Fact Check

Rabbi Steven Pruzansky -- The Decline and Fall of the American Empire

Rabbi Steven Pruzansky penned an opinion piece about the 2012 U.S. presidential elections?

Published March 15, 2013

Claim:

Claim:   Rabbi Steven Pruzansky penned an opinion piece about the 2012 U.S. presidential elections entitled "The Decline and Fall of the American Empire."


CORRECTLY ATTRIBUTED


Example:   [Collected via e-mail, March 2013]


Just wondering if you can verify whether the following was
written by Rabbi Steven Pruzansky of Teaneck, NJ:

Please take a moment to digest this provocative article by a Rabbi from
Teaneck, N.J. It is far and away the most succinct and thoughtful
explanation of how our nation is changing. The article appeared in The
Israel National News, and is directed to Jewish readership. 70% of American
Jews vote as Democrats. The Rabbi has some interesting comments in that
regard.
 


The most charitable way of explaining the election results of 2012 is
that Americans voted for the status quo — for the incumbent President
and for a divided Congress. They must enjoy gridlock, partisanship,
incompetence, economic stagnation and avoidance of responsibility.
And fewer people voted.
2008 total.

But as we awake from the nightmare, it is important to eschew the facile explanations for the Romney defeat that will prevail among the chattering classes. Romney did not lose because of the effects of Hurricane Sandy that devastated this area, nor did he lose because he ran a poor campaign, nor did he lose because the Republicans could have chosen better candidates, nor did he lose because Obama benefited from a slight uptick in the economy due to the business cycle.

Romney lost because he didn’t get enough votes to win.

That might seem obvious, but not for the obvious reasons. Romney lost because the conservative virtues — the traditional American virtues — of liberty, hard work, free enterprise, private initiative and aspirations to moral greatness — no longer inspire or animate a majority of the electorate. The notion of the “Reagan Democrat” is one cliché that should be permanently retired.

[Rest of article here.]



 

Origins:   Rabbi Steven Pruzansky describes himself on his web site biography as:



[T]he spiritual leader of Congregation Bnai Yeshurun, a synagogue consisting of nearly 600 families located in Teaneck, New Jersey, and one of the most vibrant centers of Orthodox Jewish life today. He has served since August 1994. Previously, Rabbi Pruzansky was for nine years the spiritual leader of Congregation Etz Chaim in Kew Gardens Hills, New York. While in New York, he served a two-year term as President of the Vaad Harabonim (Rabbinical Board) of Queens.

On 7 November 2012, the day after the 2012 U.S. presidential election, Rabbi Pruzansky (a Romney supporter) published the opinion piece referenced above on his blog under the title "The Decline and Fall of the American Empire," offering his viewpoint on why the election turned out the way it did and what the results augur for the future.

Last updated:   15 March 2013

David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.

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