Posted on 01/15/2007 4:35:02 AM PST by ZULU
Sen. John McCain has scored an early victory in the race to line up major financial backers in the New York area — the backyard of Rudolph Giuliani, his potentially strongest rival for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008.
McCain has enlisted as one of his national finance co-chairs Lewis Eisenberg, a multimillionaire from New Jersey who served as finance chairman for the Republican National Committee.
Eisenberg was sought after by Giuliani, according to a 140-page White House strategy playbook belonging to the former New York City Mayor, which was recently leaked to the press.
The playbook outlined Giuliani’s secret fund-raising and campaign plans, and was inside a piece of luggage that disappeared while Giuliani was on the campaign trail for 2006 candidates. The playbook was eventually returned, but by then, it had been photocopied, and the document was leaked to the New York Daily News.
The document included Eisenberg on a list of “prospective leadership.”
Another prominent New York-area financier, Henry Kravis, was also on Giuliani’s list, but he too has joined McCain’s finance committee.
McCain’s heavily Jewish finance committee also includes Mark Broxmeyer, a Long Island real estate magnate; Dr. Ben Chouake, president of the New Jersey-based pro-Israel political action committee Norpac; and Barbara Sobel, wife of entrepreneur and major GOP fund-raiser Clifford Sobel, the Jewish publication Forward reports.
Members of the New York-area finance committee have pledged to raise at least $50,000 each, according to Chouake.
New York-area Republicans “are not big radical ideologues [so] who are these guys going to go for? Either they go to Giuliani or they go to McCain,” said David Twersky, director of international affairs for the American Jewish Congress.
“This is a very good sign for McCain, that he is getting Republican establishment moderates.”
Chouake told Forward that he favors McCain because the Arizona senator would be best able to deal with Iran, which has threatened to annihilate Israel.
McCain has also lined up Jay Zeidman — former White House liaison to the Jewish community — to help with fund-raising operations. But Zeidman’s father Fred Zeidman, a major George Bush donor, has not ruled out supporting former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination, according to two GOP sources who spoke with Forward.
“I think a lot of the smart money is going to go Mitt’s way,” one Republican operative said, “because they feel that Giuliani is unelectable and McCain is going to have some type of problem . . . and people don’t trust him ideologically.”
http://www.mypartytoo.com/advisory_board/Lewis_Eisenberg/
"Lewis M. Eisenberg was appointed by Governor Christine Todd Whitman to chair the New Jersey Commission on Privatization and Competitive Contracting in 1994. He was elected Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on November 9, 1995. Prior to his election as Chairman, Mr. Eisenberg had served since February 1994 as a Commissioner on the agency’s Board, having been nominated by Governor Christine Todd Whitman. Mr. Eisenberg’s term as Chairman of the Port Authority ended in December, 2001. Governor Pataki appointed Mr. Eisenberg a Director of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation in December, 2001, for which he chaired the Victims’ Families and Transportation Advisory Councils until April, 2003. In January 2002, Mr. Eisenberg became the Chairman of the Republican National Finance Committee in Washington, D.C. In 2003, he became Co-Chairman of the NYC 2004 Host Committee for the Republican Convention and Co-Chairman of Bush/Cheney, NJ.
He is a founder and former Chairman of the Republican Leadership Council, a political action committee based in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Eisenberg is Co-founder and Co-Chairman of the Granite Capital International Group, an investment management company. Prior to co-founding Granite Capital, Mr. Eisenberg was a general partner and co-head of the equity division of Goldman, Sachs & Company. In 1995, Mr. Eisenberg also received the Eagle Award from the New Jersey Alliance for Action."
Check out:
http://www.cwfpac.com/pressReleaseArticle.php?id=012402
WASHINGTON (AP) - A few conservatives are angry that the Republican Party's choice for national finance chairman is Lewis Eisenberg, who favors abortion rights and gay rights and has contributed to a number of leading Democrats.
Eisenberg is chairman of the Republican Leadership Council, which promotes a philosophy of "fiscal conservatism and social inclusion" often associated with Northeastern Republicans. He said he spoke to many delegates at the RNC meeting and explained that the council has run many ads supporting socially conservative candidates. He said the group helps implement the idea of a GOP "big tent."
A lifelong Republican and a major contributor to the party, Eisenberg has crossed party lines to give money to Democrats. Among the donations: $1,000 to Walter Mondale in 1983, when he was the Democratic presidential nominee; $500 to House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt in 1984; $1,000 to presidential candidate Bruce Babbitt in 1988; $1,000 to the 1987 presidential campaign of Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware; and $2,000 to Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon in 1995
And,
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPrint.asp?Page=\Politics\archive\200201\POL20020118e.html
Eisenberg is a prominent New Jersey fundraiser and founder of the pro-choice Republican Leadership Council. Many pro-life Republicans think the RLC wants to purge them from the party by raising money for liberal Republican candidates.
Connor predicts if Eisenberg is confirmed, it will cause a widening split between the GOP's wealthy establishment elite and the conservative rank-and-file.
"Too many of the party elite hold what they see as the 'great unwashed' in poorly concealed contempt. Mr. Eisenberg has made a career out of financing and working for candidates, including many liberal pro-abortion Democrats, who actively oppose the Republican Party's pro-life majority," Connor said.
