![\"Opa!](\"https:\/\/www.aoiusa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/opa_obama1.jpg\" "\\"opa_obama1\\"")
<\/a>Opa! Obama!<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
On Nov. 5, the National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes<\/a> told supporters that it had raised $500,000 for Obama’s campaign just weeks before the election. (full message appended at bottom of post). Andy Manatos<\/a>, a public relations executive who also chaired last summer’s GOA Clergy-Laity Congress, led the effort for this group. “Moving the huge American bureaucracy to treat Greece, Cyprus and the Ecumenical Patriarchate fairly is never easy in light of competing American interests,” Manatos said. “However, having Obamakis and Bidenopoulos in the White House opens the door to some good possibilities.”<\/p>\n The blowback came pretty fast. Earlier this week, Greek News reported<\/a> that the \u201cObamakis and Bidenopoulos\u201d statement received an angry reaction from “almost every one of the community leaders that participate in the Coordinated Effort.” But, of course, that was more a question of how the press release was handled rather than the facts surrounding the “Coordinated Effort.”<\/p>\n Yes, those “competing American interests” that Manatos referred to after the election. Those would be the interests that are of great importance to the United States, and not necessarily to the nation of Greece. But if you read the statements of Obama’s ethnic Greek supporters, you get a sense that any American interests have been pushed completely out of sight. The focus is for the most part is on three issues: Cyprus, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and the Macedonia\/FYROM naming issue. On the other side of the presidential campaign, the Greek News reported<\/a> that, “with Barack Obama monopolizing the Greek American media,” a statement was issued by Peter J. Pappas Sr., Chairman of the New York State Hellenic American Republican Association just before the election. Pappas pointed out that “John McCain has not issued any ‘Greek-American issues’ statement because he stands on broad foreign policy and national security standards and principles that apply across the globe.” He went on:<\/p>\n Democratic Presidents have often issued highly favorable campaign promises to the Greek American community, only to revert to establishment thinking in times of testing. Jimmy Carter promised to reverse the invasion of Cyprus, and instead lifted the arms embargo on Turkey without any reciprocity or concessions. Bill Clinton accepted the Turkish position of \u201cgrey zones\u201d in the Aegean Sea after the Imia crisis and led the NATO bombing campaign of Serbia that delivered independence to Kosovo. Obama himself has already reversed his position on Jerusalem as an Israeli or Palestinian capital, on lifting or maintaining the embargo on Cuba, on the success of the surge in Iraq, and – most famously \u2013 on unconditional meetings with America\u2019s enemies.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It will be interesting to see if President-elect Obama follows the pattern. There are skeptics about Greece controlling American foreign policy. “Starting tomorrow, the full force of the Turkish government will come down like a ton of bricks on Washington,” Ken Hachikian, chairman of the ANCA<\/a>, said in a written statement to the U.S. Armenian Community shortly after the election.<\/a> The ANCA endorsed Obama, who has pledged support for the Armenian Genocide Resolution “in no uncertain terms.”<\/a> <\/p>\n Isn’t it curious that, among ethnic Greeks that support Obama, there has been precious little discussion of Obama’s views on important moral issues — particularly the sanctity of life and the family? Are any of Obama’s supporters, who now have their man headed for the White House, aware of his unstinting support for abortion? He describes himself<\/a> as “a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women’s rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President.” What about Obama opposing Proposition 8<\/a> in California, a successful measure backing traditional marriage that was supported by Orthodox bishops? That’s a good place to start. Just don’t expect members of Obama’s Greek American National Leadership Committee<\/a> to get the discussion going.<\/p>\n Writing in Hurriyet, the Turkish paper, Ariana Ferentinou claimed<\/a> that “the vast majority of Greek Americans” voted for Barack Obama. She explained how Alexi Giannoulias<\/a>, treasurer of the state of Illinois, was influential in energizing supporters in the Greek-American community.<\/p>\n Speaking to 40 guests at a $28,500 per head fundraising dinner for Obama, at a restaurant and bar in downtown Chicago organized by Yannoulias [Giannoulias], Obama spoke about Alexi\u2019s immigrant father, \u201cHe was extraordinarily successful and built his success from nothing… He was tough, he was shrewd, but he was also a gentleman. I immediately loved him and loved the family\u2026 It reminded me not only of what is best about the Greek community, but also about the American nation,” the President-elect said.<\/p>\n The Greek American supporters of Obama see the election of Obama as an opportunity for a new generation of educated Greek and Greek Cypriot Americans to give renewed impetus to the Greek lobby, and push forward Greek and Greek Cypriot issues, the majority of which involve relations with Turkey. Beside Yannoulias [Giannoulias], other new names are emerging. Ed Zemenides, another young Greek American from Chicago, made his mark during Obama’s emergence as a political force. A 35-year-old Greek Cypriot lawyer whose father fought against the Turks in 1974, he has been helping Yannoulias [Giannoulias] with every step and is a powerful young player in the new Chicago group clustered around Obama.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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\nNow, there are good reasons for Orthodox Christians — indeed all Christians — to have their voices heard on Cyprus, particularly about the ongoing the destruction and desecration of religious communities and sites<\/a> in the Turkish-occupied zone, and on the longstanding persecution of the Ecumencial Patriarchate which threatens its very survival (see my article, A Patriarch in Dire Straits<\/a>). The FYROM thing strikes me as simply farcical. Will the Mexican government one day demand that we come up with a new name for New Mexico?<\/p>\n