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Tag: Elections
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Yes, we cantankerous
Jews running for Congress: Old faces, new challengers and ‘me, Al Franken’
With the polls predicting a big Democratic year, the number of Jewish lawmakers in the U.S. Congress is likely to increase and Jewish GOPers could end up losing a few of their favorite lawmakers
ANALYSIS: Livni’s failure to build coalition could help or hurt in new elections
With Israel headed for new general elections, supporters and opponents of Tzipi Livni are putting a very different gloss on her failure to form a governing coalition
Tzipi Livni to seek new elections as coalition effort fails
JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Tzipi Livni has called for new general elections in Israel, saying she failed to form a coalition government.
Over 65 group could decide who wins this year’s presidential election
Neither candidate on the campaign trail has spoken often on issues that matter to seniors, and when they have, it's been underreported by much of the media. So at the end of the day, how different are the candidates -- and their respective political parties -- from each other when it comes to issues of great importance to seniors, such as long-term care, Social Security, medical insurance and taxes?
Don’t run Republican Jewish Coalition ads, pro-Israel group J Street tells Jewish newspapers
A campaign by a new dovish pro-Israel group to get Jewish newspapers not to run Republican Jewish Coalition attack ads has raised questions about what's kosher and what isn't this political season.
Rabbis on anti-gay marriage Prop 8: Yes, no, maybe
Same-sex marriage is likely to remain a hot-button issue in the presidential race, with Prop. 8 backers looking to Sen. John McCain for ideological support, and opponents to Sen. Barack Obama.
Olmert submits resignation, promises to help Livni
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert tells Cabinet stepping down "was not an easy or simple decision," then submits his letter of resignation to President Shimon Peres
VIDEO: Jewish voters targeted in ‘push polling’—RJC fesses up
The Republican Jewish Coalition has admitted it sponsored a negative poll about Barack Obama.
Candidate Profile: Tzipi Livni—a clean record but some say untested
Polls show that Livni, 50, is the leading contender to win Kadima Party primaries Sept. 17 to succeed Ehud Olmert
Stop and smell the roses in Pakistan
As an Egyptian whose country's military dictators are either taken by God or an assassin's bullet, I envy the Pakistani people's ability to now use the term, "former president."
How to judge judges on judgment (election) day
"Every election, I get calls from around 15 people asking my advice on how to vote in specific judicial races," said Wapner, whose son, Fred, is a current judge
The Great Awakening
The Rev. Rick Warren of Saddleback Church will hold back-to-back public conversations this Saturday, Aug. 16, with the two presumptive presidential
candidates, Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain. The conversations, on the topic of "Compassion and Leadership," will be broadcast at 8 p.m. on CNN
AUDIO: Iranian American Jews —Getting ready for November’s elections
More than 300 young professionals members of the local Iranian Jewish “30 Years After” organization gathered at a private residence in Beverly Hills late last month to encourage political activism in the community.
The traveling candidates
McCain raps Obama on Iran and Iraq at AIPAC
John McCain attacked Barack Obama’s Iran and Iraq policies in his address to the AIPAC policy conference.
All signs point to Olmert’s ouster
The media and the political establishment in Israel already have decided: Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is through. Now the country could be heading for early elections.
Love you to pieces
Greenberg's view . . .
Diversity lost
Are we electing a candidate based on his or her ability to lead the country, or are we crowning a king who looks good in pictures and who is above criticism, examination and challenge?
Nobody knows anything
 Republicans anoint Obama—with slime
Welcome to JewsChoose 2008: Obama and the Jewish test
JewsChoose 2008: SuperTuesday results show no clear trend
Why I back John Edwards
American Jews have always been at the forefront of the fight for social justice, whether in the labor movement or the civil rights movement. We understand the enormous challenges facing this country and our world. We know that what America needs, and what the world needs, is a leader with the courage and strength to lead our great nation forward.
All three Democratic candidates are on the record as strong supporters of Israel. While continued support of Israel is of paramount concern to the American Jewish community, it is not the only issue we consider when choosing which candidate to support for president. Please allow me to offer the other reasons for my unqualified support for my friend, John Edwards.
Rock the vote music video, Jordanian style
Jews still have big role in changing L.A. political scene
Today, Jews remain a key constituency in Los Angeles politics and generate plenty of strong candidates. The dramatic rise of Latinos in local politics, though, has carved out another niche for minority candidates that once largely belonged to African Americans.
Israeli-Palestinian Confederation; CAIR; Borat; Elections; More JewQ questions
Josef Avesar says of the Israelis and Palestinian Arabs that "each side demands that the other relinquish crucial aspects of its identity," and that therefore, some form of confederation would be a "pragmatic" solution to their problems ("Mideast Solution: A Confederation," Nov. 3). Both Avesar's diagnosis and prescription are wrong.
