Agorism
09-20-2011, 04:26 PM
Perry's Israel policy yet to win converts
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/63970.html
No one running for president in 2012 has been to Israel more often than Rick Perry—and that includes Barack Obama. The Texas governor has not only traveled there frequently, he’s written about protections for the Jewish state and denounced Obama for his Mideast policy.
Never was his longstanding connection to Israel clearer than Tuesday, when he held a press conference with pro-Israel hardliners in New York City, against the loaded backdrop of the coming push at the United Nations for Palestinian statehood.
“It is time to change our policy of appeasement toward the Palestinians to strengthen our ties to the nation of Israel, and in the process establish a robust American position in the Middle East characterized by a new firmness and a new resolve,” Perry said, criticizing President Obama as lax in his approach.
“As a Christian, I have a clear directive to support Israel, so from my perspective it’s pretty easy,” he said when asked about any theological implications of his support for Israel. “Both as an American and as a Christian, I am going to stand with Israel.”
Yet if Perry has essentially become a Zionist over the years, he’s one without many American Jews surrounding him.
At best, he’s had a minimalist relationship with national Jewish groups, multiple sources said: until he began meeting with top Jewish leaders over the past week, his outreach had rarely gone beyond Texas borders. At a moment of intense focus on the small Jewish vote and an influential group of Jewish donors, Perry is still struggling to translate his interest into Jewish votes as he seeks to explain his views on both Israel and his own faith.
“The Jewish community often has had questions about some things he says,” said Alan Sager, a former county GOP chairman in Texas who is Jewish and who has known Perry for years. That includes, he said, things like the massive August day of prayer Perry set up long before he decided to run for president.
“My wife, both of [us]…don’t see any problem with what he’s done. It’s fine with me. He can be whatever he wants about his religion,” Sager said. “But that’s obviously not the prevailing feeling in the Jewish community.”
Perry’s focus on Israel is a reflection of the small nation’s ever larger role in Republican politics—evangelical Christians and defense hawks care deeply about Israel’s well being, enough to make a pilgrimage there an all-but-requisite stop in a GOP presidential primary. Yet the governor’s interest in the issue predates his presidential ambitions, tracking back two decades to early in his career when he made trade missions to Israel as Texas agricultural commissioner.
He referred to those trips, which began in 1991, on his first outing in New Hampshire in August when he was approached by a pro-Israel voter.
“I love Israel,” Perry said, lingering on each word. “I lead trade missions to Israel.”
During a 2009 visit there, he focused on his personal history in the Jewish state.
“We have a connection that goes back many years,” Perry said at the time, according to the Jerusalem Post. “And Israel has a lot that we can learn from, especially in the areas of water conservation and semi-arid land - Israeli technology has helped us a lot in dealing with drought.”
“When I was here for the first time some 18 years ago and I was touring the country, the comparison between Masada and the Alamo was not lost on me,” he added. “I mean, we’re talking about two groups of people who were willing to give up their lives for freedom and liberty.”
At a recent meeting with foreign policy experts facilitated by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Israel was Perry’s touchstone throughout, according to people familiar with the briefing.
“It all came back to Israel for him—he loves Israel, he supports Israel, everything on foreign policy was through the lens of Israel,” said one source.
“He has always been a major, major supporter of Israel - he’s very strong on defense, he’s a [former Air Force] pilot,” said Fred Zeidman, a prominent Jewish fundraiser from Texas who has been friends with Perry for three decades, and was recently the head of the National Holocaust Museum. “He really has been a student of the Middle East as it relates to Israel. This is not based on anything political, it’s a genuine interest.”
Still, Perry’s penchant for speaking in explicitly religious terms has complicated his relationship with American Jews. Sager pointed out that he had just received an email from a prominent Jewish activist in Texas — whom he declined to name — insisting, “Rick Perry wants to convert you.”
Among the points of concern among many Jews: Perry refers to running for president as “a calling” and asks for people to pray for rain during droughts—language that strikes a historic chord of fear for some Jews, whether it’s national donors or home state voters.
Sager insists that’s based on a misunderstanding of Perry’s thinking, and that the governor is merely expressing his faith in his own way. He said Perry has Jewish supporters “up and down the state,” but acknowledged that not everyone feels that way.
“That’s who he is,” he said. “[But] a lot of people have a negative reaction to it.”
Perry spokesman Mark Miner asserted that the governor has had solid support among Jews in Texas over the years.
“He’s always enjoyed support from the Jewish community because of what he believes,” Miner said. “He’s a man of strong religious convictions but he’s always been a supporter of the Jewish community and Israel through his words and actions.”
While no one doubts the sincerity of his position on Israel, several prominent Jewish activists noted that historically he has not reached out beyond perfunctory events such as official Menorah lighting ceremonies around Hanukah.
He signed a law known as the “mezuzah bill,” which prohibits landlords from forcing tenants to take down religious ornaments outside their doors, but that’s the only item on his legislative agenda that he’s widely recognized for, several Jewish activists said.
