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August 06, 2020 |
Your weekly look at the latest news, analysis, and RJC activities around the country. |
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— Featured —
South Carolina Senate Race: Lindsey Graham
As a close friend of Lindsey Graham who was sworn in alongside him in 2003, I'm proud of what a great Senator he has become. Now Lindsey is facing the toughest challenge of his career. Why? Because he's fought for us time after time.
Democrats vowed to get their revenge when Senator Graham led the successful charge to secure Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court. After former South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Jamie Harrison announced his challenge, a flood of money from outside of South Carolina came pouring in to help him oust Lindsey. Lindsey is a formidable fundraiser, but during the second quarter of this year, Harrison outraised him by a significant amount.
Despite South Carolina's traditional GOP leanings, this is a real race. Two polls released this week show that the race is a statistical dead heat.
I am confident that in the end South Carolina voters will prefer a conservative Republican with an incredible record of service to a party-line Democrat. Consider the contrast on US-Israel relations. Graham wrote the Taylor Force Act and got it passed and signed into law. He chairs the key subcommittee responsible for funding the US-Israel security assistance Memorandum of Understanding. He's pushing for a US-Israel mutual defense pact. Harrison? He's proudly accepted an endorsement from the anti-Israel group J Street.
Finally, it is important to note that there has been no greater friend to the RJC than Lindsey Graham. He's spoken at our events frequently over the years and counts many of our leaders as personal friends. He's always been there for us. Now we have to come through in a big way for our valued friend and ally Senator Graham.
Anti-Semitic meme posted by Delaware Valley NAACP President Rodney Muhammad.
Dems Fail to Stand Up to Anti-Semitism
In an op-ed for the news site Broad and Liberty, RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks called out the failure of Democrats to stand up to anti-Semitism again, in this case in Philadelphia, where the president of the Delaware Valley NAACP, Rodney Muhammad, has posted repulsive anti-Semitic memes on social media. Brooks wrote:
[A]t a time when our country is roiled by protests against injustice and bigotry, we need to stand united against hate of every kind. And it’s up to each of us, in our own communities, to demand accountability when hatred rears its ugly head.
The organization that I lead, the Republican Jewish Coalition, has been doing that for decades…We called out anti-Semitism and bigotry on the right, because they don’t represent the values of the Republican Jewish Coalition or the Republican Party. But unfortunately, the Left is silent when the hatred is on their side.
… In Washington, the RJC has also called out our Jewish community counterpart, the Jewish Democratic Council of America, for their silence in the Democratic primary in Minnesota. The anti-Israel and anti-Semitic comments of Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-5) have been a feature, not a bug, of her public persona. Now she faces a serious challenge from a progressive, pro-Israel Democrat named Antone Melton-Meaux. But the JDCA has been missing in action about this.
Sadly, on many occasions, the RJC has asked Democratic Party leaders — from Speaker Nancy Pelosi on down — to disavow the anti-Semitic comments of Democrats in Congress, including Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), who shared a blood libel post that belongs in the Middle Ages — and to discipline the members of their caucus who think it’s okay to call for the destruction of Israel or use crude stereotypes about Jews on social media. Jewish Americans have been left disappointed there too.
Universal Vote by Mail – Too Risky for 2020
RJC Board of Directors member and former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, a “survivor of the 2000 recount,” writes:
I do not want anyone to go through what happened to George Bush or Al Gore. Today however, animosity to President Trump is so high that a close election will test our nation’s divisions in dangerous ways that go way beyond what was experienced in 2000, a comparatively calm and respectful year in politics.
The threat on Nov. 3 is not from a delayed election. The threat is not because the election will be rigged or marked by fraud. The threat is from a close election whose outcome is in doubt.
… After Trump won decisively in 2016, many Democrats declared Trump wasn’t their president and some partisans encouraged the Electoral College to overturn the results. Just imagine the lengths both candidates will go to defeat their opponents if the 2020 election is close, contested and dragging on.
The problem is compounded by states that have not previously engaged in widespread mail-in voting trying it now. Washington state, which has a long history of in-mail voting, took years to get their process right. It was bi-partisan and fair, not conducted in the middle of a pandemic.
States trying it now are asking for turmoil, something our nation cannot afford… In-person voting remains the best and safest way to conduct elections.
For more on the problems of widespread mail-in voting, see:
Election 2020 News
• Joel Pollak at Breitbart.com asks: Is there any difference left between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders? Not really:
Not only does the Biden-Sanders “Unity” Platform propose many of the same ideas Sanders campaigned on — even lifting language directly from the Sanders website — but Biden himself has begun using the same radical left-wing buzzwords that Sanders used in his campaign stump speeches.
…The Washington Post noted the change in June, noting that Biden had once promised “nothing would fundamentally change” and said the country was “looking for results, not a revolution,” but had since completely changed his tone.
