NJDC President and CEO Harris Testifies to DNC Platform Committee

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN- NJDC President and CEO David A. Harris testified today in front of the Democratic National Committee’s Platform Drafting Committee. “I am truly honored to have addressed the Platform Committee today,” said Harris. “The Democratic Party and the Jewish community share so many values and policy positions—including choice, strong support for Israel, health care reform, and marriage equality—that my testimony today could be considered an affirmation of the ties that have bound our communities together since the New Deal. I hope that my testimony was helpful to the committee, and I am confident that the positions I raised will continue to be central to our Party’s platform,” he added.

Excerpts of Harris’s prepared testimony include:

Israel, Iran, and the Middle East

The United States and the Democratic Party have long been advocates for and supporters of a strong, mutually-beneficial U.S.-Israel relationship. Democratic platforms for decades have celebrated this important relationship, one that is based on both shared values and shared interests.

Likewise, President Obama has presided over a foreign policy based in no small part on the special nature and importance of America’s ties with Israel. As he has said, “Ours is a unique relationship founded on an unbreakable commitment to Israel’s security, and anchored by our common interests and deeply held values.”

As the President has steadfastly supported our alliance with Israel and that democracy’s ability to defend itself, so has the Democratic Party’s platform, year after year—and this year should be no different.

Four years ago, this party produced a platform that served as a blueprint for the President’s first term. It was clear on issues related to the Middle East and our ally Israel….It spoke to Israel’s right to self-defense and the American commitment to Israel’s qualitative military edge. The platform called for a lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with “a democratic, viable Palestinian state dedicated to living in peace and security side by side with the Jewish State of Israel.” It stated that the conflict would end through “final status negotiations” and that the issue of Palestinian refugees would be resolved “by allowing them to settle there, rather than in Israel.” It pronounced it “unrealistic to expect… a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949” and that “Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel.”

I believe that the Mideast planks of the previous platform were carefully crafted and have served us well as a party and a country. As Democrats and proud supporters of the President, we would be well served to stick closely to our previous platform language and principles…

Choice

There is perhaps no demographic group today more pro-choice than American Jews; poll after poll has shown that more than 90 percent of our community supports reproductive rights. The 2008 party platform was clarion in its words ... These words speak loudly and clearly to my community, and I strongly encourage you to reiterate and even strengthen them given the ongoing assault against choice and women’s preventative health care services and providers in America.

Marriage Equality

One other issue that President Obama gave eloquent voice to recently is the ongoing fight for marriage equality. This is an essential issue of liberty, and I am hopeful that it will be squarely addressed in our party’s platform, reflecting the core ideals of our party. The American Jewish community is more supportive of marriage equality than any other faith community, with approximately 80 percent supporting—but of course popularity should not be the threshold for awarding civil rights. I’m hopeful that in keeping with the President’s powerful expression of support, our party will anchor the right to marriage equality in our platform.

Harris’ full testimony as prepared for delivery appears below.

Statement by David A. Harris, President & CEO of the

National Jewish Democratic Council at the

Platform Drafting Committee of the Democratic National Committee

July 27, 2012

As prepared for delivery.

Good afternoon. My name is David Harris, and I am the President and CEO of the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC).

For 22 years, NJDC has served as the national voice of Jewish Democrats. NJDC’s core mission is to maximize Jewish support for Democrats at the federal and state levels of government. We also educate Democratic elected officials and candidates to increase support for Jewish domestic and foreign policy priorities. We do this to promote both social justice in America and a secure, democratic Jewish State of Israel.

Given our combined mission, I will be speaking today about the Democratic Party platform’s continued support for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, and about American Jews’ strong support for key Democratic platform positions as well.

