JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

Seals trounces Footlik

By Ami Eden · February 6, 2008

JTA’s Jacob Berkman has been covering the Democratic congressional primary fight in Illinois between Dan Seals and Jay Footlik, who served as Bill Clinton’s and John Kerry’s Jewish liaison.

The final tally isn’t pretty: Seals 81% (72,704), Footlik 19% (16,563).

The Berkinator will have more later today.

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Chicago papers: Take Seals over Footlik

By Jacob Berkman · January 30, 2008

Just in case you forgot during all the presidential hoopla, JTA is looking at the Democratic congressional primary in the 10th District of Illinois, where former Clinton aide and M.O.T. Jay Footlik is vying against Dan Seals to see who will get the chance to take on the strongly pro-Israel Republican incumbent Mark Kirk.

Footlik, who was the Jewish liaison for both Bill Clinton and
John Kerry, and has run a campaign that specifically reached out to the Jews, both in the Heeb-heavy district in the suburbs of Chicago and across the country. He boasts plenty of endorsements from Jewish luminaries, including Alan Dershowitz and Elie Weisel.

Of course, Footlik may have Chutzpah and Night, but now Seals has the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun Times.

Both of the major Chicago dailies have endorsed Seals – though in neither was it exactly a ringing endorsement.

Here is the Sun-Times endorsement:

“Footlik, a scrappy fighter, is strong in several areas but can’t compete with the complete package Seals offers.

We like Footlik’s Middle East experience – he lived there for four
years, was an adviser to President Clinton and worked for the Peres
Center for Peace. The Buffalo Grove resident is also a founding board member of a nonprofit dedicated to reducing U.S. dependence on oil.

But Seals is the better overall candidate to take on Kirk, a moderate
first elected in 2000.”

And here is the Trib’s:

“There isn’t a great deal of difference between Seals and Footlik on
policy. They’re both smart, well-prepared candidates. Voters, though, might have reason to question either candidate’s long-term commitment to them. Seals still lives a couple of blocks outside the district – he says he can’t afford to move into the 10th. Footlik just recently returned to the area, renting a home in Buffalo Grove.

Seals gets the edge, based on a better grasp of local issues and concerns. He is endorsed.”

As for our endorsement?

We support… Oh shoot Edwards just dropped out of the presidential
race. We need to get onto that. More Feb.5 when the election goes
down.

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Footlik campaign says Seals padded his resume

By Jacob Berkman · January 16, 2008

After filing a real live news story about the Jay Footlik vs. Dan Seals primary race for the 10th Congressional District in Illinois (instead of reportage through blogging) I got a frantic call from Simon Behrmann, Footlik’s campaign manager, informing me that my story contained a “factual error.”

It’s not the kind of call you want at 8:30 at night after a pretty long day. Behrmann, though, is claiming that Seals’ assertion that he is an adjunct professor at Northwestern University is not true. Seals regularly rolls out his position at Northwestern as a key piece of his resume. It is on his Web site. I heard him talk about the position at two debates. And he told me in an interview about the job.

But Footlik’s campaign is saying it is a fudge, that Seals has never taught at Northwestern and has only signed up to teach a class that will start in April. That is well after the Feb. 5 primary, and is misleading to voters who could see Seals’ affiliation to Northwestern, a highly respected university, as a sign of credibility, Behrmann says.

The Seals campaign flatly denies the charge.

“These types of baseless political attacks are why people are fed up with Washington and ready for change,” said Liz Smith, Seals’ communications director. “Dan is running for congress to put an end to this type of politics.”

(Barack? Is that you?)

But local blogs such as Team America’s Tenth District blog (which those close to the Seals campaign describe as a right-wing rag) have picked up on the story.

And Behrmann says that the local press is going to run with it – and that the Tribune has already interviewed him regarding the matter.

The Seals campaign is not amused and those close to Seals say that the Footlik campaign is grasping at straws.

Smith was working on getting someone from Northwestern to clarify Seals’ position for me. In the meanwhile, she sent JTA the link to Northwestern’s course guide for next semester.

Check out MPPA 490-0, Special Topics: Federal Policymaking. Starts April 1.

“They are making hay out of something that isn’t an issue in this race and why are they doing it? Because they are desperate because they are so far behind,” one person close to the Seals campaign told me. “It says more about their campaign than the Seals’ campaign.”

