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I
New ACTIONPAC Offers
Free Campaign Staffers
Washington (JTA) — A
new pro-Israel political ac-
tion committee has been
formed, not to funnel money
to political candidates, but to
provide young campaign
workers for candidates for
the House and the Senate.
The unique new PAC —
called ACTIONPAC — will
also provide a means for
young pro-Israeli activists to
enter politics, explained
Robert Bassin, the PAC's
creator and executive direc-
tor.
Mr. Bassin, a Washington
political consultant, said the
idea grew out of his own ex-
periences in Washington,
starting as an intern at the
American Israel Public Af-
fairs Committee while a stu-
dent at Union College in
Schenectady, N.Y.
Mr. Bassin went on to
work for AIPAC's student
program where, he said, "I
caught Potomac fever and
decided politics was going to
be my life."
After working for Sen.
Kent Conrad, D-N.D., Mr.
Bassin founded his own po-
litical consulting firm and,
along with his work for polit-
ical campaigns, was able to
continue his pro-Israel ac-
tivism.
But his experience with
students at AIPAC had con-
vinced him that most college
activists had "very few op-
portunities to enter into pol-
itics" after they graduated,
with neither the experience
nor the contacts to make
them attractive to political
campaigns.
Mr. Bassin's response to
the problem was ACTION-
PAC, which will seek to pro-
vide a means of entry to the
mutual benefit, it is hoped,
of both candidates and
young activists.
The 1992 congressional
races will be ACTIONPAC's
debut. The PAC will select
10 graduating seniors,
graduate students or
graduates no more than
three years out of college
who have demonstrated pro-
Israel activism while on
campus.
Ideally, they will be people
who want careers in
government or politics.
In January 1992, the 10
people selected will go
through an intensive 10-day
campaign-training course.
Mr. Bassin said some 40
Democratic and Republican
political consultants have
agreed to help in the train-
ing.
Once their coursework is
over, the activists will start
working as full-time staff
members with campaigns.
ACTIONPAC will select the
candidates, who can be
either Democrats or Repub-
licans, incumbents or
challengers. The only
criteria are that the can-
didate be pro-Israel, and that
he or she be in a close race
against someone with a
poorer record on Israel.
For that reason the AC-
TIONPAC volunteers will
probably not participate in
primary campaigns, Mr.
Bassin said. For example,
the California primary next
year is expected to pit many
pro-Israel supporters against
The PAC will
select 10
graduating seniors,
graduate students
or graduates no
more than three
years out of
college who have
demonstrated pro-
Israel activism
while on campus.
each other for nominations
to the Senate.
Mr. Bassin said he doubts
that ACTIONPAC will have
any difficulty placing its
participants with cam-
paigns.
ACTIONPAC will pay
each of its activists $600 a
month. Housing will be
worked out either with an-
other campaign staff mem-
ber, a contributor or with
local members of the pro-
Israel community.
Raising its funds among
supporters of Israel, AC-
TIONPAC has a projected
initial budget of $161,800.
Two-thirds of the money will
go for salaries and training
for the participants and less
than 10 percent for ad-
ministrative costs, according
to a pamphlet put out by
ACTIONPAC.
Mr.Bassin hopes to have
more ACTIONPAC par-
ticipants in future cam-
paigns.
One of the program's
benefits, said Mr. Bassin, is
that it will help expand the
grass-roots political base of
the pro-Israel community,
through day-to-day in-
volvement in political cam-
paigns.
K
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