The punditry has been buzzing over Sheldon Adelson’s decision to pour $5 million into a pro-Newt Gingrich SuperPAC that is now leading the effort in South Carolina to pain Mitt Romney as a jobs-killing mean old businessman.
Our own Ron Kampeas took the pulse of Jewish GOPers, and found some who were willing to give Adelson a pass for essentially bankrolling a very liberal-sounding attack on Romney that many conservatives fear could end up helping Obama. In fact, Matt Brooks, the director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, and Fred Zeidman, a RJC funder and Romney backer, both made the case for why the Adelson-funded attacks could end up building up Romney’s defenses come the general election. That’s no surprise, since Adelson is an ally and top funder on a host of causes and organizations that matter to Brooks and Zeidman.
Others in the GOP/conservative and Romney camps, however, aren’t being so forgiving. John Sununu was talking pretty tough this week, warning that Adelson could pay a price next time he needs investment capital: [[READMORE]]
Does he think that people don’t remember when you attack them and pay for the attacks in a primary, especially when one ever the parties receiving that attack is a party he likes to go to to finance his expansions? There is no common-sense in this process. You feel sorry for people that aren’t that bright.
Of course, Sununu, not exactly a favorite of Jewish GOPers and pro-Israel activists, has little need for Adelson.
But that’s not the case with Romney fan Jennifer Rubin, the Washington Post’s conservative blogger and a regular combatant in intra-Jewish political warfare, who was starting to ask questions about Adelson’s support for the anti-Romney campaign. Now, however, she’s quoting an unnamed Adelson friend and GOP donor who says the casino mogul probably isn’t happy with how things have played out:
I spoke to a Republican donor who is a friend of Adelson. He told me, “I cannot imagine Sheldon Adelson is going to go through with this. Newt has embarrassed him. Sheldon Adelson is personally a tremendous free enterprise success story. And for him to see his money used to fund left-wing, anti-business language has to be very painful.” Adelson’s friend added that Adelson’s own rags-to-riches story and longtime support of conservative causes are entirely at odds with the Gingrich onslaught.
A source close to Adelson had this to say to JTA:
But a source close to the casino mogul, a leading funder of Jewish conservative causes, said his $5 million donation last week to the SuperPAC did not necessarily signal agreement with the thrust of its anti-Romney campaign.
“It’s not about the other candidates in the race, it’s about a friend assisting a friend,” said the source.
