Posted on 08/31/2004 7:11:48 AM PDT by ZGuy
If Bill Clinton was the first black President -- a moniker he relished -- then George W. Bush is the first Jewish President. After first disengaging from the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and refusing to even lay eyes on Yasser Arafat, Bush went on to give Israeli Prime Minister and best Mideast buddy Ariel Sharon virtual carte blanche in his crackdown on the suicide-bombing Palestinans and then followed the advice of his fiercely pro-Israel neocon advisers and went to war in Iraq.
Matthew Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, calls Bush "the most pro-Israel President in history." And on the Republican Jewish Coalition Web site, former New York Mayor Ed Koch, a Democrat, writes that he's voting for a Republican for President for the first time in his life because "George W. Bush has amazed me. Bush 41, the father, was not particularly good on (the Israel) issue. I do not believe he was anti-Semitic but his Secretary of State, James Baker, perhaps summed up the attitude prevailing in that Administration when he said, 'F--- the Jews. They don't vote for us anyway.'"
Now the FBI is investigating whether a Pentagon official in the office of neocon Defense Under Secretary Douglas J. Feith, identified by The Washington Post as Lawrence A. Franklin, passed classified information about American policy toward Iran to Israel through a pro-Israel lobbying group. The obvious question about the probe, which has been reportedly going on for a year but was first reported by CBS last week, is this: As details come out, will Bush's tilt toward Israel hurt him in November? The less obvious question is: Will the scandal help him even more with some Jewish voters?
"ONE OF US." Certainly the Administration isn't downplaying the vigorous support of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the lobbying group implicated in the spy scandal. At a pre-convention event on Sunday afternoon co-sponsored by AIPAC (which vehemently denies allegations that it passed sensitive documents to Israel) and attended by almost 2,000 members of the New York Jewish community, the Republicans rolled out the big guns: Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani. UJA Federation of New York President Morris W. Offit introduced Bush campaign chief Ken Mehlman by saying: "We are honored that President Bush's campaign is being managed by one of us."
Almost since Inauguration Day 2001, Bush has been a lot like a kid with a piggy bank. He has been putting in a few pennies worth of backing here, a dime's worth of support there, and hoping that on Election Day when he busts the ceramic porker open, he'll have just enough new voters behind him to buy four more years.
This strategy of political incrementalism has been pursued almost religiously (but, hey, what hasn't been?) by the White House. That's why Bush comes across as an 18-year-old on Levitra with his wooing of the American Jewish community. So with 63 days to go before Election Day -- to paraphrase a famous Ed Koch line-- "How's he doin'?"
IN THEIR HANDS? Before the spy probe broke in the papers, some of the answers were on a yacht-for-rent bobbing in the Hudson at the Chelsea Piers dock on the night of Aug. 26. That's where The Israel Project, a two-year-old nonprofit devoted to promoting a positive image of Israel in America, was holding the first of several events scheduled for Republican Convention week.
Between bites of sushi, Brooks of the Republican Jewish Coalition delivered the partisan answer, predicting that Bush would do substantially better than the 19% of the Jewish vote that he captured in 2000. The surprise, he says, is that "the President is going to do particularly well among seniors because they are much more Israel-centric" than younger Jewish voters. In the swing state of Florida (where Jews account for around 5% of the electorate), if enough older and traditionally Democratic voters cross over to Bush, he muses, "the Jewish community could very well decide the election."
A less biased answer to how Bush is doing is given by David Borowich, the 34-year-old chief operating officer of tech startup Optinetix. "The Jewish community had very low expectations of Bush...but I think he has delivered for America and for the Jewish people," says Borowich, who has dual Israeli and American citizenship. But, while he thinks either Bush or Kerry would be acceptable, Borowich says a lot of Jewish Americans are asking themselves: "Why have we always been voting Democratic?"
