GOP Candidates Ignore Jewish Values in NH Debate

David Streeter — June 14, 2011 – 3:14 pm | Civil Rights | Domestic Policy | Election 2012 | Health Care | Reproductive Rights | Republicans | Women's Issues Comments (4) Add a comment

While pundits will undoubtedly spend today arguing over who won last night’s Republican presidential debate in New Hampshire, one thing is clear: the American Jewish community emerged as a loser. Representative Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Representative Ron Paul (R-TX), Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, businessman Herman Cain, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and former Senator Rick Santorum all made it clear that they lack the political courage to stand up to increasingly extremist Republican factions on the issues of importance to most American Jews.

• The majority of the participants vowed to decrease access to health insurance when they pledged to repeal President Barack Obama’s health care reform package. Santorum even labeled the bill as “oppressive,” despite the benefits that it has brought for millions of Americans in its first year. All seven participating candidates also seemed to ignore the Congressional Budget Office’s report about the crushing toll that repealing the law would have on the deficit. As Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) wrote, “repealing health care reform will hurt our country.”

 

• Not one of the participants repudiated the congressional Republicans’ budget - also known as the Ryan budget - that strips essential social services of much of their necessary funding and leaves America’s social safety net in shambles. If any one participant had his or her way, America’s seniors, children and poor would face dramatic reductions in the assistance that they need to continue living with dignity.

 

• Every participant who was asked declared her or his allegiance to anti-choice activists within the GOP that are actively seeking to strip women of their rights. Bachmann worked hard to distinguish herself as the most anti-choice by making it clear that no exceptions should be made, even if the mother’s life is at risk during a pregnancy. Pawlenty even played up his record of appointing conservative court justices specifically to legislate on matters of choice from the bench.

 

• All of the participants expressed opposition to equal marriage rights for all.

 

• Six of the seven participants voiced opposition to the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT). Paul, who was the lone dissenting voice on DADT, essentially compared homosexuality to bad behavior.

 

As Cain said in his closing statement, “we’re not that far apart on all of the big issues.” That statement is chillingly indicative of a Republican Party that is lacking in ideological diversity. With much of America watching, the candidates demonstrated that the Republican Party is increasingly out of step with the vast majority of American Jews and that the individuals seeking to represent the GOP as its 2012 presidential candidate cannot be trusted to advocate for our communal concerns. Last night’s debate proved once again that the Democratic Party is the only party that actively promotes Jewish values and works to improve the lives of all Americans.

Comments