NYS Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver conceded Sunday that President Obama has a problem among Jewish New Yorkers, but said electing a Republican to fill ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner’s seat is not the answer.
Former Mayor Ed Koch is urging voters in Weiner’s old district to vote against Democrat David Weprin in the special election as a way to protest Obama’s call to use Israel’s 1967 borders as a starting point in Mideast peace talks.
Silver, an Orthodox Jew, branded Koch’s call “totally inappropriate.”
“Ed Koch is totally out of line,” said Silver, a Manhattan Democrat. “What we need is more Democrats who will go to bat for Israel, notwithstanding what a President may think.
“In order to change the perceptions, it’s important to elect more staunch Democrats who are supporters of Israel.”
Silver said Weprin, a Queens assemblyman who is also an Orthodox Jew, fits the bill.
Koch has said electing Republican Bob Turner in the Sept. 13 special election would be equivalent to the message sent when Massachusetts voters tapped Republican Scott Brown to fill the late Se n. Edward Kennedy’s seat.
Obama, he has argued, became more of a centrist as a result.
While Silver differs with Koch’s approach, he doesn’t dispute that Obama’s standing among Jewish voters is weak, particularly after Obama proposed “1967 lines with mutually agreed [land] swaps” in settlement talks with the Palestinians.
“The perceptions aren’t great right now,” Silver said.
A Siena College poll last week showed 51% of Jewish voters in New York have an unfavorable view of Obama compared with 41% with a favorable one. Even worse, just 29% rated Obama’s performance excellent or good, while a whopping 71% said he’s doing a poor or bad job.
(Source: NY Daily News)
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7 Responses
Shelly lecturing about an issue with Jews? What a joke!
1) Israel isn’t the only issue, and even so, who said Weprin would be any better then Turner?
2) Since when should we listen to Silver? On all issues that Jews care about, he votes the other-way. Who says Weprin wouldn’t do the same. Silver has not idea what Jews care about and Weprin so far has shown he doesn’t either. Even Hikind votes against the Marriage bill! while Weprin and Silver voted for.
3) Recent history has shown that many Gentiles in Congress have more support for Israel then many of the Jews.
4) While many think Turner has no chance, Weiner received less then 60% of the vote in his last election. This wasn’t his first, it was his SEVENTH! All you need is a few more voters to swing over, which is something that most Orthodox Jews do commonly, and Turner can win.
If Shelly says right I go left and if says left I go right.
What more do we need? More of this corruption?
Enough
While it is true that Shelly Siver is personally orthodox, it has NEVER influenced his POLITICAL actions. He is a true blue Democrat. BUT Siver is completely “out of line” in criticizing Koch. For once Koch is correct on this issue. The only trouble is that MOST orthodox Jews DO NOT VOTE!!!
“On all issues that Jews care about, he votes the other-way. ”
“While it is true that Shelly Siver is personally orthodox, it has NEVER influenced his POLITICAL actions. ”
Ignorant nonsense! Silver has been defending the interests of the frum community for decades. He is personally responsible for the funding that many frum social service agencies receive. And he also was instrumental in getting assisted reproductive technology to be a mandatory coverage under Medicaid and all health insurers in New York State. There are frum kids today who would not exist were it not for that.
The ingratitude shown here is despicable. Yes, Silver doesn’t always vote the way you like. He is beholden to a Democratic Caucus that is much further to the Left and a constituency that is extremely far to the Left. It is frankly a miracle that he can continue to get elected and re-elected from a district like that. Had he blocked the same sex marriage law, he would have been immediately replaced as Speaker, and had he voted against it, he would likely lose a primary election. Those who criticize him need to consider the many Jews whose livelihood depends on the agencies that Silver helps to fund, and the many Jewish kids who will not be born if the Republican Tea Partiers get their way and gut Medicaid.
Ed Koch has never been a party-line man.
#4- The reason most Orthodox Jews don’t vote is that, unlike frei Jews, we have, Baruch ha-Shem, many children, and our average age is well below the minimum age for voting. Most frummies are too young to vote.
A politician like Shelley Silver does what is right so that HE gets elected. He does not care about YOU – whether you are frum, gay, right, left, center, black, white or green. He cares about YOUR VOTE. He is the epitome of a machine politician, but I don’t think anyone else can get in where he is. Best to leave things alone, because a vote for a Republican in NY is a vote thrown away.
I would trade the fantasy of Jewish kids who are never born because of reductions in Medicaid for all of the criminals who won’t be born or who will be disabled and unable to commit another crime after being injured while committing the first one (or first unsuccessful one of many) because of reductions in Medicaid. That is because ATIME and others will have more donations to pay for IVF when the present regime is removed and taxes and spending are both cut so that the economy improves and frum businesses have more maaser to give (and less need for Tomchei Shabbos so that medical tzedokos get more attention).