THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

On October 16th, 2007, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Fred Thompson all spoke in Washington, DC, at the Republican Jewish Coalition 2008 Candidates Forum. Over the last several days, I have done write ups of all of them.

http://www.tygrrrrexpress.com/2007/10/rjc-in-dc-fred-thompson/

http://www.tygrrrrexpress.com/2007/10/rjc-in-dc-mitt-romney/

http://www.tygrrrrexpress.com/2007/10/rjc-in-dc-john-mccain/

http://www.tygrrrrexpress.com/2007/10/rjc-in-dc-rudy-giuliani/

 

In addition, the RJC itself provides several invaluable links.

 

http://www.rjchq.org/news.asp?FormMode=Detail&id=1253

Before going any further, I want to acknowledge that Kansas Senator Sam Brownback also spoke to the group. I was late to the event due to traffic issues, and missed much of his speech, rendering me unable to give him an effective write up. Although he was out of the race within 48 hours of the event, I would again like to thank him for his decency, grace and class. Although he knew his days were numbered, he honored his commitment to speak at this forum, and he has always been a friend of Israel and the Jewish people. Kansas will be blessed if he is their Governor in 2010.

As previously stated, Mike Huckabee had a scheduling conflict. Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter were not invited due to their perceived long shot status. Rupaul was not invited because one has to like Jews AND Republicans to be invited. One out of two is not good enough, and he is not great on either. Lines have to be drawn, which is why Hillary, Obama, Edwards, Assad, and Armageddonijad were not invited.

No, I am not calling Rupaul or the demagoguic party candidates terrorists like the double-A brothers. I am simply stating that hostility towards issues that either Jews or republicans support renders one unfit to address this group. Shockingly enough, Armageddonijad supporters and Hillary supporters accepted this, rendering them more sane than Rupaul supporters, who felt the need to object to this. Sorry, but the RJC is not a Poison Ivy League University. We have standards.

There was an early morning women’s forum for all the female attendees, featuring the wives of all four top tier candidates. Jewish republican and rising star Linda Lingle, the Governor of Hawaii, was supposed to attend, but apparently there was a scheduling conflict as well.

During the two hour lunch, several U.S. Senators addressed the crowd.

The first Senator to speak was Mitch McConnell, the minority leader from Kentucky. He spoke for less than 5 minutes, but his reputation for being Pro-Israel is matched only by his reputation for being a master of parliamentary procedure. The one remark he made that got his point across crystal clearly was when he talked about being in the minority.

“They (democrats) won the Senate, but they don’t have 60 votes.”

Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon spoke of how he “learned about Israel on his dad’s knee.” His remarks were brief, but he made it clear that his Mormon faith meant a great to deal to him. He was unequivocal.

“Mormons stand with Israel.”

Senator Susan Collins of Maine spoke next, and the bulk of her remarks dealt with the War on Terror. Apparently, moderate republicans are not so moderate when it comes to keeping constituents from being innocently murdered. Nor should they be.

“We need to support, ‘If you see something, say something.’”

“The Fort Dix and the Flying Imams were apprehended because citizens spoke up.”

She emphasized that terrorists should not be able to use the threat of lawsuits to scare American citizens who want to do the right thing.

She repeatedly praised Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman for his support on the War on Terror.

No, Senator Lieberman was not at this event. I personally honor and respect his steadfast commitment to the War, and to Israel, but he is wrong on virtually everything else. His being an Orthodox Jew does not change the fact that he votes with the democrats 90% of the time, and just because the left chooses to ignore his record does not mean we should be so quick to embrace a man who almost became the Vice President as a democrat. I want to see who he supports in 2008, since this was the 2008 forum for republican Jews. Nevertheless, he is fabulous on this issue.

Senator Collins continued by saying that, “The best border security cannot stop home grown terrorism.”

I spoke to her after her remarks for a couple minutes, and she was very friendly.

The next speaker was Senator John Ensign of Nevada. He is one of the main party strategists, and he spoke the longest of the Senators. His remarks dealt mainly with the other candidates. Yes, he does resemble John O’Hurley (J. Pederman from Seinfeld, and himself on Dancing with the Stars), but his message is serious and important. He even took on one of the Presidential candidates, and successfully.

“McCain-Feingold was one of the worst pieces of legislation. It only hid the money. We should take all limits and remove them.”

“Republicans are defending 22 seats. Democrats are only defending 12 seats.”

“Gordon Smith, John Sununu (New Hampshire), Susan Collins, and Norm Coleman are the most vulnerable.”

“Pete Domenici (New Mexico), John Warner (Virginia), and Chuck Hagel (Nebraska) are all retiring.” The audience cheered the retirement of Hagel.

“Colorado is pro-business, pro-gun, pro-death penalty. The democratic candidate is not.”

“In New Jersey, Frank Lautenberg is approaching 90.”

