Posted on 09/07/2008 6:19:31 AM PDT by SJackson
Upon returning from the Democratic Convention in Denver we find a political landscape that has drastically changed. In the course of just one week Sen. Barack Obama picked Sen. Joseph Biden as his vice presidential nominee while Sen. John McCain picked Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate. These two picks say a great deal about the judgment of each presidential candidate and about their understanding of the American Jewish community.
Biden, of course, was the more conventional pick - especially for the Jewish community. The senior senator from Delaware is one of the most well-known and respected politicians among American Jewish leadership. He may be unique for a non-Jewish senator in that he loudly exclaims that he is a Zionist. Even his adversaries admit that there is no more knowledgeable senator when it comes to Middle East policy. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency describes his record his record on Israel as "sterling." On domestic issues he is totally in sync with Jewish public opinion - supporting the separation of church and state, reproductive freedom and energy independence.
Palin is another story. She is an exceedingly odd choice for a party which has spent the better part of the past year loudly exclaiming that it was reaching out to Jewish voters and made much to do about considering two Jewish legislators - Joe Lieberman and Eric Cantor - as vice presidential possibilities.
First, Palin has absolutely no foreign policy experience - it is ironic that McCain has spend his spring and summer telling Americans that the most important characteristic he is looking for in a vice president is an individual who is ready on day one to assume the presidency. Moreover, Palin has never visited Israel and besides signing a pro-Israel resolution passed by the state legislature, she has apparently never spoken out or focused on the Jewish state.
ON DOMESTIC issues she is totally out of step with public opinion in the Jewish community. Palin is against reproductive freedom - even in the cases of rape and incest - and as a result one of the first organizations to support her nomination was the Christian Coalition.
She speaks about the effects of climate change in the Arctic, but she also is clear that she does not believe that climate change is man-made. Another position which American Jews will find strange is one she shares with McCain - she believes that creationism should be taught in public schools.
The reform narrative that GOP operatives like to site when speaking of Palin could be appealing to Jewish voters. However, Palin has a few problems here, as well. She eventually came out against the "Bridge to Nowhere" but only after the issue became a public embarrassment to the Republican Party and it was apparent that federal funds would not cover the whole cost of the project. When she ran for governor in October of 2006, she was all for spending taxpayer dollars on this very dubious "pork." It took her another 11 months to see the light. Moreover when she was first elected mayor of Wasilla (population 6,000) she was severely criticized by the local paper for firing city employees because they had supported her opponent.
Then there is the Palin troopergate scandal. On July 11, she fired the state's top cop, Walt Monegan. Monega says Palin fired him because he refused to fire a state trooper who went through a messy divorce with the governor's sister. Palin initially denied the charge but later admitted that some of her officials spoke to Monegan about firing the trooper. Monegan claims that she herself put on the pressure and the state legislature has begun an investigation into the charges that the governor used the power of her office for her personal/family agenda.
FINALLY, THERE is the matter of two anti-Israel politicians - Ron Paul and Pat Buchanan. In February Palin in an interview lavished praise on Ron Paul. There is also a controversy over whether Palin has supported former presidential aspirant Pat Buchanan. To be fair there is no evidence that Palin shares either of these Republicans' anti-Israel creed. However, since the beginning of the GOP narrative within the Jewish community is that Obama can not be trusted because of a handful of people who have endorsed him. If this guilt by association standard is one the McCain stands by, then they also need to deal with Palin's past support for anti-Israel politicians.
The Jewish vote in 2008 has been a hot topic of conversation in the media. John McCain's fist major decision of this campaign - picking Palin for his running mate - leads us to believe that the Jewish community's concerns are not so high on his priority list.
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This has to be one of the silliest articles I’ve seen yet. Oh yes, Obama is the better choice because he cares more for the Jews than McCain. Just outlandish!
The editorial is a never ending cascade of lies AGAINST Judaism...
Would we call this the Golden Calf coalition?
Crazy, is more like it!
Note the source, the Democratic Party. This is the arguement that will be made. And yes, it’s silly.
Of course Jews will vote for Obama—after all, he spent two decades as a parishioner in the church led by that great patriot, Judeophile and friend of Israel, Jeremiah Wright.
Most popular President in Israel George Bush. Bring it on
Which is precisely why the NJDC brings Ron Paul and Pat Buchanan into the mix, even though they're forced to admit there's no connection.
The fact that Obama's close friend and MENTOR of 20 years is an avowed anti-Semite and that he has more than cursory ties with the likes of Farrakhan and Malik Shabbazz, blatant anti-Semites both, don't rate a mention.
Quite simply, Mr. Stanley's religion is Liberalism, not Judaism.
“Palin is against reproductive freedom..”
Article Translation: “We want to be able to kill unborn babies.”
Never mind the fact, geographically speaking, that Alaska comprises a full third of the continental U.S., and borders Canada on one side and Russia on the other.
“Two Biggest Jewish Politicians: Joe Lieberman and Eric Cantor”
And guess what...Joe is likely to be in a McCain cabinet, Cantor may well be also.
Any future for Joe with the Dems? I don’t think so.
So the Jews think it’s all about them? Narrow-minded thinking doesn’t bode well in making wise decisions, neither does “group think.”
Yes, Obamadon’s friends really love the Jews: Al “Burn the Jews alive” Sharpton, and Louis “kill all the Jews” Farrakhan. Please. don’t insult our intelligence
The Chabad rabbi of Alaska raves about her.
Jews with gentile grandkids vote Obama
and Jews with Jewish grandkids vote McCain. Its that simple.
A note to the Jewish electorate; keep voting for the RATS and Israel will cease to exist. You failed to see the dangers 70 years ago and are just as complacent now.
