RJC Congratulates Gov. Chris Christie On His Landslide Reelection
Washington, D.C. (November 5, 2013) -- The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) congratulates New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on his landslide reelection. Christie demonstrated an ability to win broad-based support, including strong bipartisan support in the Jewish community.
RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said, "Governor Christie has brought significant, positive change to New Jersey, including education reform, tax relief, and pension reform. He did it by reaching across the aisle and working with Democrats in the state legislature for the benefit of the people of New Jersey. Democrats in Washington could learn something from the success of that cooperation in Trenton."
He continued, "Under Governor Christie's leadership, New Jersey has demonstrated that Republican ideas work. Today, the voters thanked him by choosing him to continue to lead the state. We commend the Governor on bringing people together to improve the lives of the citizens of New Jersey and we warmly congratulate him on winning reelection."
RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said, "Governor Christie has brought significant, positive change to New Jersey, including education reform, tax relief, and pension reform. He did it by reaching across the aisle and working with Democrats in the state legislature for the benefit of the people of New Jersey. Democrats in Washington could learn something from the success of that cooperation in Trenton."
He continued, "Under Governor Christie's leadership, New Jersey has demonstrated that Republican ideas work. Today, the voters thanked him by choosing him to continue to lead the state. We commend the Governor on bringing people together to improve the lives of the citizens of New Jersey and we warmly congratulate him on winning reelection."
RJC Congratulates Gov. Chris Christie On His Landslide Reelection
Washington, D.C. (November 5, 2013) -- The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) congratulates New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on his landslide reelection. Christie demonstrated an ability to win broad-based support, including strong bipartisan support in the Jewish community.
RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said, "Governor Christie has brought significant, positive change to New Jersey, including education reform, tax relief, and pension reform. He did it by reaching across the aisle and working with Democrats in the state legislature for the benefit of the people of New Jersey. Democrats in Washington could learn something from the success of that cooperation in Trenton."
He continued, "Under Governor Christie's leadership, New Jersey has demonstrated that Republican ideas work. Today, the voters thanked him by choosing him to continue to lead the state. We commend the Governor on bringing people together to improve the lives of the citizens of New Jersey and we warmly congratulate him on winning reelection."
RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said, "Governor Christie has brought significant, positive change to New Jersey, including education reform, tax relief, and pension reform. He did it by reaching across the aisle and working with Democrats in the state legislature for the benefit of the people of New Jersey. Democrats in Washington could learn something from the success of that cooperation in Trenton."
He continued, "Under Governor Christie's leadership, New Jersey has demonstrated that Republican ideas work. Today, the voters thanked him by choosing him to continue to lead the state. We commend the Governor on bringing people together to improve the lives of the citizens of New Jersey and we warmly congratulate him on winning reelection."
Obamacare: Not ready for prime time
President Obama’s health care law goes into effect on January 1, 2014. The state exchanges where individuals would be able research and purchase health insurance plans are scheduled to be in place by October 1. But it seems certain that important elements of the law won’t be ready for on time, creating a PR nightmare for Democrats before the 2014 elections.
Many provisions of the law appear headed for serious problems or have already been set aside as unworkable in the existing time frame.
Around the July 4 holiday this year, the administration announced that the employer mandate would be postponed until January 2015. That has given employers with 50 or more employees a reprieve from the requirement to provide health insurance to employees or pay a $2000 per employee fine. The confusion and high costs associated with the mandate made implementing it on schedule impossible.
The President unilaterally set aside one major pillar of the law, with no legislative authority to do so.
At around the same time, it was reported that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would not require states to verify the income of people who apply for a government subsidy to obtain insurance in the states’ exchanges. Systems could not be put in place fast enough to do the verifications, so millions of dollars in subsidies will be distributed on an “honor system” basis. The potential for fraud is enormous, with no way to compare income tax or other data with the applications for subsidies.
Another basic element of the law has been delayed until 2015: the consumer cost cap intended to protect consumers from sky-high deductibles or out of pocket limits. Actually, that provision was set aside in February; the public only heard about it in July.
The very sophisticated information technology needed to coordinate data between state and federal agencies and to operate the state insurance exchanges is a vital element in the Obamacare roll-out, and it’s nowhere near ready. Since February, administration officials have been reassuring Congress and the public that the technology for the state exchanges would be in place and secure by October 1. But in June, the HHS Inspector General issued a report showing that firewall and other security testing is behind schedule and may take place only days before the exchanges are set to open. The report also raises the possibility that the exchanges will open without appropriate user verification protocols, meaning that users would be open to identity theft and other abuse of their personal information.
It was not an encouraging sign last month when the web site to answer consumers’ questions about Obamacare went live and then crashed 2 hours later.
The human element of getting people signed up for the state exchanges opens up other serious security concerns. HHS has been forced to cut back the training of Obamacare “navigators” by 33 percent and background checks and other security processes in hiring these counselors will not be complete when the exchanges open. At the same time, HHS posted a notice in the beginning of August, looking for vendors to provide translation services for the exchanges. The government wants translators to support over 100 languages, as mandated in the law. The contractors must not only be trained in health care and health insurance terminology, but they will be trusted to maintain the security of the confidential personal information they will be handling.
Uncertainty about how and when Obamacare’s provisions would be implemented has already given rise to negative effects for the economy and for health care. For example, some major insurers have refused to join state exchanges and even stopped doing business in some states in order to avoid them. In California, Anthem Blue Cross, United Health Care and Aetna have pulled out. The second largest insurer in South Carolina has left the state. Aetna has also pulled out of Maryland.
Anxiety about the employer mandate has caused many businesses to reduce workers’ hours and hire fewer new workers to avoid Obamacare’s requirements and penalties. In addition to fast-food chains and small businesses, state and local governments have reduced staff and cut work hours. Adjunct professors in community colleges, local school district employees, city seasonal and part-time workers, and many others have seen their hours cut to prevent the $2000 per employee penalty from kicking in.
When October 1 rolls around, a huge, nation-wide system for purchasing health insurance and managing health care for every American will begin operations. President Obama’s claims about affordable insurance, greater fairness in the distribution of health care, and an improved economy will be put to the test.
Coming soon: we’ll examine Republican proposals for alternative ways to reform health care.
This article appeared in the July-August 2013 issue of the RJC Bulletin. The Bulletin is sent to contributing RJC members 6 times a year. To renew/upgrade your membership and receive the Bulletin, click here.
Many provisions of the law appear headed for serious problems or have already been set aside as unworkable in the existing time frame.
Around the July 4 holiday this year, the administration announced that the employer mandate would be postponed until January 2015. That has given employers with 50 or more employees a reprieve from the requirement to provide health insurance to employees or pay a $2000 per employee fine. The confusion and high costs associated with the mandate made implementing it on schedule impossible.
The President unilaterally set aside one major pillar of the law, with no legislative authority to do so.
