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RJC: Palin is an experienced and principled leader

By Ami Eden · August 29, 2008

The Republican Jewish Coalition praises Sarah Palin, and says she does have "a proven track record of experienced and principled leadership."

Washington, D.C. (August 29, 2008) – Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matt Brooks issued the following statement today:

"By choosing Governor Sarah Palin as the vice-presidential candidate, John McCain once again demonstrates good judgment and a commitment to challenging politics-as-usual. As governor of Alaska, Palin has enjoyed a strong working relationship with Alaska's Jewish community. She has demonstrated sensitivity to the concerns of the community and has been accessible and responsive.

Palin has a proven track record of experienced and principled leadership. Palin has been a leader on the critical issue of energy independence and lessening our need to buy oil from nations not sharing America and Israel's foreign policy interests.

Palin is anything but the typical Washington pick. A former commercial fisherman and mother of five children, Palin is an exciting and vibrant leader. She will bring a unique perspective to the presidential campaign. Her frontier spirit and triumph over adversity will benefit John McCain and the entire Republican ticket. Together, they are a dynamic team. They will show the American people that on the critical issues facing this country the Republicans have the right solutions. John McCain and Sarah Palin are ready to face the tough challenges ahead."

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Lieberman’s old aide: Palin a big risk

By Ami Eden · August 29, 2008

Blogging for the New York Daily News, Dan Gerstein writes:

In picking an unknown, untested, half-a-term woman governor from Alaska to be his running mate, John McCain is following in a long line of reckless men who have rolled the dice for a beauty queen. Except in this case, McCain is taking one of the biggest, boldest gambles in modern American political history.

He's betting his presidency on a naked political play for holdout Hillary supporters and other female swing voters - and hoping that a large share of these predominantly pro-choice women will ignore or overlook Palin's staunch pro-life, anti-stem cell views.

But that's just the better half of it. McCain will now have to pull off a grand slam of cognitive dissonance - trying to discredit Barack Obama as unready to be Commander in Chief while trying to pawn off the least qualified candidate put on a national ticket in our lifetime as the second best choice to lead the most powerful nation in the world.

In theory, Gerstein continued, the choice could end up helping John McCain shore up his standing as a maverick and reformer. But not likely:

[W]hile it's plausible that Palin could prove a fresh-faced asset, the odds are that she will turn out to be a noticeable liability for McCain - if not an outright disaster. Running mates typically have little to no impact on voter decisions, but when they do, they tend to be negative. And Palin has the potential to hurt McCain in multiple ways.

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Why not Schweitzer?

By Ami Eden · August 29, 2008

Hey, if Obama had known that John McCain was going to go with an obscure governor from a state with a tiny population, I wonder if he would have gone with Montana's rancher-turned-governor Brian Schweitzer – a big hit at the convention.

Is he Jewish?

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Palin on drilling

By Ami Eden · August 29, 2008

Here's a statement from the V.P. pick posted back in July to the Web site of Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas):

What will it take for Congress to enact comprehensive energy policy that includes increased domestic production of oil and gas, renewable and alternative energy, and conservation? It seems to us outside of the Capital Beltway that virtually every effort to accomplish this is met with criticism and failure.

In my opinion, the debate about energy policy is no longer theoretical or abstract. Our failure to enact an energy policy is having real consequences for every American in their daily lives and has begun to affect America's place in the world. Alaska is ready, willing, and able to assist the nation in addressing our acute and expanding energy needs. Like many other states, we would like the opportunity to help.

Congressional approval of responsible petroleum development in the coastal plain of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) - the most promising unexplored petroleum province in North America - would be of incalculable benefit to my state and our nation.

In the last few weeks, proposals have been tabled to permit oil exploration and development in the 80 percent of the federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)which is off-limits to such activity. I strongly support OCS development in Alaska and elsewhere as a necessary component of a sound energy strategy. However, it makes no sense to consider the OCS and to ignore the possibility of exploration and development in highly perspective upland areas,including ANWR.

As this is written, the Alaska Legislature is considering proposals to commercialize and transport the vast quantities of clean-burning natural gas that are located on the North Slope.

Already, 32 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves have been identified, and many trillions of additional cubic feet are thought to exist on the North Slope and in off shore areas of Alaska.

This gas is important to consumers in the lower 48 states, as prices rise and we are increasingly concerned about the carbon footprint resulting from energy utilization.

