Daily Archives: 02/13/2012

Can You Solve This Political Riddle?

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In May 2006, the economy for more than two years was gaining over 200,000 jobs a month; the Unemployment Rate for months was at 4.6%; gas prices at the pump was $2.40, and the deficit was expected to be in the $300 billion range. Yet only 28% approved of the economic work done by the President of that time. (May 2006 NYT Poll)

Six years later in mid-January 20102, the economy in the preceding half-year gained less than 150,000 jobs a month; the Unemployment Rate was at 8.5%; gas at the pump was above $3.40 a gallon; and the deficit was expected to be yet again more than one trillion dollars. Yet 44% approved of the economic work done by the president of that time. (Mid-Feb 2012 NYT Poll).

Can you figure out why the second president enjoyed a much higher economic approval rating than the first? I will give you two alphabets for a Hint: One had an R next to his name and the other had a D next to his name…

A Yiddish Kup: Silver Wants All Primaries on Same Day, June 26′th

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Capital Tonight Reports: Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver today announced a measure that would schedule party primaries for local and state races for June 26, extending a long-running dispute with majority Republicans in the Senate who want an August date.

The bill comes after U.S. District Court Judge Gary Sharpe declared June 26 as the primary for Congressional races in order for the state to comply with a law governing timely access to military and overseas ballots. Read more »

NJDC: Ten Things Every American Jew Should Know About Romney

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1. Romney emphasized recently that he would defund Planned Parenthood, and that his would “be a pro-life presidency.”

2. Questions linger surrounding the Iran-tainted assets of Romney’s charity, even as President Obama places unprecedented pressure on Iran.

3. With each passing month, Romney has disagreed more and more with the scientific consensus regarding global climate change.

4. Romney vehemently opposed the President’s contraception compromise, which will ensure that women’s preventive services are widely available while addressing religious liberty concerns. This compromise was praised by groups ranging from the Catholic Health Association to the Orthodox Union.

5. During nationally-televised debates, Romney has engaged in outright lies surrounding the President’s record on Israel, and he uses Israel as a partisan wedge issue whenever possible.

6. While 76% of Jews support gay marriage and even more support gay rights, Romney doesn’t just oppose gay marriage – he has chosen to engage in gay-baiting rhetoric in front of conservative crowds.

7. Romney told CNN, “yes, I would vote for” the anti-Israel Ron Paul for president if Paul were to become the GOP nominee.

8. Romney’s flip-flops are legendary; for example, he supported key elements of the Affordable Care Act – including the individual mandate – but he now promises to dismantle it.

9. Romney is no moderate, at least not now. By his own description, he’s “severely conservative.”

10. As the front page of The Washington Post has recently noted, Romney has formed a “strategic partnership” with the anti-Israel Ron Paul.

Prez of World Jewish Congress Hits Obama Over Israel

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Ronald S. Lauder

Forward Reports: WJC President Ronald Lauder said in a Friday address to the National Press  Club in Washington that all U.S. presidents, including Obama, are supporters of  Israel, but the current president has sent signals indicating a distance between  the two countries. “There is on the surface a connection between Obama and [Israeli Prime  Minister] Netanyahu, but what we’re dealing with here is not about realities but  about perceptions,“ Lauder said.

In his presentation, Lauder likened the relationship between the Obama  administration and Israel to that of two brothers being surrounded by bullies at  the schoolyard. Read more »

Limbaugh: The Wrong People are Rioting in Greece

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“Have you seen what’s happening in Greece?  They’re rioting. They’re burning restaurants, shops, storefronts.  But the wrong people are burning Greece down. Once again, the legitimate investors, bondholders and so forth who have been told that they’re only gonna get 30% of what they put back in, they’re the ones that ought to be burning the place down.  The students and the freeloaders are the ones actually committing the arson.”  – Rush Limbaugh

The Iranian Threat to New York City

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Mitchell Silber Writes in the WSJ: The NYPD must assume that New York City could be targeted by Iran or Hezbollah. On Feb. 3, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened that Iran “had its own tools” to respond to sanctions and threats of military action against it. Indeed, as the West’s conflict with Iran over its nuclear program continues to heat up, New York City—especially with its large Jewish population—becomes an increasingly attractive target. Read more »

Obama Admin Intentionally Leaks Israeli’s Iran Plans

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President Obama has made clear over and over again that he does not want Israel to strike Iran, no matter what the circumstances. Last week, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta leaked to the Washington Post that “there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June – before Iran enters what Israel described as a ‘zone of immunity’ to commence building a nuclear bomb.” Now, the only reason to leak that information is to stop the attack. In June 2010, the Administration leaked a secret deal between the Saudis and the Israelis that would have given Israel access to Saudi airspace for the strike. – Ben Shapiro

“National Review” Calls for Gingrich to Leave Race

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Political Ticker Reports: The influential conservative magazine National Review called Monday for Newt Gingrich to leave the Republican primary contest. Repeating its past criticisms of Gingrich the magazine’s editorial said “it would be a grave mistake for the party to make someone with such poor judgment and persistent unpopularity its presidential nominee.”

