JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

DCCC chairman: RJC “shameful”

By Eric Fingerhut · September 23, 2008

The chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee called the Republican Jewish Coalition "shameful" for the way the group has tried to use Israel "as a wedge issue."

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said the organziation was breaking with a tradition "that has united Democrats and Republicans since Harry Truman." He spoke at a reception for members of Congress at the National Jewish Democratic Council's Washington Conference.

Van Hollen did come under criticism from pro-Israel constituents in his suburban Washington, D.C. district two years ago after he wrote a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice telling her she should have told Israel to limit its attacks during the Lebanon War – although he also said that Israel was "justified" in defending itself against Hezbollah.

12 Comments | Share This | Congressional races, Israel, NJDC, RJC |

Franken: “I don’t think Minnesota is ready for a gentile in this seat”

By Eric Fingerhut · September 23, 2008

Two Jews running against each other for the U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota? It's not unique, it's tradition, says Democratic candidate Al Franken. After noting to JTA that the three previous elections for the seat have also matched two Jews – Rudy Boschwitz vs. Paul Wellstone twice, then Wellstone (before he died in a plane crash a week before Election Day) vs. current incumbent Norm Coleman. "I don't think Minnesota is ready for a gentile in this seat," he quipped.

Franken, best known for his tenure as a writer and performer on "Saturday Night Live," told the same story a few minutes later to the crowd at the National Jewish Democratic Council's Washington Conference. And it's clear he's not leaving his sense of humor behind while campaigning.

Asked by JTA about the importance of NJDC to his campaign, he replied, "Being Jewish myself, it's a natural constituency. And being a Democrat myself, and liking committees – and national ones at that – it's a perfect fit."

In his remarks to NJDC, Franken criticized Republican Coleman for his "100 percent rating by the Christian Coalition."

"I can't figure out how a Jew is for school prayer," he said. "The only way I'd be for school prayer is if it were the Sh'ma."

Franken said the difference in his race – which is currently a dead heat – would be the question: "Who is your senator going to work for?" Coleman, he said, is the "largest recipient in Minnesota political history" of donations from the pharmaceutical, oil and insurance industries." Is he "working for the special interests," asked Franken, "or the people of Minnesota?"

1 Comment | Share This | Al Franken, NJDC, Norm Coleman |

Biden at NJDC: No doubt about Obama’s support for Israel (Updated with video link)

By Eric Fingerhut · September 23, 2008

Joe Biden defended his pro-Israel record and vouched for his running mate's at the National Jewish Democratic Council's Washington Conference Tuesday afternoon.

"I've spent 35 years of my career dealing with issues relating to Israel," Biden said, mentioning his first meeting with former Israeli prime ministers Golda Meir and Yitzhak Rabin and the various pro-Israel pieces of legislation he has backed. "My support for Israel begins in my stomach, goes to my heart and ends up in my head," he said.

"I guarantee you I would not have joined Barack Obama as his vice president if I had any doubt, even the slightest doubt, that he shares the same commitment to Israel I share," Biden said to a standing ovation.

Biden briefly mentioned "the smear campaign" against him – specifically citing the Republican Jewish Coalition's charge that he once attempted to cut off aid to Israel – and said, "We have to ignore all the malarkey, distractions and e-mails and get behind Barack Obama."

After his opening remarks on Israel, Biden stuck mostly to the economy and other domestic policies in his half-hour speech – which sounded similar to the vice presidential nominee's standard stump speech.

"I know NJDC – it isn't just about Israel," said Biden. He criticized the "tyranny of the oligarchs of oil" and asked the crowd to imagine "a country that believes in science" and "a country where we only go to war when it's necessary," drawing applause. He didn't mention Iran, but did return to Israel near the end of his thirty-minute talk.

"Imagine a president who won't wait until his seventh year in office," said Biden, to see "the need for American leadership in the Middle East peace process."

Video of Biden's speech available here.

3 Comments | Share This | barack obama, Joe Biden, NJDC, Presidential Race, RJC |

RJC: Dems who like McCain

By Ami Eden · September 23, 2008

Sit down and clear your head before reading...

Last week the Republican Jewish Coalition published an ad making an issue of Pat Buchanan's saying "I think Barack is right, we ought to talk to the Iranians" and "he's right to say the Palestinian people have got a terrible deal over there and their suffering ought to be recognized. That's Obama's position. It's my position." (Click here to read my critique of the ad.)