At around the same time, it was reported that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would not require states to verify the income of people who apply for a government subsidy to obtain insurance in the states’ exchanges. Systems could not be put in place fast enough to do the verifications, so millions of dollars in subsidies will be distributed on an “honor system” basis. The potential for fraud is enormous, with no way to compare income tax or other data with the applications for subsidies.
Another basic element of the law has been delayed until 2015: the consumer cost cap intended to protect consumers from sky-high deductibles or out of pocket limits. Actually, that provision was set aside in February; the public only heard about it in July.
The very sophisticated information technology needed to coordinate data between state and federal agencies and to operate the state insurance exchanges is a vital element in the Obamacare roll-out, and it’s nowhere near ready. Since February, administration officials have been reassuring Congress and the public that the technology for the state exchanges would be in place and secure by October 1. But in June, the HHS Inspector General issued a report showing that firewall and other security testing is behind schedule and may take place only days before the exchanges are set to open. The report also raises the possibility that the exchanges will open without appropriate user verification protocols, meaning that users would be open to identity theft and other abuse of their personal information.
It was not an encouraging sign last month when the web site to answer consumers’ questions about Obamacare went live and then crashed 2 hours later.
The human element of getting people signed up for the state exchanges opens up other serious security concerns. HHS has been forced to cut back the training of Obamacare “navigators” by 33 percent and background checks and other security processes in hiring these counselors will not be complete when the exchanges open. At the same time, HHS posted a notice in the beginning of August, looking for vendors to provide translation services for the exchanges. The government wants translators to support over 100 languages, as mandated in the law. The contractors must not only be trained in health care and health insurance terminology, but they will be trusted to maintain the security of the confidential personal information they will be handling.
Uncertainty about how and when Obamacare’s provisions would be implemented has already given rise to negative effects for the economy and for health care. For example, some major insurers have refused to join state exchanges and even stopped doing business in some states in order to avoid them. In California, Anthem Blue Cross, United Health Care and Aetna have pulled out. The second largest insurer in South Carolina has left the state. Aetna has also pulled out of Maryland.
Anxiety about the employer mandate has caused many businesses to reduce workers’ hours and hire fewer new workers to avoid Obamacare’s requirements and penalties. In addition to fast-food chains and small businesses, state and local governments have reduced staff and cut work hours. Adjunct professors in community colleges, local school district employees, city seasonal and part-time workers, and many others have seen their hours cut to prevent the $2000 per employee penalty from kicking in.
When October 1 rolls around, a huge, nation-wide system for purchasing health insurance and managing health care for every American will begin operations. President Obama’s claims about affordable insurance, greater fairness in the distribution of health care, and an improved economy will be put to the test.
Coming soon: we’ll examine Republican proposals for alternative ways to reform health care.
This article appeared in the July-August 2013 issue of the RJC Bulletin. The Bulletin is sent to contributing RJC members 6 times a year. To renew/upgrade your membership and receive the Bulletin, click here.
Obamacare: Not ready for prime time
President Obama’s health care law goes into effect on January 1, 2014. The state exchanges where individuals would be able research and purchase health insurance plans are scheduled to be in place by October 1. But it seems certain that important elements of the law won’t be ready for on time, creating a PR nightmare for Democrats before the 2014 elections.
Many provisions of the law appear headed for serious problems or have already been set aside as unworkable in the existing time frame.
Around the July 4 holiday this year, the administration announced that the employer mandate would be postponed until January 2015. That has given employers with 50 or more employees a reprieve from the requirement to provide health insurance to employees or pay a $2000 per employee fine. The confusion and high costs associated with the mandate made implementing it on schedule impossible.
The President unilaterally set aside one major pillar of the law, with no legislative authority to do so.
At around the same time, it was reported that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would not require states to verify the income of people who apply for a government subsidy to obtain insurance in the states’ exchanges. Systems could not be put in place fast enough to do the verifications, so millions of dollars in subsidies will be distributed on an “honor system” basis. The potential for fraud is enormous, with no way to compare income tax or other data with the applications for subsidies.
Another basic element of the law has been delayed until 2015: the consumer cost cap intended to protect consumers from sky-high deductibles or out of pocket limits. Actually, that provision was set aside in February; the public only heard about it in July.
The very sophisticated information technology needed to coordinate data between state and federal agencies and to operate the state insurance exchanges is a vital element in the Obamacare roll-out, and it’s nowhere near ready. Since February, administration officials have been reassuring Congress and the public that the technology for the state exchanges would be in place and secure by October 1. But in June, the HHS Inspector General issued a report showing that firewall and other security testing is behind schedule and may take place only days before the exchanges are set to open. The report also raises the possibility that the exchanges will open without appropriate user verification protocols, meaning that users would be open to identity theft and other abuse of their personal information.
It was not an encouraging sign last month when the web site to answer consumers’ questions about Obamacare went live and then crashed 2 hours later.
The human element of getting people signed up for the state exchanges opens up other serious security concerns. HHS has been forced to cut back the training of Obamacare “navigators” by 33 percent and background checks and other security processes in hiring these counselors will not be complete when the exchanges open. At the same time, HHS posted a notice in the beginning of August, looking for vendors to provide translation services for the exchanges. The government wants translators to support over 100 languages, as mandated in the law. The contractors must not only be trained in health care and health insurance terminology, but they will be trusted to maintain the security of the confidential personal information they will be handling.
Uncertainty about how and when Obamacare’s provisions would be implemented has already given rise to negative effects for the economy and for health care. For example, some major insurers have refused to join state exchanges and even stopped doing business in some states in order to avoid them. In California, Anthem Blue Cross, United Health Care and Aetna have pulled out. The second largest insurer in South Carolina has left the state. Aetna has also pulled out of Maryland.
Anxiety about the employer mandate has caused many businesses to reduce workers’ hours and hire fewer new workers to avoid Obamacare’s requirements and penalties. In addition to fast-food chains and small businesses, state and local governments have reduced staff and cut work hours. Adjunct professors in community colleges, local school district employees, city seasonal and part-time workers, and many others have seen their hours cut to prevent the $2000 per employee penalty from kicking in.
When October 1 rolls around, a huge, nation-wide system for purchasing health insurance and managing health care for every American will begin operations. President Obama’s claims about affordable insurance, greater fairness in the distribution of health care, and an improved economy will be put to the test.
Coming soon: we’ll examine Republican proposals for alternative ways to reform health care.
This article appeared in the July-August 2013 issue of the RJC Bulletin. The Bulletin is sent to contributing RJC members 6 times a year. To renew/upgrade your membership and receive the Bulletin, click here.
Many provisions of the law appear headed for serious problems or have already been set aside as unworkable in the existing time frame.
Around the July 4 holiday this year, the administration announced that the employer mandate would be postponed until January 2015. That has given employers with 50 or more employees a reprieve from the requirement to provide health insurance to employees or pay a $2000 per employee fine. The confusion and high costs associated with the mandate made implementing it on schedule impossible.
