"too asleep at the wheel to notice where that the progressive flank might be pointing his party toward a cliff." This is false. The Biden White House is the most amazing White House I have ever seen in my lifetime. Instead of filling leadership positions with donors and CEOs, he hired nonprofit leaders, Ph.D.s and lawyers with deep experience. This includes the hiring of Jews with stellar qualifications. For the first two years, Josh Dickson from the campaign and, formerly, the Obama administration, came back as a senior adviser and associate director of the Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. He and the liaison to the Jewish community, Channan Weisman (who is Orthodox) are completely astute about all of the nuances of domestic and foreign policy. Channan Weissman returned to the State Department and Josh Dickson moved to a top job at United Way. The Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff, has been a tremendous advocate for Jewish causes inside the White House and to the public. He took on his role with great seriousness and dedication. Two early-to-mid career, brilliant Jewish leaders in the White House immediately come to mind: Aviva Aron-Dine, Deputy Director, National Economic Council and Stefanie Feldman, who authorized a great deal of the administration's gun violence prevention policy. Feldman has an amazing mind and rattles off laws and their reference numbers with ease. The Department of Education ruled in favor of the Jewish students at the University of Vermont and, since the George Washington University case is more serious, I expect the students to there too. The FBI's hate crime bureau includes Jews in its long list of groups covered by this program. FEMA makes funding available for synagogue safety. The new program to combat antisemitism will depend on who applies for the money the quality of their proposals. It's up to the Jewish community to bring forth meaningful proposals and apply for the funding. Similarly, Jewish organizations have to be proactive in applying for funding in education, the arts and social services. Jewish organizations underapply for municipal and county funding here in the Seattle area. In 2023 the Department of Education hosted some zoom programs on faith-based rights in education. The ADL was one of the main leaders of this program, and the ADL's statements are being written into Department of Education policy. Remember that 10% of all Jews in the US earn less than $32,000 per year, and we have a generation of Jewish going into old age alone and in poverty. Jews who didn't have inheritance or equal opportunity vote, and elder care, Medicare, Social Security and social services are major concerns to us.
The federal Department of Education does not have jurisdiction over curriculum. Therefore, the issue of anti-Jewish bias in "liberated" ethnic studies and particular content providers and websites is a state issue and a local school board issue. Instead of attacking Biden, we should be working on the severe problems going on in our own state, such as the PESB awarding a leadership grant to WAESN. We should be asking the candidates for governor what they are going to do about this and about paradigms that arbitrarily divide the student body into "white" vs. "BIPOC". Biden isn't promoting this, but our state PESB is. And we should asking the state OSPI candidates about that too, and school board candidates in places like the Northshore School District. Bellevue has teachers trying to promote protocols in which white students should wait to speak until after the "BIPOC" students speak, and using that as a demonstration of antiracism.
Congratulations on getting this interview. Useful information. I hope you'll be able to bring us interviews with other candidates including the President. And I must say I deeply disagree that President Biden is "too asleep at the wheel to notice where that the progressive flank might be pointing his party toward a cliff."
Regarding, "Can Nikki Haley Win the Jewish Vote?" Would be interesting to have commentary from two interviews: mid-left and mid-right Seattle Jews. Maybe even from two Jews, one from eastern WA and one from western WA.
That would indeed be interesting, because given the outright antisemitic rhetoric coming from the Republicans on the national stage, it would be concerning if every Jew didn’t see that as a threat.
You did a lot with your 10 minutes with Nikki Haley. I don't know if she can win the Jews over--but I think she sounds like a wonderful option in an election with a lot of lousy options.
Disagree. Nikki Haley’s actions in office and rhetoric in this campaign (outside of this interview) have been revoltingly racist. The only thing she would do for Jews is accept their votes. Otherwise, her rhetoric indicates she’d be perfectly happy to continue the authoritarian movement of her party toward ever increasing, lawless control of the polity. Republicans in national office spout antisemitic garbage on the regular. There is zero indication that she would buck the whole party and reverse this trend. We are absolutely more at risk if Haley is elected President.
Wow! Nice job getting an interview with Nikki Haley!!!!! Well done! She needs to make a clean break with the MAGA reactionaries and their policies of anger, hatred and grievances though. That's what a true leader would do.