Anti-Israel Ortega returns to power in Nicaragua
During Ortega's last stint in power, as head of the left-wing revolutionary government from 1979-90, the entire Jewish community fled into exile while the Sandinistas built cozy relations with the PLO and other anti-Israel groups and allied themselves closely with Cuba.Now, 16 years later, just as the community is on the verge of restoring itself to its pre-revolution levels, the Sandinistas have narrowly won a new chance at heading this impoverished Central American nation.
Congress OKs bill barring military chaplains from mentioning Jesus in official prayers
Briefs courtesy of Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Measure ‘R’ contains curious ‘reform’
On November's ballot, tucked among the local measures affecting only Los Angeles, is curious Measure R, a plan by the Los Angeles City Council to provide each of the 15 council members an extra $570,000 in pay.
Lieberman Facing Lose-Lose Proposition in Race
Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the first Jewish candidate for vice president, is in a world of political trouble. Facing a tight race for the Democratic nomination from Ned Lamont, he has already started to collect signatures to run as an independent, should he lose the primary on Aug. 8.
Gay Marriage Ban Could Alienate Jews
Proponents of gay marriage were "pursuing a deliberate plan of litigation and political pressure which will not only redefine marriage, but will follow from that to threaten the first freedom enshrined in the First Amendment -- religious liberty," said Nathan Diament, the director of the Washington office of the Orthodox Union.
Settlers See Grim Future
The Israeli withdrawal from Gaza last summer, and Interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's pledge to withdraw from isolated settlements like Avne Hefetz by 2010, haunts the settler community.
The New Face of the Israeli Right
Avigdor Lieberman's party, Yisrael Beiteinu, became the fourth-largest party in Israeli politics Tuesday, winning seats in the next Knesset from a strong base of Russian-speaking voters as well as tens of thousands of veteran Israelis.
Palestinians Unimpressed With Kadima Win
Ehud Olmert, Kadima Party head and prime minister-elect, has proposed an Israeli withdrawal from almost all of the West Bank -- facilitating, he says, the creation of a Palestinian state. He also called on Palestinians to compromise on their dreams in order to live next to Israel in peace.
ARZA wins WZO Elections
The Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA) easily won elections for the American slate to the World Zionist Organization's 35th Congress of the Jewish People.
ARZA took home just over 38 percent of the 75,686 votes cast, garnering it 55 delegates to the June congress in Israel. ARZA's victory "demonstrates that our message -- love of Israel, devotion to Zionist ideals and commitment to policies of moderation and religious pluralism in the Jewish state -- has become the dominant voice of American Zionism," said Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism.
Nation & World Briefs
World Briefs
Suicide Voters
All those people who say "Munich" reaffirms the universal truth that "violence begets violence" should think hard about the
Palestinian elections, where violence begat an electoral sweep.
So much for universal truths.
Gandhi said, "An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind," and in the long run, who knows, he may be proven right.
But in the near term, Hamas, an organization whose existence is rooted in hatred and terror, has proven one of my personal universal truths: The craziest guy in the room usually gets his way.
Hamas Win Brings Mixed Reaction
Two days after the terrorist group Hamas swept last week's Palestinian elections, Rabbi Steve Jacobs ended Shabbat services at Kol Tikvah in Woodland Hills with this striking comparison.
"Mr. Begin was a terrorist, Mr. Shamir was a terrorist, Mr. Sharon was a terrorist," Jacobs said to his Reform congregation. "History is replete with negotiations that took place with terrorists. Two days ago, Hamas didn't have to worry about paying civilians and creating an infrastructure."
Jacobs' branding of three Israeli prime ministers as onetime terrorists was jolting, even upsetting, to some in the audience. But Jacobs' point was clear: The Hamas victory did not necessarily spell doom to a negotiated peace between Israel and Palestinians.
Olmert’s Conversion From Pol to Leader
You have to judge politicians, especially those running for prime minister, without sentiment. And if they've changed direction, you have to give more weight to what they've done lately than what they did before. Unless the candidate is a truly malevolent character, you have to judge him or her on two things: leadership ability and political direction. And on that basis, I think Olmert is better suited to be prime minister than anybody else around.
‘Top Gun’ Lawyer Aims to Aid Likud
Born into a strongly Democratic family but later a founder of the Republican Jewish Coalition, Berman, at 51, is a man of strong physique and opinions.
"I am fed up with intermarriage and with rabbis who reach out to gay and intermarried couples," he said during an interview in his spacious Sunset Boulevard office.
Will Violence Again Flare Up in 2006?
According to last week's Shin Bet report, arms smuggling into Gaza has skyrocketed sixfold since Israel left during the summer. In the West Bank, terrorists have already test fired a rocket in a bid to emulate the tactics of their Gazan comrades.