Yeah vote for the guy who’s pastor thinks your a Imperial Zionist White Devil. Most Jews would rather eat a ham sandwich than vote Republican.
Pray for W, McCuda and Our Troops
Absolutely, "all about them" is what Jews are about.
I hate to keep asking this question, but....
I still don’t get it. why should anyone pander to jewish voters ?
There are approx. 6.4 million jews in the USA.( 2.2 percent of the population)
The majority already live in Rat states.
How many are of voting age ? slice a third off for kids and the actual number of jewish voters is what ? maybe 4 million max ?
As a voting block, how much sway can they have in an election ?
The only plausible explanation is that the Rats are trying to stop defections.
I get so damnably tired of “educated” idiots whose perspective it so narrow that they wind up voting, and recommending others vote, for what in essence is the point of the pencil, while ignoring what is in the rest of the writing kit.
Actually the Jewish population, defined as someone who would answer "Jewish" when asked their religion, is in the 1.4% to 1.5% range. The 2% plus numbers include people with Jewish "connections". A couple states it could swing a close election.
The answer to your question, this is a Jewish group putting out the press release, so obviously they're addressing Jews.
This is written by a political advocate, so it's expected. I'm OK with idiot, and I presume he's educated.
This guy is a week behind the rest of the world. Still harping on Troopergate?
“totally out of step with public opinion in the Jewish community” - TOTALLY?
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3591532,00.html
There is also a controversy over whether Palin has supported former presidential aspirant Pat Buchanan. - Get up to speed, man. Read a bit!
Overall, the author is a rather uninformed, out of date individual. Seems to not dig deep for facts but relies on headlines only.
Rating - 0 stars out of 5 - Not worth his salary.
I get tired that a candidate should worry about Jewish, or ‘hispanic’, or ‘african-American’, or any other specific race or culture. How about just American? That’s what’s missing from some of these attacks.
thanks...I still don’t see the jewish vote swinging any national election ( local, maybe). The bulk of jews already live in RAT states.
Almost 3 million live in 2 states - NY & CA.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/usjewpop.html
Like all affinity groups, the group targets Jewish voters.
True, and the Jewish Community is very politically active via their dollars and donations.
I’ve heard it said that where there are 5 Jews there will be 7 opinions, is this writer representative of the US Jewish communities views or is he merely writing talking points for the Dems?
I couldn’t imagine the Chabat/Lebovitch (sp) Community would support Obama for example.
He's the chairman of the National Jewish Democratic Council, clearly partisan. I should have made that clearer in my first post. These are the talking points that will be out there.
First, Palin has absolutely no foreign policy experience.
What has Obama done? Nothing
What foreign policy experience does Obama have? None what so ever.
Foreign policy is not the duty of community organizers.
Their very shrieks tell the true story, they are terrified because they know BozObama is toast in November.
If Stanley insists in going to extremes to flog Palin from a "Jewish" perspective, let him take notice of the facts that Palin has cordial relations with the Alaskan Jewish community, has been praised by Alaskan Chabad Rabbi Greenberg, and even keeps a small Israeli flag in her governor's office.
Of course Stanley detests Palin, not because she's antisemitic, or anti-Jewish, or anti-Israel (all of which she clearly is not), but because she's a conservative.
Needless to say, Stanley's hatchet job is a multiple barfie and is very consistent with what one usually expects from the NJDC.
So Jews will vote for Hussein?
FYI, the writer is chairman of the National Jewish Democratic Council. So he's about as partisan a 'Rat as you'll find in the Jewish community, and yes, this is typical NJDC propaganda.
Speaking of Chabad, a Chabad rabbi in Alaska had some very nice things to say about Palin on another thread.
Unfortunately, a majority probably will. But look for McCain to get at least 40% of the Jewish vote, which would be the largest percentage for a Republican presidential candidate since Warren Harding in 1920.
look for McCain to get at least 40% of the Jewish vote
Ballgame.
More accurately, Stanley's religion (and that expressed in most pro-'Rat NJDC hit pieces I've seen) is Marxism.
I’d make a loser politician
It’s the only American state to border two countries.
“...picking palin for his running mate leads us to believe that the jewish community’s concerns are not so high on his priority list...”
first the insinuation of anti-semitism, then the outright charge of anti-semitism, then the conviction by the pure, clean-as-the-drive-snow democrat party that sarah palin is an anti-semite by way of the press.
(they’re so cute, not to mention oily.)
IMHO
‘quite simply, mr. stanley’s religion is liberalism, not judaism...”
thank goodness it’s being recognized.
No question Hussein will lose Florida. He'll probably lose Ohio anyway, but the shift in the Jewish vote could be decisive if it's very close (say about 10,000 votes margin or less). Pennsylvania is anyone's guess.
Thanks for that - I like it even better than "Zero".
Can't take credit for BozObama. On another thread an unknown freeper showed one of the old Bozo the clown blow up dolls that had sand in the bottom that you could punch and it would come back upright after falling down. He/she(sorry I can't remember the handle)coined the phrase BozObama, I loved it and decided to pass it on!
Typical liberal garbage is what this piece is. It speaks often of the “American Jewish Community,” and out of touch Palin is with one of their major beliefs: Infanticide. these are barbarians trying to pass themselves off as Jews.
Palin is the new politically correct target for abortion supporters; anti-woman(strong ones, that is); racists; anti-gun, anti-Second Amendment; anti-family; anti-Christian; and finally anti-American zealots!
Palin is the new Clarence Thomas - not black enough to please the racist hate-mongers like Jackson, Sharpton, et al.
This venom is from an arm of the Democratic Party, so it's official.
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