The President unilaterally set aside one major pillar of the law, with no legislative authority to do so.
At around the same time, it was reported that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would not require states to verify the income of people who apply for a government subsidy to obtain insurance in the states’ exchanges. Systems could not be put in place fast enough to do the verifications, so millions of dollars in subsidies will be distributed on an “honor system” basis. The potential for fraud is enormous, with no way to compare income tax or other data with the applications for subsidies.
Another basic element of the law has been delayed until 2015: the consumer cost cap intended to protect consumers from sky-high deductibles or out of pocket limits. Actually, that provision was set aside in February; the public only heard about it in July.
The very sophisticated information technology needed to coordinate data between state and federal agencies and to operate the state insurance exchanges is a vital element in the Obamacare roll-out, and it’s nowhere near ready. Since February, administration officials have been reassuring Congress and the public that the technology for the state exchanges would be in place and secure by October 1. But in June, the HHS Inspector General issued a report showing that firewall and other security testing is behind schedule and may take place only days before the exchanges are set to open. The report also raises the possibility that the exchanges will open without appropriate user verification protocols, meaning that users would be open to identity theft and other abuse of their personal information.
It was not an encouraging sign last month when the web site to answer consumers’ questions about Obamacare went live and then crashed 2 hours later.
The human element of getting people signed up for the state exchanges opens up other serious security concerns. HHS has been forced to cut back the training of Obamacare “navigators” by 33 percent and background checks and other security processes in hiring these counselors will not be complete when the exchanges open. At the same time, HHS posted a notice in the beginning of August, looking for vendors to provide translation services for the exchanges. The government wants translators to support over 100 languages, as mandated in the law. The contractors must not only be trained in health care and health insurance terminology, but they will be trusted to maintain the security of the confidential personal information they will be handling.
Uncertainty about how and when Obamacare’s provisions would be implemented has already given rise to negative effects for the economy and for health care. For example, some major insurers have refused to join state exchanges and even stopped doing business in some states in order to avoid them. In California, Anthem Blue Cross, United Health Care and Aetna have pulled out. The second largest insurer in South Carolina has left the state. Aetna has also pulled out of Maryland.
Anxiety about the employer mandate has caused many businesses to reduce workers’ hours and hire fewer new workers to avoid Obamacare’s requirements and penalties. In addition to fast-food chains and small businesses, state and local governments have reduced staff and cut work hours. Adjunct professors in community colleges, local school district employees, city seasonal and part-time workers, and many others have seen their hours cut to prevent the $2000 per employee penalty from kicking in.
When October 1 rolls around, a huge, nation-wide system for purchasing health insurance and managing health care for every American will begin operations. President Obama’s claims about affordable insurance, greater fairness in the distribution of health care, and an improved economy will be put to the test.
Coming soon: we’ll examine Republican proposals for alternative ways to reform health care.
This article appeared in the July-August 2013 issue of the RJC Bulletin. The Bulletin is sent to contributing RJC members 6 times a year. To renew/upgrade your membership and receive the Bulletin, click here.
Sheldon G. Adelson: I Didn't Leave the Democrats. They Left Me
When members of the Democratic Party booed the inclusion of God and Jerusalem in their party platform this year, I thought of my parents.
They would have been astounded.
The immigrant family in which I grew up was, in the matter of politics, typical of the Jews of Boston in the 1930s and '40s. Of the two major parties, the Democrats were in those days the more supportive of Jewish causes.
Indeed, only liberal politicians campaigned in our underprivileged neighborhood. Boston's Republicans, insofar as we knew them, were remote, wealthy elites ("Boston Brahmins"), some of whose fancy country clubs didn't accept Jews.
It therefore went without saying that we were Democrats. Like most Jews around the country, being Democrat was part of our identity, as much a feature of our collective personality as our religion.
So why did I leave the party?
My critics nowadays like to claim it's because I got wealthy or because I didn't want to pay taxes or because of some other conservative caricature. No, the truth is the Democratic Party has changed in ways that no longer fit with someone of my upbringing.
One obvious example is the party's new attitude toward Israel. A sobering Gallup poll from last March asked: "Are your sympathies more with the Israelis or more with the Palestinians?" Barely 53% of Democrats chose Israel, the sole liberal democracy in the region. By contrast, an overwhelming 78% of Republicans sympathized with Israel.
Nowhere was this change in Democratic sympathies more evident than in the chilling reaction on the floor of the Democratic convention in September when the question of Israel's capital came up for a vote. Anyone who witnessed the delegates' angry screaming and fist-shaking could see that far more is going on in the Democratic Party than mere opposition to citing Jerusalem in their platform. There is now a visceral anti-Israel movement among rank-and-file Democrats, a disturbing development that my parents' generation would not have ignored.
Another troubling change is that Democrats seem to have moved away from the immigrant values of my old neighborhood—in particular, individual charity and neighborliness. After studying tax data from the IRS, the nonpartisan Chronicle of Philanthropy recently reported that states that vote Republican are now far more generous to charities than those voting Democratic. In 2008, the seven least-generous states all voted for President Obama. My father, who kept a charity box for the poor in our house, would have frowned on this fact about modern Democrats.
Democrats would reply that taxation and government services are better vehicles for helping the underprivileged. And, yes, government certainly has its role. But when you look at states where Democrats have enjoyed years of one-party dominance—California, Illinois, New York—you find that their liberal policies simply don't deliver on their promises of social justice.
Take, for example, President Obama's adopted home state. In October, a nonpartisan study of Illinois's finances by the State Budget Crisis Task Force offered painful evidence that liberal Illinois is suffering from abject economic, demographic and social decline. With the worst credit rating in the country, and with the second-biggest public debt per capita, the Prairie State "has been doing back flips on a high wire, without a net," according to the report.
Political scientist Walter Russell Mead summed up the sad results of these findings at The American Interest: "Illinois politicians, including the present president of the United States, have wrecked one of the country's potentially most prosperous and dynamic states, condemned millions of poor children to substandard education, failed to maintain vital infrastructure, choked business development and growth through unsustainable tax and regulatory policies—and still failed to appease the demands of the public sector unions and fee-seeking Wall Street crony capitalists who make billions off the state's distress."
At times, it seems almost as if President Obama wants to impose the failed Illinois model on the whole country. Each year of his presidency has produced unsustainable deficits, and he takes no responsibility for his spending. Worse still, unemployment has become chronic, and many Americans have given up on looking for work.
Whenever President Obama deplores the wealthy ("fat-cat bankers," "millionaires and billionaires," "at a certain point you've made enough money," and so on), it tells me that he has failed to learn the economic lessons of Illinois, and that he still doesn't understand the vital role entrepreneurs play in creating jobs in our society.
