fbpx

Koch endorses Obama

Ed Koch says he\'s now on the \"Obama reelection express.\"
[additional-authors]
September 27, 2011

Ed Koch says he’s now on the “Obama reelection express.”

The former New York mayor told supporters in an e-mail Monday that he is backing the president in the wake of his pro-Israel speech last week at the United Nations, among other factors.

Koch credited his role in the Democrats’ loss of this month’s special congressional election in a heavily Jewish Democtatic stronghold in New York City. Koch had urged voters to back the Republicans to send a message to President Obama, whom he accused of distancing himself from Israel.

“I believe the recent vote in the 9th Congressional District in New York affected in a positive way the policy of the U.S. on the Mideast,” he said, noting the international community’s endorsement last week of renewed talks without preconditions, a key Israeli demand. “The President should be praised for intervening with the Egyptian army to save the Israeli diplomatic personnel from physical assault and providing the Israeli military with bunker buster bombs, advanced military technology and providing military intelligence cooperation far exceeding his predecessors.’

“I’m now on board the Obama Reelection Express,” Koch said.

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

A Night of Gratitude Honoring Dennis Prager

Latest Articles

Rosner’s Domain: Weeks of Known Unknowns

So here we are, stuck with just a few bad options to consider. And that’s just the political superposition of undetermined future – alongside it there’s also the possible – probable? – war with Iran.

After the Last Out, Collect a Different Kind of Card

At a time when Jewish education is competing for attention in a world dominated by screens, sports, short-form videos and endless streams of content, these easily collectable cards offer a different kind of engagement.

6 Jewish Takeaways from the Midterm Elections

There is little chance that the combination of a weakened Trump and an emboldened Democratic Congress produces similar levels of support for aggressive action against Iran and its proxies, and other policies that a wide spectrum of Israelis see as crucial to their security.

Israel Drives Them Crazy

In the diaspora and in Israel, we cannot turn back the clock and undo the harm that was done to us. But we can shape our own future. Israel is strong and resolute. So must we be.

Torah Portion: Chayei Sarah

The Torah offers a comforting view of a life beyond this life. We aren’t told what it will be exactly — yes, it’s abstract and vague — but we are told it’s waiting for us as it was for Abraham.

Hatred Opened the Door. A Missed Victory Held It Open.

For me, the disaster isn’t that Democrats won or Republicans lost. It’s that politicians who demonize Israel, deny Jewish self-determination and explain away antisemitism are finding an increasingly receptive electorate in the world’s most important democracy.

The Jewish Dilemma

The central issue is not whether Jewish voters should support Democrats or Republicans. It is whether either party can demonstrate that Jewish security, Jewish identity and Jewish self-determination are compatible with its broader political agenda.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.