NJDC's Blog

"Jon Stewart Annihilates Sarah Palin's Media Surrogates"

Better than any mainstream reporter I've seen, Jon Stewart takes top Republican media surrogates to task for their flip-flopping double standard. I'd go on, but you should really take the time to watch this 5:43 minute clip.

Country First, if You Pray for it

The Jewish community has traditionally judged candidates based on a golden standard, their voting record and public statements. As executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC), Ira N. Forman, said, “As a young lobbyist for AIPAC, my boss, the executive director, taught me that the way to assess a candidate for higher political office is to ‘go to the pro-Israel voting record.’ My boss was Morris Amitay.” The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) and other Republican groups have ignored this rule as of late, threatening the strong bipartisan support and very safety of Israel.

Enter Sarah Palin.

Palin's only record on anything resembling a substantive stance on Israel is signing a resolution supporting Israel and Alaska’s friendship. Well, Israel needs more than friends, it needs allies willing to fight and defend her. Her public record on Israel, or any foreign policy for that matter, is virtually non-existent..

Look here for NJDC’s statement on the choice of Sarah Palin and here for Marc Stanley’s, Chairman of the NJDC, Op-Ed that was featured in the Jerusalem Post yesterday.

Petition - "McCain: What were you thinking when you selected Palin?"

To tell Senator John McCain what you think of his selection of Governor Sarah Palin please click here.

Today, Ira N. Forman, NJDC Executive Director, sent out the following call to action:

Senator John McCain made a poor choice in his first critical presidential decision with his vice presidential selection of Governor Sarah Palin.  We, in the Jewish community, have to question McCain’s judgment for choosing a right-wing religious conservative with absolutely no foreign policy experience and a brewing scandal which is being investigated by the Alaska state legislature.

It is ironic that McCain, who turned 72 last week, has said, “The fundamental principle behind any selection of a running mate would be whether that person is fully prepared to take over.” And then McCain selected Palin???

On a broad range of issues, Palin is totally out of step with Jewish public opinion:

- Palin believes that creationism should be taught in our public schools.

- Palin is against reproductive choice and is against abortion even in cases of rape and incest.

- Palin does not believe climate change is man-made.

- Palin says she is against wasteful government spending, yet she endorsed the “bridge to nowhere” and then flip-flopped when it became a political liability.

Do we really want Palin to be one heartbeat away from the presidency?

Please sign the letter to McCain, and tell him how disappointed you are in his selection of Palin.

This is information that the Jewish community needs to know; please send this information to your friends and family.

Republicans Attack Obama for having the same position as McCain

Today, Eric Fingergut of the JTA wrote a piece titled, "Attacking Obama for having the same position as McCain." In this article Eric details how the attacks of Mayor Rudy Giuliani and the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) seem to miss the fact that their own candidate, Senator John McCain, holds virtually the same position as the candidate they attack, Senator Barack Obama. Take a look at the excerpt below. The ignorance of Giuliani and the RJC of their own candidate's position on the important issue of Jerusalem is quite remarkable.

McCain was asked for his thoughts on Jerusalem. After criticizing the Democrat for changing his mind, he said, “The point is Jerusalem is undivided … Jerusalem is the capital.” McCain then qualified his comments by emphasizing that regardless of his position, the status of the city is still subject to negotiation. “The subject of Jerusalem itself will be addressed in negotiations by the Israeli government and people,” he said.

One candidate says “Jerusalem will be a part of … negotiations.” Another candidate says “Jerusalem … will be addressed in negotiations.” Sounds remarkably similar — but not to Republicans.

Wednesday night in his keynote speech, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani told the crowd in St. Paul, “When speaking to a pro-Israel group, Obama favored an undivided Jerusalem, like I favor and John McCain favors. Well, he favored an undivided Jerusalem — don’t get too excited — for one day until he changed his mind.” He didn’t add “to the same position John McCain actually has taken.”

On Tuesday afternoon, Republican Jewish Coalition Matt Brooks also criticized Obama for changing his mind on Jerusalem, but when asked whether the candidates’ position on the division of Jerusalem were identical, said he didn’t think so but would check it out.

Please take a look at the full article by clicking here.

"RNC Speaker Tied to Slimy Campaign Tactics"

Today Ira Forman released the following statement:

Why is the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the John McCain campaign giving a privileged speaking position at tonight’s RNC proceedings to former U.S. Senate candidate, Michael Steele? Less than two years ago, Steele and his supporters engaged in remarkably offensive campaign tactics.

First, the campaign itself printed and circulated a patently false voter guide to mislead African American voters. Moreover, on Election Day, Steele’s supporters distributed blatantly anti-Semitic literature to attack Steele’s Jewish opponent titled, “Ben Cardin EXPOSED! Ben Cardin Promises to Attack Jesus Christ, Pastors, Churches and Christians and to Take Away Blacks' Freedom If He Is Elected."

Steele knew of these scurrilous attacks by his supporters on election day, yet failed to denounce them. Only weeks after the election, after Jewish leaders pressured him, did Steele finally denounce these filthy attacks by his supporters.

If the Republicans are curious why they do so poorly among African American and Jewish voters, they might ponder the wisdom of highlighting Steele at their convention tonight.

Click here to see our blog post at the time titled, "Steele Supporter Resorts to Thinly Veiled Anti-Semitic Attack Against Cardin," and below you can find a few articles on the subject:

• Democrats Denounce Flier Mailed by GOP, Washington Post, November 7, 2006
• Ehrlich Campaign Funds Flier Campaign, Associated Press, November 7, 2006
• Steele finally condemns flier, Washington Jewish Week, November 11, 2008

HuffPost: "Jewish Dem Breaks Silence, Rips Lieberman: 'Not His Finest Hour'"

Today the Huffington Post wrote a piece titled, "Jewish Dem Breaks Silence, Rips Lieberman: 'Not His Finest Hour.'" In this article Ira Forman says, referring to Senator Joseph Lieberman's (I-CT) speech to the Republican National Convention last night, that this is 'not his finest hour.'

