WSJ: GOP Makes Last Push for Jewish Voters
Thursday, November 1, 2012
By: Alicia Mundy
As the election looms, the eternal optimists of the Republican Jewish Coalition are making one last push into traditional Democratic strongholds of Jewish American voters in key battleground states, trying to bring in new support for presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
“The crowds are bigger this time than four years ago, and they include independents and democrats who voted for [President Barack] Obama,” said Ari Fleischer, a member of the RJC’s board and former press secretary to President George W. Bush.
Mr. Fleischer and other RJC leaders, as well as former Minn. Sen. Norm Coleman, were on their way Wednesday from a rally in Detroit to Boca Raton, Fla., part of a nine-city five-day tour that will end Thursday night in Philadelphia.
Mr. Fleischer acknowledged that every presidential election GOP Jewish leaders vow to produce better than 20-25% for Republicans, and don’t really move the numbers. But he said, this is a different time and a “more receptive environment” to make small inroads where it counts.
Jewish Democrats are skeptical.
“Republicans have been making these claims since 1980. There’s always some “unique” reason, some “unique moment” in time” for Jews to embrace Republicans, they say,” said David A. Harris, president of the National Jewish Democratic Council.
“If you went to a doctor every four years, and he gave you the same diagnosis every time, and he was wrong, would you go back?” asked Mr. Harris. That is what is happening with the Republican Jewish Coalition again, he said.
“We have data points. Barack Obama is doing better now among Jewish voters against Mitt Romney than he did in at this time in 2008 against John McCain.”
That year, Mr. Obama took about 75 % of the Jewish vote.
But the RJC and Mr. Fleischer say they aren’t looking for a surge. A “slight Jewish swing” could make the difference in Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio, said Mr. Fleischer. The RJC began a $6.5 million campaign in those states and a few other specific locales a few months ago, and it has already spent that amount on TV ads, said Mr. Fleischer.
Over the past 18 months, the RJC has created the “first proprietary Jewish voters lists” in several swing states, enabling pinpoint telemarketing and micro-targeting, and setting up an invaluable template for the next national elections, said executive director Matt Brooks.
The RJC and its volunteers have made 450,000 calls to Jewish households and visited over 100,000 homes in places such as Shaker Heights outside Cleveland, and neighborhoods in suburban Miami. Mr. Brooks said that a 1% shift to Mr. Romney in such areas could be enough to have an impact on the swing state’s final numbers.
For example, RJC leaders say that Mr. Romney’s current slight lead in Florida could rest on the Jewish vote, because although only 6% of Florida’s population is Jewish, their voter turnout represents a higher percentage of the state’s electorate.
The RJC has run an extensive TV campaign there, unveiling a new ad Wednesday in Florida, pitched to elderly Jewish Americans, using the former head of Democrats Abroad-Israel, Bryna Franklin.
It’s the last ad in the RJC’s “My Buyer’s Remorse” campaign involving “disappointed” Democrats. Ms. Bryna, 80 years old, has never voted for a Republican for president until now, according to the RJC web site. In the ad, she cites concerns about the U.S. support for Israel under Mr. Obama. “My Message to American Jews is to join me…..to switch sides and vote for Mitt Romney for president,” she says.
The National Jewish Democratic Council countered with its own pro-Obama video on Wednesday, featuring Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak and former U.S. AmbassadorDennis Ross. The video praises the Obama administration’s support for Israel’s security.
Copyright ©2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Story link.
WSJ: GOP Makes Last Push for Jewish Voters
Thursday, November 1, 2012
By: Alicia Mundy
As the election looms, the eternal optimists of the Republican Jewish Coalition are making one last push into traditional Democratic strongholds of Jewish American voters in key battleground states, trying to bring in new support for presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
“The crowds are bigger this time than four years ago, and they include independents and democrats who voted for [President Barack] Obama,” said Ari Fleischer, a member of the RJC’s board and former press secretary to President George W. Bush.
Mr. Fleischer and other RJC leaders, as well as former Minn. Sen. Norm Coleman, were on their way Wednesday from a rally in Detroit to Boca Raton, Fla., part of a nine-city five-day tour that will end Thursday night in Philadelphia.
