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Voices without Votes is Liveblogging the Elections!

Starting immediately, Voices without Votes will be liveblogging global reactions as we see them. Our global bloggers will answer your questions, analyze incoming results, and share blog and Twitter links. Join us now!

7 replies on “Voices without Votes is Liveblogging the Elections!”

Hi Jill;
I’d be very interested in knowing your reaction to the very first appointment made by Mr. Obama. I may sound a bit over the edge here, but forgive me if I’m a bit skeptical. Indeed I’m more than that: My blood was boiling and I was deeply frustrated to the announcement of Rahm Israel Emanuel as chief of staff. Yes! because I somehow secretly hoped that this guy would deliver and that -as you pointed out in your comment on my blog- his public stance may be different from what he really think. The fact is that Obama appointed a man not only deeply involved in the financial crisis (he was member of the board of Freddy Mac at the time it went through serious trouble) but who also served in Israeli army, therefore an Israeli citizen and de facto, an Israeli officer, whose background juggests where he comes from as far as the Middle-East is concerned (His father was member of the Irgun: the infamous terrorist organization that killed women and children during the first half of the 20th century in the name of Zionism).

So I’m deeply skeptical and profoundly frustrated. So where do we go from here?

Hey Hisham,

I’m pissed too. Up until this, I’d taken Obama’s sudden love of the zionist entity with a grain of salt; after all, you can’t get elected to US high office without pandering to zionists. And like I’ve said, Obama represents serious change, and for that and so many other reasons, I’ve supported him.

But Rahm Emanuel? I’m waiting to write a solid post on this until I’ve gotten the facts straight (is he a dual citizen or is he not? did he serve in the IDF or did he do a short temporary stint fixing brakes, as the news is reporting?). Just FYI, serving as a volunteer in the Israeli Defense Forces doesn’t automatically make one a citizen. He would have had to make Aliyah and live in Israel for three months in order to become a citizen. And if he were an officer, he may very well have been stripped of US citizenship, so I’m not sure that’s true either. His current security clearance in the House indicates that he did not perform serious duties with the IDF (although it is, regardless, very alarming).

What I can say is that the fact that he volunteered in the IDF at all indicates sketchy loyalties, and that his father’s involvement in the Irgun, a TERRORIST ORGANIZATION that once fought for Jordan to be part of Israel, is alarming, terrifying even.

I don’t know where we go from here. Here’s one great blog that’s been tackling this issue with far more depth than I ever could: http://bodyontheline.wordpress.com/

I’m hoping to gain more insight into what all of this really means. I admit, I feel blindsided. And frustrated. There will be more good news in terms of Obama’s cabinet, but undoubtedly more bad news as well.

-Jillian

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