Election 2004
President Bush courts Jewish voters, not Jewish groups.
MATTHEW E. BERGER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
hen President Bush sat
down to dinner with
about 120 Jews at the
White House recently,
many familiar faces in the organized
American Jewish community ate at
home.
Instead of Jewish organizational
leaders, the guest list for the dinner,
which honored the opening of an
Anne Frank exhibit at the U.S.
Holocaust Memorial Museum, includ-
ed Jewish friends of the president,
political supporters, rabbis and Jewish
White House staffers.
Just two leaders of the Conference
of Presidents of Major American
Jewish Organizations were chosen to
represent the entire organized Jewish
world.
The White House's handpicked rep-
resentation of the Jewish community
was the latest in a number of events
since Bush came to office two and a
half years ago that have ruffled the
feathers of American Jewish leaders.
Bush is seeking American Jewish
support this summer for two very dif-
ferent agenda items — to find a solu-
tion to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
and to win re-election for another four
years in office. But in seeking that
support, some Jewish leaders say, this
White House has sidestepped the tra-
ditionally liberal Jewish organizations
because of frequent scuffles over
domestic policy issues.
Instead, the administration has
focused its efforts on ingratiating itself
with more conservative Jewish leaders
inside and outside the major policy
groups, and on direct appeals to
Jewish voters.
Public gestures, such as the June 11
White House dinner and Bush's recent
visit to the Auschwitz concentration
camp, are seen as examples of such
appeals. Instead of reaching out to the
Jewish leadership, Bush used the
Holocaust museum dinner to ingrati-
ate himself with individual rabbis and
Jewish leaders who support his Middle
East policy and with potential donors,
while sidelining those who have voiced
opposition to some of his priorities.
Some Jewish leaders say the admin-
Jewish organizational professionals say,
is that Bush now finds it hard to gar-
istration's courting of the Jewish com-
munity is similar to Bush's efforts to
ner full support for the "road map"
peace plan among his natural allies,
win black and Latino votes with
strong stances on charitable choice and such as politically conservative and
Orthodox Jewish groups, which tend
the nomination of minority judges.
to be more hawkish. Now, leaders of
The difference, they say, is that the
appeals to the Jewish community have
more liberal Jewish groups — whom
also been attempts to circumvent the
Bush has largely ignored — are the
communal Jewish leadership.
ones speaking out in favor of the U.S.-
backed plan, which calls on Israel to
The White House liaison to the
Jewish community, Adam Goldman,
make concessions for peace.
Many veteran leaders of the organ-
and others at the White House did
not respond to requests for on-the-
ized Jewish community say they have
record interviews on this topic.
endured difficult years under the Bush
White House officials privately
White House. Washington representa-
defend their record, saying the Jewish
tives of several mainstream Jewish
community has been treated fair-
ly and that inroads were made to
most, if not all, Jewish organiza-
tions. Logistical reasons have
caused some Jewish leaders to be
shut out of meetings or events,
they say.
Some analysts have, for years,
predicted a rightward shift in the
Jewish vote, but the White
House believes that the Jewish
vote is now truly in play, and
that they can win over a substan-
tial percentage of the American
Jewish community in the 2004
election.
Bush received about 19 per-
cent of the Jewish vote in the
2000 presidential election.
Administration officials and their President Bush addresses the American Jewish
supporters argue that American
Committee Annual Dinner in May 2001.
Jews across the political spec-
trum, even those who oppose
organizations, all speaking on condi-
some of Bush's domestic policy posi-
tions, are likely to support the presi-
tion of anonymity, say they have expe-
rienced unprecedented intimidation
dent — both politically and financial-
ly — because of his strong actions
and resistance to their concerns. They
complain of being left out of meetings
against terrorism and on behalf of
with other religious leaders, having
Israel.
their calls go unreturned and being
told that administration officials are
Agree To Agree
unavailable to speak to them.
Several Jewish officials said that
In courting Jewish support, the White
when they requested speakers, they
House has actively searched for like-
were asked how many press releases
minded Jews and has fostered a strong
they had issued recently praising the
relationship with them, while keeping
administration.
out of the West Wing many of the
more familiar representatives of the
Of course, it's hardly a new develop-
ment that "who's in and who's out"
Jewish community that have been
changes with the occupant of the
close to previous Republican adminis-
White House. The Clinton White
trations.
The irony of the situation, some
ELECTION on page 24
Favored Few
While several Jewish groups say
their access in the Bush adminis-
tration has been poor, others are
reveling in their newfound pop-
ularity.
Some groups, like the
American Jewish Committee and
the Orthodox Union, have
received more attention from the
Bush White House than from
previous administrations.
Jewish leaders who have
received increased access say
their success has come from a
mix of good policy and good
politics. Jason Isaacson, director
of government and international
affairs for the AJCommittee, says
his group has tried to give the
White House a heads-up when it
has put out a statement
against administration poli-
cies.
"We've played it straight
with them," he said. "We
have not shied away from
being critical if criticism was
warranted." But they have
done it respectfully, Isaacson
says, and it has paid off:
The only speech Bush has
given to a Jewish audience
was at the AJCommittee's
2001 annual dinner. Bush's
national security adviser,
Condoleezza Rice, and White
House Chief of Staff Andrew
Card addressed the group the
following two years.
Similarly; Washington
insiders say the American Israel
Public Affairs Committee has
played the Bush administration
delicately. Though it has
expressed concerns about the
"road map" peace plan and
launched a congressional cam-
paign to set conditions on its
implementation, the organiza-
tion publicly welcomed the
announcement of the plan.
Several senior Bush adminis-
tration officials --- including
Rice, Card and Secretary of State
Cohn Powell — have addressed
AIPAC. Most other Jewish
groups have had to settle for less-
er administration figures, if any.
— Matthew Berger
6/27
2003
23