Biden is hardly asleep at the wheel. When he came to office, there was no vaccine distribution system. The administration came into a White House that had been decimated by Trump and developed the entire vaccine distribution system. President Biden issued 50 executive orders to boost caregiving, including care for children, elders and persons with illness or disability. Early in the administration, a program to address youth mental health was created, and the Jewish Family Service was instrumental in this effort. Here are more accomplishment demonstrating that Biden is alert and high achieving: What the Democrats have done for the economy in the Biden Administration as of Novermber 2022:
Recovery from pandemic recession
Infrastructure bill
Hazard pay for local essential workers
Child Tax Credit reduced the poverty rate by 58%
Affordable Care Act premiums lowered
Lower prices for prescription drugs, such as insulin
Energy assistance
Broadband expansion and consumer subsidies
Student loan cancellation program
Eviction prevention
Rental assistance
Low Income Housing funding
Foreclosure prevention
Support for cleaner energy and electric vehicles
Support for environmental clean-up
Support for consumers buying energy saving appliances
700,000 manufacturing jobs created, Chips act, infrastructure act
More manufacturing jobs now than before the pandemic
Agriculture assistance
Assistance programs helped lower household debt
Changes in SNAP rules increased family benefits during the pandemic (until the Republicans decreased SNAP, cancelling pandemic benefits).
Small business assistance - SBA, Paycheck Protection Program).
Re: the antisemitism in May 2021. A photo of two children in a war zone was circulated by TV comedians and anti-Israel boycott activists. This photo resulted in an outcry from voters on the left who became inflamed against Israel. The problem with this opinion bombing is that it resulted from fake news. Reuters later reported, and the ADL corroborated in a livestream, that the photo was really from Syria, not Gaza. The Jewish community was opinion bombed with a piece of disinformation propaganda. Other news outlets didn't report on this, however, because by then it was old news. Personally, I lost a few Facebook friends over the effects of that photograph because people are so gullible. I wish more people would watch the old movie, Ship of Fools.
June 8: Nikki Haley scapegoats trans people for teen suicide. From Dave Horsey's Seattle Times column:
Sunday, in a CNN interview, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley raised an alarm about an issue that is, apparently, disturbing the sleep of the Republican voters she is courting. “How are we supposed to get our girls used to the fact that biological boys are in their locker rooms?” Haley asked. “And then we wonder why a third of our teenage girls seriously contemplated suicide last year.”
President Biden and allies like Rep Suzan DelBene have preserved foreign aid to Israel despite the efforts a few highly biased people with extreme anti-Zionist views.
"too asleep at the wheel to notice where that the progressive flank might be pointing his party toward a cliff." This is false. The Biden White House is the most amazing White House I have ever seen in my lifetime. Instead of filling leadership positions with donors and CEOs, he hired nonprofit leaders, Ph.D.s and lawyers with deep experience. This includes the hiring of Jews with stellar qualifications. For the first two years, Josh Dickson from the campaign and, formerly, the Obama administration, came back as a senior adviser and associate director of the Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. He and the liaison to the Jewish community, Channan Weisman (who is Orthodox) are completely astute about all of the nuances of domestic and foreign policy. Channan Weissman returned to the State Department and Josh Dickson moved to a top job at United Way. The Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff, has been a tremendous advocate for Jewish causes inside the White House and to the public. He took on his role with great seriousness and dedication. Two early-to-mid career, brilliant Jewish leaders in the White House immediately come to mind: Aviva Aron-Dine, Deputy Director, National Economic Council and Stefanie Feldman, who authorized a great deal of the administration's gun violence prevention policy. Feldman has an amazing mind and rattles off laws and their reference numbers with ease. The Department of Education ruled in favor of the Jewish students at the University of Vermont and, since the George Washington University case is more serious, I expect the students to there too. The FBI's hate crime bureau includes Jews in its long list of groups covered by this program. FEMA makes funding available for synagogue safety. The new program to combat antisemitism will depend on who applies for the money the quality of their proposals. It's up to the Jewish community to bring forth meaningful proposals and apply for the funding. Similarly, Jewish organizations have to be proactive in applying for funding in education, the arts and social services. Jewish organizations underapply for municipal and county funding here in the Seattle area. In 2023 the Department of Education hosted some zoom programs on faith-based rights in education. The ADL was one of the main leaders of this program, and the ADL's statements are being written into Department of Education policy. Remember that 10% of all Jews in the US earn less than $32,000 per year, and we have a generation of Jewish going into old age alone and in poverty. Jews who didn't have inheritance or equal opportunity vote, and elder care, Medicare, Social Security and social services are major concerns to us.
The federal Department of Education does not have jurisdiction over curriculum. Therefore, the issue of anti-Jewish bias in "liberated" ethnic studies and particular content providers and websites is a state issue and a local school board issue. Instead of attacking Biden, we should be working on the severe problems going on in our own state, such as the PESB awarding a leadership grant to WAESN. We should be asking the candidates for governor what they are going to do about this and about paradigms that arbitrarily divide the student body into "white" vs. "BIPOC". Biden isn't promoting this, but our state PESB is. And we should asking the state OSPI candidates about that too, and school board candidates in places like the Northshore School District. Bellevue has teachers trying to promote protocols in which white students should wait to speak until after the "BIPOC" students speak, and using that as a demonstration of antiracism.