Mr. Fleischer acknowledged that every presidential election GOP Jewish leaders vow to produce better than 20-25% for Republicans, and don’t really move the numbers. But he said, this is a different time and a “more receptive environment” to make small inroads where it counts.
Jewish Democrats are skeptical.
“Republicans have been making these claims since 1980. There’s always some “unique” reason, some “unique moment” in time” for Jews to embrace Republicans, they say,” said David A. Harris, president of the National Jewish Democratic Council.
“If you went to a doctor every four years, and he gave you the same diagnosis every time, and he was wrong, would you go back?” asked Mr. Harris. That is what is happening with the Republican Jewish Coalition again, he said.
“We have data points. Barack Obama is doing better now among Jewish voters against Mitt Romney than he did in at this time in 2008 against John McCain.”
That year, Mr. Obama took about 75 % of the Jewish vote.
But the RJC and Mr. Fleischer say they aren’t looking for a surge. A “slight Jewish swing” could make the difference in Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio, said Mr. Fleischer. The RJC began a $6.5 million campaign in those states and a few other specific locales a few months ago, and it has already spent that amount on TV ads, said Mr. Fleischer.
Over the past 18 months, the RJC has created the “first proprietary Jewish voters lists” in several swing states, enabling pinpoint telemarketing and micro-targeting, and setting up an invaluable template for the next national elections, said executive director Matt Brooks.
The RJC and its volunteers have made 450,000 calls to Jewish households and visited over 100,000 homes in places such as Shaker Heights outside Cleveland, and neighborhoods in suburban Miami. Mr. Brooks said that a 1% shift to Mr. Romney in such areas could be enough to have an impact on the swing state’s final numbers.
For example, RJC leaders say that Mr. Romney’s current slight lead in Florida could rest on the Jewish vote, because although only 6% of Florida’s population is Jewish, their voter turnout represents a higher percentage of the state’s electorate.
The RJC has run an extensive TV campaign there, unveiling a new ad Wednesday in Florida, pitched to elderly Jewish Americans, using the former head of Democrats Abroad-Israel, Bryna Franklin.
It’s the last ad in the RJC’s “My Buyer’s Remorse” campaign involving “disappointed” Democrats. Ms. Bryna, 80 years old, has never voted for a Republican for president until now, according to the RJC web site. In the ad, she cites concerns about the U.S. support for Israel under Mr. Obama. “My Message to American Jews is to join me…..to switch sides and vote for Mitt Romney for president,” she says.
The National Jewish Democratic Council countered with its own pro-Obama video on Wednesday, featuring Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak and former U.S. AmbassadorDennis Ross. The video praises the Obama administration’s support for Israel’s security.
Copyright ©2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Story link.
Former Chair of Democrats Abroad in Israel Supports Romney: First time she has voted for a Republican
Bryna, a delegate to the 1992 Democratic National Convention and who served for years as vice chair of the Franklin County Democratic Central Committee in Missouri, explained her decision as stemming from a deep disappointment in President Obama on a range of issues.
Because of the sustained high unemployment rates, the loss of property value and the high foreclosure rates, and the fact that a large part of every dollar our government spends is borrowed from China, Bryna thinks the President's record on the economy is dismal.
She believes that President Obama's foreign policy actions have weakened America and undermined our relationships with our allies. In particular, she thinks that the President's hostility to Israel does immense harm to both Israel and the U.S.
RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said, "Bryna has been an active and committed Democrat her whole life. But this year, like many other Jewish Democrats, she is calling on her fellow Jews across America to support Mitt Romney."
The ad is part of the RJC's $6.5 million effort to reach out to Jewish voters in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Nevada. It is running on broadcast and cable television as a 30-second spot. A longer web version is also available.
See the TV ad here.
See the web ad here.
Former Chair of Democrats Abroad in Israel Supports Romney: First time she has voted for a Republican
Bryna, a delegate to the 1992 Democratic National Convention and who served for years as vice chair of the Franklin County Democratic Central Committee in Missouri, explained her decision as stemming from a deep disappointment in President Obama on a range of issues.
