support comprehensive immigration reform.A comprehensive solution to our nation’s immigration problems should include: measures to reduce the family-based visa backlog, enhanced border security and interior enforcement, worker protections, and a program of earned legalization. It is unrealistic to detain and deport millions of undocumented individuals. Instead, a carefully regulated system of earned legalization would benefit our economy and enhance cooperation with law enforcement by eliminating the fear of deportation. After months of negotiation and compromise, there are competing bills in Congress, some in line with the basic principles above and others reflecting a much harsher, enforcement-only approach to immigration reform.Much work has been done during the past year to increase grassroots support for fair and generous immigration policy, particularly by members of the Jewish community, but much more needs to be done. Consider organizing a comprehensive immigration reform letter-writing campaign to your Senators and Representatives, or hosting a forum at your congregation to discuss how this issue impacts your community. Stay tuned to www.rac.org for more legislative updates and ways to get involved on this and other issues.
* The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (“the RAC”) is the Washington, DC, office of the Union for Reform Judaism (Union). The RAC has been the hub of Jewish social justice and legislative activity in the nation’s capital for more than 40 years. The RAC educates and mobilizes the American Jewish community on legislative and social concerns, advocating on issues from economic justice to civil rights to religious liberty to Israel.
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