It is said that “the perfect is the enemy of the good.”
Joan Swirsky is a heroic local writer and political thinker. I have known her for nearly 40 years, going back to my Ed Koch, D’Amato and Pataki years. Twenty years ago, I was a conservative Democrat. Such species are now as rare as White Bengal Tigers, so draw your own conclusions.
The more recent radicalism and deconstructionism of the Democratic Party has presented a grave threat to American ideals, history and free-market capitalism.
It is particularly egregious for Jews and supporters of Israel. That nationally significant Jewish enclaves such as Riverdale and Scarsdale essentially have no Congressional representation with the loss of Eliot Engel and other Democratic friends of Israel is truly an egregious outcome.
When AIPAC presents Nancy Pelosi as a great friend of Israel while she endorses a cretinous anti-Semite, Ilhan Omar, over a legitimate, urbane African-American primary opponent – the anti-Semitic infection has arrived at the very top of Democratic leadership. AOC, Tlaib, so many others…Let’s just say that history shows that Jews don’t have a scent for impending danger.
Here on the north shore of Queens and Long Island, we have Tom Suozzi. Even up here, there are “progressive-regressives” nipping at his tail. I am not an orthodox party person. A Republican, yes – but political affiliation is not a religion – albeit so many of my brethren on the other side seem to meld the two.
We are lucky that Tom Suozzi prevailed in his primary. He has taken a lot of heat on the Israel front. Sad but true in today’s Democratic Party. We’re duty-bound to reward him. We don’t need to end up as Riverdale and Scarsdale.
To Joan and all my neighbors – Tom is the good. There is no perfect.
Jeffrey S. Wiesenfeld
Great Neck