Because of the sustained high unemployment rates, the loss of property value and the high foreclosure rates, and the fact that a large part of every dollar our government spends is borrowed from China, Bryna thinks the President's record on the economy is dismal.
She believes that President Obama's foreign policy actions have weakened America and undermined our relationships with our allies. In particular, she thinks that the President's hostility to Israel does immense harm to both Israel and the U.S.
RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said, "Bryna has been an active and committed Democrat her whole life. But this year, like many other Jewish Democrats, she is calling on her fellow Jews across America to support Mitt Romney."
The ad is part of the RJC's $6.5 million effort to reach out to Jewish voters in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Nevada. It is running on broadcast and cable television as a 30-second spot. A longer web version is also available.
See the TV ad here.
See the web ad here.
RJC: Americans Saw the Real Romney Last Night
“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
“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."
Jewish Exponent: Philly Jews Gear Up for GOP Convention
By: Bryan Schwartzman, Jewish Exponent
Lynne Lechter of Lower Merion likens the Republican Party to the state of Israel.
Both entities are morally correct in their stances, contends Lechter, a corporate attorney, but both have allowed their opponents to define them rather than articulating well what they stand for.
She hopes that the upcoming Republican National Convention, which begins Aug. 27 in Tampa, Fla., will serve as the ideal medium for the GOP to present itself as she sees it: as an inclusive, sensible movement that is motivated by a desire to restore fiscal responsibility, grow the economy and combat threats from abroad.
"I can't wait," said Lechter, who serves on the National Women's Committee of the Republican Jewish Coalition and will be heading to the convention as a guest of the RJC. "Our convention, in particular, is going to show people that we are not scripted, that we are truly more diverse than the left is at this point."
Half-a-dozen local Jews are headed to the convention, according to several activists affiliated with the RJC, though none interviewed for this article are going as official, elected delegates.
The relatively small contingent of local GOP Jews are making the trip to network, strategize for the fall election season and make the point with their presence that Jews are a force within the GOP.
They also hope to experience firsthand the official nomination of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan to the GOP ticket.
Although the days of brokered conventions are long gone -- some critics contend the events have become little more than scripted campaign commercials -- several people interviewed said they view the convention as a shared, authentic, almost cathartic experience.
Israel, Iran and other foreign policy issues will be on the agenda, but sources said they are just as eager to hear the politicos tackle health care and the economy.
The fate of Medicare, the government-funded health insurance program for seniors, is sure to be a major topic as it has become a central campaign issue ever since Romney tapped Ryan, a budget hawk, to be his running mate. Ryan and others have argued that the GOP is looking to make the health care program sustainable in the long term. Democrats charge Ryan and other Republicans with trying to dismantle the popular government-funded entity.
David Edman, a health care consultant who is attending the convention as a member of both the RJC and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, said he is eager to learn more about what the Republicans would do if they managed to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He has said he likes certain portions of the law, but overall thinks it's unworkable and fiscally irresponsible. He said he was disturbed by what he described as the out-of-control spending undertaken by Barack Obama's administration.
"I'm going as an interested Jewish American and am hoping to see the future fortunes of our country turned around," he said. "Can we afford four more years of $1 trillion annual budget deficits? That is what we are looking at as far as the eye can see."
Edman and other attendees will have their pick of events catering to Jewish Republicans.
AIPAC will be hosting several gatherings in Tampa, said Edman, a former regional chair of the pro-Israel lobby, which will have a presence at the Democratic National Convention as well.
The RJC will be hosting several events, including one featuring top RJC leadership and GOP lawmakers. The group will also be hosting high-level donors in its suite at the Tampa Bay Times Forum, said Scott Feigelstein, area director of the RJC.
Feigelstein, who is attending his third GOP convention, said he is going "to work" and he "always finds these conventions very inspiring. I draw and feed on the energy of the crowd."
Pam Levy, a member of the Republican State Committee and chair of Women for Mitt in Montgomery County, is planning to attend as an honorary delegate, which means she has no voting power but will have access to events with other delegates.
"I hope to see us all coming together and realizing that our individual differences about small matters don't matter as much as our belief that we have to get this country back on the right track," she said.