As a person who has been able to rise from poverty to affluence, and who has created jobs and work benefits for tens of thousands of families, I feel obligated to speak up and support the American ideals I grew up with—charity, self-reliance, accountability. These are the age-old virtues that help make our communities prosperous. Yet, sadly, the Democratic Party no longer seems to value them as it once did. That's why I switched parties, and why I'm now giving amply to Republicans.
Although I don't agree with every Republican position—I'm liberal on several social issues—there is enough common cause with the party for me to know I've made the right choice.
It's the choice that, I believe, my old immigrant Jewish neighbors would have made. They would not have let a few disagreements with Republicans void the importance of siding with the political party that better supports liberal democracies like Israel, the party that better exemplifies the spirit of charity, and the party with economic policies that would certainly be better for those Americans now looking for work.
The Democratic Party just isn't what it used to be.
Mr. Adelson, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, is a member of the RJC Board of Directors.
This article appeared in the Wall Street Journal on November 4, 2012.
They would have been astounded.
The immigrant family in which I grew up was, in the matter of politics, typical of the Jews of Boston in the 1930s and '40s. Of the two major parties, the Democrats were in those days the more supportive of Jewish causes.
Indeed, only liberal politicians campaigned in our underprivileged neighborhood. Boston's Republicans, insofar as we knew them, were remote, wealthy elites ("Boston Brahmins"), some of whose fancy country clubs didn't accept Jews.
It therefore went without saying that we were Democrats. Like most Jews around the country, being Democrat was part of our identity, as much a feature of our collective personality as our religion.
So why did I leave the party?
My critics nowadays like to claim it's because I got wealthy or because I didn't want to pay taxes or because of some other conservative caricature. No, the truth is the Democratic Party has changed in ways that no longer fit with someone of my upbringing.
One obvious example is the party's new attitude toward Israel. A sobering Gallup poll from last March asked: "Are your sympathies more with the Israelis or more with the Palestinians?" Barely 53% of Democrats chose Israel, the sole liberal democracy in the region. By contrast, an overwhelming 78% of Republicans sympathized with Israel.
Nowhere was this change in Democratic sympathies more evident than in the chilling reaction on the floor of the Democratic convention in September when the question of Israel's capital came up for a vote. Anyone who witnessed the delegates' angry screaming and fist-shaking could see that far more is going on in the Democratic Party than mere opposition to citing Jerusalem in their platform. There is now a visceral anti-Israel movement among rank-and-file Democrats, a disturbing development that my parents' generation would not have ignored.
Another troubling change is that Democrats seem to have moved away from the immigrant values of my old neighborhood—in particular, individual charity and neighborliness. After studying tax data from the IRS, the nonpartisan Chronicle of Philanthropy recently reported that states that vote Republican are now far more generous to charities than those voting Democratic. In 2008, the seven least-generous states all voted for President Obama. My father, who kept a charity box for the poor in our house, would have frowned on this fact about modern Democrats.
Democrats would reply that taxation and government services are better vehicles for helping the underprivileged. And, yes, government certainly has its role. But when you look at states where Democrats have enjoyed years of one-party dominance—California, Illinois, New York—you find that their liberal policies simply don't deliver on their promises of social justice.
Take, for example, President Obama's adopted home state. In October, a nonpartisan study of Illinois's finances by the State Budget Crisis Task Force offered painful evidence that liberal Illinois is suffering from abject economic, demographic and social decline. With the worst credit rating in the country, and with the second-biggest public debt per capita, the Prairie State "has been doing back flips on a high wire, without a net," according to the report.
Political scientist Walter Russell Mead summed up the sad results of these findings at The American Interest: "Illinois politicians, including the present president of the United States, have wrecked one of the country's potentially most prosperous and dynamic states, condemned millions of poor children to substandard education, failed to maintain vital infrastructure, choked business development and growth through unsustainable tax and regulatory policies—and still failed to appease the demands of the public sector unions and fee-seeking Wall Street crony capitalists who make billions off the state's distress."
At times, it seems almost as if President Obama wants to impose the failed Illinois model on the whole country. Each year of his presidency has produced unsustainable deficits, and he takes no responsibility for his spending. Worse still, unemployment has become chronic, and many Americans have given up on looking for work.
Whenever President Obama deplores the wealthy ("fat-cat bankers," "millionaires and billionaires," "at a certain point you've made enough money," and so on), it tells me that he has failed to learn the economic lessons of Illinois, and that he still doesn't understand the vital role entrepreneurs play in creating jobs in our society.
As a person who has been able to rise from poverty to affluence, and who has created jobs and work benefits for tens of thousands of families, I feel obligated to speak up and support the American ideals I grew up with—charity, self-reliance, accountability. These are the age-old virtues that help make our communities prosperous. Yet, sadly, the Democratic Party no longer seems to value them as it once did. That's why I switched parties, and why I'm now giving amply to Republicans.
Although I don't agree with every Republican position—I'm liberal on several social issues—there is enough common cause with the party for me to know I've made the right choice.
It's the choice that, I believe, my old immigrant Jewish neighbors would have made. They would not have let a few disagreements with Republicans void the importance of siding with the political party that better supports liberal democracies like Israel, the party that better exemplifies the spirit of charity, and the party with economic policies that would certainly be better for those Americans now looking for work.
The Democratic Party just isn't what it used to be.
Mr. Adelson, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, is a member of the RJC Board of Directors.
This article appeared in the Wall Street Journal on November 4, 2012.
Sheldon G. Adelson: I Didn't Leave the Democrats. They Left Me
When members of the Democratic Party booed the inclusion of God and Jerusalem in their party platform this year, I thought of my parents.
They would have been astounded.
The immigrant family in which I grew up was, in the matter of politics, typical of the Jews of Boston in the 1930s and '40s. Of the two major parties, the Democrats were in those days the more supportive of Jewish causes.
Indeed, only liberal politicians campaigned in our underprivileged neighborhood. Boston's Republicans, insofar as we knew them, were remote, wealthy elites ("Boston Brahmins"), some of whose fancy country clubs didn't accept Jews.
It therefore went without saying that we were Democrats. Like most Jews around the country, being Democrat was part of our identity, as much a feature of our collective personality as our religion.
So why did I leave the party?
My critics nowadays like to claim it's because I got wealthy or because I didn't want to pay taxes or because of some other conservative caricature. No, the truth is the Democratic Party has changed in ways that no longer fit with someone of my upbringing.
One obvious example is the party's new attitude toward Israel. A sobering Gallup poll from last March asked: "Are your sympathies more with the Israelis or more with the Palestinians?" Barely 53% of Democrats chose Israel, the sole liberal democracy in the region. By contrast, an overwhelming 78% of Republicans sympathized with Israel.