Now the RJC has a new ad, this one featuring positive quotes from Democrats about John McCain. One of the quotes comes from Ira Forman, the National Jewish Democratic Council: "I have to take my hat off to [McCain] for putting principle in front of politics... I wish there were more John McCains."

As it turns out, the quote in question comes from a 1999 JTA article. And, while these days Forman is pretty harsh in his criticisms of John McCain, the NJDC leader is not being quoted out of context. At the time, he was expressing genuine admiration for McCain, after the Arizona senator declared that there was no place in the GOP for Buchanan.

Here comes the punch line: George W. Bush, then the governor of Texas and a candidate for president, took the opposite view, arguing that there was a place for Buchanan in the GOP primary race. That position drew criticism from Forman. And guess who defended Bush?

The Republican Jewish Coalition last week said Buchanan's views were abhorrent and that he had no place in the GOP. But Matt Brooks, the group's executive director, defended Bush's stance, saying it made practical sense.

"What (Bush) has done is to make sure Buchanan can't leave the party and take Republican support with him (by) saying he was forced out of the party," Brooks said.

JTA's Eric Fingerhut spoke to Brooks and Forman. The Jewish Democratic leader called the recent ad "pretty ironic" given the back-and-forth over Buchanan. "Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Chuck Schumer and I have two things in common," he continued. "The first is we thought the old John McCain had qualities you could compliment, but the new John McCain is radically different. The second is we're all endorsing Barack Obama for president."

Forman said that using the quote is a distortion because he was talking about a different John McCain. "I still wish there were more old John McCains," he said. But the McCain of 2008 "is a radical new one" and "bears no resemblance to the John McCain of 1999." These days McCain "is someone who's willing to defend his campaign lies."

As for Brooks... he said Forman's quote "speaks for itself" and is "an absolutely legitimate quote" even if it is nine years old. It shows Forman believes "John McCain is a principled person."

Brooks said that back in 1999 he was only "explaining Bush's position," not supporting it. He noted that the article does say the RJC had previously called for kicking Buchanan out of the party.

The point of the ad is to "underline that John McCain has always crossed party lines and had the respect of leading Democrats."

2 Comments | Share This | barack obama, george w. bush, John McCain, NJDC, RJC |

Embassy move is “up to McCain,” say advisers

By Eric Fingerhut · September 23, 2008

John McCain has said he will move U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem on "day one" of his presidency, but two of his top advisers declined to promise that he wouldn't sign a national security waiver that would delay the move, according to one person who attended a meeting last week of the McCain campaign and Jewish leaders and supporters. The source did not wish to be identified.

According to the meeting attendee, the foreign policy advisers, Kori Schake and Richard Fontaine, said such a decision would be "up to Sen. McCain."

McCain spokesman Michael Goldfarb told JTA that just because the advisers may have declined to answer the question, doesn't mean McCain would waver on his promise. They were correct to say that it is "up to McCain," Goldfarb said, and the Republican nominee "has made it clear he will not sign a waiver" and has "every intention of moving the embassy in his first year in office."

"The senator's position is clear," Goldfarb said.

Both President George W. Bush and former President Bill Clinton promised to move the embassy once they were elected but neither did – with Bush signing the waiver 16 times over the last eight years. Barack Obama has said he wants the embassy to be in Jerusalem but has not put a time frame on when he would move it; his campaign has accused McCain of lying for suggesting he would move it immediately.

The two-hour meeting, in which about two dozen leaders of Jewish organizations and Jewish supporters of McCain came to campaign headquarters in Arlington, Va., also included Mark Broxmeyer, national chairman of the campaign's Jewish Advisory Coalition.

Attendees said they were pleased with what they heard from the McCain advisers, and said there were no surprises. One attendee said the advisers told the group that McCain would "put no pressure on Israel for concessions," push for tougher sanctions on Iran and "treat jihadism as a transcendant national concern."

0 Comments | Share This | barack obama, John McCain, Presidential Race |

Asking “what’s at stake” in this election

By Eric Fingerhut · September 23, 2008

The New Jersey Jewish News is asking Jewish leaders in the state what issues they would like to see the presidential candidates address. The answers include Israel and Iran, but also immigration reform, health care and income inequality. "What's at Stake" will be a regularly updated feature through the election.

