Angelenos wait in long line at Brentwood polling station

By Jay Firestone
Published on November 6, 2012

Ohio Diary 3: No time for you, world

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on November 5, 2012

Rabbis for Romney

By Jonah Lowenfeld
Published on October 24, 2012

Many political organizers talk about themselves as reluctant activists, but when Rabbi Bernhard Rosenberg said it wasn’t his intention, initially, to establish the group Rabbis for Romney, it’s hard not to believe him.

What do (suburban) women want?

By Marty Kaplan
Published on October 18, 2012

If you watched any of the debates on CNN, you saw two worms at the bottom of your screen. Well, they looked to me like worms, or maybe caterpillars, scrunching and stretching throughout the 90 minutes.

‘Israelis on Obama’ video: President ‘a mensch’ on Israel [UPDATE]

By Jonah Lowenfeld
Published on October 18, 2012

“President Obama is doing, in regards to our security, more than anything I can remember, ” Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak says at the start of a new video created by The Jewish Council for Education & Research (JCER), a pro-Obama Super PAC. Barak’s comment is taken from a July 2012 CNN interview, and is just one of many interviews with Israelis in JCER’s new two-minute Web video aimed at garnering the pro-Israel vote ("Israelis on Obama").

Romney says he and Netanyahu have same ‘test’ for Iran

Published on October 10, 2012

Mitt Romney has said that he and Benjamin Netanyahu would employ the same "test" for Iran's nuclear program, but that a strike was “a long way” off.

Rosner’s ‘Voter’s Guide’ offers an insider’s view

By Jonathan Kirsch
Published on October 8, 2012

Every four years, the same question is asked in America: Which candidate will win the Jewish vote? With the 2012 presidential election teetering on a razor’s edge, however, the question takes on new importance and even a certain poignancy. That’s exactly why it caught the attention of political reporter and analyst Shmuel Rosner in “The Jewish Vote: Obama vs. Romney: A Voter’s Guide” (Jewish Journal Books: $9.99 paperback, $8 Kindle edition). After all, as Rosner sees it, as many as 5 million Jewish voters may go to the polls next month, and that could be enough to make a difference in an election as close as this one.

Democratic convention picks Rabbi Wolpe

By Tom Tugend
Published on September 2, 2012

How Ryan will motivate Jewish voters

By Douglas Bloomfield
Published on August 13, 2012

Mitt Romney's choice of Rep. Paul Ryan to be his running mate on the Republican ticket will help win Jewish votes. For the Democrats.

Jerusalem a wedge issue? You bet

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on August 7, 2012

Israel (Factor) choice for VP: Joe Biden

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on May 7, 2012

April 4, 2012

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on April 4, 2012

Is Religion Just About Sex and Guns?

By Rav Yosef Kanefsky
Published on March 20, 2012

Adelson reportedly gives ‘substantial’ new donation to Gingrich PAC

Published on February 28, 2012

Casino and hotel magnate Sheldon Adelson reportedly has given a “substantial” new donation to a group supporting Newt Gingrich for the Republican presidential nomination.

Santorum spokeswoman: Obama’s ‘radical Islamic policies’

By Brad A. Greenberg
Published on February 21, 2012

Move over, Donald: Rosanne Barr officially files presidential bid

By Jonah Lowenfeld
Published on February 3, 2012

Gingrich blows open GOP race with S.C. romp

Published on January 22, 2012

Newt Gingrich won the Republican primary in South Carolina by a wide margin, throwing open the race for the party's presidential candidacy.

The Israel Factor: Romney tops Gingrich who tops Obama

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on December 18, 2011

Republicans’ ‘Starting from zero’ aid proposal startles pro-Israel community

Published on November 15, 2011

"Starting from zero," the foreign assistance plan touted by leading Republican candidates at a debate, is getting low marks, and not just from Democrats and the foreign policy community. Pro-Israel activists and fellow Republicans also have concerns.

Wasserman-Schultz to JFNA: defend Obama’s record

Published on November 7, 2011

Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, the Democratic Party leader, urged Jewish leaders to push back against what she said were distortions of President Obama's Israel record.

Perry: I would back Israeli strike on Iran

Published on November 4, 2011

U.S. presidential candidate Rick Perry said he would back an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facitilies.