On Lieberman's comment about Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) Forman said that they were not 'the most honorable."

"At one point he said colleagues like Sen. Obama have cut off funds for our troops while on the battlefield. This attack is not the most honorable. He has said he has wants to go positive and that's what his persona has always been. 'I don't play negative politics.' That's who he professes to be and for a long time we believed it. As we look back upon this in the future this will not be Joe Lieberman's finest hour.

On Palin, Forman said that it must have been difficult for Lieberman to give her his endorsement.

"The phrases that must have stuck in his throat were those when he criticized Obama's lack of experience," said the NJDC head. "'Gov Palin like McCain is a reformer we can believe in and count on.' He knows as well as the rest of us, the reform façade is a Potemkin Village. She was for the bridge to nowhere until it was politically untenable. She has lobbied for pork... If I were him that would be a hard line to force out."

To read the full post please click here.

Biden is a Zadie?

Yesterday, Senator Joe Biden visit South Florida and spoke at the retirement community of Century Village in Deerfield Beach.

Biden used some Yiddish and called himself a "zadie" and emphasized the importance of "mishpuchah" (Yiddish for family).

Biden noted that he and Senator Barack Obama are strong allies of Israel and the American Jewish community, and stated, "I want to remind those of you who don't know me -- and those of you who do know me -- what my record has been. It has been unstinting in the defense and support of Israel."

Biden continued, "Not enough people know about Barack. I promise you, Barack Obama, this man understands what is the driving energy in our community."

Politico: Jewish Voters May Be Wary of Palin

Ben Smith of the Politico looked at the impact of the Jewish vote with Senator John McCain's selection of Governor Sarah Palin noting:

Barack Obama has struggled for 18 months to lock down the support of a traditionally Democratic group, Jewish voters.

In the past week, John McCain may have helped Obama with his Jewish problem by choosing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.

McCain and Obama are battling over a portion of the Jewish community: older, conservative Democrats, largely in South Florida, some of whom backed Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary. McCain’s secular, hawkish credentials appeal to many in that group, who are skeptical of Obama’s relatively short record and have been deluged with rumors about his pro-Palestinian leanings.

But Democrats hope Palin’s social conservatism, her paper-thin record on Israel, and — perhaps most importantly — her cultural roots in evangelical Christianity may be a major turnoff to Jewish voters, just as Republicans have tried to reach women disappointed that Obama didn’t choose Hillary Clinton.

Democrats have already begun to to capitalize on the choice of Palin — over Jewish Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman — in South Florida and elsewhere. A prominent Obama backer, Florida Rep. Robert Wexler, has attacked Palin for appearing at a 1999 event with Pat Buchanan — who has attacked the influence of the Israeli lobby in America. And the same factors that are rallying the evangelical base to Palin may push away the Jews.

"Republican Attacks Against Biden: Baseless and Shameful"

Today the NJDC issued the following press release:

It is astonishing that Republicans continue to attack Senator Joe Biden on his stance towards Israel.  According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), Biden has a “sterling” pro-Israel voting record in his more than 35 years in the Senate and has been a great friend to the Jewish community.

Ira N. Forman, Executive Director of the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) today said, “Personally, as a Democrat, I understand that the Republicans disagree with Biden on some partisan issues, but as a member of the Jewish and pro-Israel community, I find it hard to believe that Republicans have so quickly turned their back on such a good and close friend. Republican attacks on Joe Biden are baseless and shameful.”

Here are a few quick points on why Biden is respected by the American Jewish community:

•    Biden has taken numerous trips to Israel, including his very first trip as a Senator in 1973 – when he met with Prime Minister Golda Meir and then Ambassador Yitzhak Rabin – and most recently in January 2006. He has met with the past nine Israeli Prime Ministers, from Meir to Ehud Olmert and innumerable Israeli politicians and opinion leaders.
•    Biden is a strong supporter of continuing U.S. military and economic assistance for Israel. Over his career he has an over 90% pro-Israel voting record.
•    Even Biden’s critics agree that he has an unsurpassed knowledge of the region.
•    Biden has been a leading opponent of proposed sales of advanced weapons systems to Saudi Arabia and other Arab states in the 1970s and 1980s, such as F-15 fighters and AWACS radar aircraft.
•    Biden proudly calls himself a Zionist. He said, “You don't have to be Jewish to be a Zionist, and I'm a Zionist.”
•    Biden knows that an Iran armed with nuclear weapons would pose a grave threat. In July, Biden said, "Iran's acquisition of a nuclear weapon would dramatically destabilize an already unstable region and probably fuel a nuclear arms race in the region. It is profoundly in our interest to prevent that from happening." 
•    Biden cosponsored, with Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006 which banned direct U.S. assistance to the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority. The Act was enacted into law in December 2006 as P.L. 109-446.
•    Biden is a strong supporter of the separation of church and state and has opposed Republican attempts to return prayer to public schools.  He is also a supporter of reproductive rights.

NJDC Vice-Chair Sunita Leeds on the Colbert Report

In addition to being NJDC's Vice-Chair, Sunita Leeds co-chaired the Democratic Convention Rules Committee. In that role she spoke at the Rules Committee on Saturday and gave the Rules Committee Report to the entire convention on Monday.  She was great and you can see a photo of her delivering her remarks below.

A cameo with a phrase from Sunita's remarks at the Rules Committee Meeting was picked-up by the Colbert Report as part of "The 'Word". Please click here to watch the clip.

Here is a photo of Sunita speaking to the Democratic National Committee's Convention: