by Johanna Ginsberg
NJJN Staff Writer

September 25, 2008

The presidential debate heated up at Congregation Oheb Shalom in South Orange on Sept. 16 when local representatives of the national Democratic and Republican Jewish organizations faced off.

Greg Menken, regional director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, and Larry Stempler, local attorney and board member of the National Jewish Democratic Council, spoke before an audience of about 45 people, including some tweens and teens. The event was sponsored by the Conservative synagogue’s Miriam Sisterhood.

Both surrogates’ comments followed closely their candidates’ campaign themes: Menken, like John McCain, focused on “experience, judgment, and character” while Stempler, echoing Barack Obama, emphasized the problems facing the nation.

“We have a crumbling economy. We have crumbling housing. We have unemployment the highest it’s been in years: 6.2 percent,” said Stempler. “We have poverty of 37 million people. We have 47 million people without health insurance.”

‘Good enough on Israel isn’t good enough for me.
I want the best.’
— Menken for McCain

Both spent time on their candidates’ credentials with regard to Israel.

“Good enough on Israel isn’t good enough for me. I want the best,” said Menken, who criticized the Democratic Party for being “increasingly less enthusiastic about Israel” and critiqued Obama’s voting record on Israel, which he called “brief” and “mixed.”

He applauded McCain’s record on Israel, specifically his votes in favor of Israel’s security fence, against a 2006 amendment that would have restricted the use of cluster bombs, and for the Kyle/Lieberman Act, which declared Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization.

Menken also emphasized that McCain’s “tough” approach to Iran was generally beneficial to Israel and cited McCain’s advocacy for John Bolton, as the interim U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who failed in his bid for a permanent posting. Bolton was popular among Jewish groups, who remembered his role in the successful 1991 effort to repeal the UN resolution equating Zionism with racism.

“Since his first visit to Israel in 1979 as a navy liaison to the United States Senate, to his latest visit earlier this year with Joe Lieberman, [McCain] has been one of the leaders in support of the State of Israel and protecting our country,” Menken said.

‘When I am president, the U.S. will stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel in search of peace and defense against those who seek its destruction.’
— Stempler quoting Obama

Stempler, Obama’s surrogate, quoted his candidate on Israel. “Israel’s support has to be sacrosanct,” he quoted Obama as saying. “When I am president, the United States will stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel in search of peace and defense against those who seek its destruction.”

Stempler pointed to two bills Obama cosponsored while a state senator in Chicago: one in favor of Illinois’ ability to invest in Israel Bonds, and one to enable college students to study in Israel during the Intifada.

He pointed to Obama’s support for the Iran Sanctions Act, and praised his candidate’s selection of Elizabeth-born Daniel Kurtzer — a former U.S ambassador to Israel (2001-05) and Egypt (1997-2001) — as one of his key Mideast advisers.

Stempler also said Obama has enjoyed the longtime support of Jewish Chicagoans, including prominent philanthropist Lester Crown. And he summed up Obama’s campaign themes as embracing the Jewish concept of tikun olam, or healing the world.

Stempler criticized McCain for “talking tough” but not acting or making the right decisions on behalf of Israel, against Iran, or involving the influence of oil companies in the Middle East.

Sparring over abortion

The question-and-answer period that followed was heated at times.

Moderator Michelle Bobrow, social policy chair of the League of Women Voters’ Garden State region and former National Council of Jewish Women state public affairs chair — had to remind the surrogates to focus on the question at hand.

During a series of questions and answers on women’s reproductive rights, neither candidate could answer a question regarding proposed regulations that would enable pharmacists to decline to fill prescriptions for contraceptives, in violation of Title 10.

Both acknowledged they weren’t familiar with the legislation.

Stempler and Menken both discussed their candidates’ respective views on abortion in general terms. A significant majority of Jewish voters favor a woman’s right to undergo an abortion and support Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling that guarantees a woman’s right to choose.

“John McCain has a strict pro-life record, but I can tell you, he does not wake up every morning thinking about overturning Roe v. Wade,” said Menken. “He thinks about foreign policy and national security.

“Roe v. Wade is not under threat with McCain,” he added.

Stempler said Obama has a “very strong” record on women’s rights and pointed to bills the legislator authored in Chicago to ensure availability of contraception.

The discussion grew heated when Menken raised the issue of the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002, which requires that emergency medical care be provided to fetuses that survive the abortion procedure. Obama was not elected a U.S. senator until 2004, but opposed a state version of the bill.

“Barack Obama thought the baby should be left to die. He is pro-choice, but how many people are that pro-choice?”

Stempler responded, “With regard to that bill, that has been disputed time and time again. We’ve got to read about it. You’ll see where Obama’s position really was. I’m not an expert.”

Menken interrupted, “Tell me what his answer is.”

Stempler responded, “I just said read it; I’m not an expert.” The interchange, with voices rising, continued for several minutes until Menken finally retreated.

“I’m sorry you don’t like that answer but I’d appreciate it if you’d let me speak. Thank you,” said Stempler.

(According to the Obama campaign, Obama felt the state version of the legislation included language that could have undermined Roe. v. Wade; he would have supported the federal version of the bill, they say.)

It was the first political forum that Zoe Wasserman, 14, ever attended. The Millburn High School freshman came to “get both sides of the story.” She was amused by the goings on.

“I thought it was kind of funny that they were fighting against each other because of their views,” she said.

She was particularly interested in the candidates’ stands on embryonic stem cell research; while both Menken and Stempler professed their candidates’ support for the research, Wasserman was skeptical of McCain.

“The fact that Sarah Palin is pro-life and John McCain is also pro-life makes me think, how can he really be for stem cell research?” said Wasserman.

Leonard and Marion Merel came from Roseland to hear the debate.

“I wanted to hear both sides,” said Marion, a registered Democratic who is still undecided. This marks the first election in which she is contemplating voting Republican.

“Both sides have issues I’m not particularly happy with. Obama has been in the Senate a very short amount of time, and I don’t really know if he knows that much,” she said. “He can learn but it’s hard to have somebody learn when they’re on the job.”

And McCain? “McCain, I think, knows more about politics because he’s been in Washington. But in the meantime, he’s a Bush advocate and I’m not happy with Bush,” she said.

Her conclusion?

“I’m going to vote for Hillary.”

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