Opinion: Obama-Romney 2012

By Marty Kaplan
Published on October 17, 2011

Forget the fantasy of Hillary Clinton taking Joe Biden’s place on the 2012 ballot. Not only because it is not going to happen. The theory that having Hillary on the ticket would galvanize the base and that coveted independent voters, especially women, would break toward Democrats, has no deeper roots in empirical reality than creationism or climate change denial. It’s just not the game-changer that Obama needs to hang on to the presidency, let alone give him a Congress that would be any less obstructionist than the one we have now.

Perry criticizes Obama for ‘dangerous’ Mideast policy

Published on September 20, 2011

Rick Perry accused President Barack Obama on Tuesday of not standing behind Israel as the Texas governor sought to draw Jewish voter support in his bid to win the 2012 Republican U.S. presidential nomination.

Gene Simmons jumps on the Rick Perry bandwagon

By Lauren Bottner
Published on August 17, 2011

Romney’s deal-closing skills appealing to Jewish Republicans

Published on July 5, 2011

For all the talk among pundits of Mitt Romney’s charisma problem, Romney’s Jewish supporters say what’s most inspiring about the Republican presidential candidate is that he actually does rather than just talk.

A provocateur to some, Michele Bachmann also offers Jewish voters common cause

Published on June 28, 2011

Michele Bachmann in a bathroom confronted by two lesbians and screaming for help, or Bachmann at the Western Wall surrounded by Jews and weeping with joy.

Obama tackles the ‘pastor’ question in meeting with Philadelphia Jews

By Lisa Hostein
Published on April 15, 2008

PHILADELPHIA -- It's the question that just won't go away for presidential hopeful Barack Obama.

No matter how many times he addresses it or gives major speeches about it, the 'pastor question' pursues him in the Jewish community -- and beyond.

Obama?  Been there

By Gina Nahai
Published on April 3, 2008

I don't think Obama is a bigot or malicious. I think he's someone who's risen too high too fast, on the merit of some exceptional oratorical skills and some natural charm and charisma, at a time when this nation is hard-pressed to find a person in whom it can put its faith. I think he hasn't even had a chance to examine his own loyalties and politics enough to know where he has stood up to now and how he can reconcile his "base" -- the Louis Farrakhans and the Rev. Wrights of the world -- with his new, much wider constituency.

Sen. Obama, answer my questions on your past

By Daphne Ziman
Published on March 20, 2008

I for one need to know the truth. I was born in Israel, and I love my homeland. I want to know that the person in the Oval Office cares about Israel's survival. Please tell us who you are, Sen. Obama; don't let your enemies, or your friends, define you.

Obama’s record on Israel repudiates critics

By Mel Levine
Published on March 20, 2008

Those of us who care deeply about Israel have a profound stake in who serves as president of the United States. Israel has a great friend in Obama. And it does a disservice to Israel and to the U.S.-Israel relationship to allow those with a hostile political agenda to continue to assassinate the character of Obama, whose election as president would not only revitalize America's image in the world and elevate America's standing once again in the community of nations, but also would insure Israel of a steadfast and committed friend in the White House.

Will Jews give Obama a chance?

By Raphael J. Sonenshein
Published on March 13, 2008

Obama needs to tell his story about the Jewish community and Israel before his opponents tell their version. If he waits to respond to Clinton's charges, it may already be too late. He needs to discuss his experiences in Chicago's Jewish community, talk about his personal connections to Israel and provide reassurance in his own words.

JFK fans have been there before

By Arnold Steinberg
Published on March 7, 2008

But I "knew" JFK, and Barack is no JFK. Sen. Obama did not serve in war and has barely served in the U.S. Senate. And, on policy, President Kennedy did not engage in class warfare but reduced income taxes for the highest earning taxpayers, to spur investment and economic growth. And, whatever his failings, he stayed with the learning curve. Near the end of his presidency, he was determined to confront communism, not construct timetables to withdraw from the Cold War.

Candidate profile: John Edwards

By Ron Kampeas
Published on January 31, 2008

In 2004, John Edwards lost the Democratic presidential nomination because he was considered a foreign policy lightweight. He won the vice presidential slot because his social policies had depth.

Four years later, Edwards' social and domestic positions remain pretty much the same -- positions that are favored by the vast majority of American Jewish voters.

His foreign policies now have substance, too. That's what worries some Jewish voters.

Why I back John Edwards

By Marc Stanley
Published on January 31, 2008

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.

Why Jews support Obama

By Mel Levine
Published on January 31, 2008

You wouldn't know it from the flood of hysterical emails we have all seen, or from a fair amount of the commentary, but there is a groundswell of Jewish American support for Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign. That should hardly be surprising, for it is a reflection of the nature of our community. When he speaks�"with eloquence, unmistakable authenticity, and passion�"for the values we hold most dear, he renews our hope for America in these difficult times.

