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Thread ID: 6096 | Posts: 6 | Started: 2003-04-10
2003-04-10 18:10 | User Profile
[url=http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/display/inn_news/JTA/zelect0930.txt]Cleveland Jewish News[/url]
In new Congress, anti-Israel voices to be muted By Sharon Samber
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (JTA) -- It's anyone's guess which party will hold the majority in Congress come November, but one thing is for sure: Several leading anti-Israel voices no longer will be heard in the Capitol's halls.
That's because a number of representatives whom Jewish activists have
deemed anything from not a friend of Israel" toanti-Israel" are not
returning to their jobs.
Some lost primaries and some are aiming at higher office, but the departure of these lawmakers -- together with the expected victory this fall of dozens of strong supporters of Israel -- signals the advent of a particularly pro- Israel Congress for the next two years.
Support for Israel among candidates running for Congress has never been
higher," said an American Israel Public Affairs Committee official who
follows elections closely.That's a reflection of the strong support
Israel enjoys throughout the country now."
Among those who will not serve in the next House of Representatives are:
Rep. Sonny Callahan (R-Ala.), a former key House committee chairman and vocal opponent of U.S. aid to Israel;
Rep. David Bonior (D-Mich.), the No. 2 Democrat in the House of Representatives;
Rep. James Traficant Jr. (D-Ohio), who riled the Jewish community with his support of accused Nazi war criminal John Demjanjuk;
Earl Hilliard (D-Ala.) and Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.), two African American legislators whose defeat was aided by funds from the Jewish community;
Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.), who also opposed aid to Israel; and
Rep. John Sununu (R-N.H.), who is considered by some to be soft on terrorism.
Hilliard and McKinney lost their primaries in high-profile races in which Jews rallied to support their opponents.
Jews from around the country opened their wallets for Artur Davis, who defeated Hilliard in the June Democratic primary runoff for Alabama's 7th district. Activists considered Hilliard's voting record in Congress anti-Israel, including a pro-Israel resolution in May.
McKinney's vote against a pro-Israel resolution in May added to a record of remarks over the years that Jewish activists considered insensitive, even at times outrageous.
Jews rallied behind McKinney's opponent, Denise Majette, and helped score a major upset in August.
Hilliard's and McKinney's opponents both made pro-Israel statements during their campaigns.
The Hilliard and McKinney losses sent tremors through the Congressional Black Caucus and raised tensions between Jewish and black representatives.
Some political observers wonder if there might be a backlash against Israel as emotions among black lawmakers remain raw. Others say there will be no long-term impact on black-Jewish relations.
Morris Amitay, a pro-Israel activist and former executive director of AIPAC, believes the pro-Israel community will benefit not just from the outcome of those two races but from changing attitudes in the Congressional Black Caucus.
``I think we'll see more positive records on Israel from CBC members,'' he said.
Jewish groups also are unlikely to mourn the loss of Traficant.
Traficant was expelled from the House in July after a colorful, 18-year tenure that included a tempestuous relationship with Jewish constituents and organizations.
For years, Traficant voted against aid to Israel -- because of his opposition to foreign aid in general -- in addition to his support of Demjanjuk, who is currently appealing a court order that would deport him from the United States.
In recent years, his voting record on Israel had become somewhat more supportive, but Traficant still managed to get himself in trouble with the Jewish community.
Just after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he suggested that U.S. support for Israel had provoked the attacks, outraging Jewish groups.
Traficant also ruffled feathers in the Jewish community for his criticism of Israeli actions toward the Palestinians.
Sununu is leaving the House, but he will cross to the other side of the Capitol if he beats New Hampshire Gov. Jean Shaheen in the state's senatorial race.
Sununu, who is of Palestinian and Lebanese background, has come under fire for supporting U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority, though he also has voted for U.S. aid to Israel and has returned campaign contributions from Arab leaders who backed Hamas.
Some Jewish support already has gone Shaheen's way, but it remains to be seen if Jews will seek to galvanize the same support to stop Sununu that they used to defeat Hilliard and McKinney.
Another sayonara goes to Callahan, who is retiring at the end of the year. As chair of the House Appropriations Committee's powerful Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Callahan was a perpetual thorn in the side of Jewish activists as he tried to block aid to Israel during his six-year tenure.
In 2000, Callahan led a charge for punitive measures against Israel unless it cancelled a weapons deal with China. He also consistently argued against early disbursal of U.S. assistance, which he believed gave Israel preferential treatment.
Bonior, who gave up his seat to run for governor, was a leading voice opposing support for Israel throughout his career.
Bonior's Detroit-area district included a large number of Arab Americans. He lost in the gubenatorial primary to state Attorney General Jennifer Granholm.
Another legislator the Jewish community won't miss is Barr.
Barr, who lost his primary last month to Rep. John Linder (R-Ga.), regularly voted against aid to Israel. He was one of only 58 representatives who voted against an amendment that included funding to implement the 1998 Wye River accord.
2003-04-11 02:42 | User Profile
From The Associated Press, available online at: [url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/04/10/national1900EDT0855.DTL]http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...1900EDT0855.DTL[/url]
Feisty Virginia congressman in hot water again for comments about Jews
BOB LEWIS, Associated Press Writer Thursday, April 10, 2003
(04-10) 16:12 PDT RICHMOND, Va. (AP) --
Rep. James Moran has been virtually untouchable over the past decade, easily winning seven terms despite taking questionable campaign cash, shoving a fellow congressman, grabbing an 8-year-old boy and speaking of punching President Clinton.
