voter id/ RYAN

The decision by the Federal Court to nullify the Texas voter ID law is outrageous.
You cannot get into a private building in NY or Westchester or a government office  without an ID.
Certainly you cannot get on a plane without prior identification .
The left has gone all out to give cover to those in big city political machines primarily Democratic to avoid any crackdown on voter fraud.
The Supreme Court has already ruled on this issue.The States have promised to make it easy for poor people to obtain Id's.
This case will have to go back to the Supreme Court.

Yesterday Condi Rice,Gov. Martinez and Gov Huckabee were perfect as an introduction to Cong. Ryan.
On the very day the Dems issued an attack on him as a r wing zealot,anti woman anti-everything,
he stood up before the nation,and spoke clearly without insulting anyone and gave us a choice.
A bankrupt America for our children and grandchildren or a new beginning.
I hope America will be able to avoid the slash and destroy PR of the Chicago machine.

a second thought for the day

Normally I write one thought  per day.
However all day I have become more and more upset and AGITATED.
The disgusting personal attacks on the Romneys ,and the GOP is beyond the pale of political criticism.
When MSNBC does not broadcast any black or Latino speakers yesterday to show their audience that the GOP is an all-white boys club, that is nauseating.
I was trying to think back when JFK ran for President was he attacked for being out of touch? Was RFK that obnoxious  rich boy? Was FDR with his Hyde Park estate?
When the WH press corp knew of the sexual escapades of JFK  while he was in the WH-did they release the info or protect him?

So the question I have been mulling over today as they pre-emptively attack Ryan..HOW DO YOU ANSWER THESE VICIOUS ATTACKS?
IT SEEMS TO ME THAT SIMPLE LOGIC EXPLAINED TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL HELP.
IF PRESIDENT OBAMA AND HIS TEAM WERE SUCCESSFUL IN OUR ECONOMY,OUR HEALTH POLICIES, EDUCATION, FOREIGN POLICY, AND SO ON-THEY WOULD PROUDLY RUN ON THOSE SUCCESSES.
ABSENT ANY SUCCESSES THE ONLY COURSE OF ACTION IS TO DESTROY MITT ROMNEY.

PUT UP OR SHUT UP IS TRUE NOT ONLY FOR SEQUESTRATION, BUT FOR EVERY AREA OF PUBLIC POLICY
THE OBAMA TEAM CANNOT ENGAGE IN SUCH A DEBATE.

SPORTS -KEY TO OUR CULTURE!

In WWII , when the Germans tried to sneak their soldiers behind our lines in US uniforms,the MP's  would ask a suspect some baseball question to ferret out the infiltrators.
We lament the ignorance of our citizens re: our history , our leaders and the critical issues  we face.
Yet when it comes to sports,whether it relates to  past performance or current  averages.

WHEN YOU READ TO DAYS WSJ AND SEE THAT THE MAJOR LEAGUES SOLD TV RIGHTS FOR CLOSE TO 6 BILLION DOLLARS, OR THE COACH OF ALABAMA COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM HAS A 5.3 MILLION DOLLAR SALARY,YOU REALIZE OUR COUNTRIES PRIORITIES.

PEOPLE COMPLAIN WHEN THE COST OF ADVERTING FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS WILL PROBABLY BE 2 BILLION DOLLARS FOR BOTH SIDES..THERE ARE BEVERAGES THAT SPEND THAT IN A YEAR.(AS WELL AS AUTO COMPANIES ETC)

Politics and governing is just not sexy and except for a select group, is boring for the masses.
It is a reality program that just doesn't connect.
Thus the members of the Cabinet or Supreme Court are nowhere as known as sports figures.

the rascist canard/ Paul Ryan

How sad it is to see the racial card being thrown around.
When all the white people voted for Obama then there was no racism.
When over 50% of the population soured on Obama's policies-that is racism.
When Biden gets up and in southern drawl 'y'all tells blacks the GOP wants to put them into shackles that's not racism
When the GOP attacks Obama as the 'food- stamp President' or for changing the work rules for medicare -that is racist.

