Last night, after Mitt Romney’s decisive win in the Nevada caucuses, a reporter asked Newt Gingrich about reports that his white knight, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, had reached out to Romney as well.
The reference was apparently to this good story in today’s New York Times, which frames Adelson’s willingness to keep feet in both camps in terms of his dedication to Israel and his determination to oust President Obama:
Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino executive keeping Newt Gingrich’s presidential hopes alive, has relayed assurances to Mitt Romney that he will provide even more generous support to his candidacy if he becomes the Republican nominee, several associates said in interviews here.
The signals from Mr. Adelson, whose politics are shaped in large part by his support for Israel, reflect what the associates said was his deep investment in defeating President Obama and his willingness to play a more prominent role in the Republican Party and conservative causes.
This shouldn’t be a huge surprise: However acrimonious the race for the GOP nod has been, Jewish donors to the different candidates have remained in touch and convivial as I reported here a while back.
Much of the why has to do with Israel, as explained in Gingrich’s response to the reporter, illustrative not just in how he frames GOP perceptions of the Obama-Israel nexus, but in his evident irritation with the question.
From CNN:
[[READMORE]]
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: There are reports that Sheldon Adelson has been meeting with Mitt Romney and has said that he will, you know, help him financially?
GINGRICH: Who?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sheldon?
GINGRICH: I have no idea.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you — would that bother you if he is —
GINGRICH: First of all, I think what he’s quoted as saying is if I had dropped out he would be willing to support Governor Romney. And I will ask him myself. If the choice is Obama and Romney, then there’s no choice. I think that’s how — that’s how Sheldon Adelson feels.
Look, Sheldon’s primary driving force is the survival of the United States and Israel in the face of an Iranian nuclear weapon. And compared to Barack Obama, virtually anybody is a better candidate. So that doesn’t matter me at all. Yes, ma’am?
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