GUT FEELINGS. The leader of a leading nonpartisan Jewish-American umbrella organization, who declines to be identified, says while it's a mistake to look at the Jewish vote as even close to monolithic, in broad terms, American Jews divide up between those for whom the security of Israel is of primary concern and those for whom social issues such abortion and stem-cell research are paramount. And, as for every American, he adds, economic performance is an overarching issue.
This wise man's assessment is that while he sees Bush as "a simple man without a great intellect," he believes the President has a visceral feeling about the need to protect Israel. And he says, as the country as whole has become more conservative, so have Jews. His Aug. 26 "snapshot" is that on Election Day in November, the Jewish electorate will split 75%-25% between John Kerry and Bush, with Bush getting a maximum of 30%.
That assessment is at odds slightly but significantly with a poll conducted in July by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research for the National Jewish Democratic Council and The Solomon Project: It found likely Jewish voters choosing Kerry over Bush by 75%-22%.
Still, it's a problem for Kerry if the wise man's hunch is closer to reality and a larger-than-expected number of Jewish voters go for Bush.
It seems to me that they are VERY like the Jews in the Bible - turning their backs on God and to worldly things and continually getting Him mad at them for their folly. They just never seem to have gotten the message and will not be redeemed until the Final Judgement when he calls 144,000 of them back to the Promised Land.
Pretty common. My sister in law is an athiest Jew, her parents seem to have zero interest in discussings things of God, the D&D kid's parents seem to be into theism and social Jewishness. I met a jew at the movie rental store a couple of years ago that was obviously a flaming homo. I have yet to meet a Jew that was series about anything about being a Jew.
Rudy's speech last night was directly aimed at the Jewish vote.
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"And yet... so much like those of the Bible as well.
Twice as many of the current generation of Jews who are members of the more liberal sect (Reformed) are Torah observant than their parents. A movement back to Torah observance is underway under the noses of everyone. Someday soon, being "Jewish" will once again mean that you worship the G-d of Avraham, Yitzak, and Ya'akov - and keep His commandments. Maybe "Christians" will wake up some day too . Isaiah 2:1-3 is on the horizon."
As it is written over and over and over again there will be a wake up call for "Christians" and not too many of them are going to be pleased with whom it is they were seduced by. Paul refers to it as not repeating Eve's sin, being "holy seduced". IICor;inthians 11:1-4.
I think they are told by Christ he never knew them and they would pray for mountains to fall upon them.
Series, eh? Well, to shed some light on the situation - there are two possible sides to a Jew. One is religious. One is cultural. They are, as you are aware, not always apparent in one Jew. In fact, you can find some Ultra-Orthodox Jews that are virulently anti-Israel (and LIVE in Israel!!). You can also find some athiest or agnostic Jews that are extremely pro-Israel. I wanted to point out, however, that there are many Jews that have a good portion of both in them. You fill find many that many Jews here at FR fit that bill. Is that what you mean by a serious Jew?
There are plenty.
"But Israel shall be saved by the L-ORD With an everlasting salvation; you shall not be ashamed or disgraced forever and ever. Isaiah 45:17
Also your people [Israel] shall all be righteous; they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified. Isaiah 60:21"
I really like that word "BRANCH". Yes indeed it will be the Heavenly Father that will save Israel.
You left out blood.
I didn't reference blood because it's meaningless to our discussion. Either they have religion, culture, or nothing.
What strikes me most about the Scriptures is the honesty about the human condition. King David, for example, was Israel's greatest King (until Christ), and yet his sin was laid out fully in the Scriptures.
It seems to me that many Jews supported Democrats because they came from Soviet bloc countries and were predominantly socialist. I think this is changing.
Been here two whole days, eh? I was going to say that you're probably not going to last here long, but I see you've already been banned. Good riddance.
Wise sayings. Thank you. When stereotyping starts, we all need to step back and remember that we are all sons of Adam.
?????????
Yeah, good thing there aren't any non-Jews who act that way. [rolls eyes]
Reminds me of the saying that they live like Episcopalians and vote like Bolsheviks.
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