It reminds me of the joke of the  Jewish stutterer who goes into a radio station and applies for a job as an announcer.When he does not get it,he is asked "why?"
He answers his friends "such antisemitim"


I cannot describe how thrilled I am by the election of Paul Ryan to the ticket.He was on my favorites for a Ling time.However now with all his exposure he has emerged as the key intellectual bastion for economic policy.
To those who now little of his Pro-Israel record-be assured he is 100%
The  latest polls for the Senate are trending to a 52 seat GOP win, with more possibilities.
The presidential race is tied with Obama slightly ahead, but trending to Romney.
Hopefully "ISAAC" will allow some time for adequate coverage. 

the Senate Races / Jewish Arab Refugees

As you study the daily polls from state to state,you realize that at this time it is difficult to predict who will carry the Senate.
So many races are tied like Virginia and Ohio.(It would be great to see Mandel win in Ohio, as he is a conservative Republican ,a combat veteran and an orthodox Jew).In fact  as you read Real Clear Politics, you realize that in many states  DIFFERENT POLLS HAVE OPPOSITE RESULTS.
Of course the Missouri mess right now has Akin going down to a major defeat. Republicans at the convention still thin k he has a shot at winning.
Perhaps after the 2 conventions, when 1 candidate might shoot into the lead, the Senate races will follow.

In a major effort by the Israeli Govt., and the Wold Jewish Congress among others, there is now a more public demand that any peace talks with the Palestinians must include the 800,000 Jewish citizens who were forced to flee Arab countries to Israel.For the most part their property was confiscated.
The Arabs keep yelling about the"Right of Return"and have refused to resettle their co-coreligionists.Israel has successfully integrated all of the Jews from Muslim countries into society.
For the Arabs they use these "refugees" as political pawns.
The Knesset in 2010 , mandated that this issue be at the head of any negotiations...

THE RACE

The complaint is that Romney cannot relate to the average American because of his wealth.
FDR, Kennedy are among the multi-millionaires beloved by the people.
In essence, the Obama team has painted Mitt to be an ogre.
Anyone who watched the WALLACE INTERVIEW TODAY  on Fox,could not help but be impressed by the warmth openness and genuineness of the Romney family.
When you are looking for a surgeon to undertake life threatening surgery-skip the likability AND LET'S CONCENTRATE ON COMPETENCE AND PERFORMANCE RECORD.
The American people need not love Mitt.
The questions of our economy, fiscal policy. energy policy and so have been totally mishandled.
Obama asked for 1 term, he got it and failed.
Now he says not only give me another chance, but in a second term he will be able to concentrate on compromise  with Congress.
WHAT ABOUT A BUDGET TOMORROW?  WHAT ABOUT TAX COMPROMISE TODAY?

THE POINT BY RUSH LIMBOW IS THAT TOO MANY AMERICANS ARE MORONS"
I think most people are niaeve uninformed and find politics boring and full of egotistical individuals.Thus close to 1/2 don't vote.

addendum---Iran and crying "wolf"

The University I mentioned yesterday that has CORRECTLY CHOSEN THE PRESIDENTIAL WINNER SINCE 1980 IS THE U. OF COLORADO.
With the increase today in unemployment applications, it is not hard to realize our true economic condition.
There was an article today about all the young college graduates ,LIVING WITH PARENTS, NO JOBS OR POSITIONS DESTINED FOR H.S. GRADUATES, AND ANGRY AT THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY.THE  ARTICLE DID NOT MENTION WHO THESE PEOPLE WILL VOTE FOR,HOWEVER THIS IS OBAMA'S ECONOMY.

Martin Indyk who I know well from his WH days,and who was an AIPAC employee,was always on the left side of issues.However when he accused Israel of "cryimg wolf" on Iran he raises an important issue.
What is the strategy of Israel with all the warnings," RED LIGHTS" AND THREATS?
Today the Syrian Ambassador to Jordan said Hezbollah could knock out the Israel nuclear program with 20 rockets.
This game of public threats has reached its goal! either attack or stop threatening!

A WRITE-IN IN MISSOURI

I NEGLECTED TO COMMENT ON THE MO SENATE RACE.IT IS OBVIOUS AKINS IS A JERK WITH LITTLE KNOWLEDGE OF RAPE- OR CONCEPTION.
HOWEVER THE TRUTH IS IT IS BEING USED A DECEPTION AND DISTRACTION FROM THE MAIN ISSUES.
JUST AS IN ALASKA,IT IS TIME FOR THE GOP TO COALESCE AROUND EITHER A WRITE-IN OR A NEW PARTY LINE -IF LEGAL
THERE ARE ENOUGH STARS LIKE SENS DANFORTH -AND KIT BOND THAT COULD PULL OFF THE TRICK.
REMEMBER WHEN TORRICELLI HAD TO BOW OUT FROM THE NJ SENATE RACE AND  FRANK LAUTENBERG  ALTHOUGH RETIRED STEPPED TO SAVE THE ELECTION