Congratulations on getting this interview. Useful information. I hope you'll be able to bring us interviews with other candidates including the President. And I must say I deeply disagree that President Biden is "too asleep at the wheel to notice where that the progressive flank might be pointing his party toward a cliff."
Thanks Linda! Happy to take connections to any and all candidates. So...do you think Biden is awake at the wheel?
I do. And he's driving a very complex vehicle. We should talk...I always love our conversations. Again, yasher koach on getting this interview!
Regarding, "Can Nikki Haley Win the Jewish Vote?" Would be interesting to have commentary from two interviews: mid-left and mid-right Seattle Jews. Maybe even from two Jews, one from eastern WA and one from western WA.
That would indeed be interesting, because given the outright antisemitic rhetoric coming from the Republicans on the national stage, it would be concerning if every Jew didn’t see that as a threat.
What would you say are the worst antisemitic comments coming from Republicans?
You did a lot with your 10 minutes with Nikki Haley. I don't know if she can win the Jews over--but I think she sounds like a wonderful option in an election with a lot of lousy options.
Disagree. Nikki Haley’s actions in office and rhetoric in this campaign (outside of this interview) have been revoltingly racist. The only thing she would do for Jews is accept their votes. Otherwise, her rhetoric indicates she’d be perfectly happy to continue the authoritarian movement of her party toward ever increasing, lawless control of the polity. Republicans in national office spout antisemitic garbage on the regular. There is zero indication that she would buck the whole party and reverse this trend. We are absolutely more at risk if Haley is elected President.
Wow! Nice job getting an interview with Nikki Haley!!!!! Well done! She needs to make a clean break with the MAGA reactionaries and their policies of anger, hatred and grievances though. That's what a true leader would do.
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff on combating antisemitism
https://twitter.com/SecondGentleman/status/1667566425639211013
Well said, Nikki!
This Jew will consider voting Republican when pigs can fly AND are Kosher.
Ha!
BTW, Biden and Obama were instrumental in getting Josh Shapiro elected PA governor.
Biden is hardly asleep at the wheel. When he came to office, there was no vaccine distribution system. The administration came into a White House that had been decimated by Trump and developed the entire vaccine distribution system. President Biden issued 50 executive orders to boost caregiving, including care for children, elders and persons with illness or disability. Early in the administration, a program to address youth mental health was created, and the Jewish Family Service was instrumental in this effort. Here are more accomplishment demonstrating that Biden is alert and high achieving: What the Democrats have done for the economy in the Biden Administration as of Novermber 2022:
Recovery from pandemic recession
Infrastructure bill
Hazard pay for local essential workers
Child Tax Credit reduced the poverty rate by 58%
Affordable Care Act premiums lowered
Lower prices for prescription drugs, such as insulin
Energy assistance
Broadband expansion and consumer subsidies
Student loan cancellation program
Eviction prevention
Rental assistance
Low Income Housing funding
Foreclosure prevention
Support for cleaner energy and electric vehicles
Support for environmental clean-up
Support for consumers buying energy saving appliances
700,000 manufacturing jobs created, Chips act, infrastructure act
More manufacturing jobs now than before the pandemic
Agriculture assistance
Assistance programs helped lower household debt
Changes in SNAP rules increased family benefits during the pandemic (until the Republicans decreased SNAP, cancelling pandemic benefits).
Small business assistance - SBA, Paycheck Protection Program).
Restored NATO and other diplomatic alliances
Ramped up support for Ukraine
Nikki would be a great first woman president of the U.S. Yay, Nikki!
Re: the antisemitism in May 2021. A photo of two children in a war zone was circulated by TV comedians and anti-Israel boycott activists. This photo resulted in an outcry from voters on the left who became inflamed against Israel. The problem with this opinion bombing is that it resulted from fake news. Reuters later reported, and the ADL corroborated in a livestream, that the photo was really from Syria, not Gaza. The Jewish community was opinion bombed with a piece of disinformation propaganda. Other news outlets didn't report on this, however, because by then it was old news. Personally, I lost a few Facebook friends over the effects of that photograph because people are so gullible. I wish more people would watch the old movie, Ship of Fools.
This is what many see as the problem with the left.
June 8: Nikki Haley scapegoats trans people for teen suicide. From Dave Horsey's Seattle Times column:
Sunday, in a CNN interview, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley raised an alarm about an issue that is, apparently, disturbing the sleep of the Republican voters she is courting. “How are we supposed to get our girls used to the fact that biological boys are in their locker rooms?” Haley asked. “And then we wonder why a third of our teenage girls seriously contemplated suicide last year.”
President Biden and allies like Rep Suzan DelBene have preserved foreign aid to Israel despite the efforts a few highly biased people with extreme anti-Zionist views.