So far the meilos for voting republican or democrat center around: 1) overall stances of the party on Torah values and 2) Personality/values/effectiveness of the actual leader. Both are important, but I am shocked a third critereon hasn’t been raised: which party is more conducive for a more stable and peaceful existence for us Jews, allows me to raise my family in safety, allows me to work without being mistreated for wearing a yarmulke or taking off YT, going to a store without being harrassed, etc.? Don’t forget most of our history was about pogroms, disallowing observance, and forcing us to live on the fringes of society. We are spoiled here in the U.S. Back in much of the old world, you wouldn’t bother or dare greeting your gentile neighbor, let alone lobbying the country to promote family values. Why the obsession now? Clearly we have some degree of responsibility to promote sheva mitzvos, etc. But I favor democrats by and large to stand by my right to live as a frum Jew. Although republican-supported school vouchers help us finanially, you’d generally find a gay or hipster democrat from NY would likely stick up for a Jew more than a Republican goy from Boise. Just be a decent person and you will see they are not all Jew-haters. The Democratic party always helps the minorities. Yes, there live-and-let-live ideaology can be problematic as there are radicals who want to ban shechita and bris milah. But not most. Change people through engaging them and respecting them as people, not through legisation which doesn’t effectively work anyway.
And remember that while there are many Christian repblicans who strive for wholesome family values and may respect us, many many christian republicans are “culturally” Christian and have 0 regard for you or me.
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