Jewish support for Obama declining, says prominent New York Assemblyman
March 9, 2012
A prominent Democratic New York State Assemblyman has spoken out publicly – and critically – about President Barack Obama’s position on the Israel-Iran stand-off and cast doubt on the president’s prospects with Jewish voters in November.
“I have no doubt that Obama will not get the kind
of support he got from the Jewish community in 2008 this time around,”
said Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a life-long democrat and the son of
Holocaust survivors.
Hikind has been hot on the media circuit this week
voicing concern about the president’s assurance that “I have Israel’s
back” regarding a possible Israel-Iran military confrontation over
Iran’s purported development of nuclear weapons. The president’s
comments were made in a speech he gave to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in Washington, D.C., on Sunday.
For Hikind, a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat who says,
“I prefer voting for Democrats, and I do so 90 percent of the time,”
Obama’s record on Israel has been less than satisfactory and a far cry
from the president’s promises on the campaign trail four years ago.
When asked by this reporter if he is concerned about Obama the candidate, Hikind gave an atypical Democratic response.
“I can’t say I feel concerned for one simple reason: I was concerned about him four years ago.”
Hikind explained that Obama’s ties to left-wing
radical activists dating back to his college days were brought into
sharp focus in the 2008 presidential election. His well-documented
affiliations with the likes of William Ayers, a former member of the
Weather Underground which embraced bombing government buildings in its
efforts to end the Vietnam War, and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama’s
pastor for 20 years in the church of black liberation theology, were
causes for concern even amongst the Democratic faithful.
According to Hikind, more cause for concern about Obama’s past radical ties is contained in a book
coming out next month. In “Crisis of Zionism” author Peter Beinart
claims Obama got his education about Israel from a group of far-left
Chicago Jews who "bred in Obama a specific, and subversive, vision of
American Jewish identity and of the Jewish state."
“Why didn’t we know about this stuff during the ’08 campaign,” Hikind asked, more a lament than a query.
During the course of Obama’s presidency, Hikind’s
concerns regarding U.S.-Israeli relations have grown. Among the red
flags Hikind cites are the president’s “despicable” treatment of Israeli
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu during his visit to the White House
in 2010, when Obama abruptly walked out of tense talks with the Israeli
leader to have dinner with his family. The president kept Netanyahu
waiting for more than one hour before returning to the meeting.
“I think Obama’s behavior in that instance showed
how the president really feels about Netanyahu and his policies,” Hikind
said.
Hikind then alluded to the now infamous exchange
between Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy during a private
conversation that was captured by open microphones before a news
conference. "I can't stand him. He's a liar," Sarkozy said of
Netanyahu, to which Obama replied, "You're tired of him; what about me? I
have to deal with him every day."
“It’s what Obama said when he thought no one was
listening that really shows the disdain… for what Netanyahu stands for,”
said Hikind.
Hikind believes Obama’s disdain for Netanyahu is rooted in the Israeli leader’s unwillingness to toe the Obama line.
“The president wants Netanyahu to be subservient to
the U.S. … to be a good boy,” Hikind averred. The outspoken
Assemblyman continued on to say that Obama needs to come to grips with
the fact that Netanyahu is a democratically elected leader, just like
Obama, and that he was empowered by the Israeli electorate to represent
their national security interests.
Adding to Hikind’s resolute belief that Obama and
his administration are not the good friends to Israel they say they are,
comes in the form of remarks made by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton
last week in Tunisia.
Answering a question from a Tunisian student about
U.S. politicians courting the "Zionist lobbies," Clinton proferred that
"a lot of things are said in political campaigns that should not bear a
lot of attention." Hikind provides a not-so-subtle translation to
Clinton’s answer.
“What she seems to be saying is ‘Don’t worry about
what Obama says during the election season. Wait until he’s re-elected
to see how he really feels.’ And that’s the scary part.”
Hikind, who has become a de facto voice for the
American Jewish electorate, says an Obama second term means “he will
never have to face the voters again. Then he can really do what he
feels deep in his heart. And I don’t think that’s necessarily good for
Israel.” That prospect, Hikind says, “is going to make people think a
lot … in terms of do we want to re-elect this guy.”
Although Hikind thinks Obama will still garner a
majority of Jewish votes in November, he thinks that key states like
Florida – a traditionally Jewish Democratic stronghold – might be up for
grabs if the Jewish vote swings five to seven points in a
non-Democratic direction.
“I think [Florida's] where the real action will be.
If the Jewish vote decreases by five, seven, eight percentage points
it could be the difference of winning the state or not winning the
state.”
Hikind believes that if Obama’s Jewish support
drops from the whopping 78 percent share he garnered in ’08 to 65
percent – a possibility Hikind won’t dismiss, “it would be an
indication he’s in trouble in general.”
What could be viewed by some as breaking ranks with
the Democratic Party, Hikind views his call-it-as-I-see-it evaluation
of Obama’s policies toward Israel as a common sense approach for Jewish
voters.
“America is the greatest country in the world,”
said Hikind. “I want a great president for this great country. I’m a
Democrat, but I’m not a blind Democrat. Every now and then I’m gonna
take an honest look. And what I know is that the relationship between
America and Israel is absolutely critical.”
When asked about Obama’s willingness to give
diplomacy a chance regarding the Iranian nuclear stand-off, Hikind
offered a no-holds-barred answer.
“Diplomacy with Iran?! What in G-d’s name is he talking about?! What diplomacy?!”
Israeli leaders have long viewed a nuclear Iran – a
country whose leaders have repeatedly called for Israel’s annihilation -
as an existential threat.
If you think Obama is of concern to Hikind, don’t even ask his mother about the president.
“Let me tell you, my mother is a Holocaust survivor
in her 90s, G-d bless her. A Democrat all her life. But if you
mention Obama she goes absolutely crazy. She doesn’t trust him and
that’s really what it comes down to.”
No comments:
Post a Comment