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Commander Kirk beams at N.J. pro-Israel fund raiser

By Jacob Berkman · January 14, 2008

On Sunday night, after traveling Chicago’s suburbs for three days, trailing the two Illinois Democrats vying to knock Mark Kirk out of the state’s 10th Congressional district seat (here and here), I finally caught up with the Republican incumbent lat night – in New Jersey.

Kirk spoke to a mostly Modern Orthodox group of donors at a newly constructed mansion in Englewood, at a fund raiser held for him by Norpac, a single-issue political action committee that raises around $1 million per year for pro-Israel incumbents in the House and Senate.

Out of about 20 guests, I was one of only two men not wearing yarmulkes.

Kirk’s voting record on Israel is impeccable: He has pushed for Israel to be included in whatever neo-Star Wars plans the government has in place, helped secure aero-missiles for Israel, and aided Israel’s successful effort to secure American “Eyes-in-the-Sky” data that would give the Jewish state 11 minutes warning if a missile attack was launched against it. Kirk has also been an outspoken critic of UNWRA, the U.N. agency charged with aiding Palestinian refugees and frequently accused of fostering anti-Israel sentiment.

Kirk, a Naval Reserve intelligence officer, who also works in the Pentagon, didn’t veer from those views last night, spending nearly 40 minutes speaking in depth about the short-term, medium-term and long-term threats Israel faces – the chief among them Iran.

“How do we as Americans committed to the security of our ally make sure she is always there and that a hundred years of Zionism is not wiped out in a single attack?” he asked.

Kirk has about $2 million in the bank so far for his upcoming race,
and Norpac raised about $15,000 for him last night, according to its
president, Dr. Ben Chouake. This was the third time Norpac has held a fund raiser for Kirk.

When asked about Daniel Seals and Jay Footlik, the two Democrats who will face off in the Feb. 5 primary to see who will run against him, Kirk said that he is not worried about a challenge from Seals.

“I won in the toughest year ever last year for Republicans and I
defeated Seals by a 7 percent margin,” he told me before he spoke to the Norpac crowd. “We know Dan Seals the best, and we know how to beat him.”

A side note: The Republican candidate recently was promoted in the Naval Reserves. He is now Commander Kirk.

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Footlik: Chicken soup and a bendel

By Jacob Berkman · January 11, 2008

I just got back from a meeting with Jay Footlik, and he may be the Jewiest congressional candidate we have seen in a long time.

Wearing a red “bendel” – otherwise known as a kabbalah string – around his wrist, Footlik met with me at a restaurant a couple of doors down from his campaign headquarters in Highland Park and ran down his Jewish credentials.

He grew up in the uber Jewish neighborhood of Skokie, studied the Middle East/Israeli-Arab conflict at UCLA, and was tapped by Bill Clinton as his liaison to the Jewish community. After the Clinton White House expired, he was on a speaking tour of Jewish organizations, when Shimon Peres asked him to work for a think tank he was starting. He lived in Israel for four years, in the Tel Aviv neighborhood of Bazel, and met and married an Israeli.

Two days after Footlik and his wife were married, John Kerry tapped him as his liaison to the Jews. “Short honeymoon,” Footlik joked at lunch.

Sure, the restaurant was treif. But Footlik, who had the sniffles, ordered a chicken soup. “It just sounds perfect right now,” he told the waiter.

Footlik is something of a rags to middle class story. His father walked out on the family when Jay’s mother, Koreene, was pregnant, and Jay was only 4. But Jay got into acting as a kid and had a fair degree of success and was able to earn a living – he made more than his mom, when he was a kid (did you like Teen Wolf?).

And he paid for part of his bar mitzvah with the salary. (The parsha was Vayigash.)

He says he see running for Congress to help change the world for the better as a reflection of his Jewish values and identity.

Our meeting came on the same day that one of the local papers gave its endorsement to Footlik’s opponent, Dan Seals. The paper chastised Fotlik for “poking fun” at his Jewish heritage citing a mailer Footlik sent out that used the word “meshuga.”

Footlik shot back today, essentially saying that anyone who would questioned the seriousness of his Jewish identity is meshuga.

“I make no apologies for communicating with my own community, the Jewish community,” he said. “Just like I make no apologies for communicating with the Hispanic community in Waukegan or the Asian community in Northbrook.”

“I was Bill Clinton’s Jewish liaison I lived and worked in Israel during a time when most people weren’t visiting Israel because buses and cafes were blowing up. My wife is Israeli and served in the IDF,” Footlik said. To boot, he added, his business partner is Yuval Rabin – son of the slain prime minister.

