Israel on the Ballot

It's worth noting that the one high profile and seriously competitive Senate primary in which DC insiders agree that the candidates differ significantly on Israel is in New England -- just as many have suggested... -- but I'm discussing Rhode Island, not Connecticut.

For instance, note this New York Sun piece from the beginning of 2006, when pro-Israel (and far-right ideologue) Stephen Laffey's challenge to Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee was just beginning:

The Washington Political Action Committee, which donates to American candidates who support Israel, recently gave Mr. Laffey the maximum $5,000 contribution, according the group's founder, Morris Amitay. He said the donation was prompted primarily by serious concerns about Mr. Chafee's position toward Israel.

"We'd like to see the young Chafee retired from the Senate," Mr. Amitay said. "He has one of the worst records of anyone in the Senate, definitely in the bottom 10% of class as far as pro-Israel initiatives are concerned."

This characterization was before recent incidents have increased concern about Chafee and Israel.

The New Republic's blog notes the unprecedented nature of Republican rallying around anti-Israel Chafee:

NYT:

In an extraordinary pre-emptive announcement, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has said it will concede Rhode Island to the Democrats should Stephen Laffey, the mayor of Cranston, defeat Mr. Chafee in the primary....

"If Laffey won, on Day 1 of the general election, it would be over for us," said Brian Nick, the communications director for the Republican Senate campaign committee. Asked if his committee would pull out of Rhode Island and concede it to the Democrats, Mr. Nick responded:

"No question about it. Would you play somewhere where you were down by 30 and you couldn't move the numbers? There you have it."

This may be bluster on the NRSC's part to dissuade potential Laffey voters. Still, I've never heard of anything like it....

Compare the clear distinction in Rhode Island to that in Connecticut, where NJDC Executive Director Ira Forman has noted,

The Connecticut Senate primary was not about Israel or the Jewish community. Joe Lieberman's record on Israel is impeccable. Ned Lamont's pro-Israel position is commendable. Connecticut will have a pro-Israel senator if either Democrat is elected. Any suggestion otherwise is a distortion of the truth.

Both parties are committed, broadly, to supporting Israel -- but right now, there is a serious imbalance in embellishing anecdotes for partisan gain.