Republican Jewish Coalition
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The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) (formerly the National Jewish Coalition), founded in 1985, is a political lobbying group in the United States that advocates Jewish Republicans. The RJC states that it is the most important voice on conservative political issues for the Jewish-American community. The RJC has 44 chapters throughout the United States.
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[edit] Purpose
The official mission statement of the RJC is to foster and enhance ties between the American Jewish community and Republican decision makers in the United States. According to its website, the RJC "works to sensitize Republican leadership in government and the party to the concerns and issues of the Jewish community, while articulating and advocating Republican ideas and policies within the Jewish community."
The RJC is also striving to build a "strong, effective and respected" voice of Jewish Republicans that can influence activities, policies and ideas in Washington and across the country. :[1]
The group's policy platform objectives include terrorism, national security, United States-Israel relations, Mideast peace process, The Palestinian Authority, Syria, Iran, immigration, energy policy, education, school prayer, affirmative action, the Workplace Religious Freedom Act, adoption, crime, taxes, welfare reform, faith-based initiatives, health care, Medicare reform, Social Security reform, and government reform.[2]
[edit] Debate about the success of the RJC
The RJC has hosted successful activities and events such as the Presidential Candidates Forum, leadership trips to Israel for Members of Congress, governors, and other political leaders, and creating a high-level presence at the Republican National Convention. In 2005, President George W. Bush attended the RJC's 20th anniversary celebration.[3]
The RJC believes Jews are increasingly becoming Republican:
- In 1992, George H. W. Bush (R) won 11% of the Jewish vote.
- In 1996, Senator Bob Dole (R) won 16% of the Jewish vote.
- In 2000, George W. Bush (R) won 19% of the Jewish vote (even though Senator Joe Lieberman was selected as the Democrats' Vice-Presidential candidate)
- In 2004, preliminary results indicate President George W. Bush (R) received likely support of 25% (a 32% increase over 2000).[4]
- In 2008, exit polls showed that John McCain received 21-22% of the Jewish vote.[5][6]
In certain state and local elections, Republicans have received support from the Jewish community:
- In the 2005 election for Mayor of New York City, Independent Candidate Michael Bloomberg, himself Jewish, received 51% of the Jewish vote.[7]
- In the 2003 Recall election in California, an estimated 31% of Jews voted for Republican Candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger.[8]
[edit] Political activities during the 2008 presidential election
During the 2008 election campaign, the RJC ran a series of informed and uncompromising advertisements in Jewish newspapers around the United States, mostly critical of Barack Obama and linking him to individuals that are considered unsavory personalities by the American Jewish community such as Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, and Patrick Buchanan.[9] Tikun and Salon.com also claimed the RJC was participating in polling phone calls ("push polls") made to potential voters in Pennsylvania and Florida that reportedly asked negative questions about Obama.[10][11]
[edit] Barack Obama Presidency
The RJC has been very critical of the Obama administration's policies, and have questioned Obama's relationship with Zbigniew Brzezinski, Samantha Power, and Chas Freeman, whom the RJC believe to "possess strong anti-Israel biases that are well documented."[12] The RJC also attacks Hillary Clinton for having made remarks regarding the US putting more pressure on Israel. These arguments received a lot of attention and were significantly challenged by the National Jewish Democratic Council.[13]
[edit] References
- ^ Mission Statement
- ^ Policy Platform from RJC website
- ^ President George W. Bush addresses the RJC on their 20th anniversary, a news release from the White House
- ^ http://www.rjchq.org/News.asp?Formmode=Detail&ID=705
- ^ http://www.njdc.org/site/page/jewish_vote_for_obama_exceeds_all_expectations
- ^ OP-ED: Why Jews voted for Obama by Marc Stanley, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, November 5, 2008. (retrieved on April 5, 2009.)
- ^ Jewish Voters in New York from JTA website
- ^ Jewish Vote in U.S. Elections
- ^ http://www.rjchq.org/Newsroom/newsdetail.aspx?id=ce510352-05f1-4297-a5e1-5ea717374569
- ^ http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2008/09/19/is-republican-jewish-coalition-obsessed/
- ^ http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2008/09/16/rjc_poll/
- ^ http://www.rjchq.org/Newsroom/newsdetail.aspx?id=a9fb689a-9061-4f72-a6d8-8bf6501c240a
- ^ http://www.njdc.org/blog/post/RJCPetitionFalsehoods031709
