“What is the magic number?” asked a man on stilts, dressed as Uncle Sam, at the
US Embassy pre-election party at Tel Aviv’s Dan Panorama Hotel on Tuesday
night.
In one corner of a large ballroom decked out in flags and red,
white and blue balloons, Uncle Sam was holding a trivia quiz, looking to see if
anyone knew how many electoral votes were needed to secure the White
House.
“Two hundred and seventy,” shouted out someone above the
music.
“Correct,” he answered.
Wearing white gloves, a blue jacket
and red baggy pants, Uncle Sam swayed a bit on the stilts as he
walked.
Behind him, a woman in a bowler hat was handing out popcorn.
There was no humous in sight, instead, guests were treated to the typical
American fare of hot dogs and hamburgers.
On hand to greet the students,
diplomats and American and Israeli guests was US Ambassador to Israel Dan
Shapiro.
“It is great to celebrate our democracy on our election day in
Israel, because Israel is a fellow democracy that shares our values and our
commitment to human rights and those ties are the foundation of the
relationship,” he said.
“The relationship has been characterized by close
cooperation and a deep commitment to Israel’s security,” Shapiro
added.
The two countries stand squarely together in facing the challenges of the region, he said, expressing
that he expects that same close cooperation to continue, no matter which
candidate wins.
Shapiro would not say for whom he voted, except to
explain that he had done so by absentee ballot at his dining room table in
Israel, with his daughters looking on.
In the morning, he said, “the
American people’s choice will be the winner, and all Americans will pull
together to help that president be successful for the next four years.”