NJDC Joins Calls on Portman to Sever Ties with COAST

David Streeter — March 1, 2010 – 4:57 pm | Abusive Holocaust Rhetoric | Domestic Policy | Republicans Comments (0) Add a comment

The National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) applauded the efforts of Ohio State Representatives Steve Slesnik, Mike Foley, Ronald Gerberry, and Kenny Yuko to pressure Republican Ohio Senate Candidate Rob Portman to sever his ties with the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST) and condemn their offensive Holocaust rhetoric. In addition to labeling the late Senator Ted Kennedy as a “shovel ready project” and calling Ohio Representative Steve Driehaus a “chicken (expletive) liberal” in their past statements, COAST referred to the entire Ohio legislature as “Nazis” in its official activist toolkit while simultaneously promoting a fundraiser headlined by Portman.

 

“Portman’s decision to raise money for an organization that calls on its activists to fight ‘the Nazis in the state legislature’ demonstrates a level of insensitivity towards the American Jewish community that is unacceptable for a potential United States Senator,” said National Jewish Democratic Council CEO Ira N. Forman. “Over the past year there has been an explosion of abusive Holocaust rhetoric among conservative activists and even Republican lawmakers. In 2010, the true test for candidates—Republicans and Democrats—will be whether or not they can distance themselves from groups and activists who employ this sort of caustic rhetoric, even at the expense of votes,” said Forman. “Portman fails this test by supporting COAST’s fundraising efforts, and Jewish Ohioans are unlikely to forget his insensitivity towards the memory of those who perished at the hands of real Nazis.”

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