|
|
June 25, 2020 |
Your
weekly look at the latest news, analysis, and RJC activities around
the country. |
|
|
While RJC offices are closed and our staff are teleworking, you
can reach us by email or by phone (please leave a voicemail message
and your call will be returned). Contact
information for our offices can be found on our web site. Please
visit us online for the latest RJC
news, to volunteer
for our 2020 outreach efforts, to see details of upcoming events,
and to donate
to the RJC.
—
Featured —
The Key Senate Races of
2020
With all the uncertainty about the presidential election and
the effort to win back the House of Representatives, it is absolutely
vital to preserve Republican control of the Senate. RJC members often
ask for information about the key races and candidates, so I'm excited
to share some of my observations about the battle for the Senate with
you in the weeks ahead.
The class of Senators seeking reelection now were the GOP's
majority-makers in 2014. Now, six years later, Democrats' top targets
are Senators who flipped previously Democrat seats and made
Mitch McConnell the Senate Majority Leader:
Cory Gardner of Colorado, Joni Ernst
of Iowa, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and
Steve Daines of Montana.
Democrats are also pulling out all the stops to defeat Senator
Martha McSally in a special election to fill the last
two years of the late Senator John McCain's term in
Arizona. And they're once again targeting Susan
Collins. My former colleague from Maine is one of the most
effective Senators in either party, but it's always a challenging
state for the GOP.
Then there are the red states where Democrats will try to
sneak up on us. Regardless of the hype, I'm confident that Majority
Leader McConnell of Kentucky, Lindsey Graham of South
Carolina, John Cornyn of Texas, and Dan
Sullivan of Alaska will be just fine if Republicans are
vigilant and generous with support for these proven leaders. I'm also
confident that a focused GOP effort in Georgia will secure victory in
the special election to fill the last two years of since-retired
Senator Johnny Isakson’s term and in
Senator David Perdue's reelection bid.
Because the GOP did so well in 2014, there are not many
offense opportunities this year, but we will reclaim the Alabama seat
liberal Democrat Doug Jones won in a 2017 special
election and rising star John James has a real chance to unseat
little-known incumbent Gary Peters in Michigan.
Of course, not every Senator is seeking reelection. Voters in
Wyoming, Kansas, and Tennessee will pick new Senators, likely all
Republicans. The new Senator from New Mexico is likely to be a
Democrat.
Bottom
line: control of the Senate is up for grabs, and my
former colleagues are counting on support from Republican activists
like you. We've got the high-quality candidates, but it will be all
hands on deck to ensure they have the necessary resources to see the
effort through to victory.
Please watch this space for more in-depth analysis on
individual races in the weeks and months ahead. If you’d like to share
your thoughts with me on any of these races, please email me at [email protected].
• Jon Levine at the New York Post reports:
The Republican Jewish Coalition [launched] a
$50,000 digital ad campaign Sunday in battleground states, pushing out
a new video aimed at showcasing how the US-Israel relationship has
grown under President [Donald]
Trump.
The video, called “Sunrise,” is more than eight minutes long
and features Trump coming in to lathering praise from Israeli
children, politicians and Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu. The film also spotlights a number of Trump’s
Israel-related policy decisions, including moving the US embassy to
Jerusalem and the US strike on Iranian general Qassem
Soleimani. The RJC also released a condensed 30-second
version as well.
“President Trump is the most pro-Israel President in American
history and with this video, the RJC is bringing that message to a
targeted audience of data-modeled, persuadable Jewish voters in key
states for the 2020 election,” RJC Executive Director Matt
Brooks told The Post.
“Sunrise” is the group’s second foray into the 2020 election
and follows their previous video “Shanda”
which they released in November.
The Jewish
News Service (JNS) adds:
On Twitter, RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said the
$50,000 ad buy is part of a $10 million RJC campaign to try to expand
support for Trump in the Jewish community.
Have your seen our new video yet? Watch
“Sunrise” here.
• The RJC responded to
the defeat of Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY-16) in the New
York primary this week. JNS reported:
…[T]he Republican Jewish Coalition said that Engel’s projected
defeat demonstrated “the shift in the Democrat Party away from support
for Israel [accelerating] dramatically.”
RJC also said that Engel “has done a great deal for the
US-Israel relationship,” while [Jamaal]
Bowman “has an extreme and dangerous agenda.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a map
showing areas that could come under Israeli law.
Republicans Support Israel Extending
Sovereignty
The Republican Jewish Coalition committed
to making a major lobbying effort to encourage Republicans in the
Senate and House to express their support for the government of Israel
and to support Israel’s extending sovereignty over parts of Judea,
Samaria, and the Jordan Valley in order to promote the security of its
citizens and the stability of the region.
This week our efforts came to fruition when 116
Republican members of Congress sent a letter to Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressing support for
Israel and for Israel’s “right to make sovereign decisions independent
of outside pressure,” including decisions about defensible borders. The
congressmen wrote:
We write to reaffirm the unshakeable alliance between the
United States and Israel, to emphasize that Israel has the right to
make sovereign decisions independent of outside pressure, and to
express our support for you as you make such decisions in your
capacity as Israel’s democratically-elected prime minister.
We are aware of and deeply concerned by threats being
expressed by some to retaliate against Israel as it makes decisions to
ensure defensible borders. It is shortsighted to threaten relations
with Israel, a long-time friend and critical ally that shares our
democratic values. We support the Trump administration’s engagement
with Israel on the Vision for Peace Plan, which was based on the
critical premise that Israel should never be forced to compromise its
security. We assure you that we will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with
Israel and oppose any effort to apply pressure.
