‘Day On The Hill’ Confirms Importance of Jews in 2012
And Advises Increasing Jewish Spheres of Influence
Written by RJC Member Jansuzanne Krasner
The recognition by the RNC of the RJC’s clout in the Jewish political arena has reached a new level of respect as demonstrated on September 21, 2011 at the ‘Day On The Hill’ event orchestrated by the National Women’s Committee (NWC) of the RJC and the RJC’s evening reception that followed.
The roster of Congressional speakers who came to these two gatherings are testaments to the success the organization recently had with its campaign efforts for Bob Turner in New York. The list of Republican Congressional speakers who came to express their thanks to the membership tells the story: Mitch McConnell, Eric Cantor, Renee Ellmers, Jean Schmidt, Tom Price, Lynn Jenkins and John Thune. The evening’s event included Congressmen Steve Chabot, Denny Rehberg, Joe Walsh and Bob Turner. Besides expressing their thanks for RJC’s effective campaign strategies, each Congressperson displayed a new found buoyancy that could be felt and energized everyone in the room. There was hope in the air that together we can make President Obama a one-term president. And it is inspiring to know that we as individuals can make that happen.
It is obvious that the election of Bob Turner in NY’s 9th Congressional District was a sterling victory for Republicans. But, we must not forget that it began with outspoken Democrats Mayor Ed Koch and State Assemblyman Dov Hikind who drew attention to Obama’s dangerous remarks regarding Israel that have emboldened Hamas and weakened Abbas’ leadership over the past 2.5 years preventing any negotiations. But, it is undeniably the Jewish Conservative efforts of members of the RJC and other Jewish individuals who made phone calls and took to the streets of the 9th District knocking on doors that made a difference. According to RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks it took a “significant expenditure of resources” but it paid off in moving a portion of the undecided Jewish vote away from the Democrat’s Jewish candidate.
The RNC acknowledges that Conservative Jewish activists are capable of taking what was learned in the 9th District and using it in the states where it will count the most in the elections. Fourteen months is not far away, but it is still enough time with global technology to make a real difference. The 2012 elections go well beyond a Presidential vote as there are several Democrats in both Houses of Congress who are also up for re-election and are vulnerable to Republican candidates who will vie for their seats.
According to the Directors of the three Republican Committees, RNC, NRSC and NRCC who presented to the audience their take on the various upcoming races, it would take as little as an additional 6% swing of the Jewish votes to make a big difference in the election outcomes. Given this astonishingly low statistic Chairwoman Diane Sembler-Kamins focused on what can members of NWC and RJC specifically do to help. The suggestions came from several presenters including Margaret Hoover, Becki Donatelli, and Star Parker.
Margaret Hoover, the articulate Republican Strategist & Fox News Contributor spoke of the ‘Millennium Generation.’ These are the young American voters who seem to be social and civic minded; think government is good and when it doesn’t work they just want new people; are less religious and have no problem with same sex marriage. Their motto might be “persuasion rather than legislation.” The title of her recent book ‘American Individualism: A New Generation of Conservatives Can Save The Republican Party’ speaks about her ideas for Republican success next year. Margaret recommends that we utilize the communication systems that these under 30 voters use and it is not newspapers and flyers. These younger voteres can be reached thru Facebook, Twitter and other social networks with the message of American Individualism, not government dependency. As demonstrated by the active participation of a young female Republican attendee who actually converted her Democrat mother, the Jewish youth may not be completely brainwashed by their parents’ Democratic loyalties.
Becki Donatelli, a Republican Fundraiser and President of Campaign Solutions, also linked the Internet to a second important way to help bring a Republican to the White House and more Republicans to Congress. It is fundraising. Becki’s presentation emphasized the need to persuade the Internet user to leave an e-mail address by engaging them in a call for action thru a survey, a polling vote or responding to a specific issue. These e-mail addresses are the pot-of-gold for potential political donations and voters. With the number of remorseful Jewish voters growing everyday, there is a greater potential for donations to swing to the Republican campaign thru RJC’s efforts. As we all know, money is most critical in elections.
The last speaker of the afternoon, Star Parker brought her perspective as an African-American single mother who had been on welfare, but was successful in turning her life around. She began her journey with her discovery of faith that gave her the courage to find a path out of poverty. This very same courage has made her an outspoken Black Conservative Republican woman and extremely inspirational. She pointed out that Black-Americans are being enslaved by big government Democrats because they continue to fall for the “blaming others” culture of the welfare dependency system and the socialism being pushed by the progressives rather than being motivated thru individual success. She brought the room to a standing ovation when she called the Republican Party the “party of freedom.” Her recommendation: This truth should be repeated over and over again from now until the day of the elections.
The RJC reception continued to add to the abundance of hope that President Obama could lose his bid for a second term. The four congressmen, especially Bob Turner, energized the audience with their enthusiastic speeches thanking the RJC for its role in the Weiner seat upset, and maintaining their strong commitment to supporting Israel with quick, decisive actions in Congress, not just words.
I believe all participants of these two events came away with a clear message. We can be proud to be Republican Jews who no longer need to remain quiet in the presence of our Democratic family and friends. Obama is a big disappointment to many of them opening up an opportunity for civilized dialogue. Each of us can make the argument that the Republicans have better solutions for the problems facing Americans, especially Jewish-Americans.
Last year the odds of winning back the Presidency were gloomy. Today, there is hope. We need more Conservative Jews who have not been involved in politics before to recognize that this may be the most critical election in their lifetime. Each of us can make a difference. Please find the courage to become involved in talking to members of your family and your communities. Please take a little time each week to actively take part in networking and participating in events.
As weeks and months go by President Obama, his administration and the main stream media will spin a perception to Jewish voters that Obama is truly Israel’s best friend, but we must be there with factual information to make the argument that he is not. Surely an Obama re-election will continue to put Israel and the Jewish people in danger, not to mention empowering America’s enemies and jeopardizing our national security. It is time to energize and get working. The goal is changing 6% of the Jewish vote and we can do it!