Footlik has an uphill battle. Seals released a statement saying that in a poll of 303 people, he had a lead over Footlik of 58 percent to 10 percent among Democratic voters.

Can Footlik make up the ground by the Feb. 5 primary?

“B’ezrat Hashem,” he said, with a smile.

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Ross, Indyk, Holbrooke: Vote Footlik

By Ami Eden · January 10, 2008

Jay Footlik just sent out an e-mail with a joint endorsement letter signed by Dennis Ross, Martin Indyk, Richard Holbrooke, Jim Rosapepe and Marc Ginsberg.

Over the past six years, we have watched in shock and disbelief as the disastrous foreign policies of George Bush have tragically increased turmoil and chaos across the globe, endangering the fundamental security of the American people. In the Middle East, our leaders’ penchant for relying on military force and a botched attempt to impose democracy, have made the situation there more dire than it has been in decades.  The neglect of diplomacy threatens critical American interests throughout the region.

We must elect new leaders who understand today’s geopolitics and are prepared to discard the cowboy diplomacy that has marred the 21st century.  We need leaders who have the sophistication to deal with complex affairs of state and the competence to create a constructive dialogue where necessary to ease tensions around the globe.

That’s why we are supporting Jay Footlik for Congress.

Having worked with Jay in the Clinton White House, we know him to be a dedicated and talented public servant.  He is committed to the highest values for which America stands and possesses the knowledge and understanding of current international issues that will allow him to be a productive force in the formulation of policy ideas in the United States House of Representatives.

Jay will take to Congress a unique background and practical experience that allows him to comprehend the root causes of the conflicts in the Middle East.  He has a strong desire to get our country back on track – both in our dealings abroad and at home.  In particular, Jay has unique insight into the most critical problems facing our country today – resolving the war in Iraq, dealing with the threat of an Iranian nuclear force, and reducing our dependence on oil.

Electing Jay Footlik will give the people of the 10th district of Illinois a representative who will put principle overself-preservation, and a patriot who will put what?s best for the country over the demands of private interests.

Sincerely,
Hon. Richard Holbrooke
Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.

Hon. Martin Indyk
Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel

Hon. Jim Rosapepe
Former U.S. Ambassador to Romania

Hon. Dennis Ross
Former Special Middle East Envoy

Hon. Marc Ginsberg
Former U.S. Ambassador to Morocco

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Newspaper: Footlik’s Jewish jokes don’t fly

By Ami Eden · January 10, 2008

Jacob Berkman reports that Dan Seals has landed the endorsement of the Highland Park News. Apparently the editors over there don’t like Jay Footlik’s sense of humor (click here to see the offending ad):

His opponent Footlik has served as special assistant to President Clinton on domestic and foreign policy issues, and as a senior adviser on the Middle East for the Kerry/Edwards campaign in 2004.

But the Footlik campaign’s release of a flyer to Jewish residents poking fun at Footlik’s Jewish background raises questions about his judgment in the serious business of running for Congress against a strong incumbent in the fall. His lack of name recognition and regular party support also presents doubts about his ability to be a real challenge to Kirk in November.

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Seals vs. Footlik (Mini Obama vs. Hillary)

By Ami Eden · January 10, 2008

If you can take your eyes off of the presidential race for a few minutes … JTA’s Jacob Berkman is on the road in Chicago to provide some coverage for a very interesting, little noticed congressional primary. The Democratic race pits Dan Seals, a local up-and-comer, against Jay Footlik, a veteran of the Clinton administration and the Kerry campaign who focused on Middle East issues and outreach to the Jewish community.

To boot, the incumbent, Mark Kirk, commands support from many pro-Israel donors across the country who view his a staunch ally of Jerusalem.

Seals almost beat him in 2006, so people assumed there would be a rematch this year. But Footlik decided to head back to his home state and challenge Seals in the Dem primary. He boasts big-name endorsements and financial support from out-of-state Jews.

Here’s Jacob’s first dispatch (more to come after his interview with Footlik today and a second debate tonight) …

Just outside Chicago, Lincolnshire, Ill., is a long way from the political spotlight in Iowa and New Hampshire, but a key Congressional race for democrats heated up here last night as two wannabe lawmakers sparred in what is shaping up as an off Broadway version of the Hillary-Obama fight.

