John McCain’s selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate has ignited enthusiasm among Republicans. The National Jewish Democratic Council believes it has also energized Jewish Democrats – to work even harder to ensure she doesn’t become vice president. The organization is using the Palin pick to raise money, callling the selection “bizarre” and emphasizing her “zero foreign policy experience.” Here’s the full fundraising e-mail:
Dear NJDC Activist:
“Kissing the Jewish vote goodbye,” that was the headline in The Guardian this week about the McCain campaign that noted, “candidates like Palin are the Jews’ worst nightmare.”
The Politico noted in an article entitled, “Jewish voters may be wary of Palin,” that, “John McCain may have helped Obama with his Jewish problem by choosing Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.”
In McCain’s first critical presidential decision, his judgment appears to be lacking with the selection of his Vice Presidential running mate. In Governor Sarah Palin, McCain selected a running mate with zero foreign policy experience and a brewing scandal which is being investigated by the Alaska state legislature.
The Palin selection seems bizarre, as the McCain campaign has spent the better part of the past year loudly exclaiming that it was reaching out to Jewish voters and made much to do about considering two Jewish legislators – Senator Joe Lieberman and Representative Eric Cantor – as vice presidential possibilities.
When asked what qualification he was looking for in selecting a Vice President, McCain, who turned 72 last week, has said, “The fundamental principle behind any selection of a running mate would be whether that person is fully prepared to take over.” So why select Palin?
On domestic issues, Palin is totally out of step with public opinion in the Jewish community. Palin is against reproductive freedom – even in the cases of rape and incest; one of the first organizations to support her nomination was the Christian Coalition.
As the voice for Jewish Democrats in this crucial election season, the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) must have a strong and visible presence within the Jewish community to educate voters about the facts and Palin’s stands on the issues at stake in November.
Make a contribution now to NJDC.
Your help and support will enable us to strategically focus our resources and further expand our work throughout the country where the Jewish voters can make a difference.
The election is less than 60 days away, and in order to launch our outreach plans we must raise significant funds by September 10th.
Make a contribution today, and help NJDC get the facts out!
Sincerely,
Ira N. Forman
Executive Director
National Jewish Democratic Council