“Mary Landrieu in Louisiana is our top target.”

“Tim Johnson in South Dakota is available to be beaten.”

Senator Ensign concluded with some red meat.

“I’m not interested in the civil liberties of foreign terrorists.”

“We must protect Israel, enact the FISA Law, and do whatever it takes.”

I met Senator Ensign afterwards for a couple minutes, and he was also very genial.

Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota was the last one to speak. I had met him at at the Ronald Reagan library in the summer of 2006. He was warm and genial back then. He is a Jewish republican himself, and a friend of the RJC. I thanked him for his service and support of Israel and the War on Terror. I then asked him if I could give him a line that he could use if he liked it. He said yes.

“Trusting the democrats to run congress is liking trusting your children on a boat party with the Minnesota Vikings.” He laughed, and said he liked it. For the record, nobody parties like a Minnesota Viking.

Senator Coleman mixed the serious with the less serious in his remarks.

“President George W. Bush is the strongest friend of Israel.”

“Al Franken (who is competing in the democratic primary to unseat Senator Coleman) needs ‘Extreme Makeover, Satire.’” He rightly pointed out that what Al Franken refers to as satire, many people simply see as being mean and nasty.

“It doesn’t take a genius to tear things down. Gravity works.”

“We ignored Hitler. When Armageddonijad (my spelling) speaks, listen to him.”

“5000 years…It’s not what happens to you. It’s how you react.”

A good part of his remarks were dedicated to the tragedy of the Minnesota bridge collapse. He was poignant, and made it clear that his religious faith helped sustain him during those tough times. He reminded the audience that just because it is not in the news, the recovery will take plenty of time. Whether it is the War on Terror or a collapsing bridge, Norm Coleman gets the big picture. His toughness is mixed with a significant amount of warmth. He is a genuinely kind man, and he was truly beloved in the room.

Senator Coleman stayed and mingled with the crowd for a significant amount of time. I told him where I had met him before, and that I was praying for him and his family, as well as the people of Minnesota. I had a friend who drove on the bridge two hours before it collapsed, and thank God he was far away when it gave way.

I  then asked if I could ask him another lighthearted question, and he said yes again. I normally ask serious questions, but something about him makes me see him as somebody I can be slightly lighthearted with.

“Senator, between you and (former Senator) Rudy Boschwitz (whose son was in the room), how did Governor Tim Pawlenty get elected? I thought Minnesota only elects Jewish people (the late Paul Wellstone, a democrat, was also Jewish).”

He laughed, and put his finger to his lips and said, “Yeah, but we like him.”

I then replied, “I met him in March at the RJC fund raiser in Florida for Vice Presidency Cheney. He is a good man, and I wish you both success and offer my prayers in rebuilding.”

Senators Collins, Ensign and Coleman all agreed to do email interviews with me. When I told them I am a tennis racket hitting back the nonsense of the Daily Kos and Moveon.org, they had me speak to their legislative assistants (in front of them).

We shall see what transpires, but the legislative assistant to Senator Collins got back to me immediately, and I sent her the questions several days ago. Given how busy any Senator is, the professionalism and timeliness with regards to her and her staff is appreciated. Her office made it clear that the Senator wants to answer the questions personally, making it clear that the words are hers specifically. Her office got back to me again today, and I look forward to publishing that interview in the near future. 

Overall, the RJC 2008 Candidates Forum was a complete success on every possible level. After listening to the various speakers, below is what I recommend to benefit America.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/10/relax_republicans_this_is_a_fi.html

(The fact that an intellectual giant like Charles Krauthammer recommends some of the same things that I do tells me he is second only to my parents in terms of republican Jewish greatness. I remain in awe of him.)

Rudy Giuliani for President

Mitt Romney for Vice President

John McCain for Secretary of Defense

Fred Thompson for Attorney General

Duncan Hunter for Assistant Secretary of Defense

Mike Huckabee for either Secretary of Education, or head of Faith Based Initiatives

Sam Brownback for whichever job Mike Huckabee turns down

Tom Tancredo for expanding and being a prison guard at Guantanamo Bay

Ron Paul will be closely monitored at Gitmo by Tancredo

Mitch McConnell will be Majority Leader again. John Ensign will be the Majority Whip. Susan Collins and Gordon Smith will win their races

Norm Coleman will win his race, but if the worst case scenario (Hus ve Sholom, aka God forbid) occurs, he should be the next Secretary of State. Somebody has to turn that place around, and a Jewish republican would be the perfect shock to the system.

President Bush and Vice President Cheney have set the bar high, but their republican successor will extend America’s greatness. I recommend them for any jobs they want, with the exception of Ambassador to Belgium. That job is being held by the Honorable Sam Fox, who until recently was the Chairman of a fine organization known as the Republican Jewish Coalition.

eric

This entry was posted on Friday, October 26th, 2007 at 11:43 am and is filed under POLITICS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.