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March 07, 1980 - Image 2

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 1980-03-07

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

2 Friday, March 1, 1980

THE DETROIT' JEWISH- NEWS

Purely Commentary

The Political Game, the Search for Ethnic Groups'
Support, the Preferences Shown in a Poll of Jews ...
Why Jews Must Be Concerned About Israel's Status

By Philip
Slomovitz

Max M. Fisher the Political Prophet; Jerry Ford His Idol

If the world is not to perish in its blindness, it must
revert to the leadership of thinkers and men of faith. Poli-
tics . . . must become religion instead of religion - at the
first real call upon it - becoming politics.
-Israel Zangwill
Why the political gambit, the fury of which is turning into child's games, with sounds
the listeners surely are beginning to drown out by turning off radio and television sets,
should even for a moment have overbalanced the tragic Iranian and Afghan news is
beyond comprehension.
Nevertheless, the prospects for a change of occupant of the White House becomes a
serious matter for major consideration. After all, the voter is beginning to wonder: if not
Carter, who has the edge in Democratic ranks, who should one turn to?
Israel Zangwill would have sanctified politics. Will Rogers was realistically cynical
when he said: "I tell you folks, all politics is applesauce." Most candidates are definitely
squeezing the apple so hard the sauce is leaking!
Meanwhile, the old game is played with the recognizable approaches. There is a
quest for the ethnic vote and the media make much of it. The religious factor is not
ignored. On this score Zangwill might have been puzzled by the manner of political
campaigning.
Take the Jews an an example. In nearly every campaign, the question is raised
whether Jews will provide financial support to Candidate X or Y, and immediately the
Israel issue is injected into politics.
Perhaps there is merit to such an approach. Didn't
Rabbi Alexander Schindler, who is now on the Kennedy
bandwagon, say: "If I have to choose between Carter and
Connally, I'll jump out of the window." The reference to
Connally becomes understandable. It is now common
knowledge how he regards President Jimmy Carter. He is
not alone in pressing this view.
A supporter of George Bush told this commentator
some weeks ago that when Connally already had some
$8,000,000 in contributions, the gifts included only $35,000
from Jews. It is common knowledge that several prominent
Detroit Jews, who had pledged gifts to the Connally fund
when he was in Detroit, at a gathering which was co-hosted
by Max M. Fisher, cancelled their contributions. That's
how Connally rates with Jewish voters.
Max Fisher was merely a good host. He had not com-
mitted himself to anyone in the early months of political
campaigning. Repeating: he was among the good hosts for
John Connally. Yet, Max had surely made his choice eight
MAX FISHER
months ago. There is a date not to be forgotten. It may well
be that Max M. Fisher was the first among the political
prophets, and his choice must already have been at that
time the undeclared candidate, Gerald Ford.
Under the asterisk * on this page appears the Max M.
Fisher Prophecy, published in an article in the Jerusalem
Post, July 1, 1979.
That's when Max foresaw Jerry as Chosen Republican,
regaining leadership, named to battle Jimmy again. More:
Max predicted Jerry to be the victor in the battle that now
rages without him.
Now everybody picks up the Max Fisher theme. The
eminent Detroiter, who heads the Jewish Agency for Israel
and is as much philanthropist as he is industrialist and real
estate magnate, saw a deadlock in Republican convention
balloting eight months ago. That's his prediction: Ford in
the wings, becoming the GOP front man. Now everybody
picks up the pieces; press, radio and television are putting
together the puzzle. Jerry is as much with one foot on stage
GERALD FORD
as he has been in the wings, and he hasn't said No!
That's the current political game, and the ethnic-religious polls are in the process of
being compiled.
Americans for a Safe Israel conducted such a poll, and the result is as worthy as any
other that has already been sensationalized. Here is an early result of the testing
conducted by Americns for a Safe Israel:
1) Every Republican candidate, with the exception of John Connally,
would - if the election were held now - receive more votes than Jimmy
Carter. The Jewish voting mood can be best described as ABC: Anyone But
Carter - Anyone But Connally. A match between these two produced a
staggering number of "undecided" and "Will not Vote" (61 percent) - an
abdication from the electoral process unprecedented among Jews.