GREAT NEWS--MAKING MONEY ON CRUISES

TONITE BRET BAER ON THE 6PM FOX NEWS PROGRAM ANNOUNCED THAT A MID-WESTERN UNIVERSITY  I FORGOT WHICH ONE   HAS CORRECTLY PICKED  THE CORRECT WINNER IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE FOR THE PAST 30 PLUS YEARS.
THEY BASE IT ON COMPUTER  PROGRAMS USING THE ECONOMY, UNEMPLOYMENT ETC.
THEY PREDICT ROMNEY WILL WIN WITH 53% OF THE VOTE, AND A NICE MARGIN IN THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE.

AS WE LOOK AT THE CHANGE IN MICHIGAN ( ROMNEY + 5) WISCONSIN (+1 ) THESE ARE STATES OBAMA THOUGHT HE WOULD NOT HAVE TO DEFEND - UNTIL NOW.

I WAS TALKING OF CRUISES.
IN FLORIDA, EVERY WEEK WE GET ANOTHER AD FOR A CRUISE AT A RIDICULOUSLY LOW PRICE.
HOW DO THEY MAKE MONEY?
LIQUOR
SPA TREATMENTS'
ART AUCTIONS
SPECIAL RESTAURANTS
EXPENSIVE SHORE EXCURSIONS
PHOTOGRAPHY
RENTING TUXEDOS
CASINO
BEVERAGES AT LUNCH-DINNER
RETAIL STORES ON SHIP-JEWELRY


THE CABIN ( UPGRADES) ARE JUST THE BEGINNING.

nudity in the Galillee / Rabbis for Barack

Many years ago on our first trip to Israel,we were sitting in the dining room of the Tiberius Plaza  Hotel at breakfast.Our table was at the window facing the Galilee.Suddenly I saw a few
adults in the water.I could not tell  if they were wearing bathing trunks.
Subsequently I found out that baptism was occurring.The hullabaloo regarding the few Congressmen in Israel gong into the Galilee until any real evidence comes up is trivial.

The 600 Rabbis who signed on for Obama, are primarily Reform and Conservative Clergy.I would bet most of them do not support the settlements in Judea-Samaria, or as united Jerusalem.

Good to be back

We had a wonderful time on our 2 back to back cruises.We spent 10 days in Estonia, Russia and Germany.The second cruise was a 7 day Fjord event.
While visiting cities and their historic sites is terrific,there is something awesome about the beauty of nature.
There is a prayer when one sees a miracle or a wondrous site lite a rainbow.This was the feeling of visiting the Norwegian Fjords.I have to say that in our long history of traveling this is the first time we did not spend one penny in local shops etc .The anti-Israel  attitudes of the Norwegians  were a constant reminder to avoid supporting them.
What was interesting was to meet orthodox travelers from Mexico,Panama,Paris Israel and of course the US.

I like my son Elli was thrilled with the selection of Paul Ryan by Romney.It changes the dynamics of the race. Even though some say that the deficit will now take over as no 1 in lieu of the economy and jobs,I believe they are connected.Obama will have to defend his (lack of a ) record. Eventually his campaign will come out of the gutter.hat it won't work.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Elli Ganchrow writes:

The Democrats, led by Rep. Wasserman-Schultz, have already begun their campaign to scare seniors into believing that the Ryan plan will end Medicare. Its a shameful smear and its typical of the outrageous campaign being run by the Democrats. This smear, combined with Harry Reid's tax accusation, combined with the false accusation that Bain Capital had something to do with the death of a laid off worker's wife have made the Democrat's campaign one of the dirtiest and most deceptive in recent history. Lets hope the media begins to challenge the Obama team in the same way that Wolf Blitzer challenged the lies of Rep. Wasserman Schultz in this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5NJF5Fcvmg&feature=player_embedded

Kudos to Mr. Blitzer for this piece of journalism- score one for the good guys.

