Republican Viewpoint
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April 30, 2009
During Barack Obama’s first 100 days in office, the American-Jewish community has already taken great pleasure in the performance of the president. He has begun to develop a deep and substantive relationship with the Jewish community by, among other things, hosting the first presidential seder, creating strong outreach, and working on key domestic and international issues that are of interest to American Jews.
Impressively, in less than three-and-a-half months, the Obama administration has already made marked advances with progressive policies on issues that are important to our community: the economy, Israel, the Middle East, reproductive rights, renewable energy, and stem cell research.
The aforementioned seder caused quite a buzz among American Jews. Not only was it the first presidential Passover ritual meal in our nation’s history, but it has become symbolic of the intimate and deep relationship our president has with our community. (I must have received 50 photos of the White House seder from friends and family.) Not only has the president embraced one of our most significant rituals, he has comforted us as a community by including in his administration individuals with whom we have longstanding, close relationships. Obama has put together a dream team of excellent advisers and appointments, several of them members of our faith.
As a community, we are grateful that the president has spoken out loudly against hate and intolerance. Last week, he delivered remarks at the Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, calling on Americans to “contemplate the obligations of the living” and fight against “those who insist the Holocaust never happened, who perpetrate every form of intolerance.”
Earlier this month, under his direction, the United States boycotted Durban II, the vehemently anti-Israel United Nations conference on racism.
Being a leader in the Jewish community during the Obama administration means more than just being invited to holiday parties and events at the White House. Thus far, the Obama administration has made a concerted effort to communicate with and involve our community in major policy decisions. For example, the administration briefed Jewish community leaders via regular high-level conference calls during the formulation of policy toward Durban II. Before then, the administration invited community leaders to participate in an hour-long conference call with George Mitchell, his special envoy to the Middle East. The conversation was substantive, candid, and meaningful. Those who took part in the call were impressed by Mitchell’s grasp of the issues and his attentiveness to the participants’ questions.
In these first 100 days, the most senior members of the Obama administration not only reached out to the Jewish community, they listened. Although the president’s critics continue to search for ways to prove that he is anti-Israel, their message lacks substance and has very little resonance with the wider Jewish community.
Of critical importance to us, Obama’s foreign policy has immeasurably improved America’s image abroad. Both his foreign and his domestic policy objectives make Israel and the United States more secure. The president’s policies designed to move America toward renewable energy and reduce dependence on Middle East oil have already begun to be implemented. These priorities, embraced by those Obama has appointed to serve in his administration, endorse strategies that place the utmost importance on Israel’s peace and security.
On the domestic front, Obama has acted swiftly on critical issues and has revised some of President George W. Bush’s damaging policies. President Obama has shown bold leadership to lead America out of this devastating economic crisis and create or save millions of American jobs, provide tax relief, and invest in our long-term financial security. Obama has also taken steps to ensure that by lifting the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, we will not fall behind other leading countries in important areas of research and development. Exploring this burgeoning field will ensure that the United States is expanding its scientific frontier and providing Americans with the most advanced medical treatments.
Similarly, the president chose good policy over partisan politics when he struck down the infamous Global Gag rule, which prohibited American money from funding international family-planning clinics. This has provided life-saving health services to women as well as counseling or referrals about abortion services.
And finally, after many years of politicization at the Food and Drug Administration, our president is putting science over blind ideology, including allowing Plan B, the morning-after pill, to be available without a prescription to women 17 and older.
We should not overstate the importance of Obama’s first 100 days. There are, after all, over 1,300 days left in the president’s first term. However, we are happy to say that the first 15 weeks of his presidency have made us proud and have fulfilled his promise of much-needed change for our country.
Marc R. Stanley is chairman of the National Jewish Democratic Council.
Sending mixed signals on America’s security
The first 100 days of the Obama administration are widely considered an indicator of the policies the president will pursue in the years to come. So what have we seen in the first 100 days of this presidency?
Iran continues to work feverishly to acquire nuclear weapons, while the United States continues to pursue its policy of “engagement.”
North Korea launched a long-range missile. The next day, the administration announced drastic cuts in missile defense funding, including a halt to further deployment of Alaska-based interceptors designed to counter missiles from North Korea.
Our president greeted Hugo Chavez with a “handshake seen around the world,” while Venezuelan Jews face virulent, government-sponsored harassment.
Before finally declining to send a delegation, the president reversed the Bush administration’s policy of boycotting the UN Human Rights Council, the body that organized the Durban II conference against racism and that continuously focuses on condemning Israel and turning a blind eye to the genocide in Darfur and other human rights abuses. President Obama’s mixed signals about the conference gave encouragement to the enemies of the United States and of Israel and left our allies wondering where we stood.
The Obama administration chose Charles “Chas” Freeman to be chairman of the National Intelligence Council. Freeman is a long-standing apologist for the Saudi regime, a harsh and ideological critic of Israel, and a proud subscriber to the Walt/Mearsheimer “Israel lobby” thesis. After a public outcry against Freeman taking such a sensitive security post, including efforts by the RJC, Freeman stepped down.
Many mainstream media outlets have reported on the growing “tension” between the Obama administration and the new Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
The administration has asked Congress to relax sanctions against the terrorist group Hamas, so that if Hamas and Fatah ever come to share power in a Palestinian unity government, the United States can continue to send millions of dollars there.
We have seen trillions and trillions of dollars allocated to bailouts and new government spending. The massive growth of government engendered by this spending and the debt burden to our children and grandchildren will haunt us for decades.
Our security agencies have been paralyzed by the double punch of released intelligence memos and vague threats to prosecute those who protected this country from harm in the previous administration.
Despite promises of “transparency” and “openness,” only one of the 11 bills signed by the president so far were made available to the public for review before signing. (In fact, some of them weren’t actually reviewed by members of Congress before they were whisked up to the president’s desk.)
The president promised not to appoint lobbyists to his administration. He has appointed several, including former Raytheon lobbyist William J. Lynn as deputy secretary of defense.
We have seen thousands of people across the country protest against the high taxes and unimaginable government spending proposed by this president. These “tea parties” — peaceful, truly grassroots demonstrations of public opinion — were called “unhealthy” by senior White House adviser David Axelrod.
As Americans, we all want our president and our country to succeed in tough and challenging times. However, for those who care deeply about national security, the economy, and other vital issues, these early days of the administration offer an opportunity to examine the president’s priorities and intentions that should not be missed. While the president’s supporters will praise his actions in the first 100 days, many of those actions have been cause for concern for American Jews. A balanced and honest review is in order.
Matthew Brooks is executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition.
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