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Sen. Durbin critcizes GOP for sinking anti-Iran sanctions

By Ami Eden · September 23, 2008

Here's audio from Sen. Richard Durbin's conference call last week criticizing Republicans for sinking anti-Iran sanctions legislation. The Obama campaign organized the call.

[audio:/images/archive/durbin.mp3] Audio sound funny? Upgrade your Flash player.

To subscribe to JTA's Behind the News podcast, click here.

0 Comments | Share This | barack obama, Iran, Presidential Race |

Interfaith Alliance counters campaign to endorse from pulpit

By Eric Fingerhut · September 23, 2008

The Interfaith Alliance is countering an effort to get clergy to endorse candidates from the pulpit. More than 150 religious leaders have signed a six-point pledge to uphold "certain standards" during the election and prevent partisanship or candidate endorsements in their houses of worship.

The nationwide campaign is a direct response to the Alliance Defense Fund's Pulpit Initiative, which "seeks to restore the right of each pastor to speak Scriptural truth from the pulpit about moral, social, governmental, and other issues without fear of losing his church's tax exempt status." The organization is hoping to spur lawsuits from the IRS, expecting to win and "restore the right of pastors to speak freely from the pulpit."

Among the religious leaders who have signed the Interfaith Alliance pledge are Rabbis Janet Marder of Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills, Calif., Toba Spitzer of West Newton, Mass. and Peter Rubenstein of Central Synagogue in New York, Sayyid Sayid of the Islamic Society of North America, and prominent evangelical Rev. Joel Hunter of Longwood, Floa.

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Political tidbits: A West Bank rabbi for Obama

By Eric Fingerhut · September 23, 2008

• A George Mason University professor and rabbi has news of a West Bank, pro-settlement rabbi for Obama. Rabbi Menachem Frohman, in an open letter to Obama, says his election "will be God's outstretched hand for peace."
• Haaretz's Shlomo Shamir says Rabbis for Obama is one sign of the increasing influence of rabbis in the Jewish community.
• After a week talking to people in Israel, the Israel Policy Forum's M.J. Rosenberg writes on TPMCafe that Israelis are now backing Obama.
• Caroline Glick, in the Jerusalem Post, says Sarah Palin would have delivered a "remarkable speech" at the anti-Iran rally, but Jewish Democrats prevented it because they value abortion more than Israel.
• Rush Limbaugh, in an interview with Greta Van Susteren on Fox News, uses the anti-Iran rally fiasco as an example of Democrats not wanting to "unify" on anything – but he gets the facts wrong when he blames the Obama campaign for the disinvitation to Palin.
• Jennifer Rubin rounds up the negative reactions of some Jewish groups to Palin's disinvitation.
• Clyde Haberman in the New York Times on how the annual visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad makes "some normally sensible New Yorkers lose their bearings" – and this year it was the Jewish organizations' turn.
• Minnesota Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken admits that he did suggest an idea that turned into a Saturday Night Live sketch this past weekend making fun of John McCain's ads – but didn't write it and says he didn't even realize it would turn into a sketch. (By the way, it wasn't nearly as funny as the Palin-Clinton sketch the previous week.)

0 Comments | Share This | Al Franken, barack obama, Iran, Israel, John McCain, Presidential Race, Sarah Palin, Tidbits |

This Buchanan thing won’t die

By Ron Kampeas · September 23, 2008

Over at Politico, Ben Smith runs down a list of McCain campaign plaints about press coverage. One has to do with inadequate attention paid to the fabrication, promulgated by the Obama campaign almost as soon as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) named Sarah Palin as his running mate, that the Alaska governor had once endorsed Pat Buchanan, the Holocaust diminisher, for president.

According to Smith, McCain campaign honcho Steve Schmidt said Obama surrogate U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) "went out and accused her of being a Nazi sympathizer."

Berated Schmidt: "Where is the outrage to that aspersion on the part of some of the biggest newspapers in the country?"

Ben does a good job of gutting this one: Wexler accused Buchanan - never Palin - of Nazi sympathies. So it was sympathies once removed, as it were.

Something else kinda bugs me: We (as in JTA/Jewish media) pretty much nipped this one in the bud. What do you need major papers for, Steve? Ya got the folks who count (at least as far as this issue goes.)

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