The Republican Jewish Coalition
by Ari Kaufman (4/1/08)
Similarly to other urban minorities like Blacks and Latinos, Republicans have had difficulty acquiring the Jewish vote, especially in the past half-century. While President Reagan and President Bush in 2004 increased their share of the “Jewish vote” over their party’s predecessors, it will be considered an achievement, like it was for President Bush, if one in four Jews will likely vote for John McCain in the fall. Why is this?
The Republican Jewish Coalition, founded in 1985 by the late Max Fisher and “a group of dedicated Jewish Republicans,” seeks to explain and reform this quandary. The last decade, since terrorists changed America’s (and Israel’s) world on September 11, 2001, has seen tremendous growth in the number of Jews identifying with Republican ideas and the GOP, the Coalition presents itself as “the sole voice of Jewish Republicans to Republican decision makers and the Jewish community, expressing our viewpoint on a wide variety of issues.”
With a strong presence in Washington DC, a National Women’s Committee, and more than 40 chapters and over 30,000 members nationwide, The Republican Jewish Coalition is the premiere Republican organization in the Jewish community.
And their success, especially recently, has been palpable, with the Republican candidate’s percentage of the “Jewish Vote” rising from 10% in 1992 (GHW Bush) to the aforementioned 26% for President Bush Jr. in 2004, according to CNN election poll results. The Jewish vote has risen each year for the Republican candidate.
“We expect Sen. McCain will do very well with Jewish voters come November,” Suzanne G. Kurtz, Press Secretary of the RJC told me.
The mission on their website states in part:We seek to foster and enhance ties between the American Jewish community and Republican decision makers.... while articulating and advocating Republican ideas and policies within the Jewish community. We are committed to building a strong, effective and respected Jewish Republican voice in Washington and across the country.
But what in particular does the RJC do on a daily basis? A few main goals and efforts include, as per their Fact Sheet:
-The RJC works closely with leading Republican decision makers, including former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and former Vice President Dan Quayle, President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, senior administration officials and Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
-The RJC began hosting Presidential Candidates Forums in 1987 to introduce the Republican primary candidates to the Jewish community.
-In 1998, the RJC arranged a trip to Israel with four governors, including George W. Bush of Texas. On this trip the RJC introduced two future leaders, friends and allies in the war on terror—George W. Bush and Ariel Sharon.
-In 2007, the RJC hosted more than 300 grassroots events around the country including events with Rep. Eric Cantor, Sen. Norm Coleman, Sen. John Thune, Sen. Susan Collins and former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer.
-The RJC Congressional Affairs office meets regularly with lawmakers and their staffs. Its Legislative Update highlights significant achievements in Congress of interest to the Jewish community. Recently, the RJC worked to promote legislation to end American support of the United Nations’ anti-Israel “Human Rights” Council. The RJC also took the lead in pushing for passage of the Global Anti-Semitism Act and successfully advocates congressional investigations of the U.N. Oil for Food Scandal.
The challenge of acquiring a high percentage of the Jewish vote is a different one that that of two other large “minorities.”
When attempting to draw Latino and black votes, Republican politicians tend to focus on social issues like abortion, gay marriage, Christians spirituality and family values. With blacks, they also may specifically target the very proud history of the Republican Party with African-Americans.
From their formation in 1854 as the party of Lincoln to free the slaves, and over the next century as Southern Democrats resisted abolition and reconstruction, then initiated the KKK which terrorized, murdered and lynched blacks for a century to get their vote; to the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments and Eisenhower’s original Civil Rights Act which Democrats refused, Republicans have been great for “minorities.” All this, plus the NAACP was founded by the GOP on Lincoln’s 100th birthday (2/12/09) as well historically black colleges, and famous black heroes like Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman and Booker T. Washington were Republicans as well.