2) The pro-Carter declarations by Israeli politicians (particularly Ezer
Weizman's endorsement during his aid-seeking mission here, which came
during the second half of the survey and was commented on only by 17
percent of the respondents) are perceived to be a result of crude White
House pressure, a quid pro quo for American aid, and are not only ignored
but often cited as reason for voting against Carter.
3) Of those voting Republican, (against Carter) 67 percent gave reasons
for doing so. A majority of these (53 percent) said it was an anti-Carter vote.
Of those, 34 percent cited as the main reason Carter's handling of the
Andrew Young affair - permitting the impression that the Jews" got him
fired to stand. Twenty-seven percent mentioned the Administration's con-
tinuing pressure on Israel to make unilateral concessions to the Palestinian
Arabs and to Egypt, its flirtation with the PLO and its "taking the Arabs'
side" during Camp David and after. The other 39 percent mentioned a
variety of other reasons: inflation, the handling of the Iranian crisis, SALT
II, and "letting the Russians become militarily superior."
4) Only three of the Republican candidates are perceived to have un-
equivocal positions on Israel: John Anderson and Robert Dole are consid-
ered consistently and unwaveringly pro-Israel, and John Connally
hopelessly anti-Israel and pro-Arab. Ronald Reagan takes first place as the
candidate "strongest in standing up to the Soviet challenge," which may
explain his strong standing among Jewish voters despite the general ignor-
ance among them about his position on Israel.
The Jewish population, concentrated in some of the major states, con-
stitutes a pivotal minority - not only because of their numbers (12 percent
of the population in N.Y. state, six percent in N.J., 4.6 percent in Florida, 4.5
percent in Maryland, 4.4 percent in Mass., 3.6 percent in Penn., 3.2 percent
in Conn., 3.1 percent in California, 2.4 percent in Ill., 1.5 percent in Ohio) but
because they are traditionally active voters, who work for their candidate
and contribute to political causes more than any other ethnic group.
The results are shown below (in percentages).
Carter-Anderson: Carter 23, Anderson 31, Undecided 40. No Vote 6.
Carter-Baker: Carter 25, Baker 30, Undecided 36, No Vote 9.
Carter-Bush: Carter 21, Bush 39, Undecided 35, No Vote 5.
Carter-Connally: Carter 29, Connally 10, Undecided 24, No Vote 37.
Carter-Crane: Carter 25, Crane 26, Undecided 39, No Vote 10.
Carter-Dole: Carter 20, Dole 41, Undecided 31, No Vote 8.
Carter-Reagan: Carter 21, Reagan 40, Undecided 30, No Vote 9.
Kennedy-Anderson: Kennedy 27, Anderson 27, Undecided 42, No Vote 4.
Kennedy-Baker: Kennedy 31, Baker 25, Undecided 40, No Vote 4.
Kennedy-Bush: Kennedy 30, Bush 31, Undecided 36, No Vote 3.
Kennedy-Connally: Kennedy 52, Connally 8, Undecided 29, No Vote 11.
Kennedy-Crane: Kennedy 35, Crane 23, Undecided 36, No Vote 6.
Kennedy-Dole: Kennedy 29, Dole 31, Undecided 36, No Vote 4.
Kennedy-Reagan: Kennedy 29, Reagan 30, Undecided 37, No Vote 4.
Brown-Anderson: Brown 10, Anderson 35, Undecided 47, No Vote 8.
Brown-Baker: Brown 11, Baker 38, Undecided 44, No Vote 7.
Brown-Bush: Brown 10, Bush 41, Undecided 44, No Vote 5.
Brown-Connally: Brown 16, Connally 11, Undecided 24, No Vote 49.
Brown-Crane: Brown 12, Crane 30, Undecided 43, No Vote 15.
Brown-Dole: Brown 9, Dole 42, Undecided 45, No Vote 4.
Brown-Reagan: Brown 9, Reagan 41, Undecided 46, No Vote 4.

