Former Mayor Edward I. Koch, who recently used the forum of a special Congressional election to broadcast his criticism of President Obama’s Israel policy, announced in an e-mail on Tuesday that Mr. Obama’s United Nations speech opposing the Palestinians’ bid for statehood had satisfied all his concerns, and that he was now prepared to support Mr. Obama’s re-election.
“Whatever rift existed before — and there was — that’s gone,” Mr. Koch said in a telephone interview. He said that he was now ready to go out and make the case to Jewish voters that the president deserved their support.
“He’s got me to go out there and persuade them,” he said. “I have shoes, will travel.”
Mr. Koch, a Democrat, had just a few months ago been so unhappy with Mr. Obama’s posture toward Israel that he endorsed the Republican candidate, Bob Turner, over the Democrat, Assemblyman David I. Weprin, in the Sept. 13 special election to replace Anthony D. Weiner in Congress. Mr. Turner won the race, in part thanks to votes from a sizable Orthodox Jewish community.
The Jewish vote was apparently influenced in part by Mr. Koch’s argument — made in automated telephone calls, news conferences and mailings — that Jewish voters could send a message to President Obama by voting against Mr. Weprin. After Mr. Turner’s victory, Mr. Koch threatened to continue raising his concerns on a national stage, suggesting that he would consider campaigning against Mr. Obama in battleground states like Florida.
“I like to think that what I did made common sense at the time, and I have no regrets in having done it, but that’s over, and I believe that it was helpful to the debate,” he said.
He declined to say what Mr. Obama had said in their interaction, but he did reveal that the president made a remark about one of the Republican presidential candidates, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas.
“I won’t say what he said,” Mr. Koch said, “but I said to him: ‘Mr. President, that’s the one guy you won’t have to worry about. Jews will never vote for anyone who doesn’t believe in evolution.’ ”
(Source: NY Times)
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5 Responses
Senility is a nasty affliction, but, hey, he claims to have evolved from a monkey. Break out another package of Depends. Ed doesn’t endorse a candidate without them.
Kochkes’s anti-endorsement of Weprin was nothing more than political payback for bad blood between Kochkeh and Weprin’s father. Ironically, the very pro to’aiva Koch helped the frum community send a message about Weprin’s “because I’m Jewish” to’aiva vote, but you can be sure he wont be getting any schar for it.
“flip flop”??? – when did he ever endorse a Republican for president. Given that Koch has always been a reliable “tax and spend” liberal, it would be shocking if he wouldn’t support the Democrats in a presidential election in which the primary issues are all economic.
Obama probably offered him a job in the next administration. Thank God the next administration WON’T belong to Obama!
As much as you may not like Obama I not would jump to Perry too quickly either. ——- The grass is always greener on the other side.