Posted on 08/20/2009 8:50:44 AM PDT by dervish
President Barack Obama needs some outside help pushing health care reform, and he's turning to rabbis to get it.
In a morning conference call with about 1000 rabbis from across the nation, Obama asked for aid: "I am going to need your help in accomplishing necessary reform," the President told the group, according to Rabbi Jack Moline, who tweeted his way through the phoner.
"We are God's partners in matters of life and death," Obama went on to say, according to Moline's real-time stream.
The 15-minute morning briefing was sponsored by the Religion Action Center of Reform Judaism, and included rabbis of all persuasions. Although the RAC hosts the call each year, participants had never before heard from a sitting president.
What stood out about the call is that Obama "is a master communicator," Moline, the rabbi of the Conservative Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria, said in an interview after the call ended.
"This was clearly a message that was tailored to us," and not merely a generic stump speech, he added.
Moline noted that in the lead up to the president's address, as the rabbis waited on hold, "there was a lot of chatter" among some participants who felt that the call should be seen as an opportunity "to instruct the President about [Presidential Medal of Freedom selection] Mary Robinson" and about the peace process in the Middle East.
"It was the subject of a good deal of conversation whether anyone was going to challenge him on that," in particular Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the president of the Union of Reform Judaism, whose has publicly chided Obama for his administration's stance on settlements.
When the issues failed to come up during the health care call, Moline pithily tweeted: "Yoffie praises President and does not raise any other issue. Good for him."
"Rabbi Yoffie stuck to the subject" of health care reform, Moline said in the interview, "I think it was a good thing."
Eyebrows were also raised by the choice of hold music that played to rabbis before the call began.
"First mistake," Moline tweeted, as he waited for the call to begin. "Music on hold is 'Deutschland uber Alles,' " a classical German anthem, the lyrics to which in part say, "Preserve and protect our Kaiser, our land."
(The music was chosen by the company carrying the conference call, not the White House or the RAC.)
A questioned submitted by Moline also was asked to the President, the rabbi proudly noted on Twitter, writing, "WOW! My question was asked of the President!!!!!"
The question, he later explained, was about how rabbis can address issue of health care reform "in a non partisan" way when they're behind the pulpit.
Obama responded by noting that the massive "human toll" of a broken health care system is a non partisan issue, and simply is unacceptable, Moline recalled.
The call, which was closed to the media, precedes another Obama phoner that is to take place at 5 p.m. this evening (Wednesday).
” “First mistake,” Moline tweeted, as he waited for the call to begin. “Music on hold is ‘Deutschland uber Alles,’
“ a classical German anthem, the lyrics to which in part say,
“Preserve and protect our Kaiser, our land.”
This cannot possibly be true.
Hitler looooooved Duetschland uber Alles .
This has to be an urban myth ,
not even Barry would be this bizarre to play this for rabbis ,
especially with all the Hitler accusations being tossed around.
“Deutschland uber Alles” as the music? Kind of ironic considering Hussein was speaking to Rabbis.
We are not God’s partner we are God’s servants. I guess given this new revelation by BO, we should now end our prayers with...in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit and Barack Obama.
When you're ringing a group of Rabbis?
The 'partners with God' line is blasphemy. Playing the German national anthem to Rabbis while they wait to listen to a concept not obviously different from the Nazi program to remove unworthy lives - the program that led to the Holocaust - just piles on the 'Springtime for Hitler' ludicrosity.
This is what I resent most about with the left. the audacity of this man and his horrible party to suggest God should be invoked when they fly in the face of said God in every way.
Kick God out of school.
Get rid of God in government.
Ban His name in counseling for satanic abortion.
Tell kids there is no God with federal funding.
Tell Chaplains in the military they may not pray in his name.
These obscene rats deserve every disrespect I can afford them. I will not yield to people like this. I am actually glad people can see just how moronic and hate-filled these people are as they continually call evil good and good evil.
Right away! Augustus became a Divus Caesar, or God. Ironic really, as the real God was born on his watch.
We are God’s partners in matters of life and death,” Obama went on to say,
Always knew Obama was not a Christian.
(We) are not God’s partners.
We are the children of God.
Children...
Children are not partners with their parent.
What an ignorant, arrogant, toad Obama is..............
[”We are God’s partners in matters of life and death,”]
I can envision God shaking his head at the colossal ignorance of this mere mortal’s opinion of himself.
Zero better stick to being partners with the used car business.
It’s beyond ego; this is heresy.
Some would rather rule in hell than serve in Heaven
“If Bush had said that .....”
Difference being that Bush believed and feared G-d.
Everyone knows Obama merely gives the Creator of the Universie lip service.
different conference call.
(extreme sarcasm)
"Eyebrows were also raised by the choice of hold music that played to rabbis before the call began."First mistake," Moline tweeted, as he waited for the call to begin. "Music on hold is 'Deutschland uber Alles,' " a classical German anthem, the lyrics to which in part say, "Preserve and protect our Kaiser, our land."
(The music was chosen by the company carrying the conference call, not the White House or the RAC.)
Behold, a sign!
Cordially,
Yes I know. The link to the Rabbi’s call was already taken down. I thought it might be the same sponsor.
Hussein’s rhetoric of being directly allied with God and doing God’s work pattern’s closely to the rhetoric that islamofacists declare before they strap bombs to themselves and blow up in crowded market places.
Chilling.
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