…On Friday, [former Senator] Phil Gramm noted in the Wall Street Journal that Biden had taken a hard left turn since securing his party’s nomination, adopting the socialist agenda of former rivals Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. As a result, Gramm said, the election was no longer a referendum on Trump, but a referendum on the survival of America.
Read the whole thing.
• In Missouri this week, Black Lives Matter activist Cori Bush defeated veteran Democratic Congressman William Lacy Clay (MO-1). Given the D+29 Cook Partisan Voter Index for that district, Bush will easily win the general election as well. The Washington Post describes her victory as indicative of the “leftward lurch” of the Democrat Party and reports:
Speaking to supporters in a purple mask, Bush thanked a list of far-left groups for supporting her bid, including the Democratic Socialists of America. “I will never take for granted the movement that got me here,” she said. “An incremental approach isn’t going to work any longer. We’ve decided that we’re not going to wait any longer for change.”
Cori Bush will become another member of the far-left “Squad,” joining Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Ilhan Omar (MN-5), and Ayanna Pressley (MA-7). Jamaal Bowman, a radical who defeated an “establishment” Democrat in NY-16, will also join the growing number of extreme left-wingers in the Democrats’ House caucus.
• John J. Miller at National Review Online looks at some pivotal races in Pennsylvania, including Jewish Republican Lisa Scheller’s race in PA-7.
The RJC is committed to reelecting President Donald Trump, keeping the Senate, and winning back the House. We encourage our members to participate in our outreach phonebank project to help Republicans win in November. It's easy, and you can do it from home! Here's how YOU can help:
- Sign up to call Jewish voters from home by clicking HERE.
- Fill out all of the fields.
- Listen to the instructions and write down your username and password when a member of the RJC Victory Team contacts you.
- Make as many phone calls as you can. Everyone you speak to is a potential vote for President Trump and the GOP!
Sign up now and you could be the next RJC Volunteer of the Week!
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The Republican Jewish Coalition is hiring field staff for our advocacy efforts in support of President Donald Trump’s reelection in various battleground states. CLICK HERE for details and application information.
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The RJC PAC has endorsed a terrific slate of House and Senate candidates, and we need them to continue their work on Capitol Hill! CLICK HERE to donate through the RJC PAC portal and show your support for our great candidates!
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And don't forget your RJC/Trump kippah!
Our extremely popular red Trump kippah is now for sale for just $18. This includes shipping and handling. Supplies are limited.
BUY YOUR KIPPAH HERE.
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Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson vows to pay staff through end of October
In case you missed it, last week RJC Board of Directors member Sheldon Adelson sent a letter to the roughly 8000 staffers of his Las Vegas Sands Corp., which owns the Venetian hotel and casino in Las Vegas, and said he would extend full pay and benefits to all of them through at least October 31, even for those who are not currently working.
Beirut port, before and after
Middle East expert Mike Doran tweeted out shocking photos of the Beirut port before and after the unbelievable explosion there yesterday, and notes: “This is what happens when a terror organization runs roughshod over port authorities. To facilitate Hezbollah/Iran’s smuggling, things are not tracked. Things, like 2700+ tons of ammonia nitrate, then fall through the cracks.” Our thoughts are with the innocent citizens of Beirut who were killed, injured, and lost their homes and businesses in this disaster.
Democrats gutted anti-Hezbollah legislation days before attack on Israel
Speaking of Hezbollah, the Washington Free Beacon reports that just days before the Iranian-funded terror group Hezbollah waged a terrorist attack on Israel’s northern border, congressional Democrats gutted legislation that would have halted US funding to the Lebanese military, which is almost entirely controlled by the terror group.
— Events —
RJC Victory Team National Days of Action
Please join us for the upcoming RJC Victory Team Virtual Days of Action scheduled next week for Tuesday, August 11 and Thursday, August 13. We'll be calling potential Jewish voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona, and Georgia, key battleground states of the 2020 election cycle. Click here to sign up and help!
Online local events:
On Wednesday, August 12, the RJC New Jersey Chapter will host a virtual meet-and-greet with State Senator Tom Kean, Jr. Contact Brett Epstein for information.
While RJC offices are closed and our staff are teleworking, you can reach us by email or by phone (please leave a voicemail message and your call will be returned). Contact information for our offices can be found on our web site. Please visit us online for the latest RJC news, to volunteer for our 2020 outreach efforts, to see details of upcoming events, and to donate to the RJC.
If you like the work we’re doing, consider joining us on Facebook and Twitter, and renew or upgrade your RJC membership. Ensure that your voice is heard in our party and our community!
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Republican Jewish Coalition | 50 F Street, N.W., Suite 100 | Washington, DC 20001
202.638.6688 | [email protected]
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