Nowhere was this change in Democratic sympathies more evident than in the chilling reaction on the floor of the Democratic convention in September when the question of Israel's capital came up for a vote. Anyone who witnessed the delegates' angry screaming and fist-shaking could see that far more is going on in the Democratic Party than mere opposition to citing Jerusalem in their platform. There is now a visceral anti-Israel movement among rank-and-file Democrats, a disturbing development that my parents' generation would not have ignored.
Another troubling change is that Democrats seem to have moved away from the immigrant values of my old neighborhood—in particular, individual charity and neighborliness. After studying tax data from the IRS, the nonpartisan Chronicle of Philanthropy recently reported that states that vote Republican are now far more generous to charities than those voting Democratic. In 2008, the seven least-generous states all voted for President Obama. My father, who kept a charity box for the poor in our house, would have frowned on this fact about modern Democrats.
Democrats would reply that taxation and government services are better vehicles for helping the underprivileged. And, yes, government certainly has its role. But when you look at states where Democrats have enjoyed years of one-party dominance—California, Illinois, New York—you find that their liberal policies simply don't deliver on their promises of social justice.
Take, for example, President Obama's adopted home state. In October, a nonpartisan study of Illinois's finances by the State Budget Crisis Task Force offered painful evidence that liberal Illinois is suffering from abject economic, demographic and social decline. With the worst credit rating in the country, and with the second-biggest public debt per capita, the Prairie State "has been doing back flips on a high wire, without a net," according to the report.
Political scientist Walter Russell Mead summed up the sad results of these findings at The American Interest: "Illinois politicians, including the present president of the United States, have wrecked one of the country's potentially most prosperous and dynamic states, condemned millions of poor children to substandard education, failed to maintain vital infrastructure, choked business development and growth through unsustainable tax and regulatory policies—and still failed to appease the demands of the public sector unions and fee-seeking Wall Street crony capitalists who make billions off the state's distress."
At times, it seems almost as if President Obama wants to impose the failed Illinois model on the whole country. Each year of his presidency has produced unsustainable deficits, and he takes no responsibility for his spending. Worse still, unemployment has become chronic, and many Americans have given up on looking for work.
Whenever President Obama deplores the wealthy ("fat-cat bankers," "millionaires and billionaires," "at a certain point you've made enough money," and so on), it tells me that he has failed to learn the economic lessons of Illinois, and that he still doesn't understand the vital role entrepreneurs play in creating jobs in our society.
As a person who has been able to rise from poverty to affluence, and who has created jobs and work benefits for tens of thousands of families, I feel obligated to speak up and support the American ideals I grew up with—charity, self-reliance, accountability. These are the age-old virtues that help make our communities prosperous. Yet, sadly, the Democratic Party no longer seems to value them as it once did. That's why I switched parties, and why I'm now giving amply to Republicans.
Although I don't agree with every Republican position—I'm liberal on several social issues—there is enough common cause with the party for me to know I've made the right choice.
It's the choice that, I believe, my old immigrant Jewish neighbors would have made. They would not have let a few disagreements with Republicans void the importance of siding with the political party that better supports liberal democracies like Israel, the party that better exemplifies the spirit of charity, and the party with economic policies that would certainly be better for those Americans now looking for work.
The Democratic Party just isn't what it used to be.
Mr. Adelson, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, is a member of the RJC Board of Directors.
This article appeared in the Wall Street Journal on November 4, 2012.
They would have been astounded.
The immigrant family in which I grew up was, in the matter of politics, typical of the Jews of Boston in the 1930s and '40s. Of the two major parties, the Democrats were in those days the more supportive of Jewish causes.
Indeed, only liberal politicians campaigned in our underprivileged neighborhood. Boston's Republicans, insofar as we knew them, were remote, wealthy elites ("Boston Brahmins"), some of whose fancy country clubs didn't accept Jews.
It therefore went without saying that we were Democrats. Like most Jews around the country, being Democrat was part of our identity, as much a feature of our collective personality as our religion.
So why did I leave the party?
My critics nowadays like to claim it's because I got wealthy or because I didn't want to pay taxes or because of some other conservative caricature. No, the truth is the Democratic Party has changed in ways that no longer fit with someone of my upbringing.
One obvious example is the party's new attitude toward Israel. A sobering Gallup poll from last March asked: "Are your sympathies more with the Israelis or more with the Palestinians?" Barely 53% of Democrats chose Israel, the sole liberal democracy in the region. By contrast, an overwhelming 78% of Republicans sympathized with Israel.
Nowhere was this change in Democratic sympathies more evident than in the chilling reaction on the floor of the Democratic convention in September when the question of Israel's capital came up for a vote. Anyone who witnessed the delegates' angry screaming and fist-shaking could see that far more is going on in the Democratic Party than mere opposition to citing Jerusalem in their platform. There is now a visceral anti-Israel movement among rank-and-file Democrats, a disturbing development that my parents' generation would not have ignored.
Another troubling change is that Democrats seem to have moved away from the immigrant values of my old neighborhood—in particular, individual charity and neighborliness. After studying tax data from the IRS, the nonpartisan Chronicle of Philanthropy recently reported that states that vote Republican are now far more generous to charities than those voting Democratic. In 2008, the seven least-generous states all voted for President Obama. My father, who kept a charity box for the poor in our house, would have frowned on this fact about modern Democrats.
Democrats would reply that taxation and government services are better vehicles for helping the underprivileged. And, yes, government certainly has its role. But when you look at states where Democrats have enjoyed years of one-party dominance—California, Illinois, New York—you find that their liberal policies simply don't deliver on their promises of social justice.
Take, for example, President Obama's adopted home state. In October, a nonpartisan study of Illinois's finances by the State Budget Crisis Task Force offered painful evidence that liberal Illinois is suffering from abject economic, demographic and social decline. With the worst credit rating in the country, and with the second-biggest public debt per capita, the Prairie State "has been doing back flips on a high wire, without a net," according to the report.
Political scientist Walter Russell Mead summed up the sad results of these findings at The American Interest: "Illinois politicians, including the present president of the United States, have wrecked one of the country's potentially most prosperous and dynamic states, condemned millions of poor children to substandard education, failed to maintain vital infrastructure, choked business development and growth through unsustainable tax and regulatory policies—and still failed to appease the demands of the public sector unions and fee-seeking Wall Street crony capitalists who make billions off the state's distress."
At times, it seems almost as if President Obama wants to impose the failed Illinois model on the whole country. Each year of his presidency has produced unsustainable deficits, and he takes no responsibility for his spending. Worse still, unemployment has become chronic, and many Americans have given up on looking for work.
Whenever President Obama deplores the wealthy ("fat-cat bankers," "millionaires and billionaires," "at a certain point you've made enough money," and so on), it tells me that he has failed to learn the economic lessons of Illinois, and that he still doesn't understand the vital role entrepreneurs play in creating jobs in our society.