Poor, Darfur Lose in Budget, Israel Gains
Jewish groups, led by the United Jewish Communities (UJC), were particularly concerned about changes in Medicaid rules intended to slow the growth in the entitlement program.
To Bomb or Not to Bomb Iran?
The extreme Islamist president of Iran has lobbed all sorts of verbal bombshells at Jews and Israel in recent weeks: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad repeatedly reiterated his desire to wipe Israel off the map, and he implied that the Holocaust is a myth.
Our Faux Democracy
This is not democracy. The California legislature stole our democracy while we slept. All districts in California are now rigged this way. That's why, in California in the fall of 2004, not a single state legislative or Congressional seat changed party hands.
Shake-Up!
Proposition 77, the redistricting measure on next week's special elections ballot, is likely to shift considerably more Latino voters into Berman's district -- and perhaps give rise to a viable Latino challenger.
Hamas Adopts New Tactic: Political Role
Hamas, the Muslim fundamentalist movement and Palestinian terrorist organization, may soon become a decisive force not only in the struggle against Israel but in the Palestinian political establishment.
Rabbi Retracts Claim Against Hahn
A Los Angeles rabbi has retracted his charge that Mayor James Hahn's re-election campaign was "dishonest and manipulative" in claiming endorsements from Jewish community leaders.
Rabbi Retracts Claim Against Hahn
A Los Angeles rabbi has retracted his charge that Mayor James Hahn's reelection campaign was "dishonost and manipulative" in claiming endorsements from Jewish community leaders.
Some See Signs as Pointing to Peace
With Palestinian terror groups generally committed to a lull in the fighting with Israel and Arab countries debating normalizing ties with the Jewish state, some in Israel see signs that the 57-year-old Arab-Israeli conflict finally may be winding down.
Pullout Plan Faces Budget Vote Hurdle
As plans for Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and part of the West Bank intensify, its opponents are banking on one last throw of the parliamentary dice: Knesset rejection of the 2005 state budget.
If the budget is not passed by March 31, the government will fall, there will be new elections and disengagement will be deferred -- perhaps even shelved.
Iraq Election May Mark Start of Change
The day after the elections in Iraq, the London Independent commented that "in the long term, it is possible that yesterday's elections in Iraq may be seen as marking the start of a great change across the whole region."
The Optimist
I needed two forms of picture ID to enter the Pentagon, but I only brought one. The journalism students I accompanied last week -- participants in Hillel's Spitzer Conference J-Track program -- all had driver's licenses and university identification.
Vote May Be First to Blur Ethnic Lines
For more than a generation, racial and ethnic politics have dominated Los Angeles' mayoral elections. That is, perhaps, until this year, which might be the first election of Los Angeles' emerging post-ethnic era.
Community Briefs
Community Briefs
The Westside Vote
There were two "Jewish" debates earlier this month, one in the Valley and one on the Westside. While Mayor james Hahn did not attend the Valley session at Temple Judea, all five major candidates came to the Westside debate at Temple Beth Am. My visit to the latter debate allowed me to look at one constituency: Westside Jews.
U.S. Faces Tough Policy Challenges
With Sunday's elections, the Bush administration got something it demanded from the Palestinians: the beginnings of a democracy. Whether that produces a real, functional democracy remains to be seen -- and as that drama plays out, the administration faces some tough decisions and some big policy snares.
Making 2005 a Year of Peace in Israel
In a keynote speech last week at the Herzliya Conference on Israel's National Security, Sharon declared that "2005 will be the year of great opportunity," with "a chance for an historic breakthrough in our relations with the Palestinians, a breakthrough we have been waiting for years."
Sharon Wins Key Likud Party Vote
After a string of embarrassing defeats in his own party, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's victory in the election of key Likud officers raises the chances that he will be able to broaden his government and push through a promised withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza Strip -- though it's still not certain.
Israeli Expats Solidly Back Bush
If it were up to the Israeli expatriate community in Los Angeles, President Bush would win re-election not just by a landslide but by an earthquake.
Terror Fight Garners Bush Israel Support
Last month, a 77-year-old American woman living in Haifa called me and asked how she could register to vote in the American elections.
Jewish Senators
Most observers expect the Republicans to increase their 51-48 majority, but Democrats are hoping several closely fought races in states like South Carolina and Oklahoma will limit their losses.
The Dangers of Apathy
Carla Tanchum is busy. At 20, she studies at USC, has family obligations and works in the entertainment industry. What she doesn't have time to do is vote.
Mayor’s Race Role
Jews are attentive, high-propensity voters. Nearly one in five Los Angeles voters are Jewish (with only 6 percent of the population). If past history is a guide, however, the Jewish vote will play a more important role in the expected runoff between the two top candidates than in the multicandidate primary.