As The
Algemeiner explains,
the Trump administration plan stipulates that:
…Washington will endorse an Israeli decision to apply
sovereignty to large parts of Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley
as long as Israel commits to holding good-faith negotiations with the
Palestinians and avoiding construction in areas that could become part
of a Palestinian state. Under the plan, that state will only be
established four years after negotiations begin, and only if the
Palestinians fully renounce terrorism and carry out major reforms and
are no longer considered a threat to Israel.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said he plans to accept the US plan
and begin the process of applying sovereignty in Jewish communities as
early as July 1.
This letter was
led by Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy
(R-CA), Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA),
Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-WY),
Foreign Affairs Committee Republican Leader Michael
McCaul (R-TX), and Reps. Cathy McMorris
Rodgers (R-WA), Lee Zeldin (R-NY) and
David Kustoff (R-TN).
The JTA reported:
A top GOP aide said the RJC was critical in getting members to
sign the letter. “The RJC was instrumental in making it happen,” said
the senior Republican House aide, speaking to JTA on condition of
anonymity. “From helping on the ground level to expanding the
coalition of members who ultimately signed, their involvement cannot
be [overstated].”
On Tuesday, a
group of Senate Republicans sent a letter to US President
Donald Trump in support of Israel applying Israeli
law to parts of the West Bank, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu has stated the Jewish state intends to do by July 1, as
The Algemeiner reported.
The letter to
President Trump was signed by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX),
Tom Cotton (R-AR), Kevin Cramer
(R-ND), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Cindy
Hyde-Smith (R-MS), John Barrasso (R-WY) and
Joni Ernst (R-IA).
Our thanks go out to the Republican leaders of the House and
Senate for their unwavering support of Israel.
Democrats Block GOP Bill
on Police Reform
Republicans in the Senate, led by Senator Tim
Scott (R-SC), introduced significant and thoughtful police
reform legislation, but Senate Democrats blocked it in a procedural
vote, making it likely that no police reform bill will pass Congress
this year, The HilI reports.
Republicans offered to accommodate Democrat demands on aspects
of the bill, but Democrats blocked debate on the bill and on potential
amendments to it, preventing the development of a bipartisan
consensus. This is despite the fact that the competing bill introduced
by Republicans and Democrats were substantially similar. (See
here for details.)
Sen. Scott, the only African American Republican in the
Senate, has
been inundated with racist and profanity-laced voicemails at his
office since taking the lead on GOP efforts for police reform
legislation. Scott has spoken about the racism he has encountered
throughout his life, including being stopped by police 18 times. He
told his colleagues:
“Why am I so passionate about this issue beyond my 18 stops as
a person of color?” Scott asked. “In my legislation and the Republican
Senate legislation and the House legislation there is so much common
ground and to lose this moment for the kids and the young adults
watching this process would be terrible.”
Shame on the
Democrats.
The RJC
is committed to reelecting President Donald Trump,
keeping the Senate, and winning back the House. We encourage
our members to participate in our outreach phonebank project to help
Republicans win in November. It's easy, and you can do it from
home! Here's how YOU can help:
- Sign up to
call Jewish voters from home by clicking HERE.
-
Fill out all of the fields.
- Listen to the instructions and write
down your username and password when a member of the RJC Victory Team
contacts you.
- Make as many phone calls as you can. Everyone you
speak to is a potential vote for President Trump and the
GOP!
Sign up now and you could be the next RJC
Volunteer of the Week!
-------
The
Republican Jewish Coalition is hiring field staff for our advocacy
efforts in support of President Donald
Trump’s reelection in various battleground
states. CLICK
HERE for details and application
information.
-------
The RJC PAC
has endorsed a terrific slate of House and Senate candidates, and we
need them to continue their work on Capitol Hill!
CLICK
HERE to donate through the RJC PAC portal and show your support for
our great candidates!
-------
 |
And
don't forget your RJC/Trump kippah!
Our extremely popular
red Trump kippah is now for sale for just $18. This includes shipping
and handling. Supplies are limited.
BUY YOUR KIPPAH HERE.
|
We
must stop pursuing a two-state illusion and commit to a realistic
two-state solution
Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer
writes: "The extension of Israeli sovereignty to certain territories
in Judea and Samaria will not, as many critics suggest, destroy the
two-state solution. But it will shatter the two-state illusion. And in
doing so, it will open the door to a realistic two-state solution and
get the peace process out of the cul-de-sac it has been stuck in for
two decades."
— Events —
RJC Victory Team National Days of
Action
Please join us for the upcoming RJC Victory Team
Virtual Days of Action scheduled next week for Tuesday, June 30 and Thursday, July 2 and the
following week for Tuesday, July 7 and Thursday, July 9. We'll be calling
potential Jewish voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Florida, Arizona, and Georgia, key battleground states of the 2020
election cycle. Click
here to sign up and help!
We look forward to scheduling in-person grassroots events and
resuming our chapter activities around the country as soon as
possible. Don't forget to check our
web site for updates.
We also encourage you to check out the terrific content and
virtual events offered by our sister organization, the Jewish
Policy Center.
If you like the work we’re doing, consider joining us on
Facebook and Twitter, and renew or upgrade your RJC
membership. Ensure that your voice is heard in our party
and our community!
|
|
|
