I remember the moment I heard that Al Gore had selected Senator Joseph Lieberman to be his running mate in the Presidential election. I was in bed. My mother woke me up much too early and with a tear (and a twinkle) in her eye said, "Gore picked Lieberman! Can you believe it?!" In my half slumber, I muttered the obvious: "We could have a Jewish Vice President." The next day was a frenzy of phone calls and e-mails stating, "Can you BELIEVE it?!" and "This is like having someone in your FAMILY as the Vice Presidential candidate!".
My best friend's Jewish grandmother literally wept with joy every time the subject was brought up. We all felt so acutely proud to be American and to be Jewish and, even proud to be from Connecticut. I was so excited to vote in my first election and now my first election had an added novelty---a fellow Jew on the ticket for the first time in American history.
There was so much talk about the implications of a Jew on the ticket. I remember hearing one obviously concerned citizen question the ease of getting a kosher meal in China and another wonder what would happen if an Earth-threatening crisis occurred on Shabbat. My friend and I laughed at what we knew were absurd worries. As Lieberman's selection gradually became a far less current event, the anxieties died down and we all felt a sense of satisfaction at seeing our friend Joe on the front page of the newspaper and on television.
Now, as I watch Gore's numbers grow increasingly precarious, I feel that we have all forgotten just how exciting his ticket is. I am so disappointed that as the election looms closer on the horizon, I no longer hear about the thrilling prospect of the first Jewish Vice President. We have taken Lieberman's appointment for granted---we do not see our chance to make history with the 2000 election. It is often so easy to let the novelty wear off---to dismiss what was once so thrilling. But, this dismissal is frightening to me. Regardless of how ecstatic we might be about a President Al Gore, it is supremely dangerous for us to pass up the opportunity to have a Vice President Lieberman.
The 2000 election is an incredible opportunity for America to put its money where its mouth is. This is a diverse country. It is a supposedly open-minded country. There is an American dream---barriers can be broken here. Voting for the Democratic candidates affirms those values that America is known to hold dear. What are we telling minority citizens across the country if we cannot elect a Vice President who doesn't exactly fit the mold?
I view voting for Lieberman and Gore as my own personal duty. Furthermore, I believe that it is the duty of every citizen who is concerned about diversity and opportunities for minorities in this country. Every citizen who is not in the majority in this country should be very concerned about a Republican victory because, among other outcomes, it will signify a lost opportunity for a member of the minority to be in the public eye. To vote for the Democratic ticket is to counteract the work of leaders around the world and throughout history who have sought to put down those who are different from the majority. When I vote for Gore and Lieberman, I will be telling those persecutors: "Look at what we can do. You can try to hold us down, but we rise up again and we rise to the top."
As a Jewish American I cannot help but smile at the prospect of a White House Passover Seder or Purim party, but these effects cannot equal the message that Lieberman's election would send. For the first time, this country would be forced to understand a way of life with which it is not necessarily familiar. Think of the ripple effect that this new acceptance could have. Think of the influence that this election could have on the future leaders of America. If we can have a Jewish Vice President who is to say that we can't have a gay Vice President or an African American Vice President? The possibilities are endless and lack of enthusiasm for the Democratic ticket signifies throwing those possibilities away. We at Tufts are too smart to waste this opportunity. On November 7, 2000, the day of the first Presidential election in which I can participate and the day of the only Presidential election of my college career, my vote will be counted for Joseph Lieberman and his running mate, Al Gore.
Laura Israel is a freshman who has not yet chosen a major. She is Assistant Viewpoints Editor for the Daily.