Democratic hopefuls Daniel Seals and Jay Footlik went at each other in the auditorium of Adlai E. Stevenson High School. It was their first lengthy debate as they vie in a primary election to see who gets the chance to try to knock off U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), who has held the 10th District seat since 2000.

Most of the country is focused on the presidential primaries, but Democratic insiders are keeping an eye on the Seals-Footlik showdown, convinced that the party can wrest the seat from Kirk in November, strengthening its grip on the U.S. House of Representatives.

That hope is based largely on the 2006 campaign Seals ran against Kirk. Under-funded and under exposed, Seals surprisingly took 47 percent of the vote against Kirk last time around. That showing has also made him the resounding early favorite in the primary and has given him almost across the board backing from the state’s elected democrats and higher levels of financial support than he received in his first go-round.

The race is interesting to Jewish political mavens on several levels.

First, the incumbent, Kirk, is known as one of the House’s strongest supporters of Israel. He has the financial backing of several pro-Israel political action committees, including the country’s largest, the New Jersey based-Norpac. In Illinois, Jacpac, a women’s pro-Israel PAC, is in his corner. Norpac’s president, Dr. Ben Chouake, ranks Kirk in his top five Israel supporters in the House and is organizing a fund-raiser for him on Sunday in Jersey. In short, among a certain class of single-issue pro-Israel political donors, many believe that unseating Kirk is bad for the Jews.

Footlik, who is Jewish, is well-known to the politically aware Jewish community for his work in national politics. He was a longtime Clinton aid, focused on foreign policy and the Middle East peace process.

Then, during the 2004 presidential campaign, he was a special adviser to John Kerry, responsible for devising Kerry’s Middle East policy and served as Kerry’s liaison to the Jewish community.

A former childhood actor, who had roles in such flicks as Teen Wolf and Iron Eagle, Footlik is married to a former Israeli model.  He has used his relationships from his Clinton and Kerry years to raise more than $400,000, much of it from Jews.

Footlik has been criticized early on for what some see as his over-the-top efforts to target the Jewish vote.  One recent mailing to residents of the 10th district –- which is home to nearly half of the Chicago area’s 270,000 Jews –- declared that one would have to be “meshuga” not to vote for Footlik.

On the national level, the wonks watching this race are not giving Footlik much of a shot, as polls in October showed Seals winning big.

“He is personable, articulate, smart. He is the kind of guy, who when you sit in a room with him, you go, ‘Wow. He is thoughtful,’” Stu Rothenberg, who publishes the national newsletter The Rothenberg Report, told JTA. “He is Barak Obama without the Kenya connection.”

And in a sit down with JTA on Wednesday at his campaign headquarters in a strip mall in Deerfield, Seals lived up to that reputation.

Seals, whose father played pro-football for the Chicago Bears, spoke warmly about his childhood experience as a non-Jew attending a JCC camp. “Until then, I thought a dreidel was just a top,” he said.

Seals deftly threw out Jewish political keywords such as “tikun Olam.” And he said that Jews tend to get “short shrift” because they are so often viewed as a one-issue demographic, that issue being Israel.

Sounding like Obama, he said that he would not engage in any bashing of Footlik, though he was dismissive of his rival’s chances.

One resident of the district told JTA before the debate at Stevenson that he heard that Seals has refused to spend any money so far in his race against Footlik because he does not view him as a challenger.

Some Democrats are angry at Footlik for challenging Seals, according to a local party activist who wished to remain anonymous.  The fear, according to the activist, is that in comparison to Footlik, Seals will look weak on Israel –- a potential problem down the road against Kirk, in a district where Jews could end up accounting for an estimated 30 percent of the votes cast.

A few Seals backers even suggest that Footlik may have been coerced into running by Kirk supporters, whose real goal was to weaken Seals.

“There are all kinds of conspiracy theories out there,” David Robin, a former Seals supporter, who is now backing Footlik, said after the debate.

Footlik did well at the debate. While Seals is personable and does well in a small setting, Footlik was clearly the more polished debater. He repeatedly seemed to have the upper hand, often supplying more in depth answers with a crisper delivery.

And he also seemed to do a better job working the crowd, made up primarily of seniors at Stevenson High.

Standing behind a podium, with a campaign banner that read “Jay Footlik: Funny Name. Serious Candidate,” Footlik caught their ear with his reason for running for Congress.

“Some childhood stars crash their cars. Others shave their heads,” he
said, playing on his childhood acting days. “I am running for Congress.”

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