By Prof. Joshua Teitelbaum
Prof. Joshua Teitelbaum, a senior research associate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies who specializes in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, penned an essay in The Times of Israel which takes American liberals to task for their moaning about Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential elections.
“I’ve been in Israel for 35 years, but I feel your pain,” write Teitelbaum. “I’m a 58-year-old dyed-in-the-wool Jewish liberal, born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area… I view you from afar, yet I share your disappointment. But get a grip! I mean, there are reports of Jews sitting shiva (mourning ritual) over Clinton’s defeat. Seriously? Were garments rent? Sackcloth and ashes? With all due respect, greater tragedies have befallen our people.”
“Get out of your safe spaces, and set aside your trigger warnings and your sensitivity to so-called micro aggressions. In the words of that great labor organizer, Joe Hill, “Don’t waste any time mourning. Organize! “Once you get up from shiva, there is much work to be done…”
Teitelbaum continues to give concrete advice as to how to counter Trumpism, including reform of the electoral system and a toning down of hard-left identity politics.
“If you don’t want to totally alienate those who voted for Trump, be respectful of the election outcome. Trump won. Get over it. He is the President, whether we like him or not. Protest, impeach him, or vote him out of office in 2020. That’s what the Constitution says. #Notmypresident is a self-defeating hashtag.”
Read the full article at The Times of Israel.