Why I back Rudy Giuliani

By Sen. Norm Coleman
Published on January 31, 2008

In October, introducing Rudy Giuliani before the Republican Jewish Coalition, philanthropist Sheldon Adelson said of the former New York City mayor, "Time after time Mayor Giuliani not only said the right things about Israel, which is easy to do, but he took the right actions as well."

Expand that beyond Israel and Mr. Adelson has quite effectively outlined the driving rationale behind Rudy Giuliani's bid for the presidency: Other candidates might say the right things, but Rudy actually does them. And he has for years.

Election 101—who is your choice?

By Shoshana Lewin-Fischer
Published on January 24, 2008

This time of year, we know that you are seeing signs everywhere about the upcoming presidential election. So many people, so many numbers; we think you should know what it all means.

Giuliani doubts if Palestinians are ‘peace partners’ yet

By Ron Kampeas
Published on August 23, 2007

Rudolph Giuliani's foreign policy is neither a blueprint nor a prescription, his top adviser on the matter says. It is an outline of how the former can-do New York City mayor does business.

Islamofascism and the GOP

By Raphael J. Sonenshein
Published on August 9, 2007

Republicans are now telling us that America (and Israel) face a mortal threat from "global Islamofascism." Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Vt.) has been blasting Democrats for not "recognizing" this threat. Get used to it, because this is going to be the frame for the Republican presidential campaign in 2008.

Notes from the campaign trail: Israel and the Dems; Mitt Romney; GOP faves

By James D. Besser
Published on May 3, 2007

Election Day 2008 is still more than a year away, but the 24/7 news cycle and the tidal wave of money already lavished on a long list of serious contenders have combined to redouble the assault on our senses and pocketbooks. Here are some notes from the campaign trail:

Abbas Gaining in Bid to Succeed Arafat

By Dan Baron
Published on December 2, 2004

With a patient realpolitik, not to mention the tacit approval of Israel and the United States, Mahmoud Abbas is inching toward the Palestinian leadership.

A poll of West Bank and Gaza Strip residents released Sunday found that a plurality of Palestinians, 41 percent, support Abbas' bid to succeed Yasser Arafat as Palestinian Authority president -- a coup, considering the dour, 69-year-old PLO veteran's single-digit showing in the polls until recently. The presidential election is scheduled Jan. 9.

Cheney’s Israel-Iraq Comment Misleads

By Janine Zacharia
Published on October 14, 2004

Israel has received scant attention in the run-up to the Nov. 2 presidential election. Iraq and the war against Al Qaeda have dominated the foreign policy discussions. And with neither candidate sketching out an approach to resuming the peace process, both sides prefer instead to simply affirm support for Israel's right to defend itself, a mutual stance that requires little dialogue.

The subject, however, has not been overlooked altogether. In the first presidential debate on Sept. 30, both President Bush and Sen. John Kerry said success was necessary in Iraq to ensure Israel's safety. And in last Friday's second debate, Bush used a question on how he planned to repair broken relations with other countries to reflect on unpopular decisions he has made, including rejecting P.A. Chairman Yasser Arafat as a negotiating partner.

Father of the Leftist Guard

By Marc Ballon
Published on September 9, 2004

Stanley Sheinbaum is in his element. As 40 members of Americans for Peace Now and their allies sip white wine, nibble brie and heatedly discuss the economic and moral injustices of Israel's occupation, the éminence grise of liberalism watches and listens with the rapt attention of the Stanford University graduate student he once was. When guest speaker Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) says that the "ethical aspiration of Judaism is to stand up for the downtrodden," including African Americans, homosexuals and Palestinians, Sheinbaum nods his head in agreement.

Shahar Says Shalom

By Amy Klein
Published on August 29, 2002

When she came to Los Angeles two years ago, Meirav Eilon Shahar thought that the immediate task before her as Israeli consul for communications and public affairs would be dealing with the follow up to the presidential election. She came to Los Angeles from a three-year posting in Nairobi, and her work seemed cut out for her: to promote the peace process and follow Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's government line, and learn about the Jewish community in Los Angeles. Responsible for public relations, the media and academia, she looked forward to the job of working under Consul General of Israel Yuval Rotem, covering six amd a half states: Southern California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Hawaii.

Jewish Surprises on Election Day

By James D
Published on November 16, 2000

Last week just didn't go at all like the pundits and prognosticators predicted.