Your Letters
Your Letters
Political Journal
Compassionate conservatism seems to have finally hit rock bottom.
Failure to Elect Kerry Will Hurt Israel
I am a sabra, a native Israeli. I am also an American. I grew up with the Israeli and American flags crisscrossing my wall. They symbolized freedom to me.
Sharon Faces Tough Choices After Defeat
Bruised after a humiliating defeat in his own party, Ariel Sharon is considering dramatic moves to regain the political upper hand.
Dems Plan to Win Back Jewish Votes
Worried by signs of President Bush's soaring popularity among Jews, Democrats launched a coordinated campaign 18 months ago to win back Jewish votes.
Crystal Ball Sees
It seems like we've been on the verge of 2004 for ages --
presidential election years always seem to distort the space-time continuum --
but now it's really upon us, and a lively year it is certain to be.
Democratic Races Poses Hard Choices
Jewish voters are an important constituency in national elections, concentrated in such electoral vote-rich states as California, New York, Florida and Illinois. However, they are even more important in the struggle for the Democratic presidential nomination, comprising an important share of the vote in key Democratic primaries. For Jewish Democrats, the 2004 nomination race is providing some very difficult choices.
Davis Recall Fight Plays Jewish Card
With his political fortunes darkening and support for the recall growing, the beleaguered Gov. Gray Davis has turned to members of his disparate ethnic and religious coalition to save his job. In the past six weeks, prominent African American, Latino and gay and lesbian political and business leaders have held a series of high-profile events to condemn the recall as an illicit power grab by the radical right and a threat to California.
Now, Davis and his allies are playing the Jewish card.
You Snooze, You Lose
The state budget is facing a projected $38.2 billion shortfall, and Gov. Gray Davis' plan to cut spending and increase revenue will have far-reaching effects on our state and our lives.
Making Marriage Work
Does 2 percent of the country really believe legalizing pot is the most important issue? Are 12 percent really going to vote for Lapid, a former in-your-face talk-show host whose primary goal is to secularize the country?
Making Marriage Work
Like marijuana?
Believe in men's rights? Want a secular state?
If you happen to have an offbeat or nonmainstream platform for Israel, now is the time to run in the Jan. 28 parliamentary elections. One lesson to be learned from the list of the 30 parties vying for Knesset (see page 18) is that Israelis are disenfranchised, and looking for alternatives to the major National Security issue.Â
And while Aleh Yarok (Green Leaf) -- the party promoting marijuana legalization -- always seems to hit the headlines a week or two before elections (despite publicity before the last elections in 1999, the party mustered 34,029 votes, representing slightly more than 1 percent of the electorate -- 15,000 votes short of the 1.5 percent threshold for Knesset membership), other parties with less headline-grabbing platforms are really set to win big.
Peace ‘Map’ Fears
Israel backers are raising numerous concerns about the latest version of the U.S. "road map" for Middle East peace.
Sharon’s Elections Gambit
Early elections may not have been Ariel Sharon's first choice, but his decision to go to the polls as soon as possible enables the savvy Israeli prime minister to make a number of political and diplomatic gains.
By calling the shots, Sharon comes across as a powerful leader still setting the national agenda. By calling elections for late January, he makes it difficult for the Labor Party, which left his government only last week, to establish itself as a credible opposition force.
Unwanted: City Breakup
Jewish voters are strongly against secession, more so than any other religious group, according to the July 2 poll.
Palestinians Spin Speech
Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat chose to view President George W. Bush's speech in the most positive light, rejecting the call for his ouster and focussing instead on the promise for a state.
Le Pen’s Mark
The strong showing of far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen in the first round of France's presidential elections holds some bitter ironies for the nation's Jews.
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Featured Stories
Food
Kosherfest 2008 is heaven on earth for foodies
Each year Kosherfest organizers hold a competition for the best new kosher-certified products. This year, Zelda's Sweet Shoppe of Skokie, Ill., took top honors with a "Southern Pecan Pie."
Los Angeles
Half a world away, Los Angeles mourns
The overwhelming majority of mourners had never met the Holtzbergs. But that didn't matter. They have become, for Americans, the public face of this tragedy.
Torah Portion
Listen, will you?
Parshat Vayetze (Genesis 28:10-32:3) Men equate the inability to solve a problem with weakness, so when men are in the same situation they feel that they must solve the problem.
U.S.
Analysis: Obama sounding similar to Bush on foreign policy
Not only is Barack Obama inheriting President Bush's Middle East, it looks like he's adopting his strategies.
Education
Thanks, Cal State —thanks a lot
When we hear that the one option that has always been guaranteed to us is now an uncertain variable, we can do nothing but doubt. When competition rages from all angles, and the safety we counted on no longer exists, we can do nothing but give up, right?
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