AND,
http://www.rnclife.org/reports/1998/may_june/may_june98.html
North Carolina - GOP Chairman Sam Currin, a staunch pro-life conservative, strongly supports the Party platform and candidates who agree with its principles. Mr. Currin and North Carolina's National Committeeman Ferrell Blount stood among the 43 members of the Republican National Committee who voted for the Lambert resolution. It is of particular interest that the Republican Leadership Council (RLC) has recently surfaced in North Carolina, in the hope of attracting disaffected liberals. The RLC, chaired by Lewis Eisenberg, is a new name for the former Committee for Responsible Government, formed to raise money for Republican candidates who "support a woman's right to choose," and led by pro-abortion Governor Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey, who heads the effort to strip the pro-life plank from the Republican Parry platform. The theme of the new RLC is to raise money for the campaigns of "common sense" conservatives. Of course, for Whitman and Eisenberg, those of us who think an unborn baby should have the legal protection of his inherent right to life restored, lack "common sense."
"Susan Mills, vice chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party, has angered pro-life Republicans by aligning herself with the RLC and addressing their organizing convention. In the face of this liberal, pro-abortion-choice opposition, Chairman Sam Currin is working hard to maintain GOP control of the State House and gain control of the State Senate. The Republican Leadership Council is a political tool of the liberal, pro-abortion northeastern establishment Republicans who use their huge financial clout to attempt to stifle efforts to restore respect and legal protection of the right to life in America. North Carolina Republicans -- Beware! "
I wonder where the RLC stands on other "social issues" like gun control. Considering the position of Mr. Eisenberg on the other issues, he appears to be a Rockefeller Republican, a northeastern Limousine Liberal.
Having supported Chrissie Whitman, opposed Steve Forbes when he became a social conservative as well as a fiscal one, having supported Chrissie Whitman, and having supported Tom Kean Junior in New Jersey against conservative Brett Schundler, I wonder about this guy and his little group of big moneyed northeastern liberals.
Trying to actually FIND a site on the Net by the shadowy RLC and what they exactly stand for is not easy. The above was all I could locate.
My guess is that if their current darling McCain looks like he isn't going anywhere, they will also support Romney and Guliani.
The social liberal/fiscal conservative wing are like a group of financially responsible Democrats.
I would really welcome a discussion on the RLC and Mr. Eisenberg and their infleunce in the Republican Party. Considering who they have supported in the past, who they are supporting now, and their not inconsequential financial influence, this is a significant topic for discussion.
Better McCain being sworn in in January of 2009 than Hitlery.
I'm not sure of that.
If McCain get nominated and elected, the Lewis Eisenbergs, etc will say, "See, a conservative can't get elected but a 'moderate' can." So they will have a greater chance to foster their agenda of social liberalism in TWO political parties. This will lead to a destruction of the Republican Party as a party of opposition to the leftist Democrats by reducing it to a political clone of its supposed opponent.
Would CHrissy Whitman be better than Hillery Clinton? My guess is they are both equally bad. Where Clinton is a shrill vicious hag, Whitman is a birdbrain.
On the other hand, if Hillery get elected, she will screw things up so badly in her first term, she will be a one term president. I hate Bill Clinton, but he had something Hillery lacked - personal charima and charm. It may have been the charm and charisma of a prowling snake, but he had it.
Hillery, on the other hand, is brash, angry, vicious, and lacks any persoanlity. Her speechs are mechnical and shrill. And I really dount at this point that she will be a walk-in in the Democrat ticket. She has to be very careful about how she deals with Obama Osama or she faces alienating some of her balck supporters, needs to appear a moderate on foreign affairs to attack middle road voters while not alienating her Bolshevik base, and be careful about getting on the wrong side of her opponents in the Demorat primaries of face loss of active support should she get nominated. She is going to have a rough time getting nominated.
McCain, giving him money is like pouring sand in a rat hole.
No difference, except the MADISON AVENUE designer label. I might has well vote for Bullwinkle...
Just another reason why Upstate needs its own state.
The tentacles of Eisenberg spread far beyond New York.
Sen. John McCain has scored an early victory in the race to line up major financial backers in the New York area …
That alone would be enough for me to distrust him.
Not sure about that. If this country is to die, let's make it fast while I can still shoot straight.
If this keeps up, third party here we come....And that won't just split the GOP, it'll split the 'Rats, too.
Lewis Eisenberg and his group strike again.
Exactly.
2008 is the line in the sand.
A third party candidate could peel off the conservatives from the GOP, the Reagan Dems from the 'Rats. I'll bet there's a decent candidate out there who could fill the bill.
Yes. But right now we have a good contender - Duncan Hunter. He just needs money and support against moneybags Eisenbergs and his RINO puppets.
And as for this RINO being finance chairman, well, if he raises buck$ for Republicans that is fine...if he thinks his politics is going to dominate the party, he better think again.
A third party has no chance. None.
I think you make a very good point. While I still think, if only for reasons of national security, McCain would be better than Clinton, the fact is that a moderate Republican at the top of the ticket would change the Republican Party for years, if not decades to come. Witness what has happened in California with Arnold at the top of the ticket. Where are all the conservatives that voted for him in 2002 now? How much influence do they have on his administration? Virtually none, I'd say.
McCain would be engaged in a constant power struggle with the conservatuve base of his party. Knowing McCain he would find himself unable to keep up a facade of congeniality long. He would try to marginalize conservatives if he could.
Really? I don't see evidence of that from this forum. Hitlery will at least have some resistance. The same policy formulations by McCain that Hitlery would propose will be rationalized on FR as something wonderful. We've seen it for 6 years with the President, who has led us to perdition.
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