As a person who has been able to rise from poverty to affluence, and who has created jobs and work benefits for tens of thousands of families, I feel obligated to speak up and support the American ideals I grew up with—charity, self-reliance, accountability. These are the age-old virtues that help make our communities prosperous. Yet, sadly, the Democratic Party no longer seems to value them as it once did. That's why I switched parties, and why I'm now giving amply to Republicans.
Although I don't agree with every Republican position—I'm liberal on several social issues—there is enough common cause with the party for me to know I've made the right choice.
It's the choice that, I believe, my old immigrant Jewish neighbors would have made. They would not have let a few disagreements with Republicans void the importance of siding with the political party that better supports liberal democracies like Israel, the party that better exemplifies the spirit of charity, and the party with economic policies that would certainly be better for those Americans now looking for work.
The Democratic Party just isn't what it used to be.
Mr. Adelson, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, is a member of the RJC Board of Directors.
This article appeared in the Wall Street Journal on November 4, 2012.
Time to Stop Digging and Start Building
Thursday, November 1, 2012
By: Matthew Brooks, RJC Executive Director
As Will Rogers said, “When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging!" In the last four years, the Obama administration has dug our country deeper and deeper into several painful and dangerous holes. It's time to stop digging and find better solutions.
Pres. Obama's economic policies have eroded the earning power of the middle class and mired us in the slowest-growing post-recession economy in decades. A wave of new taxes will hit working families in January. Billions of taxpayer dollars were wasted on a useless "stimulus" and "green" companies that went bankrupt. To date, Pres. Obama has added nearly $6 trillion to the national debt since taking office.
Meanwhile, unemployment stood above 8 percent for 43 straight months during Pres. Obama's tenure. Companies aren't hiring – in large part because of the uncertainty and poor prospects created by heavy-handed government regulations and a chaotic tax environment.
Mitt Romney has a better solution. By lowering tax rates across the board, while eliminating deductions and loopholes for high-end earners, we can broaden the tax base and bring in more revenue without raising taxes on the middle class. Responsible bipartisan efforts to cut non-security spending and reform the tax code, along with opening up more energy resources on this continent, will spur economic growth and cut the deficit. Lower corporate tax rates and more sensible regulations will make it possible for new businesses to start and for established businesses to grow.
Another hole is being dug by the rising costs of health care and the looming bankruptcy of Medicare and Social Security. Obamacare is already adding to the cost of health care for families and many employers have said they may have to drop their employee insurance plans under its restrictions. We will have to slash entitlement benefits and raise taxes to punishing levels if we don't get a handle on how Medicare and Social Security are structured.
The answer to these problems lies in allowing increased competition to bring down costs, while providing a secure safety net for those in need. Mitt Romney wants to repeal and replace Obamacare with a free-market system that protects people with preexisting conditions and the poor. His plan for Medicare reform shields everyone age 55 and older from any changes to the system and will keep traditional Medicare available for those younger workers who choose it. That will strengthen Medicare and offer the same benefits at lower cost to today's younger workers when they reach retirement age.
In foreign policy, Pres. Obama has pursued a naïve and dangerous policy that has given our enemies new openings to harm us, as in Benghazi, Libya. Pres. Obama's mixed messages and inaction during the Arab Spring have allowed Islamist forces to gain ground in several countries. He was silent during the 2010 freedom demonstrations in Iran and his response to the civil war in Syria has not advanced freedom, peace, or U.S. interests in the region.
Mitt Romney proposes a principled policy that puts America's national interests first and that projects American diplomatic, economic, and if absolutely necessary, military strength to protect those interests. Romney understands that we must stand with our allies and continue the fight against the radical Islamists who threaten our security and our democratic values.
The U.S.-Israel alliance has been badly hurt by the antipathy Pres. Obama has shown to Israel and her leaders. The military cooperation mandated by our pro-Israel Congress is strong, but the level of trust and cooperation between the two governments is low. Pres. Obama's made the "1967 borders" and Israeli construction freezes starting points for negotiations, which reinforced Palestinian intransigence and made peace between Israel and the Palestinians even more elusive.
Mitt Romney will stand with Israel, knowing that Israel is our best ally and an important partner with the U.S., and understanding that strong strategic, economic, and moral ties bind the two countries.
One of the most dangerous threats to American national security today is the possibility of a nuclear Iran. Congress supported sanctions on Iran (sometimes over the President's objection) but the diplomatic effort to support those sanctions has been weak and ineffectual. That is why Russia and China have routinely stymied efforts to create a truly effective international sanctions regime that might deter the Iranians. A nuclear Iran would be an existential threat to Israel, a destabilizing force in the Middle East, and a clear threat to America's interests and those of our European and Asian allies. The President's policies have given Iran almost four years to continue enriching uranium; they now approach the quantity and quality needed to create nuclear weapons.
Mitt Romney is committed to stopping Iran from acquiring the capability to build nuclear weapons. Our national security, and the security of our most important allies around the globe, depends on a strong U.S. policy toward Iran.
The American people face a significant choice in just a few days' time: a choice between a government-run, top-down economy and a free-market, opportunity economy; a choice between the weakness that invites attacks and the strength to keep our country secure; and a choice between leaving our children a country that we have built and enriched with freedom and ingenuity, or leaving them a country shackled in debt and diminished in scope. It's not too late to stop digging holes and start building our country again.
By: Matthew Brooks, RJC Executive Director
As Will Rogers said, “When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging!" In the last four years, the Obama administration has dug our country deeper and deeper into several painful and dangerous holes. It's time to stop digging and find better solutions.
Pres. Obama's economic policies have eroded the earning power of the middle class and mired us in the slowest-growing post-recession economy in decades. A wave of new taxes will hit working families in January. Billions of taxpayer dollars were wasted on a useless "stimulus" and "green" companies that went bankrupt. To date, Pres. Obama has added nearly $6 trillion to the national debt since taking office.
Meanwhile, unemployment stood above 8 percent for 43 straight months during Pres. Obama's tenure. Companies aren't hiring – in large part because of the uncertainty and poor prospects created by heavy-handed government regulations and a chaotic tax environment.
Mitt Romney has a better solution. By lowering tax rates across the board, while eliminating deductions and loopholes for high-end earners, we can broaden the tax base and bring in more revenue without raising taxes on the middle class. Responsible bipartisan efforts to cut non-security spending and reform the tax code, along with opening up more energy resources on this continent, will spur economic growth and cut the deficit. Lower corporate tax rates and more sensible regulations will make it possible for new businesses to start and for established businesses to grow.
Another hole is being dug by the rising costs of health care and the looming bankruptcy of Medicare and Social Security. Obamacare is already adding to the cost of health care for families and many employers have said they may have to drop their employee insurance plans under its restrictions. We will have to slash entitlement benefits and raise taxes to punishing levels if we don't get a handle on how Medicare and Social Security are structured.
