New York-June 20…The Jewish Voice, the nation’s largest Jewish classifieds, today endorsed Bob Turner in the Republican primary for United States Senate.
Below is the full endorsement:
It was just over nine months ago when a sole Republican generated a political earthquake in Washington, D.C.
Bob Turner, once an unknown Catholic businessman, unexpectedly defeated Democratic Candidate David Weprin- an Orthodox Jewish politician- by a significant margin to secure a seat held by Democrats for over eighty years. The stunning victory made national headlines, particularly due to the fact that an overwhelming majority of Jewish voters- an historically Blue voting bloc- rallied for a Republican candidate. The election results were largely cast as a popular message to President Obama on his disappointing performance while in office (in terms of fostering Israel-American relations and improving the economy).
The resounding message was heard loud and clear. Only a few days later, the President acknowledged it by giving one of the most pro-Israel speeches in the U.N. chamber during his term as president. Ever since, the settlement freeze demand has been dropped, the treatment of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has improved, and the approach on stopping Iran’s nuclear development has been sharpened by taking affirmative action – imposing the harshest of economic sanctions on the Iranian regime.
Besides serving as a messenger on behalf of New York voters, Congressman Turner- in his short term in office- has proven to be a strong advocate for Jewish causes, a steadfast supporter of the State of Israel, and a sincere friend of the Jewish community in Brooklyn. Serving on the homeland security and foreign affairs committees, Congressman Turner has co-sponsored several bills imposing pressure on Iran and other initiatives that consider Israel a vital ally and serve in the best interest of Turner’s district and the American Jewish Community.
The Democratic response to losing a key constituency, and a traditional voting bloc, was turned over to local Democrats- who toe the party line- to eliminate the congressional seat and split up the Jewish votes in several Democratic strongholds. Instead of paying a price for neglecting the largest Jewish community outside of Israel, admitting mistakes and addressing issues of concern to most voters, the Democrats have elected to ignore the call, punish voters, and fire the representative they picked-killing the messenger, rather than heeding and responding to the message.
While the presidential election might be close, New Yorkers will not be able to effectively influence the race other then using their right to vote and rejecting Obama’s policies. But there is one guy that could once again serve as a messenger on our behalf, if Obama manages to pull this through and win reelection, and that guy is familiar to most of you: Bob Turner.
Just imagine the shockwaves that would result if a Blue state like New York sends a Republican senator to replace one of Washington’s most liberal Senators and one of Obama’s closest allies, to effectively check the President and his policies.
Congressman Bob Turner is in our view the most credible candidate, the man who has a proven record of surprising observers from across the political spectrum, and the necessary credentials to make the Senate race competitive. In addition to the burning issues of the day and the national focus on jobs and the economy, Turner has the ability, with a strong Jewish base, to force Jewish issues into the national debate again.
Thereby, the Jewish Voice is proud to enthusiastically support and endorse Congressman Bob Turner as the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in Tuesday’s June 26th Republican primaries.
In an expected low turnout, New York Republicans can make a difference. Every vote counts; it’s worth every effort to make a change, and be part of history yet again.
The Jewish Press, that endorsed David Weprin in last year’s NY-9 special election, endorsed Bob Turner for US Senate, largely due to the fact that Senator Gillibrand supported Obama’s Israel policy.
The Jewish Press endorses Congressman Bob Turner for the Republican nomination for United States senator from New York. The Republican primary election on June 26 will choose who will run against the incumbent, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat seeking reelection. Several months ago, following the forced resignation of Rep. Anthony Weiner, Mr. Turner won the seat in a special election against Assemblyman David Weprin with overwhelming support from the Orthodox Jewish community. In significant part, that support was based on his being identified with those protesting President Obama’s Middle East policies.
While Sen. Gillibrand lately has been saying many of the right things about the U.S.-Israel relationship since being appointed by then-Gov. David Paterson to fill the seat vacated by Hillary Clinton, it was not always the case.
When questioned about her support for President Obama’s pressure on Israel over settlement construction, Ms. Gillibrand said,
I will certainly offer what I think is the best policy, regardless of what Netanyahu says he wants to do. I will always be an advocate for the solutions that I think will be most effective…. I think the president will use all the means and all tools in his toolbox to reach a solution for peace in the Middle East. And if he offers positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement, that will be a strategic decision for the administration and our secretary of state.
These are hardly encouraging words and we look forward to a campaign that pursues the issue. Of the three candidates running in the Republican primary, Congressman Turner seems best suited to bringing that about.