THE CASE AGAINST MEL LEVINE: HOW THE JEWISH LEFT HAS DESTROYED BI-PARTISAN SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL
Larry Greenfield, Director of the Republican Jewish Coalition of California
October 22, 2008
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There are longtime good Jewish Democrats, like Senator Joseph Lieberman, (now Independent, actually, he has left the Democrat party) who reject the rising anti-Israel wing of the Democrat party.
This article is not about them.
It is about those who have firmly defeated the Truman, JFK, Scoop Jackson and Joe Lieberman wing of the Democrat party.
That wing has been clipped.
By cowardly running from scheduled Jewish vote forums in California, Democrat former Congressman and Obama shill Mel Levine has now joined in the partisan, bitter attack on the rise of political diversity in Jewish life.
Some are desperate and furious that the Jewish vote is broadening.
In 1992, the Jewish Vote was 10 percent GOP.
In 2008, it will likely break 30 percent plus.
Some Jewish Democrats have therefore resorted to the worst forms of attack politics.
Instead of being pleased that American Jews have access to and influence in both political parties, these lefty Jews are trying to shut up Jewish Republicans.
Fortunately, there is a longstanding Jewish as well as American tradition of debate and dialogue, and host/organizers of Jewish forums have rejected the Obama boycott. Since the debates go on without Obama surrogates, the tactic has badly failed and now even many Democrats are upset with Obama in the Jewish community.
But Obama Jewish debate surrogate boycotts of the Jewish community are part of a pattern of increasingly fearful and dishonorable tactics.
Far left Jews have long wanted to destroy the pro-Israel lobby, AIPAC.
Recently, they have been calling Jewish papers not even to allow RJC to run educational ads which explore Obama positions and policies. They have tried to stop Jewish debate by intimidating organizations not to even have RJC speakers.
None of this has worked.
RJC presence is warmly welcomed in the Jewish community.
The RJC is well supported, well funded, well respected, and has beaten the Democrats to the punch in forcing the Jewish debate to focus on real concerns about Obama.
Here are some examples of the Jewish left tactics:
Activists worked to threaten the tax exemption of mainstream Jewish organizations, and successfully intimidated them to dis-invite Governor Palin from speaking at the large anti-Ahmadinejad rally at the United Nations.
Governor Palin was invited after Sen. Hillary Clinton was scheduled to speak.
Hillary canceled, and the Democrats did not provide another speaker, because they would not share the stage with a Republican.
Governor Palin¹s thoughtful remarks are available on the internet (she was not allowed to speak at the rally).
The mainstream of American Jewry was shocked and disappointed at the treatment of Governor Palin and the Democrat partisanship which ruined an important bi-partisan moment of Jewish unity against the Iranian dictator.
Congressman Robert Wexler purposefully labeled Governor Palin as a supporter of Pat Buchanan.
This was immediately debunked (she supported businessman Steve Forbes).
Wexler knew in South Florida this would be bad for Palin, so he misled.
Remember Wexler ?
This is the man still smarting from the revelation that he did not own a home in his district or state.
Can you say pandering (through smear) to his liberal Jewish base?
Despicable Wexler (D-FL).
Congressman Steve Cohen (D) called Obama (on the House floor) a community organizer like Jesus, and noted that Pontius Pilate was a Governor (!).
So much for separation of church and state, Congressman?
The Obama supporters made up a phony Israelis for Obama video, which caused the Israeli Generals featured in it to protest loudly that they had been duped.
They do not endorse Obama, of course, and are offended by the dirty trick.
Many Israelis are widely more supportive of Senator John McCain than Senator Barack Obama.
The ad hoc liberal Rabbis for Obama group did not sign their endorsement merely in their own names; they added their title Rabbi.
This disunites the community and violates the bi-partisan community understanding and spirit that Senator John McCain is extremely pro-Israel and friendly with the Jewish community, and that therefore McCain supporters should not be excluded by their Rabbis. Who will attend a synagogue where the Rabbi sides with 60 or 70 percent of the congregation, but leaves out in the cold the other 30 or 40 percent?
