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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Sept. 10, 2004
/ 24 Elul 5764
Why Jews should support W
By
Mona Charen
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http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
If it's an election year, it must be time for my quadrennial column urging Jews to vote Republican. Though I feel a bit like Sisyphus, I'll try not to be a sourpuss.
Here are some of the questions I usually get on this subject:
Everyone knows that Republicans tend to be rich, snobbish and anti-Semitic.
This may have been true 25 or 35 years ago, but no part of that cliche is true today. In the first place, as Karl Zinsmeister has recently noted in The Wall Street Journal, most rich people are now Democrats, not Republicans. (Republicans tend to be the party of the middle class; Democrats the party of the rich and the poor.)
As to snobbery, it's been out of fashion for 50 years. Reverse snobbery tends to be more of a problem. But anti-Semitism has clearly migrated from right to left during the past several decades.
Think of Cynthia McKinney, former congresswoman from Georgia who slurred Jews but nonetheless was supported in her 2002 bid for re-election by Democratic Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Or consider that hero of the Democratic Party Al Sharpton, who rose to fame, in part, on the strength of riot-mongering aimed at whites and Jews.
It is simply impossible to imagine someone like Sharpton being welcomed and celebrated at the Republican National Convention. Further, a recent poll by the Institute for Jewish and Community Research in San Francisco found that more Democrats than Republicans hold anti-Semitic views. Only 12 percent of Republicans agreed that "Jews care only about themselves," while 20 percent of Democrats held that view.
Republicans support Israel only because they think it portends the Second Coming of Jesus
I've always had trouble understanding this objection. I don't think it's true, but even if it were, what's the problem? In fact, Republicans support Israel for many reasons. They tend to support all democracies fighting off non-democratic enemies (Taiwan and South Korea, to name two others). They sympathize with Israel's predicament as a tiny outpost of enlightenment and liberty amid a raging sea of fanaticism and backwardness. They appreciate Israel's loyalty to the United States. Democrats, by contrast, tend to see Israel as the oppressor of the Palestinians -- "a people of color," in the argot of the left -- and therefore as unworthy of support.
It is true that some Protestant Republicans have religious reasons for supporting Israel. They read the Bible literally and believe that the land was given to the Jews by God. Some (though I've never heard this said by any Christian, only by Jews) may further believe that Jewish sovereignty in Israel is a prerequisite for the Second Coming.
Why is that troubling? It ought to be comforting to Jews. After all, would you prefer to have someone on your side because they like you (which can change) or because they believe it is part of G-d's plan for the world to have a Jewish homeland? As for the end times, maybe they're right, and maybe they're wrong. We can leave that part to G-d. For now, Jews should know who their friends are.
There was very little talk of Israel at the Democratic National Convention this year, probably because the delegates are not fond of Israel. The delegates are always to the left of the party regulars, and wherever you find leftists you find hatred for Israel. From college campuses, to some elements in the press, to the anti-globalization movement, to candidate Howard Dean calling Hamas members "soldiers," left-wingers have little love for the Jewish state.
In 2002, when Israel was enduring almost daily suicide attacks on its civilians, it was Majority Leader Tom DeLay who shepherded through a strong congressional resolution expressing solidarity with the people of Israel. On another occasion, when Sen. Mitch McConnell attempted to brand the PLO a terrorist organization, then-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle blocked it as "counterproductive."
At the Republican Convention, by contrast, Israel was invoked often and affectionately, and each mention was met with rousing ovations.
Finally, Israel has had no better friend in the White House than George W. Bush. It would be a well-deserved expression of appreciation if Jewish votes provided the margin of victory for this best of all friends to Israel.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington
and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment on JWR contributor Mona Charen's column by clicking here. Purchase her just published book, "Useful Idiots: How Liberals Got It Wrong in the
Cold War and Still Blame America First," by clicking here. (Sales help fund JWR.)
Mona Charen Archives
© 2004, Creators Syndicate
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