Israel, the swing state

October 23, 2008 - 11:06 PM by David

mccain.jpgWhile the Israeli-Arab conflict is probably somewhere under the plight of the spotted owl as an issue important to the American voter, Israel might end up playing an important role in the elections anyway.

According to Shimon Greenspan, director of the nonpartisan Vote From Israel organization, which helps Americans living in Israel to register and cast their absentee ballots, approximately half of some 42,000 registered US voters living in Israel are voting in swing states such as Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania

“If the election is close, as it was in the past two [presidential] elections, then the deciding votes could be coming from Israel,” he told The Jerusalem Post today. According to the organization, Israel has the third-largest group of American voters abroad, behind Canada and Britain.

Sensing that the Israel vote could be important, representatives of Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama are scouring the country try to woo voters, especially voters from Florida, according to the Bloomberg news agency.

Republicans Abroad in Israel has been passing out bumper stickers that carry McCain’s name rendered in Hebrew. Democrats Abroad set up booths on Israeli campuses to promote Obama, 47, to year-abroad students.

Kory Bardash, co-chairman of the Republicans Abroad in Israel, focuses on areas where there are lots of Americans, including the Tel Aviv suburb of Ra’anana and West Bank settlements Efrat and Maale Adumim. At a retirement home in Jerusalem, he helped register a 105-year-old Democrat, Miriam Pollack, who is from Delray Beach, Florida. Obama is “too much of a risk,” Bardash said she told him.

Democrats are signing up students at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and promoting absentee ballots at house parties. A get-out-the-vote event closer to the election is planned at Mike’s Place, a bar overlooking Tel Aviv’s beach next to the U.S. Embassy, said Joanne Yaron, chairwoman of Israel’s Democrats Abroad.

Hey guys, it looks like we’re going to have our own elections to deal with soon. So chill out, and leave the voting to those Americans living in the US. We’re too busy dusting off our Center Party buttons.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , • Category: General, Politics 

Comments

5 Comments on Israel, the swing state

  1. David-Joe on Fri, Oct 24th 2008 2:46 AM

    2. Quite the contrary I do declare. It is important that Americans who retain their citizenship of the United States vote for John McCain-Sarah Palin.

    Both these candidates are firm friends of Israel and Palin in particular is the nosom candidate of the most loyal political allies Israel has in the US today, centered in San Antonio, Texas, the religious right wing.

    On the other hand you have the pacifistic left winger named Barak Hussein Obama that has a trail of connections to those that have spoken out against Israel and Jews in General.

    If ever you are important to the defense of the State of Israel, the country you now call home, then it is your responsibilty to vote for the sake of yourselves and your children and the safety and security of Israel for the US candidates that will always stand by Israel.

    Remember you no longer live in the US and so domestic issues are not relevant. Israel is.

    Vote for McCain-Palin or you are letting Israel down.

  2. David on Fri, Oct 24th 2008 7:32 AM

    3. On the other hand…

  3. David-Joe on Fri, Oct 24th 2008 11:58 AM

    4. There is no other hand.

  4. Barry on Fri, Oct 24th 2008 4:19 PM

    5. Good Lord….the israeli nutwings have been telling US citizens to vote for the Republicans for the last 40 years. (First, in my recollection were the strong suggestions that US Citizens should vote for Nixon, for the good of Israel. I’ll bet, David-Joe or whatever your name is, that you spread the word to vote for Bush, for Isarel’s sake, in 2000 and 2004. And look how well that turned out. Military adveres, economic disaster, social disaster….etc and so forth.

    Sarah Palin doesn’t know or care shit about israel or anything else — other than her $150K wardrobe, of course. The problem, David-Joe, — is that David-Joe the plumber? — is that a weak United states will and can be not much good to Israel, and a continuation of the last 8 years of Republican Policies is a disaster that may make it impossible for the US to help israel much, if, G-d forbid, Israel really needs the help.

    And who knows what the often incoherent John McCain might do if he becomes President? Certainly this campaign can’t tell us much.

    However you want to vote, if you want the vote to count, you’d better get your ballot down to the embassy, or it may not count at all. Palin-Mccain….sorry…McCain – Palin will be a disaster for the Untied states, and any disaster for the United states will be a disaster for Israel.

  5. David-Joe on Mon, Oct 27th 2008 4:08 AM

    6. Barry it seems the other Barry may well become the next POTUS.

    In that case – I gather you live in Israel? – you had better turn to prayer because the road to nuclear power for Iran will be wide open.

    And today’s attack by the US in Syria may well be the last time the US takes such action against the regime that supports and nurtures Hizballah.

    Further, Israel had better become used to an America that will not be supportive and will be “even handed” and even insist that all settlements be vacated, Jerusalem be divided and Israel show permenent “restraint” in defending itself.

    Welcome to the new reality, that of an Obama Administration, where the Palestinians will merely be the other side with a moral equivalence that will see Israel’s enemies rejoice and even Israeli liberals shocked.

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