But now, Moran has angered many fellow Democrats with a pair of gaffes: On March 3, he told a peace vigil that Jewish leaders were pushing America toward war in Iraq. And Monday, he suggested a prominent pro-Israel lobby was going to raise $2 million to fund his potential adversaries in next year's primary.
Officials with the Anti-Defamation League said the statements confirm that Moran is a bigot who perpetuates "age-old canards and stereotypes about Jews."
Moran has apologized profusely for the vigil remarks and he resigned a junior leadership position in the House Democratic Caucus. As for the latest remarks, he said Wednesday that he was simply "relaying what I had heard" from a fellow House member.
He said he didn't know if it was true but added "it's conceivable." He declined comment on Thursday.
Moran was targeting the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. A spokeswoman said the lobbying group is not a political action committee and is forbidden by law from endorsing or financially supporting candidates.
Rabbi Jack Moline of Alexandria's Agudas Achim Congregation, one of six rabbis who demanded Moran's resignation last month, is more sad than angry this time around.
"Part of the reason I think it's time for someone else to be congressman from the 8th District is that Jim doesn't show signs of learning from his mistakes," Moline said.
He does not believe Moran is anti-Semitic, however. "I still like the guy. I just don't think he's a good congressman," Moline said.
Democrats are distancing themselves from the burly, white-haired politician whose Boston upbringing is evident in his brogue and his penchant for confrontational politics.
Six Jewish Democratic House members -- Benjamin Cardin of Maryland, Martin Frost of Texas, Tom Lantos of California, Sander Levin of Michigan, Nita Lowey of New York and Henry Waxman of California -- told Moran a month ago they no longer support him.
Democratic Gov. Mark R. Warner voiced his dismay, too. "The governor believes that perhaps Congressman Moran should remember that the first thing you do when you find yourself in a hole is you quit digging," said Ellen Qualls, Warner's press secretary.
Moran's suburban Washington district is heavily Democratic. He has had no primary challenge and has defeated Republicans easily since he won the seat in 1990. His latest gaffes, however, could end his term in Congress, analysts say.
"It's going to be very difficult for him to survive a compounding problem that he has worsened with his recent remarks," said Robert Holsworth, director of the Center for Public Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University.
In 1984, as vice-mayor of Alexandria, Moran tearfully resigned after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor conflict-of-interest charge related to a city parking garage project. He was later elected mayor.
In the 1990 House race, Republican incumbent Stanford Parris called Moran a supporter of Saddam Hussein. Moran said he wanted to break Parris's nose.
In a 1995 dispute with Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., Moran shoved Cunningham off the House floor and through the chamber's doors. After the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Moran said that if he was the brother of Hillary Rodham Clinton, he would punch the president in the nose.
In 2000, Moran grabbed an 8-year-old boy, claiming the child had a gun and had demanded his car keys. The boy and his parents said the child was only admiring Moran's car.
That same year, The Washington Post disclosed that Moran had accepted an unsecured $25,000 personal loan from a pharmaceutical industry lobbyist.
His latest outbursts, however, may not be his biggest headache next year. He is expected to face established Democratic opposition in the primary, including a former congresswoman.
"He's annoyed people in the past, but I don't think he's annoyed quite so many Democrats as deeply as he has here," Holsworth said.
2003-04-11 02:43 | User Profile
[url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/04/10/national0619EDT0509.DTL]AP: Virginia Democratic congressman criticized for comments about pro-Israel PAC[/url]
2003-04-12 03:59 | User Profile
Jews have to be the most paranoid anal retentives in the history of abnormal psychology. They imperiously command that there shall not be even one microscopic pinhole in the vast armor of stealth and duplicity in which theyââ¬â¢ve wrapped themselves for millennia. Disobey that command and thereââ¬â¢s literally hell to pay.
An obscure, ineffectual congressman, whoââ¬â¢s basically in their pocket anyway, makes an innocuous comment to a small audience, which merely hints at the possibility of their agenda. They who must be obeyed immediately declare holy war, shout in unison from on high, ââ¬ÅWE WILL DESTROY YOU,ââ¬Â at the cringing, weeping, abjectly apologetic victim and prepare to raise millions to defeat his bid for reelection. Heââ¬â¢ll be hounded and vilified to the grave and beyond. This would seem to be overkill.
But who am I to question such eminently successful, albeit psychotic, tactics? Maybe knowing what they know, and what they donââ¬â¢t want us ever to know, they have to cover all of the bases all of the time--even when itââ¬â¢s bottom of the ninth, two out, two strikes called and, for all intents and purposes, the game has long since been won.
2003-04-24 02:31 | User Profile
rban:
A perfectly reasonable precaution, given their terrible history and their seemingly perpetual status as weak & vulnerable underdogs.
Yes. Never being able relax your guard for even a moment, feverishly imagining youââ¬â¢re surrounded by a world full of enemies who scheme relentlessly to convert you or ... whatever. Thatââ¬â¢s got to be hell on the collective psyche. But extreme paranoia is the inevitable destiny of a people who choose to dwell alone.
2003-04-24 03:16 | User Profile
Originally posted by rban@Apr 23 2003, 21:21 **
A perfectly reasonable precaution, given their terrible history and their seemingly perpetual status as weak & vulnerable underdogs. **
Hear, hear! A perfect example of this: word is that Sumner Redstone is having a heck of a time getting the deal for the Comedy Network done...