Rabbis for Obama is a shameful moment in Jewish life.
Shall congregants now not just pick a Conservative vs. Reform
synagogue, but also a Conservative vs. Liberal Rabbi?
And now we have Mel Levine running from debate with the RJC.
He is a coward.
We can see why.
Mel Levine knows that Senator Joe Biden once formally threatened to cut off US Aid to Israel (1982) by shouting and slamming his fist on the desk in the face of an Israeli Prime Minister.
This was during wartime.
The Israeli leader calmly expressed gratitude to America at the unity of mutual benefit and purpose for our moral and strategic bi-lateral relationship, but the incident displayed classic Biden bullying.
Mel Levine knows that Biden told Israeli senior military they will have to learn to live with Iranian nuclear weapons.
Mel Levine knows that Biden is considered the best friend of the Mullahs of Iran, and was one of only 4 Senators to oppose the Iran Missile Proliferation Sanctions Act (1998).
There is a long list of votes by Biden on Iran, and on Israel, which are not positive.
The Iranian Jewish community detests Joe Biden.
Mel Levine knows that Biden and Obama opposed the Kyl Lieberman Resolution passed with 76 votes, naming the Iranian Revolution Guard Council a terrorist entity. This is the group that attacked the Jewish community of Argentina, funds and trains Hamas and Hezbollah, and kills U.S. troops in Iraq. But weak-kneed Democrats thought it was more important to constrict the hand of the President in dealing with Iran.
Mel Levine knows that Obama and Biden opposed the wonderful U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, who is credited with being extremely pro-Israel and who fought and defeated the infamous U.N.
Zionism is Racism canard.
Mel Levine knows that Obama was mentored by anti-Israel thinkers Khalidi, Said, Wright, Flegler, and Louis Farrakhan. Mel Levine knows that Obama attended the Million Man March, and sat through 20 years of anti-American and anti-Israel hate speech by Pastor Wright. Obama helped fund it all through large donations to the Trinity Church. The Church even published in recent times the Hamas Manifesto of genocide against Jews.
Mel Levine knows Obama has hired Nation of Islam staffers, and that anti-Israel voices have often appeared in leftist blogs, Democrat campaign sites, and DNC conventions and meetings.
Does Mel Levine try to clean up the Democrat party? No, he attacks pro-Israel Republicans.
Mel Levine knows that Obama sat on foundation boards with a disreputable, unrepentant terrorist and directed funds to the Arab American Action Network, which claims the founding of Israel is a Naqba (a catastrophe).
Mel Levine knows that Obama foolishly asserted he would meet in his first year in office, without pre-conditions, with Ahmadinejad, Castro, Assad, Kim Jung Il and Chavez. (the defense that Obama did not mean Ahmadinejad fails because he repeatedly invoked his name himself in later discussions).
Obama did not understand that JFK admitted he had his clock cleaned by Khruschev and it lead to crises with the former Soviet Union. Obama did not understand that President Reagan only met with Gorbachev after asserting American strength, putting Pershing missiles in Europe, even walked away from a prior summit. Gorby got the message that Reagan meant business and caved to the USA.
Mel Levine knows that Obama opposed the Israeli Security Defence Fence (Obama called it a WALL DIVIDING THE TWO NATIONS). This policy mistake alone indicates Obama ideology and lack of preparedness to be President of the United States. Again, Democrats tried to pass this off as the mistake of a political aid. But Obama made the statement himself to the Chicago Jewish News.
Mel Levine knows that Obama once raised funds for the Deheisha PLO terror camp.
Mel Levine knows that Obama has been endorsed by American and Israeli enemies around the world, and has minimized the threat to Israel, and the West, from Iranian nuclear ambitions.
Mel Levine knows Obama has received funds from Hamas supporters in Gaza, and that enemies of the Jews are rooting for Obama worldwide.