“He’s got some friends, he’s got some supporters, but it’s never been a major type of thing,” said Abe Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League.
Zeidman acknowledged that Perry had been deeply conservative on some social issues, in both his opinions and his language, which may have been off-putting to moderate or non-religious Jews—even many conservative Jews are to Perry’s left.
“I don’t know that it’s alienated anybody,” Zeidman said. “But I don’t think it’s brought anybody to his side.”
A bigger issue, Zeidman and Foxman both agreed, was “The Response,” the August 6 day of prayer—an event that included preachers who’ve espoused controversial views in the past, including the idea that homosexuality led to the 9/11 terror attacks.
“I think ‘The Response’ was a tremendous mistake,” said Zeidman. “I thought it was a major mistake to do and I thought it was an even bigger mistake to partner with the people he’s partnered with.”
The ADL issued a press release at the time criticizing the rally and, Foxman said, sought a discussion with Perry, but to no avail.
“It’s disconcerting in the sense that he gave the issue a deaf ear,” Foxman said. “He totally blew us [off]….here is a man smart enough, astute enough to get elected three times. [But] he has such a tin ear to an issue [like the rally].”
He added: “You can have a position, you can have a point of view. But totally to ignore [the other view] - I think that’s troubling and I think what we’re gonna do as a community is we’re gonna reach out and see if we can have a dialogue.”
Perry has already moved vigorously in that direction, stressing elements of Israel policy that are important to American Jews - such as opposition to Palestinian statehood unless there are direct negotiations between the two parties.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Friday, Perry condemned President Obama’s policies as allowing the Palestinians to abdicate peace talks, adding that statehood needs to be rejected at the United Nations.
And in New York, where several major donors told POLITICO there has been concern among the state’s heavily-Jewish donor base about Perry’s evangelicalism, Perry met last week with major Israel supporter Ron Lauder, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations head Malcolm Hoenlein and mega-donor Paul Singer.
According to multiple sources, he repeatedly expressed support for Israel and blasted Obama for neglecting an ally, and was generally well-received for it—his muscular policy helped alleviate some concerns and build bridges that Perry hasn’t had before with the broader Jewish community.
Hoenlein declined to comment on the substance of the meeting or on Perry’s candidacy, but said, “Nobody that goes to Israel as often as he has and has made made statements that he has isn’t a friend of Israel.”
CORRECTION: Alan Sager’s name was misspelled in an earlier version of this story.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/63970.html
No one running for president in 2012 has been to Israel more often than Rick Perry—and that includes Barack Obama. The Texas governor has not only traveled there frequently, he’s written about protections for the Jewish state and denounced Obama for his Mideast policy.
Never was his longstanding connection to Israel clearer than Tuesday, when he held a press conference with pro-Israel hardliners in New York City, against the loaded backdrop of the coming push at the United Nations for Palestinian statehood.
“It is time to change our policy of appeasement toward the Palestinians to strengthen our ties to the nation of Israel, and in the process establish a robust American position in the Middle East characterized by a new firmness and a new resolve,” Perry said, criticizing President Obama as lax in his approach.
“As a Christian, I have a clear directive to support Israel, so from my perspective it’s pretty easy,” he said when asked about any theological implications of his support for Israel. “Both as an American and as a Christian, I am going to stand with Israel.”
Yet if Perry has essentially become a Zionist over the years, he’s one without many American Jews surrounding him.
At best, he’s had a minimalist relationship with national Jewish groups, multiple sources said: until he began meeting with top Jewish leaders over the past week, his outreach had rarely gone beyond Texas borders. At a moment of intense focus on the small Jewish vote and an influential group of Jewish donors, Perry is still struggling to translate his interest into Jewish votes as he seeks to explain his views on both Israel and his own faith.
“The Jewish community often has had questions about some things he says,” said Alan Sager, a former county GOP chairman in Texas who is Jewish and who has known Perry for years. That includes, he said, things like the massive August day of prayer Perry set up long before he decided to run for president.
“My wife, both of [us]…don’t see any problem with what he’s done. It’s fine with me. He can be whatever he wants about his religion,” Sager said. “But that’s obviously not the prevailing feeling in the Jewish community.”
Perry’s focus on Israel is a reflection of the small nation’s ever larger role in Republican politics—evangelical Christians and defense hawks care deeply about Israel’s well being, enough to make a pilgrimage there an all-but-requisite stop in a GOP presidential primary. Yet the governor’s interest in the issue predates his presidential ambitions, tracking back two decades to early in his career when he made trade missions to Israel as Texas agricultural commissioner.
He referred to those trips, which began in 1991, on his first outing in New Hampshire in August when he was approached by a pro-Israel voter.
“I love Israel,” Perry said, lingering on each word. “I lead trade missions to Israel.”
During a 2009 visit there, he focused on his personal history in the Jewish state.