In comparison to such famous revolutionary blacks, a Jewish list of Republicans includes Senator Arlen Specter, former White House Press secretary Ari Fleischer, former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, and Economic hero Milton Friedman. But the “New Media” of the past decade or so, includes many Jews. A short list might show Dennis Prager, Michael Medved, David Horowitz, Roger L. Simon, Al Michaels and William Kristol. Comedians Jackie Mason and Raoul Felder have been long been critics of liberal Jews, calling them “clueless,” regularly penning articles on sites like Jewish World Review, and publishing the book “Schmucks” on the topic in 2007. NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Fed Chairman Ben Bernake, tacitly independent but with strong conservative economic leanings, are also Jewish.
With the Jews, as the original focus may have been fiscal and taxation matters, since 9-11-01, for most it has been national security. Indeed, aside from the more religious Jews, many who vote Republican may not agree with the party’s social policies or evangelical wing, but consider themselves “9-11 conservatives” or even the pejorative “neo cons.” This is because, with the Bush Administration, the Republicans, despite some issues in Iraq, are seen as the party best equipped to defeat Radical Islam and save liberal values and America and Israel.
Matt Brooks, Executive Director of the RJC, recently opined in the New Jersey Jewish News:
“When, after September 11, 2001, America finally woke up to the threat of radical Islamic terror, Bush and the Republican leadership in Congress took the threat seriously. Implementing tough, decisive, and long-overdue security measures at home and abroad, the safety and security of the United States and its citizens became a top priority. America declared war on terror.”
He then added:
“But we in the Jewish community have long known that Israel has been fighting this same war. With common goals and priorities, the Republicans unwaveringly supported Israel’s tough decisions on safety and security. It is no wonder Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert have called Bush the greatest friend Israel has ever had.”
Support from religious Christians like Perry Stone, Hal Lindsay and Tom Delay, who, by whatever means, support Israel to the death, enamors many Zionist Jews. Democrats begrudgingly acknowledge this, and rather than enamor, they irk Jews with some of their more radical wings (professors, certain politicians and media members) being virulently anti-Semitic or hostile to Israel like profs and politicians. Or their reticence to make Israel, the lone liberal democracy in the region, a priority. This evidenced by Joe Lieberman being bounced from the party after being a reliable Democrat for nearly decades. Why? Because Lieberman, a religious Jew, supported the war on Terror steadfastly. Lieberman still won, despite being outspent and humiliated by the far left hate machine of Ned Lamont, sponsored by Soros, a Hungarian “Jew” who denied his Judaism and aided the Nazis during the Holocaust.
The Jewish vote will most likely go higher to the Democrat this November than even the moderate John McCain, but with the audacity of some left-wing hostility toward Israel and “good Jews” like Lieberman, it seems change is in the air. After all, for an orthodox Jew like Senator Lieberman to stand before “Christians United for Israel” last summer and declare, “And I know, as a Christian friend likes to remind me, that there are a lot more Christian Zionists in America than Jewish Zionists. And, I know the support of Christian Zionists today is critical to Israel’s security and strength, and to America’s security and strength,” that has to bother even the most apathetic and secular of Jews. At least the RJC hopes so.
He then emphatically closed the editorial, by claiming, “If you believe that Israel has had no greater friend today than the United States, then its safety and security will not be in better hands with a Democrat at the presidential helm. For that matter, neither will the safety and security of the United States and American Jews. As Ed Koch acknowledged, “I want a president who is willing to go after [radical Islamic terrorists] before they have the chance to kill us. “Is there any issue more crucial than that?”
To nearly all liberal “Jews” (in quotations since these are cultural Jews not religious), the answer is, sadly, Yes. They have little appreciation for our religion’s incredibly proud history, no sense of good and evil, and misunderstand how dangerous our enemies in the Arab/Muslim world are. Their priorities too often are hatred for Mel Gibson, fear of Jesus Christ, and excusing evil while supporting organizations like the ACLU and candidates like Barack Hussein Obama. They’re very educated, but they don’t often think nor read, and, lacking facts, are always unwilling to debate with “sell out” conservative Jews who have seen the proverbial light.
Ari Kaufman
A shorter version of this article will appear in the April 16 edition of the National Jewish Post & Opinion: http://www.jewishpostopinion.com/
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