The answer to these problems lies in allowing increased competition to bring down costs, while providing a secure safety net for those in need. Mitt Romney wants to repeal and replace Obamacare with a free-market system that protects people with preexisting conditions and the poor. His plan for Medicare reform shields everyone age 55 and older from any changes to the system and will keep traditional Medicare available for those younger workers who choose it. That will strengthen Medicare and offer the same benefits at lower cost to today's younger workers when they reach retirement age.
In foreign policy, Pres. Obama has pursued a naïve and dangerous policy that has given our enemies new openings to harm us, as in Benghazi, Libya. Pres. Obama's mixed messages and inaction during the Arab Spring have allowed Islamist forces to gain ground in several countries. He was silent during the 2010 freedom demonstrations in Iran and his response to the civil war in Syria has not advanced freedom, peace, or U.S. interests in the region.
Mitt Romney proposes a principled policy that puts America's national interests first and that projects American diplomatic, economic, and if absolutely necessary, military strength to protect those interests. Romney understands that we must stand with our allies and continue the fight against the radical Islamists who threaten our security and our democratic values.
The U.S.-Israel alliance has been badly hurt by the antipathy Pres. Obama has shown to Israel and her leaders. The military cooperation mandated by our pro-Israel Congress is strong, but the level of trust and cooperation between the two governments is low. Pres. Obama's made the "1967 borders" and Israeli construction freezes starting points for negotiations, which reinforced Palestinian intransigence and made peace between Israel and the Palestinians even more elusive.
Mitt Romney will stand with Israel, knowing that Israel is our best ally and an important partner with the U.S., and understanding that strong strategic, economic, and moral ties bind the two countries.
One of the most dangerous threats to American national security today is the possibility of a nuclear Iran. Congress supported sanctions on Iran (sometimes over the President's objection) but the diplomatic effort to support those sanctions has been weak and ineffectual. That is why Russia and China have routinely stymied efforts to create a truly effective international sanctions regime that might deter the Iranians. A nuclear Iran would be an existential threat to Israel, a destabilizing force in the Middle East, and a clear threat to America's interests and those of our European and Asian allies. The President's policies have given Iran almost four years to continue enriching uranium; they now approach the quantity and quality needed to create nuclear weapons.
Mitt Romney is committed to stopping Iran from acquiring the capability to build nuclear weapons. Our national security, and the security of our most important allies around the globe, depends on a strong U.S. policy toward Iran.
The American people face a significant choice in just a few days' time: a choice between a government-run, top-down economy and a free-market, opportunity economy; a choice between the weakness that invites attacks and the strength to keep our country secure; and a choice between leaving our children a country that we have built and enriched with freedom and ingenuity, or leaving them a country shackled in debt and diminished in scope. It's not too late to stop digging holes and start building our country again.
Time to Stop Digging and Start Building
Thursday, November 1, 2012
By: Matthew Brooks, RJC Executive Director
As Will Rogers said, “When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging!" In the last four years, the Obama administration has dug our country deeper and deeper into several painful and dangerous holes. It's time to stop digging and find better solutions.
Pres. Obama's economic policies have eroded the earning power of the middle class and mired us in the slowest-growing post-recession economy in decades. A wave of new taxes will hit working families in January. Billions of taxpayer dollars were wasted on a useless "stimulus" and "green" companies that went bankrupt. To date, Pres. Obama has added nearly $6 trillion to the national debt since taking office.
Meanwhile, unemployment stood above 8 percent for 43 straight months during Pres. Obama's tenure. Companies aren't hiring – in large part because of the uncertainty and poor prospects created by heavy-handed government regulations and a chaotic tax environment.
Mitt Romney has a better solution. By lowering tax rates across the board, while eliminating deductions and loopholes for high-end earners, we can broaden the tax base and bring in more revenue without raising taxes on the middle class. Responsible bipartisan efforts to cut non-security spending and reform the tax code, along with opening up more energy resources on this continent, will spur economic growth and cut the deficit. Lower corporate tax rates and more sensible regulations will make it possible for new businesses to start and for established businesses to grow.
Another hole is being dug by the rising costs of health care and the looming bankruptcy of Medicare and Social Security. Obamacare is already adding to the cost of health care for families and many employers have said they may have to drop their employee insurance plans under its restrictions. We will have to slash entitlement benefits and raise taxes to punishing levels if we don't get a handle on how Medicare and Social Security are structured.
The answer to these problems lies in allowing increased competition to bring down costs, while providing a secure safety net for those in need. Mitt Romney wants to repeal and replace Obamacare with a free-market system that protects people with preexisting conditions and the poor. His plan for Medicare reform shields everyone age 55 and older from any changes to the system and will keep traditional Medicare available for those younger workers who choose it. That will strengthen Medicare and offer the same benefits at lower cost to today's younger workers when they reach retirement age.
In foreign policy, Pres. Obama has pursued a naïve and dangerous policy that has given our enemies new openings to harm us, as in Benghazi, Libya. Pres. Obama's mixed messages and inaction during the Arab Spring have allowed Islamist forces to gain ground in several countries. He was silent during the 2010 freedom demonstrations in Iran and his response to the civil war in Syria has not advanced freedom, peace, or U.S. interests in the region.
Mitt Romney proposes a principled policy that puts America's national interests first and that projects American diplomatic, economic, and if absolutely necessary, military strength to protect those interests. Romney understands that we must stand with our allies and continue the fight against the radical Islamists who threaten our security and our democratic values.
The U.S.-Israel alliance has been badly hurt by the antipathy Pres. Obama has shown to Israel and her leaders. The military cooperation mandated by our pro-Israel Congress is strong, but the level of trust and cooperation between the two governments is low. Pres. Obama's made the "1967 borders" and Israeli construction freezes starting points for negotiations, which reinforced Palestinian intransigence and made peace between Israel and the Palestinians even more elusive.
Mitt Romney will stand with Israel, knowing that Israel is our best ally and an important partner with the U.S., and understanding that strong strategic, economic, and moral ties bind the two countries.
One of the most dangerous threats to American national security today is the possibility of a nuclear Iran. Congress supported sanctions on Iran (sometimes over the President's objection) but the diplomatic effort to support those sanctions has been weak and ineffectual. That is why Russia and China have routinely stymied efforts to create a truly effective international sanctions regime that might deter the Iranians. A nuclear Iran would be an existential threat to Israel, a destabilizing force in the Middle East, and a clear threat to America's interests and those of our European and Asian allies. The President's policies have given Iran almost four years to continue enriching uranium; they now approach the quantity and quality needed to create nuclear weapons.
Mitt Romney is committed to stopping Iran from acquiring the capability to build nuclear weapons. Our national security, and the security of our most important allies around the globe, depends on a strong U.S. policy toward Iran.
The American people face a significant choice in just a few days' time: a choice between a government-run, top-down economy and a free-market, opportunity economy; a choice between the weakness that invites attacks and the strength to keep our country secure; and a choice between leaving our children a country that we have built and enriched with freedom and ingenuity, or leaving them a country shackled in debt and diminished in scope. It's not too late to stop digging holes and start building our country again.
