moderate, appealing to
business owners with his
"Call To Economic Arms:
Forging a New American
Mandate" leaflet which
aims to redefine the Dem-
ocratic Party's economic
blueprint.
"America's greatness is
under attack," Mr.
Tsongas writes. "We need
a battle plan to strengthen
our nation's economic base,
better educate our chil-
dren, save our envi-
ronment and preserve our
social fabric."
Mr. Tsongas has always
been viewed as solid on
Israel. Though he was har-
sh on Israel's treatment of
the Palestinians during the
attack on Lebanon in 1982,
Mr. Tsongas later came out
strongly opposed to the
PLO.
He has been criticized for
once voting to approve aid
to Syria, yet he defends
that position by calling it a
strategic move aimed at
trying to make relations
stronger between the U.S.
and some Arab nations.
In fact, Mr. Tsongas said,
he voted the same as
several Jewish senators on
that matter.
For the Democrats, the
jury is still out.
Dems Rated Good
On Israel
D
avid Gad-Harf, exec-
utive director for the
Jewish Community
Council, said Israel serves
as an "appropriate litmus
test" in presidential and
congressional elections.
Most Jewish voters
interviewed agreed that
Israel, now at a crossroad
in its relations with the
United States, is among
their top priorities.
These voters, however,
are not one-issue players,
and they give equal con-
sideration to positions on
other issues. Among their
concerns are abortion
rights, preserving the
separation of church and
state, boosting the ailing
President Bush is
receiving a message
from conservative
commentator Pat
Buchanan.
Former Massachusets
Sen. Paul Tsongas,
also a strong Israel
supporter, is
campaigning as an
economic moderate
and social liberal.
economy, making sure
children receive adequate
education and revamping
the country's health care
system.
"I definitely think about
issues that concern the
Jewish community and
Israel," said David Victor,
president of the Jewish
Federation Young Adult
Division. "I look at the way
a candidate views the
U.S.-Israel relationship
and I try to assess whether
the person is capable. I look
at voting records. I look at
history.
"I get a feel for the can-
didate," Mr. Victor said.
"Is the person believable,
sincere, intelligent? Is he
or she pandering to a polit-
ical audience? Once a per-
son passes the Israel litmus
test, then I move on," Mr.
Victor said. "Choice is im-
portant. School prayer is
important. EConomic poli-
cies must make sense."
Of those Democrats re-
maining in the race, all
support women's rights to
reproductive choice and the
separation of church and
state.
Little information on
Jewish issues was
available on Mr. Brown,
who did not respond to a
Jewish News questionnaire
and did not answer ques-
tions submitted to him by
AIPAC.
Mr. Clinton and Mr.
Tsongas have traveled to
Israel, and each said he op-
poses the administration's
linkage of loan guarantees
to resettle Soviet Jews in
Israel. The two candidates
also support continued for-
eign aid to Israel as well as
making Jerusalem the
capital and home to the
future U.S. Embassy.
Mr. Tsongas said he sup-
ports Israel's right to build
settlements in the West
Bank. .Direct negotiations
are his answer to the Mid-
dle East peace process.
Mr. Clinton questions
U.S. relations with Iraq
and Syria and urges limits
on arms sales to unstable
regimes in the region. He
has emphasized the need to
preserve Israel's military
edge.
In the peace talks, Mr.
Clinton backs direct
negotiations and has at-
tacked the Bush ad-
ministration for trying to
deliver Israeli concessions.
He has criticized the ad-
ministration for injecting
the loan guarantee issue
into the Middle East peace
talks.
"It is not necessary to
agree with everything the
Shamir government has
ever done to say you should
not link the guarantees to
either the settlements
policy or to the peace pro-
cess," Mr. Clinton said, re-
sponding to a Jewish News
questionnaire. "I have
always supported the
guarantees as a part of our
historic commitment to
relocate Jews from the
Soviet Union. There is so
much political and econ-
omic dislocation in the
former Soviet Union that
anti-Semitic impulses
might raise their heads
again in that difficult area
of the world."
As a congressman and a
Arkansas Gov. Bill
Clinton is emerging as a
strong friend of Israel.
BUSINESS IS HURTING
Voters are concerned about the abysmal
economy. Discounts are abundant as business is
hurting. The end of the Gulf War did not end the
recession. Markdowns are everywhere.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
27