Are the sentiments embodied in these results motivated by an interest in Israel?
Why not!?! With the rumors rummaging thick and thin, in spite of their repudiation by
the "laconic" Carter guide and adviser Stuart Eizenstat, that Carter will pressure Israel
to the wall once he is re-elected, and the concerns over the sincerity of other candidates in
both parties, why abandon concern?
The religion of politics should inspire faith. The late Dr. Judah L. Magnes, the man
who was the first to attempt to galvanize New York City Jewry into a Kehilla - he failed
in that task - and was the first president of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, also
had a definition for politics:
Politics . . . is one of the basic spiritual, intellectual and practical concerns of
life. The prophets of Israel never dissociated politics from religion. On the con-
trary, they were passionately interested in politics, Zion must be redeemed
through justice.
- Judah L. Magnes

Olt

*

*

If politics were to be guided by "Out of Zion shall go forth the Law" there might not be
law-breakers and there could be an assurance of pledge-observance. He who has too much
faith could perish in the political struggle. That's why the advance testing of candidates.
The voter should keep it up with gusto.

Fisher Says Gerald Ford Is Best Vote-Getter Republicans Have

(Editor's note: The fol-
lowing article by David
Landau appeared in the
July 1, 1979 edition of the
Jerusalem Post.)
Former U.S. President
Gerald Ford would be "the
best vote-getter" out of all
the Republican Party hope-
fuls if he decides to run
again for the presidency.
This is the assessment of
Max Fisher, chairman of
the Jewish Agency Board of
Governors, Detroit indus-
trialist, and intimate cam-
paign aide of Republican
presidents and candidates

for many years.
Ford is still considering
whether to toss his hat into
the ring, and so Fisher care-
fully declines to say ex-
pressly that he would sup-
port him against other Re-.
publican candidates. But
the unmistakable impres-
sion is that Fisher would
like to see Ford run.
The two men were close
during Ford's tenure at the
White House, and the ex-
President wrote of Max
Fisher, in his autobiog-
raphical "A Time to Heal:"
". . a lifelong Republican

and a close friend . . . unoffi-
cial ambassador between
the U.S. and Israel for many
years . . . his contacts at the
highest levels."
Fisher, quiet-spoken
but not falsely modest, is
plainly pleased with this
description of himself
and his role in Jewish
life, and proud of it. Since
Ford lost the White
House to Jimmy Carter,
he says, he is not aware
of anyone else filling the
role" of "unofficial am-
bassador."
"Sometimes," he says, re-

calling that role, "you can
act successfully as a
mediator - if the two gov-
ernments and the two com-
munities (Israel and Ameri-
can Jewry) have confidence
in you."

As a leading Republican
fund-raiser and power-
broker, Fisher has already
been canvassed by all the
declared party candidates
for the presidential race:
Ronald Reagan (who is
ahead in the opinion polls),
John Connally of Texas,
Sen. Howard Baker, George

Bush and Rep. John Ander-
son.
"I have talked in depth
with each one of them,"
Fisher says.
"Reagan is the most ele-
gant, but his support is
eaten into by both Connally
and Baker.
"Connally has a lot of
appeal. He is by far the
best campaigner and he
has a 'presidential com-
posure' about him.
(Fisher made this state-
ment four months before
Connally's speech link-
ing U.S. Middle East -poi-

icy with Arab oil.)
"Baker has had a lot
experience, and a lot of ex-
posure, as Senate minority
leader. Bush is a very able
man, but his campaign
hasn't gotten off the ground
yet. He is coming, here to
Israel soon, I believe."
The new election-funding
laws have decidedly whit-
tled away the political
power of the big donors,
Fisher acknowledges. For
that reason "the power of
the Jewish community" in
American politics has been
(Continued on Page 5)

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