If we don't move now to enact an energy policy that includes more oil and gas production from domestic sources, including ANWR and the federal OCS, we may look back someday and realize that we failed to perceive a critical crossroad in the history of this nation. I don't think it's overly dramatic to say that our country's future and the quality of life for every American depends on the decisions that are made or not made in the next few months.

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Sarah Palin’s pastor

By Ben Harris · August 29, 2008

We're not the only ones scouring the record today to find out about Palin's religious affiliations. So far, the most cited reference is from this summer's Alaska Assemblies of God newsletter:

Superintendent Ted Boatsman, who was Palin's junior high pastor at Wasilla Assembly of God, along with Pastor Mike Rose of Juneau Christian Center, where Palin presently attends church when in Juneau, laid hands on the Governor and led the Council in prayer.

The Juneau Christian Center includes the sermons of Pastor Rose here. If anyone finds anything interesting, let us know.

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Christian Coalition: We love Palin and the GOP’s most pro-life platform yet

By Ami Eden · August 29, 2008

The Christian Coalition has issued a statement praising Palin:

Christian Coalition of America commends Senator John McCain for his selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, a pro-life conservative mother of 5 children including a Downs Syndrome baby born during April. Liberal and pro-life columnist Nat Hentoff said about Governor Palin in his column on May 26th: "I offer my unsolicited suggestion for (McCain's) vice president: the first woman – and youngest – governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, who is an unstereotypical and effective Republican."

Governor Palin said about her husband's and her feelings about their newest child: "We've both been very vocal about being pro-life. We understand that every innocent life has wonderful potential." She served notice to her Alaskan constituents after the birth of Trig Paxson Van Palin that being the mother of a child of special needs would not hinder her professional commitments: "It's a sign of the times to be able to do this. There is no reason to believe a woman can't do it with a growing family. My baby will not be at all or in any sense neglected." And she added, "I will not shirk my duties."

Roberta Combs, President of the Christian Coalition of America said: "Governor Sarah Palin is a bold choice for Vice President who is a courageous advocate for unborn children. In addition, she is a conservative who is a reformer not afraid to shake up the establishment. I congratulate Senator McCain for his outstanding selection for his vice presidential running mate."

In a separate statement, the Christian Coalition proudly declared that this year's proposed GOP platform contains "the strongest pro-life language ever in the history of the party."

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Experience no longer needed

By Ami Eden · August 29, 2008

My initial thought on the selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is that the entire narrative of this campaign, and the McCain line of attack against Sen. Barack Obama, is going to have to change.

Think about some of the main arguments that McCain backers have put forth about Sen. Barack Obama – and they're even more true about Palin. If Obama is too inexperienced in foreign affairs and too much of an unknown to be president of the United States, then how is McCain's pick fit to be one heartbeat away from the job (and a 72-year-old heartbeat at that)?

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McCain taps Alaska governor as running mate

By Ben Harris · August 29, 2008

Republican John McCain has picked a relatively unknown governor, Alaskan Sarah Palin, as his running mate.

We don't know much about Palin, and neither do the Republican Jewish activists we've talked to. But here's a quick rundown of some Jewish Alaska connections (No, Palin's not Jewish, but what else are we supposed to do?):

• Alaska Airlines played a role in the airlift of Yemenite Jews known as Operation Magic Carpet.
• Michael Chabon imagined a Jewish semi-state in the actual Alaskan region of Sitka.
• Alaskan Jew Ethan Berkowitz, the Democratic minority leader in the state House of Representatives, is currently running for the state's sole seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
• The web address www.frozenchosen.org belongs to an actual Alaskan synagogue, Reform Congregation Beth Sholom in Anchorage.
• And Joel Fleishman, the nebbishy Jewish doctor on "Northern Exposure."

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JTA VIDEO: The final day

By Ami Eden · August 29, 2008

Eric Fingerhut attends a session on MLK, Obama and black-Jewish relations. Ron Kampeas checks out an event with Obama foreign policy advisers and then interviews a Chinese convert to Judaism running for Congress.

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Obama thrusts on Israel…

By Ron Kampeas · August 29, 2008

...saying GOP is all "tough talk" and no action.

Let's see how the McCain campaign parries.

UPDATE: Here's the video and text of the speech.

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