Mel Levine knows that Obama has called Zbigniew Brzezinski, the notorious anti-Israel thinker and Jimmy Carter National Security Advisor, "one of our most outstanding scholars."
Mel Levine knows that Obama had to fire "informal" advisor Robert Malley after he met with Hamas, a U.S. designated terror organization.
Mel Levine knows Obama fired Samatha Powers after she called Hillary a "monster", but that her views on Israel included calling for ending U.S. aid to Israel.
Mel Levine knows that Obama nuclear policy adviser and Israel hater Joseph Cirincione blasted Israel for its successful 2007 pre-emptive attack on the North Korean facility in Syria.
Mel Levine knows Obama has stated that, “nobody has suffered more than the Palestinians” and that, “you don¹t have to be pro Likud to be pro-Israel.”
How would Obama get along with a Likud Israeli government? Would Obama kindly stay out of Israeli internal politics?
Mel Levine knows Obama told 7500 guests at the 2008 AIPAC policy conference that he would support Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel, and then brazenly recanted the very next day!
Mel Levine knows that Jesse Jackson has bragged about the coming change in American support for Israel should Obama become President.
So, Mel Levine does not wish to appear anymore to discuss any of these positions, policies, statements, advisers, associates, judgments or world view.
He instead attacks those who raise concerns about Obama on Israel. Mel Levine puts partisanship above pro-Israel policies and supporters. Perhaps there is an Obama Administration job Mel Levine wants? Shameful.
The smears against the messenger (RJC) are obvious to all. Blame those concerned about Obama, instead of addressing the real concerns. Obama surrogates label the case against Obama as guilt by association, but I notice the entire Democrat campaign has been to associate McCain with President Bush (a true friend of Israel, by the way).
The Jewish left has now broken the bi-partisan consensus in support of Israel, stirring up the anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism, and anti-Americanism that we have seen for years from the left (the Bush Bashing, the attacks on neo-cons (Jews), the hate speech against Palin, the lies and smears against all things GOP).
The Jewish left is therefore playing with fire by stirring up some anti-Israel voices in left-wing churches and academe and blogs through lies, smears and innuendo. They have targeted the RJC and let loose hostility against Jews and Israel.
I suggest we stand firm in our analysis and policy concerns about Obama-Biden. I suggest we not be intimidated by those who cannot stand that there are multiple voices in Jewish life.
In my debates I have seen this unkindness firsthand. At one event, the UCLA Hillel Rabbi charged the stage upset at the views of the RJC. He later apologized, but he has famously exhibited this violent and rigid partisan passion before. By the way, I was debating Mel Levine that evening and he never rose to the defense of honorable debate and discussion or condemned the antics of Rabbi Seidler Feller.
In Northern California, the ex-CA State Bar President labeled our concerns about Obama as "McCarthyite". The audience groaned.
Now Mel Levine and others attack the RJC for daring to raise concerns about Obama. There are thousands of articles and copious cited and sourced evidence with concerns about Obama on Israel. Why deal with it? Easier just to shoot, or boycott, the messenger.
The left now brings a whiff of intimidation and fascism into the mix. Some leftists told businesses they will boycott them if they donate to the GOP. Some leftists brag about being able to shut down conservative talk radio (which is famously pro-Israel), if they capture the White House and Congress. Joe the Plumber and Joe the Senator have taken their hits from the leftist world. Easier to denounce than debate I suppose for those afraid of town halls, debates, ads, and discussion. They are political cowards. Sort of like when the New York Times printed an Op-Ed by Senator Obama and rejected fair space for Senator McCain, remember?
In prioritizing leftist politics and potential administration jobs over sensible understanding of, or at least honorable debate about Obama-Biden on Israel and American foreign policy, the Jewish left sinks to ever new lows. But these are the people who detest all things Republican, and nothing more than growing Jewish Republicanism.
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FlashReport friend Larry Greenfield is the California Director of the Republican Jewish Coalition. He has served the Armed Forces of the United States in Naval Intelligence Reserves.
You can write to Larry, via the FR, right here.