By: Matthew Brooks, RJC Executive Director
As Will Rogers said, “When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging!" In the last four years, the Obama administration has dug our country deeper and deeper into several painful and dangerous holes. It's time to stop digging and find better solutions.
Pres. Obama's economic policies have eroded the earning power of the middle class and mired us in the slowest-growing post-recession economy in decades. A wave of new taxes will hit working families in January. Billions of taxpayer dollars were wasted on a useless "stimulus" and "green" companies that went bankrupt. To date, Pres. Obama has added nearly $6 trillion to the national debt since taking office.
Meanwhile, unemployment stood above 8 percent for 43 straight months during Pres. Obama's tenure. Companies aren't hiring – in large part because of the uncertainty and poor prospects created by heavy-handed government regulations and a chaotic tax environment.
Mitt Romney has a better solution. By lowering tax rates across the board, while eliminating deductions and loopholes for high-end earners, we can broaden the tax base and bring in more revenue without raising taxes on the middle class. Responsible bipartisan efforts to cut non-security spending and reform the tax code, along with opening up more energy resources on this continent, will spur economic growth and cut the deficit. Lower corporate tax rates and more sensible regulations will make it possible for new businesses to start and for established businesses to grow.
Another hole is being dug by the rising costs of health care and the looming bankruptcy of Medicare and Social Security. Obamacare is already adding to the cost of health care for families and many employers have said they may have to drop their employee insurance plans under its restrictions. We will have to slash entitlement benefits and raise taxes to punishing levels if we don't get a handle on how Medicare and Social Security are structured.
The answer to these problems lies in allowing increased competition to bring down costs, while providing a secure safety net for those in need. Mitt Romney wants to repeal and replace Obamacare with a free-market system that protects people with preexisting conditions and the poor. His plan for Medicare reform shields everyone age 55 and older from any changes to the system and will keep traditional Medicare available for those younger workers who choose it. That will strengthen Medicare and offer the same benefits at lower cost to today's younger workers when they reach retirement age.
In foreign policy, Pres. Obama has pursued a naïve and dangerous policy that has given our enemies new openings to harm us, as in Benghazi, Libya. Pres. Obama's mixed messages and inaction during the Arab Spring have allowed Islamist forces to gain ground in several countries. He was silent during the 2010 freedom demonstrations in Iran and his response to the civil war in Syria has not advanced freedom, peace, or U.S. interests in the region.
Mitt Romney proposes a principled policy that puts America's national interests first and that projects American diplomatic, economic, and if absolutely necessary, military strength to protect those interests. Romney understands that we must stand with our allies and continue the fight against the radical Islamists who threaten our security and our democratic values.
The U.S.-Israel alliance has been badly hurt by the antipathy Pres. Obama has shown to Israel and her leaders. The military cooperation mandated by our pro-Israel Congress is strong, but the level of trust and cooperation between the two governments is low. Pres. Obama's made the "1967 borders" and Israeli construction freezes starting points for negotiations, which reinforced Palestinian intransigence and made peace between Israel and the Palestinians even more elusive.
Mitt Romney will stand with Israel, knowing that Israel is our best ally and an important partner with the U.S., and understanding that strong strategic, economic, and moral ties bind the two countries.
One of the most dangerous threats to American national security today is the possibility of a nuclear Iran. Congress supported sanctions on Iran (sometimes over the President's objection) but the diplomatic effort to support those sanctions has been weak and ineffectual. That is why Russia and China have routinely stymied efforts to create a truly effective international sanctions regime that might deter the Iranians. A nuclear Iran would be an existential threat to Israel, a destabilizing force in the Middle East, and a clear threat to America's interests and those of our European and Asian allies. The President's policies have given Iran almost four years to continue enriching uranium; they now approach the quantity and quality needed to create nuclear weapons.
Mitt Romney is committed to stopping Iran from acquiring the capability to build nuclear weapons. Our national security, and the security of our most important allies around the globe, depends on a strong U.S. policy toward Iran.
The American people face a significant choice in just a few days' time: a choice between a government-run, top-down economy and a free-market, opportunity economy; a choice between the weakness that invites attacks and the strength to keep our country secure; and a choice between leaving our children a country that we have built and enriched with freedom and ingenuity, or leaving them a country shackled in debt and diminished in scope. It's not too late to stop digging holes and start building our country again.
RJC: Americans Saw the Real Romney Last Night
Washington, D.C. (October 4, 2012) -- The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) responded today to the first presidential debate of 2012. RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said:
“Mitt Romney took control of the first debate and won it handily on both substance and style.
“Last night Americans saw the real Mitt Romney - not the caricature of the attack ads and biased media reports. They saw Romney in command of the facts, secure in his principles, and demonstrating the leadership and competence that have been missing in the White House for nearly four years.
“Romney made his case effectively on taxes, jobs, protecting the middle class, and health care. But he also gave voice to the enduring values of America, showed how far we have strayed from them under the Obama administration, and pledged to turn America back onto the path of economic growth and opportunity for all."
“Mitt Romney took control of the first debate and won it handily on both substance and style.
“Last night Americans saw the real Mitt Romney - not the caricature of the attack ads and biased media reports. They saw Romney in command of the facts, secure in his principles, and demonstrating the leadership and competence that have been missing in the White House for nearly four years.
“Romney made his case effectively on taxes, jobs, protecting the middle class, and health care. But he also gave voice to the enduring values of America, showed how far we have strayed from them under the Obama administration, and pledged to turn America back onto the path of economic growth and opportunity for all."
RJC: Americans Saw the Real Romney Last Night
Washington, D.C. (October 4, 2012) -- The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) responded today to the first presidential debate of 2012. RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said:
“Mitt Romney took control of the first debate and won it handily on both substance and style.
“Last night Americans saw the real Mitt Romney - not the caricature of the attack ads and biased media reports. They saw Romney in command of the facts, secure in his principles, and demonstrating the leadership and competence that have been missing in the White House for nearly four years.
“Romney made his case effectively on taxes, jobs, protecting the middle class, and health care. But he also gave voice to the enduring values of America, showed how far we have strayed from them under the Obama administration, and pledged to turn America back onto the path of economic growth and opportunity for all."
“Mitt Romney took control of the first debate and won it handily on both substance and style.
“Last night Americans saw the real Mitt Romney - not the caricature of the attack ads and biased media reports. They saw Romney in command of the facts, secure in his principles, and demonstrating the leadership and competence that have been missing in the White House for nearly four years.
“Romney made his case effectively on taxes, jobs, protecting the middle class, and health care. But he also gave voice to the enduring values of America, showed how far we have strayed from them under the Obama administration, and pledged to turn America back onto the path of economic growth and opportunity for all."