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First Impressions

No matter what you\'ve heard about the inevitability of George W. Bush, the presidential candidate closest to the heart of Jewish Republicans is, at least for the moment, Arizona Sen. John McCain.
[additional-authors]
July 8, 1999

No matter what you’ve heard about the inevitability of George W. Bush, the presidential candidate closest to the heart of Jewish Republicans is, at least for the moment, Arizona Sen. John McCain.

McCain, the self-described Reagan Republican, would run a familiar, old-fashioned campaign full of warm-fuzzies, at least where the pro-Israel group is concerned — high on foreign policy and national defense, low on divisive domestic affairs. George W., of course, famously lacking in specifics, is a great unknown. The Bush campaign is one part Clinton revulsion, one part demographic savvy and one part the blessings of early money yielding momentum. The anti-abortion Republican is running ahead of Al Gore with women! It’s a dazzling effort that, even if not ultimately successful, may redefine the political landscape.

We’re only at the beginning of the story. The Texas governor whipped through California before July 4 on a three-day fund-raising tour (his campaign has raised a total of $36 million to date). This week, I couldn’t find a single Los Angeles Jewish Republican who would commit to being committed to Bush, but there were none who would say publicly they were against him, either. Despite Bush’s meeting with Hollywood types at the home of producer Terry Semel and the Century Plaza dinner guest-hosted by Jerry Weintraub, even the Bush team back in Austin was unsure what progress had been made with the likes of Sherry Lansing or among the pro-Israel crowd.

But even noncommittal is good news, a show that George W. has a distinct identity from his less-than-adored father where Jews and Israel are concerned.

Perhaps Jewish support can wait. Karl Rove, Bush strategist, says that victory in 2000 depends on Latinos, the suburban vote and, in particular, Catholics. The bet is that middle-of-the-road Catholics, long ignored as a special interest group, are fed up with having the “religious terrain” of their party captured by a fringe right wing. But this means that the “swing vote” status, once focused on Jews, whether the Orthodox or fiscally libertarian segments, may now be ignored. Unless, that is, “suburban” is a euphemism for Jewish Calabasas. The Bush 2000 Web site, www.georgewbush.com, has a Spanish counterpart but does not mention Israel.

Anyway, he may get to the Jewish community via other avenues. On Wednesday, Austin’s Michael Dell, of Dell Computers, signed on to chair the Bush high-tech advisory council. It’s hard to deny the sense of an emerging juggernaut.

It’s still a year from the convention. Anything can happen.

“The media don’t like a coronation; they like competition,” white-haired, energetic John McCain was saying hopefully. At the Beverly Hills home of Rosalie Rubaum (active in Israel Bonds) Tuesday night, interest in McCain was high. The 80 appreciative Jewish Republicans brought together by former Pete Wilson adviser Rosalie Zalis were probably more than twice the number dispersed among the 2,500 at the Century Plaza Bush event.

McCain, in Los Angeles for three days, can do the pro-Israel speech in his sleep. There were enough references to Saddam Hussein and the need for a new ballistic missile system to remind you what Reagan Republicanism meant and that he was a career military man to boot.

Israel was mentioned so often, with all the right references to the only democracy in the middle east, that the Q&A focused on the looming threat of Russia and the challenge of Social Security. It was the old-time religion — amiable, sincere and well-received.

Yet it won’t be enough. Among the Beverly Hills crowd, there was little or no interest in his key campaign issue — finance reform — which was dismissed by one guest as “unrealistic.” And after he left, several guests said it would take a major stumble from George W. to give McCain a chance. McCain’s breezy manner, filled with self-deprecating humor, suggests that, beyond Beverly Hills, he suspects that not many are listening.

“Now some ask whether the American people care about foreign policy,” he said. “But I care, and you care, because we know what happens to a country when we don’t pay attention.”

Playing to his audience, McCain criticized what he called the “salami slicing” of land for peace on the very day when newly installed Prime Minister Ehud Barak had, in his inaugural address, pledged to negotiate with Syria?

Moving beyond Israel, McCain, who had been an advocate of ground troops in Kosovo, slammed what he called the Clinton administration’s “photo opportunity” foreign policy.

“Thank you for giving my candidacy your consideration,” McCain said at least twice. He meant it, too. He enjoys being among the foreign-policy wonks and fiscal conservatives like those Zalis gathered together. They need him, too, to keep their political bearings while the world shifts.

McCain acknowledged that it will be months before the campaign focuses on serious issues. He’ll have a waiting audience.


Marlene Adler Marks, senior columnist of The Jewish Journal, is author of “A Woman’s Voice: Reflections on Love, Death, Faith, Food & Family Life” (On The Way Press).

Her website is www.marleneadlermarks.com.

Her e-mail address is wmnsvoice@aol.com. Her book, “A Woman’s Voice” is available through Amazon.com.

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