“We have a connection that goes back many years,” Perry said at the time, according to the Jerusalem Post. “And Israel has a lot that we can learn from, especially in the areas of water conservation and semi-arid land - Israeli technology has helped us a lot in dealing with drought.”
“When I was here for the first time some 18 years ago and I was touring the country, the comparison between Masada and the Alamo was not lost on me,” he added. “I mean, we’re talking about two groups of people who were willing to give up their lives for freedom and liberty.”
At a recent meeting with foreign policy experts facilitated by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Israel was Perry’s touchstone throughout, according to people familiar with the briefing.
“It all came back to Israel for him—he loves Israel, he supports Israel, everything on foreign policy was through the lens of Israel,” said one source.
“He has always been a major, major supporter of Israel - he’s very strong on defense, he’s a [former Air Force] pilot,” said Fred Zeidman, a prominent Jewish fundraiser from Texas who has been friends with Perry for three decades, and was recently the head of the National Holocaust Museum. “He really has been a student of the Middle East as it relates to Israel. This is not based on anything political, it’s a genuine interest.”
Still, Perry’s penchant for speaking in explicitly religious terms has complicated his relationship with American Jews. Sager pointed out that he had just received an email from a prominent Jewish activist in Texas — whom he declined to name — insisting, “Rick Perry wants to convert you.”
Among the points of concern among many Jews: Perry refers to running for president as “a calling” and asks for people to pray for rain during droughts—language that strikes a historic chord of fear for some Jews, whether it’s national donors or home state voters.
Sager insists that’s based on a misunderstanding of Perry’s thinking, and that the governor is merely expressing his faith in his own way. He said Perry has Jewish supporters “up and down the state,” but acknowledged that not everyone feels that way.
“That’s who he is,” he said. “[But] a lot of people have a negative reaction to it.”
Perry spokesman Mark Miner asserted that the governor has had solid support among Jews in Texas over the years.
“He’s always enjoyed support from the Jewish community because of what he believes,” Miner said. “He’s a man of strong religious convictions but he’s always been a supporter of the Jewish community and Israel through his words and actions.”
While no one doubts the sincerity of his position on Israel, several prominent Jewish activists noted that historically he has not reached out beyond perfunctory events such as official Menorah lighting ceremonies around Hanukah.
He signed a law known as the “mezuzah bill,” which prohibits landlords from forcing tenants to take down religious ornaments outside their doors, but that’s the only item on his legislative agenda that he’s widely recognized for, several Jewish activists said.
“He’s got some friends, he’s got some supporters, but it’s never been a major type of thing,” said Abe Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League.
Zeidman acknowledged that Perry had been deeply conservative on some social issues, in both his opinions and his language, which may have been off-putting to moderate or non-religious Jews—even many conservative Jews are to Perry’s left.
“I don’t know that it’s alienated anybody,” Zeidman said. “But I don’t think it’s brought anybody to his side.”
A bigger issue, Zeidman and Foxman both agreed, was “The Response,” the August 6 day of prayer—an event that included preachers who’ve espoused controversial views in the past, including the idea that homosexuality led to the 9/11 terror attacks.
“I think ‘The Response’ was a tremendous mistake,” said Zeidman. “I thought it was a major mistake to do and I thought it was an even bigger mistake to partner with the people he’s partnered with.”
The ADL issued a press release at the time criticizing the rally and, Foxman said, sought a discussion with Perry, but to no avail.
“It’s disconcerting in the sense that he gave the issue a deaf ear,” Foxman said. “He totally blew us [off]….here is a man smart enough, astute enough to get elected three times. [But] he has such a tin ear to an issue [like the rally].”
He added: “You can have a position, you can have a point of view. But totally to ignore [the other view] - I think that’s troubling and I think what we’re gonna do as a community is we’re gonna reach out and see if we can have a dialogue.”
Perry has already moved vigorously in that direction, stressing elements of Israel policy that are important to American Jews - such as opposition to Palestinian statehood unless there are direct negotiations between the two parties.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Friday, Perry condemned President Obama’s policies as allowing the Palestinians to abdicate peace talks, adding that statehood needs to be rejected at the United Nations.
And in New York, where several major donors told POLITICO there has been concern among the state’s heavily-Jewish donor base about Perry’s evangelicalism, Perry met last week with major Israel supporter Ron Lauder, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations head Malcolm Hoenlein and mega-donor Paul Singer.
According to multiple sources, he repeatedly expressed support for Israel and blasted Obama for neglecting an ally, and was generally well-received for it—his muscular policy helped alleviate some concerns and build bridges that Perry hasn’t had before with the broader Jewish community.
Hoenlein declined to comment on the substance of the meeting or on Perry’s candidacy, but said, “Nobody that goes to Israel as often as he has and has made made statements that he has isn’t a friend of Israel.”
CORRECTION: Alan Sager’s name was misspelled in an earlier version of this story.