When the Republican Jewish Coalition hosts its Republican Presidential Candidates' Forum in Washington on Wednesday, it will be without Texas Rep, Ron Paul. The coalition cited the congressman's "extreme views" as reason for his exclusion, according to the Huffington Post.
What is the Republican Jewish Coalition?
The coalition describes its mission as fostering and enhancing ties between Republican decision makers and the American Jewish community. It seeks to not only educate Republican Party leaders on the concerns of American Jews, particularly concerning the state of Israel, but also promulgate Republican ideas among the Jewish community. It also advocates for energy independence and smaller government. It boasts of 40 chapters across the country.
What is the Republican Presidential Candidates' Forum?
The forum will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington. It will feature speeches by Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, Rick Perry and Herman Cain. There will be a luncheon and a keynote speaker as well.
What is the beef the Republican Jewish Coalition has with Ron Paul?
Paul has made a number of positions that have proven off putting to people, particularly American Jews. Paul has downplayed the implications of Iran gaining a nuclear weapon to the point of drawing a moral equivalency between that prospect and Israel having nuclear weapons. He has advocated ending foreign aid to Israel and has criticized military aid to Israel. Paul has also suggested the U.S. was at fault for the 9/11 attacks and that if America should withdraw its forces from the Middle East, terrorist groups such as Al Qaida would leave it alone.
Commentary Magazine compared Paul's views on Israel in particular and foreign policy in general to those of the "America First" isolationists during the 1930s and 1940s who admired Nazi Germany and were deaf to the fate of American Jews. Paul is like those who restrained America's reaction to the Nazi Holocaust, in its view.
How have Paul's supporters reacted to the exclusion?
The Daily Paul, a pro-Paul website, suggests the exclusion is a plot to draw out an angry response from the candidate so it could be used against him. While maintaining Paul is really pro-Israel, the site accuses the Republican Jewish Coalition of playing the anti-Semitic card. The post expresses particular ire that Paul was compared to Barack Obama by the coalition, not exactly a compliment in Republican circles.
Texas resident Mark Whittington writes about state issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network.
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