"It energizes you," said Levy, who has attended one previous convention as an alternate delegate. "You realize that all these people are with you and you are not fighting alone in this important election. We must elect Mitt Romney for president."
Copyright © Jewish Publishing Group
This article was published on the Jewish Exponent web site on August 22, 2012.
Jewish Exponent: Philly Jews Gear Up for GOP Convention
By: Bryan Schwartzman, Jewish Exponent
Lynne Lechter of Lower Merion likens the Republican Party to the state of Israel.
Both entities are morally correct in their stances, contends Lechter, a corporate attorney, but both have allowed their opponents to define them rather than articulating well what they stand for.
She hopes that the upcoming Republican National Convention, which begins Aug. 27 in Tampa, Fla., will serve as the ideal medium for the GOP to present itself as she sees it: as an inclusive, sensible movement that is motivated by a desire to restore fiscal responsibility, grow the economy and combat threats from abroad.
"I can't wait," said Lechter, who serves on the National Women's Committee of the Republican Jewish Coalition and will be heading to the convention as a guest of the RJC. "Our convention, in particular, is going to show people that we are not scripted, that we are truly more diverse than the left is at this point."
Half-a-dozen local Jews are headed to the convention, according to several activists affiliated with the RJC, though none interviewed for this article are going as official, elected delegates.
The relatively small contingent of local GOP Jews are making the trip to network, strategize for the fall election season and make the point with their presence that Jews are a force within the GOP.
They also hope to experience firsthand the official nomination of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan to the GOP ticket.
Although the days of brokered conventions are long gone -- some critics contend the events have become little more than scripted campaign commercials -- several people interviewed said they view the convention as a shared, authentic, almost cathartic experience.
Israel, Iran and other foreign policy issues will be on the agenda, but sources said they are just as eager to hear the politicos tackle health care and the economy.
The fate of Medicare, the government-funded health insurance program for seniors, is sure to be a major topic as it has become a central campaign issue ever since Romney tapped Ryan, a budget hawk, to be his running mate. Ryan and others have argued that the GOP is looking to make the health care program sustainable in the long term. Democrats charge Ryan and other Republicans with trying to dismantle the popular government-funded entity.
David Edman, a health care consultant who is attending the convention as a member of both the RJC and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, said he is eager to learn more about what the Republicans would do if they managed to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He has said he likes certain portions of the law, but overall thinks it's unworkable and fiscally irresponsible. He said he was disturbed by what he described as the out-of-control spending undertaken by Barack Obama's administration.
"I'm going as an interested Jewish American and am hoping to see the future fortunes of our country turned around," he said. "Can we afford four more years of $1 trillion annual budget deficits? That is what we are looking at as far as the eye can see."
Edman and other attendees will have their pick of events catering to Jewish Republicans.
AIPAC will be hosting several gatherings in Tampa, said Edman, a former regional chair of the pro-Israel lobby, which will have a presence at the Democratic National Convention as well.
The RJC will be hosting several events, including one featuring top RJC leadership and GOP lawmakers. The group will also be hosting high-level donors in its suite at the Tampa Bay Times Forum, said Scott Feigelstein, area director of the RJC.
Feigelstein, who is attending his third GOP convention, said he is going "to work" and he "always finds these conventions very inspiring. I draw and feed on the energy of the crowd."
Pam Levy, a member of the Republican State Committee and chair of Women for Mitt in Montgomery County, is planning to attend as an honorary delegate, which means she has no voting power but will have access to events with other delegates.
"I hope to see us all coming together and realizing that our individual differences about small matters don't matter as much as our belief that we have to get this country back on the right track," she said.
"It energizes you," said Levy, who has attended one previous convention as an alternate delegate. "You realize that all these people are with you and you are not fighting alone in this important election. We must elect Mitt Romney for president."
Copyright © Jewish Publishing Group
This article was published on the Jewish Exponent web site on August 22, 2012.
RJC Applauds Romney's Choice of Ryan as Running Mate
RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said, "Governor Romney and Congressman Ryan are right to reject the notion that America is doomed to economic stagnation and a loss of influence around the world. President Obama wants Americans to believe that - because he's determined to evade blame for his failures in office. But today in Norfolk, Gov. Romney and Rep. Ryan made a powerful argument that America can do better - if we embrace the bold, principled leadership they're offering.