Four years ago, this party produced a platform that served as a blueprint for the President’s first term. It was clear on issues related to the Middle East and our ally Israel. That platform stated that “Our starting point must always be our special relationship with Israel, grounded in shared interests and shared values, and a clear, strong, fundamental commitment to the security of Israel, our strongest ally in the region and its only established democracy.” It spoke to Israel’s right to self-defense and the American commitment to Israel’s qualitative military edge. The platform called for a lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with “a democratic, viable Palestinian state dedicated to living in peace and security side by side with the Jewish State of Israel.” It stated that the conflict would end through “final status negotiations” and that the issue of Palestinian refugees would be resolved “by allowing them to settle there, rather than in Israel.” It pronounced it “unrealistic to expect… a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949” and that “Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel.”

On Iran, and its quest for a nuclear weapons capability, the President and the platform were also quite clear. The platform stated that the “...world must prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.” It previewed the policies of President Obama by speaking of a multi-track approach—one based on “diplomacy,” “tougher sanctions,” and “keeping all options on the table.” The platform, like the President’s subsequent policies over the last four years, was based on a basic premise: “We will present Iran with a clear choice; if you abandon your nuclear weapons program, support for terror, and threats to Israel, you will receive meaningful incentives; so long as you refuse, the United States and the international community will further ratchet up the pressure….”

As the new platform is drafted, we should recognize the important role Israel, the region’s established democracy, plays in a period of uncertainty and instability. As we seek to encourage democracy and build ties with new governments in the Arab world, we should also expand and strengthen our relationship with Israel and work towards its full integration into the Middle East. It must be our expectation that new governments will commit to non-belligerency, work to build a peaceful region and abide by previous agreements, such as the Egypt-Israel peace treaty. Furthermore, we must ensure that as Israel faces new and uncertain challenges, it has the tools and American support to defend itself. In this realm, the President has forcefully supported Israel with continued military assistance and additional support for missile defense. As he has said, we need to ensure “that the sacrosanct commitment that we make to Israel’s security is not only a matter of providing them the military capabilities they need, not only providing the sort of qualitative military edge that they need in a very tough neighborhood, but also that we are a partner with them to try to bring about a peace in the region that can be lasting.”

On Iran, President Obama has mounted an effort more extensive and meaningful than any president before him. Unfortunately, Iran continues its program and continues to be a threat to the U.S., our interests and our allies; has refused international efforts to meaningfully engage; and is closer to a nuclear weapon than ever before. As such, we support actions by the President and Congress to impose tougher sanctions. We must re-state our policy—we will do everything necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and reinforce the reality that Iran’s isolation is of its own doing. As President Obama said as recently as this past March, “...I will take no options off the table…[T]hat includes all elements of American power: A political effort…; a diplomatic effort…; an economic effort…; and, yes, a military effort to be prepared for any contingency.”

American Jews care deeply about the State of Israel and the danger posed by Iran, to be sure. But members of my community are also strongly supportive of the broad array of domestic issues that the Democratic Party and our platform stand for; it is for this reason that such a lopsided majority of American Jews have voted with our party since the New Deal.

There is perhaps no demographic group today more pro-choice than American Jews; poll after poll has shown that more than 90 percent of our community supports reproductive rights. The 2008 party platform was clarion in its words when it said, “The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right.” These words speak loudly and clearly to my community, and I strongly encourage you to reiterate and even strengthen them given the ongoing assault against choice and women’s preventative health care services and providers in America.

Broadly speaking, the American Jewish community has also been deeply frustrated by the war on real science visible all too often in the halls of Congress and elsewhere—including among those who deny human contributions to global climate change. The words of our prior platform were well-received by American Jews when our party declared, “We will lead to defeat the epochal, man-made threat to the planet: climate change. Without dramatic changes, rising sea levels will flood coastal regions around the world.” My community is one of many that looks to our party for leadership on this issue, and I ask that you reiterate this essential call and update it as necessary going forward.

My community was also tremendously proud of the fight President Obama waged to successfully pass historic health care reform for our country. Great weight was given to this vital issue in the prior platform, and significant, updated language should be afforded to the issue in this new platform, reflecting the implementation work that is yet to be done to ensure that tens of millions of Americans receive the coverage that they deserve.

I’m honored by the opportunity to testify before you here today, and to discuss these critical issues that my community cares so deeply about—both overseas and here at home. Thank you very much for your time and attention.