Antonio Villaraigosa is coming up to halftime in his first term as mayor of Los Angeles. This is as good a time as any to assess the direction of his mayoralty and its implications for the Jewish community.
With California\’s early primary bringing unusual recognition to the Golden State, the Republican candidates are heading out West. They met in debate at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley on May 3. Do these Republicans have a shot at winning Jewish voters over in 2008?
Today, Jews remain a key constituency in Los Angeles politics and generate plenty of strong candidates. The dramatic rise of Latinos in local politics, though, has carved out another niche for minority candidates that once largely belonged to African Americans.
When the Republicans are in power in Washington, the Jewish political world is usually on the outside looking in, except in matters regarding Israel. With the exception of Israel, the Jewish political orientation (pro-science, pro-choice, favoring economic equality and internationalism) is completely at odds with the contemporary Republican agenda in national politics.
Israel is now stuck between Iraq and a hard place; those in the administration who most uncritically support Israel don\’t know what they\’re doing, and those who have better ideas are more critical of Israel.
The American political system is on the verge of a major change. The Republicans are in danger of losing to the Democrats in the November congressional elections. Foreign affairs will be central to the outcome. Are the Democrats ready for their big curtain call?
Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the first Jewish candidate for vice president, is in a world of political trouble. Facing a tight race for the Democratic nomination from Ned Lamont, he has already started to collect signatures to run as an independent, should he lose the primary on Aug. 8.
Democratic districts on Los Angeles\’ Westside and in the Valley, next week\’s primary will not only determine the Democratic winner but also the person who will almost certainly win in the fall\’s general election. And Jewish voters, who are overwhelmingly Democratic, will play a key role in the outcome.
The intensifying crisis of Iran\’s nuclear program is bringing into sharp relief the problems created for Israel by the radical foreign policy of the Bush administration.
Republicans once had high hopes that George W. Bush would draw American Jews away from their historic affinity with Democrats into embracing the conservative party. They believed that Jews would be drawn to Bush\’s intense support for the State of Israel.
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