Nixon 1968, Gore 2008 ??

The Bull Moose is once again commenting on the "Phoenix-like" rise of Al Gore as a presidential candidate. Here's the Moose in January, noting the parallels between a Gore run in 2008 and Nixon's successful comeback in 1968.

Nixon is back! Well not really, the Moose is referring to the comeback of Al Gore, the Democrat's version of the Phoenix-like Republican of '68. The remake of the former Veep is in overdrive. The lefties realize that Al is their true heart-throb.

No doubt, the Veep is reading Six Crises and consulting with the Old Nixon men. Like Tricky Dick, Al can wave the "Bloody Shirt" of a stolen election. And after eight years in the wilderness, Gore can mobilize the base because he has been "right" on everything dear to the left.

Let's put to the side the fact that Nixon was historically the worst threat to American democracy in the history of the nation and that Al Gore is genuinely decent man and public servant with an impeccable record.

The historical analogies between a Gore run in 2008 and Nixon's run in 1968 are striking:

(1) Minority party (GOP, Dems) reverses years of exile from the White House with a charismatic, moderate president (Ike, Clinton)

(2) Despite popularity of policies of outgoing president, less charsimatic VP (Nixon, Gore) stumbles against a young, inexperienced but up-beat challenger (Kennedy, Bush).

(3) Dramatic event rallies divided nation around incumbent party (Cuban Missle Crisis, 9/11)

(4) Majority adminsitration gets mired in war, corruption and overreaching of its cultural fringe.

(5) Former VP (Nixon, Gore) returns to public stage to rally demoralized party (post-Goldwater GOP, post-Kerry Dems) and present himself as both an stateman with experience and outsider who can clean up the mess of the majority party.

Wouldn't it be great if the parallels continued. A 2-term Gore presidency beginning in 2008 (which since Al Gore would never bug his opponent's phones would last its full 8 years)?

Anyway, the Moose is panicking a bit too much from Gore's rhetoric. After all, Nixon's actual policies while in office were surprinsingly moderate.

Purim Cabana

Almost a decade ago, I realized that the Purim story, which featured sex, violence and romance, was missing one thing - a cheezy soundtrack. In an effort to rectify that, I composed the following, which tells the story to the tune of Barry Manilow's immortal Copa Cabana. 9 years after I first published it in "Shabbat Shalom, Princeton", the Purim Cabana has achieved its own small bit of fame, even making it onto songsheets!

Her name was Vashti, she was his showgirl
She was the jewel in his crown, even though he got around
His royal highness, drunk at his party
Told her to bare it all, but she wouldn’t heed his call
Didn’t like what she said, honor cost her her head
The point of this all being that the king re-wed

Back in Shushan, Shushan on Purim
Monarchs weren’t much for decorum
Back in Shushan, Shushan on Purim
The king’s every passion was always the fashion
Back in Shushan, he axed his love

Her name was Esther, she was of our tribe
With help from Uncle Mordecai, she gave being queen a try
Went to the pageant, king looked her over
And Esther was so fair, that the others had no prayer
He told his chamberlain, no need to look again
And took her back to the palace, right there and then

Back in Shushan, Shushan on Purim
The king found someone to adore him
Back in Shushan, Shushan on Purim
Days full of bliss with a lovely Jewess
Back in Shushan, he fell in love.

His name was Haman, he was quite evil
He was the king’s right-hand man, and he hatched a deadly plan
Talked to the king, he won him over
There’s some people who won’t bow, must get rid of them right now
And went he sold his lie, planned to hang Mordecai
And drew lots for the day that we all would die

Back in Shushan, Shushan on Purim
We didn’t get much of a forum
Back in Shushan, Shushan on Purim
Haman’s evil scheming, soon could be leading
To Shushan, drenched in our blood.

Shushan on Puriim, Shushan on Purim...

Her uncle told her, she was our last chance
She would have to see the king, and tell him everything
But Achashverous, was no New-Ager
If his sceptre wasn’t out, she was through no doubt
But the king loved her so, to dinner he would go
And the tables would turn on Haman, now Ach was in the know

Back in Shushan, Shushan on Purim
Haman built gallows used for him
Back in Shushan, Shushan on Purim
Esther saved us all when she answered our call
Back in Shushan, Thank G-d for love.

Hag Sameyach!

We're In Time Magazine...What Does It Mean

Our little minyan, Kol HaKfar, was recently featured in Time Magazine, in a sidebar on home minyanim that accompanied its feature piece on the home church movement.

Zachary Thacher often spends Friday nights at home in his New York City apartment, but not because he's skipping out on Sabbath-eve prayer services. Thacher, 32, is the founder of Kol haKfar, an independent Jewish community that, like a growing number of similar groups around the country, meets in the homes of community participants. Thacher says he started his group--which now has a Friday-eve attendance of about 25--because "having a meaningful, personal service just didn't seem possible in the harsh lighting and monotonous, institutional vibe of a synagogue."

Like Kol haKfar, many of the new communities thriving in cities across the U.S. are run by volunteers--with a healthy representation in their 20s and 30s--and offer religious services organized almost exclusively by e-mail. The groups tend to avoid denominational classification. At Kol haKfar, for instance, some participants use Orthodox prayer books while others follow along using more liberal Reconstructionist texts.

In all fairness to the beleagured Conservative movement, it shuld be noted that the vast majority of us actually use the Conservative text, Sim Shalom. In in all honesty, our a capella, melodic, traditional egalitarian service is a Conservative Friday night service, or what what one should be. But outside of a very few special congregations, you'd be hard pressed to find the intimacy and spirit of our minyan inside the walls of a Conservative shul.