It pointed out the former House speaker, when he led in the polls, called for Rick Santorum to leave the race, “on his own arguments the proper course for him now is to endorse Santorum and exit.” The magazine also highlighted that Santorum has won more contests and delegates than Gingrich and is beating him in recent polling. Read more »

Former Dem Congressman Chides Obama for Mishandling Jewish, Catholic Voters

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Martin Frost

Former TX Dem Congressman Martin Frost Writes in Politico: I need to start with a disclaimer: I want President Barack Obama to be reelected, no matter whom the GOP nominates.

Having said that, I find disquieting parallels between the way Obama handled the recent dust-up with the Catholic Church and contraception and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process a year ago, when he talked about returning to pre-1967 borders. Read more »

After Primary Win, Grandson of Holocaust Survivors to Run Against Chavez

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Henrique Capriles Radonski

JTA Reports: Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles Radonski, the grandson of Holocaust survivors, will challenge President Hugo Chavez in upcoming elections. Capriles, 39, governor of the Miranda state, won a primary Sunday with 61 percent of the vote to become the unity candidate against Chavez, who has been in office for 13 years. Some 3 million voters participated in the country’s first-ever primary ahead of the Oct. 7 election.

Though Capriles’ maternal grandmother is Jewish, he was raised Catholic and he describes himself as a fervent Catholic. Read more »

Sarkozy Pushes for Diplomacy as Iranian Rhetoric Worsens

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French President Nicolas Sarkozy has pledged not to compromise on Israel’s security. According to the JTA’s Devorah Lauter, he called Israel a “miracle” and declared that he would not stand for the “questioning of Israel’s security.” Yet, he stopped short of declaring support for military action against Iran. Like American President Barack Obama, he said that the solution to the Israeli-Iranian dispute over Iran’s nuclear weapon’s program should be diplomatic, rather than military. Karen Eisenberg, Jewocity.Com

Video: Senator Lieberman Thinks U.S. Should Arm Syrian Opposition

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Israeli-Style: India Attack Against Diplomats Was… Via Magnetic Bomb

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The half-dozen Iranian scientists that were assassinated the last five years (likely by Israel) were taken out by magnetic bombs attached to their car. But get this from ABC News regarding the Israeli diplomats targeted today in India: Read more »

CNN: Four of Our Seven in Jerusalem Bureau are Jewish

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In response to reports that CNN has halved its eight-member strong Jerusalem Bureau dumping all Jewish staffers, the agency has responded by writing that “CNN currently has seven employees working in CNN’s Jerusalem bureau, four of whom are Jewish. There is no basis in fact for these reports.” CNN however makes no mention as to who was let go, among which counts people who are “best in the business in Israel,” according to Ron Kampeas at JTA.

‘Manipulation of Jewish Victimhood in the Name of Israel’s Domination’

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Roger Cohen in the NYT Writes: Peter Beinart’s “The Crisis of Zionism” is an important new book that rejects the manipulation of Jewish victimhood in the name of Israel’s domination of the Palestinians and asserts that the real issue for Jews today is not the challenge of weakness but the demands of power.  “We are being asked to perpetuate a narrative of victimhood that evades the central Jewish question of our age: the question of how to ethically wield Jewish power,” he writes. Read more »

Another Top aide Departs NYC Comptroller John Liu’s Office

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City Comptroller John Liu is losing another deputy, which sources say is a symbol of deep unhappiness in the upper ranks of his office. First Deputy Comptroller Eric Eve, who was Liu’s point man for his now-stalled pension reform plan, is leaving Feb. 24 to become a partner at communications firm RLM Finsbury. He follows former deputy Alan van Capelle, who announced his departure last summer. Two sources said Eve, like others in the office, was unhappy at the influence Liu’s closest advisor, Chung Seto, holds over the office’s operations. – City and State

Israeli PM Accuses Iran Of Being Behind Twin Car Bombings Against Israeli Diplomats

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Benjamin Netanyahu told a meeting of lawmakers from his Likud Party on Monday that he believed the Iranians were responsible for the attacks in New Delhi and Tbilisi. Two people were wounded in India and the bomb in Georgia was discovered before it went off. Netanyahu said Israel has thwarted other attacks in recent months in Azerbaijan, Thailand and elsewhere. “In all those cases, the elements behind these attacks were Iran and its protege Hezbollah,” he said. – AP Via VIN News

GOP State Senate Candidate Storobin Will Move Into New Orthodox District If Need Be

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Colin Campbell Reports: The Senate Republicans may have drawn their own special election candidate David Storobin out of the district he’s running in, but Mr. Storobin says he’ll simply move into the newly created Orthodox Jewish district if the maps hold.

“I will be running in November, no matter what the lines are,” he firmly stated at yesterday’s Brooklyn Young Republican Club meeting. Read more »