Jewish Senate, Jewish House projections

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on September 6, 2012

The Israel Factor: Obama vs. Romney, January 2007

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on March 26, 2012

The Wright flap and the black candidate

By Raphael J. Sonenshein
Published on May 8, 2008

Barack Obama's presidential candidacy is providing a crash course on race in America.

The Shoah, Beit T’Shuvah, Clinton, Raphe and Szyk

Published on May 8, 2008

"Thank you for reminding those who sometimes forget that "never forget" means just that..."

Clinton wins N.Y. Jews, faces fight in California, nationally

By Ben Harris
Published on February 7, 2008

JewishJournal.com VideoJew Jay Firestone covers the election from a local perspective

Hillary Rodham Clinton scored a major victory with Jewish Democrats in New York and New Jersey in Super Tuesday voting, Barack Obama won a majority of Jewish support in Connecticut and Massachusetts, and the battle was close in California.

John McCain has the ‘right stuff’

By Lloyd Greif
Published on January 31, 2008

As the son of Holocaust survivors, I select my political candidates based on two criteria�"what's best for the country and what's best for Jews everywhere, particularly Israel. In both respects, John McCain is unquestionably the best candidate running for President.

In economy-focused State of the Union speech, Bush offers no new Mideast ideas

By Ron Kampeas
Published on January 31, 2008

Just weeks after his first presidential visit to Israel, President Bush made clear his priority for his final year in office: the economy, stupid.

If the president has a Middle East breakthrough up his sleeve, he was not ready to reveal it Monday in the State of the Union address that precedes his last year in office.

God, race, and politics

By Arnold Steinberg
Published on January 31, 2008

It was the South Carolina debate among Democrats: Barack Obama was trying to establish his solid religious credentials in that state, which he went on to win handily last Saturday.

It's wrong for Americans to vote against or for someone based on religion, gender or race. But the hyphenation of America is the modus operandi of Democrats. On a good day, the best that we can expect from them is class warfare. And, now, just as they have campaigned against Republicans, they relentlessly play the gender and race cards, against each other.

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.

Candidate profle: John McCain

By Beth Young
Published on January 31, 2008

John McCain's reputation as a maverick holds true in the Jewish world, where his list of allies spans the political spectrum.

His long-term support for Israel and human rights issues along with his willingness to cross party lines has won him allies among conservative Republicans, independent Democrats and even some liberal Jews.

Topping his list of Jewish supporters is U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), the independent Democrat who made headlines by endorsing the presidential bid of his Republican colleague from Arizona.

Candidate profile: Mitt Romney

By Beth Young
Published on January 31, 2008

Mitt Romney's pitch to Jewish voters breaks down into three components: His tough line on Iran; his record as a Republican governor who worked well with Democrats; and his belonging to an oft-misunderstood religious minority.

Romney boasts a master's degree in business from Harvard and enjoyed phenomenal success during his 14-year career orchestrating leveraged buyouts as the chairman of Bain Capital.

As the governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007, he worked with a Democratic Legislature and an overwhelmingly liberal Jewish community to enact a groundbreaking "Health Care for All" law. He has a scion of a famed Mormon family; his father was Michigan's governor.

Candidate profile: Barack Obama

By Ron Kampeas
Published on January 31, 2008

Ask about Barack Obama's natural constituencies and you might hear that he's the first black with a viable shot at the White House, or about his Kenyan father and his childhood in Indonesia, or the youthfulness of his followers, or the millions of Oprah junkies swooning over his candidacy.

What you might not hear is that the Illinois senator has made Jewish leaders an early stop at every stage in his political career.

Candidate profile: Mike Huckabee

By Ben Harris
Published on January 31, 2008

Mike Huckabee was a barely known former governor of Arkansas when he attended an October house party on his behalf at the home of Jason Bedrick, New Hampshire's first Orthodox Jewish state representative.

Which is probably why no major media outlets picked up on the Republican presidential candidate's radical proposal that day for the Middle East: a Palestinian state -- in Egypt or Saudi Arabia.

"He is truly a uniter and not a divider," Bedrick recently told JTA.

Candidate profile: Hillary Clinton

By Ron Kampeas
Published on January 31, 2008

Seven years of hard work cultivating the Jewish leadership in New York and nationally paid off for U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.)

Now she's hoping to capitalize on that support as she engages in a tough battle for the Democratic nomination.

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 we back Hillary Clinton

By Susie Stern
Published on January 31, 2008

In February 2002, after 9/11 and during the worst of the second intifada, very few visitors were coming to Israel. One who did was Hillary Clinton.

Visiting Magen David Adom, she met an Israeli soldier in his early 20s named Natan, an Ethiopian Jew who had jumped on a terrorist carrying a bag full of explosives. Natan had miraculously survived the explosion that but for his extraordinary heroism would have killed many Israelis.

Do we have clean hands?

By Dan Shallman
Published on January 31, 2008

Last Sunday, to mark the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., Senator Barack Obama delivered a courageous sermon at King's Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

Notably, after recalling our country's dismal treatment of African-Americans throughout much of our history, Obama challenged his own community to acknowledge the intolerance and anti-Semitism in its midst. In so doing, he has challenged all of us�"Jews included�" to look deep inside our own hearts and minds to break down the barriers that divide America.

Mitt’s the one

By Mark Paredes
Published on January 31, 2008

Like many voters, I am thrilled that viable candidates this year include a Mormon, a biracial man, and a woman.

Full disclosure: I'm a Mormon. Who's biracial. And loves women.

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.

Where are the other Jewish anti-war voices?

By Leonard Fein
Published on March 22, 2007

Nancy Pelosi’s links to Israel are strong and personal

By Jennifer Jacobson
Published on November 16, 2006

Before a packed meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) three years ago, U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) connected her political support for the Jewish state with her personal life.
Now that the Democrats have taken control of the U.S. House of Representatives, the party is expected to install Pelosi, 66, as speaker, making her the first woman to hold the position that is two heartbeats away from the presidency.

Dems win won’t hurt Israel but could impact Iran

By Ron Kampeas
Published on November 16, 2006

The tone of the U.S.-Israel relationship remains the same whoever controls Congress, but Democratic pledges to stringently oversee the Iraq war could affect how the United States confronts Iran. Democrats won control of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate in Nov. 7 elections, the latter conclusively decided with Sen. George Allen's concession of the Virginia race on Nov. 9.Bipartisan support for Israel would be constant, Jewish and Israeli officials said, defying a pre-election barrage of Republic Jewish Coalition ads that insisted that the Democratic Party's support for Israel was eroding.