"Paul Ryan has challenged both party leaderships in Washington to face up to growing fiscal problems that threaten to blight our nation's future. And while congressional Republicans have responded to the challenge, Democrats have ducked responsibility. The Democrat-controlled US Senate hasn't passed a budget since 2009. And Obama's Treasury Secretary admitted to Congressman Ryan that the administration prefers to only criticize GOP efforts and therefore, will not put a plan of its own to save Medicare and other troubled programs on the table.
"Today, on behalf of himself and Gov. Romney, Paul Ryan promised, 'We won't duck the tough issues...we will lead!' That commitment - one Paul Ryan is well-qualified by his experience to fulfill - creates a stark and favorable contrast with the increasingly desperate Obama administration."
Regarding the House Budget Committee Chairman's commitment to national security, Brooks added, "Paul Ryan also understands that America must continue to serve as a bulwark against deadly threats in the international arena. He's successfully fought efforts to trim the budget by hollowing out our military, noting that because the consequences of American decline would be so destabilizing, 'a safer world and a more prosperous America go hand-in-hand.'
"And we are pleased that by picking Paul Ryan, Gov. Romney has opted for a running mate who has a record Israel's Ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren, has already praised as 'very supportive' of the Jewish state. Paul Ryan has earned appreciation from pro-Israel voters by rejecting the Obama administration's tactic of pressuring Israel to make concessions its leaders believe will undermine its security - and he rightly insists that a rejection of violence and incitement on the Palestinian side is an essential precondition for a meaningful peace agreement."
Background:
Times of Israel, "Romney's running mate Ryan 'very supportive of Israel,' says Ambassador Oren," August 11, 2012.
Tim Geithner to Paul Ryan: "We don't have a definitive solution... We just don't like yours" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s29X6Wm0J1Q
RJC Applauds Romney's Choice of Ryan as Running Mate
RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said, "Governor Romney and Congressman Ryan are right to reject the notion that America is doomed to economic stagnation and a loss of influence around the world. President Obama wants Americans to believe that - because he's determined to evade blame for his failures in office. But today in Norfolk, Gov. Romney and Rep. Ryan made a powerful argument that America can do better - if we embrace the bold, principled leadership they're offering.
"Paul Ryan has challenged both party leaderships in Washington to face up to growing fiscal problems that threaten to blight our nation's future. And while congressional Republicans have responded to the challenge, Democrats have ducked responsibility. The Democrat-controlled US Senate hasn't passed a budget since 2009. And Obama's Treasury Secretary admitted to Congressman Ryan that the administration prefers to only criticize GOP efforts and therefore, will not put a plan of its own to save Medicare and other troubled programs on the table.
"Today, on behalf of himself and Gov. Romney, Paul Ryan promised, 'We won't duck the tough issues...we will lead!' That commitment - one Paul Ryan is well-qualified by his experience to fulfill - creates a stark and favorable contrast with the increasingly desperate Obama administration."
Regarding the House Budget Committee Chairman's commitment to national security, Brooks added, "Paul Ryan also understands that America must continue to serve as a bulwark against deadly threats in the international arena. He's successfully fought efforts to trim the budget by hollowing out our military, noting that because the consequences of American decline would be so destabilizing, 'a safer world and a more prosperous America go hand-in-hand.'
"And we are pleased that by picking Paul Ryan, Gov. Romney has opted for a running mate who has a record Israel's Ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren, has already praised as 'very supportive' of the Jewish state. Paul Ryan has earned appreciation from pro-Israel voters by rejecting the Obama administration's tactic of pressuring Israel to make concessions its leaders believe will undermine its security - and he rightly insists that a rejection of violence and incitement on the Palestinian side is an essential precondition for a meaningful peace agreement."
Background:
Times of Israel, "Romney's running mate Ryan 'very supportive of Israel,' says Ambassador Oren," August 11, 2012.
Tim Geithner to Paul Ryan: "We don't have a definitive solution... We just don't like yours" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s29X6Wm0J1Q