Paul Ryan

Elli Ganchrow writes:

A few thoughts about Romney's selection of Paul Ryan to be his running mate. Firstly, I am thrilled with the pick. Ryan is the brightest star in the Republican Party and is its intellectual leader. He is a master on the budget and will destroy any Democrat who tries to debate on the issues. It will be fun to watch Joe Biden try to keep up with Ryan in their debate. (Charles Krauthammer reminded his viewers that Ryan made mince meat of the President during a White House meeting with Congressional leaders early in the President's term.) Ryan will bring out big crowds (as was evident today) and should help with fund raising). It does make you wonder what position the party would be in if Ryan was the nominee for President and not Vice President. However, I am still waiting to see if this signifies that the Romney team is ready to go for the win. This was a bold pick and is a good sign but now they have to go out and run a meaningful campaign that is on message. Hopefully the next two and a half monthes will be about reforming medicare and social security, cutting spending, cutting taxes, getting the economy moving and jobs. They must explain the major philosophical differences between the parties and allow people to make an intelligent choice based off what they hear. Romney cannot allow the remaining time to be about being on defense or about what year he left Bain Capital or where his tax returns are.
Two final points: One, I was perplexed by the timing of the VP announcement. They leaked it to the press on Friday night and formerly introduced him in a lavish ceremony in front of a battleship on Saturday morning at 9:45am Eastern time. Who did they would be tuning in to watch Ryan on Saturday morning- those watching Saturday morning cartoons or insomniacs on the West coast? They couldn't wait for Monday after the Olympics? Or any other week day to attract a big TV audience? Romney's introduction speech wasn't very good and he ended it by introducing Ryan as "the next President of the United States." Overall, not one of the campaign's better moments. Lets hope for some good moments in the coming monthes. Second, no matter what happens, win or lose, this puts Ryan in the driver's seat as the next leader of the Republican and our next nominee in either 2016 or 2020. That will hopefully mean less attention to our previous VP nominee, Sarah Palin, which can only be a positive thing.

Iran/The battle against the Orthodox

Elli Ganchrow writes:

Today's piece in the WSJ by Michael Oren is as clear a statement from Israel as you will find that Israel's patience with diplomacy and sanctions are running out. Oren points out that Israel has been warning the world about Iran for the last 20 years. "But time is dwindling and, with with each passing day, the lives of 8,000,000 Israelis grow increasingly imperiled. The window that opened 20 years ago is now almost shut." It sounds like the Israelis are either ready to act or just want the world to believe that it is ready to act. In any event, any attack is likely to occur prior to the November 6th elections in America. The next few weeks should be very interesting.

_______________________________________________________________________


There are two battles currently being waged by the non-Orthodox against the Orthodox for the purposes of either ensuring that Orthodox families don't move into certain neighborhoods or reducing Orthodox influence once they move into the neighborhood. The first battle is over the erection of an Eruv and is taking place in the Hamptons (after being waged in other places like Tenafly).  The non-Orthodox in the Hamptons know that if they can keep an Eruv from being erected then they can keep the Orthodox from moving in. They started an organization called " Jewish People against the Eruv" and are fighting in court so that the Orthodox can erect an Eruv around the city. Of course, they claim that their interest is that government not help establish religion by allowing the Eruv to be tied to utility lines. But we all know that their position is fueled by a hatred of Orthodoxy. The second battle is being fought over the school board in Monsey. Again, this is a fight which has played out in other areas where the demographics change and the Orthodox can vote for non-public school parents to the school board. The five towns area on Long Island experienced these fights. In simple terms the public school parents (who tend to be Jewish in Monsey and in the Five Towns) claim that private school parents should not be on the school board. Yet these same parents have no problem collecting our taxes to be used toward these schools. We should pay taxes but not have a say. I guess they forgot the American Revolution's founding cry of "No taxation without representation". Why would any American not want to be represented on a board which spends so much of our hard earned tax money? The bottom line is that the battle being waged by the Non-Orthodox in each case are wasting the time and money of the community and they are unlikely to prevail in either case. If only the Jewish community could act united, instead of these unnecessary fights. What a shame!

Olympics

Elli Ganchrow writes:

The day of Tisha B'Av commemorates all tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people. Unfortunately Jewish history is filled with all types of horrible acts committed against it by anti-semitic nations. This year, the Summer Olympics started on the night of Tisha B'Av. The families of the Jewish victims of the terrorist attacks which occurred at the 1972 Summer Games in Munich begged the International Olympic Committee to have a moment of silence in honor of the eleven holy souls who were massacred by Palestinian terrorists 40 years earlier. The answer from the leaders of this global movement was no- they couldn't risk offending those in the Arab world who believe in brutal terrorist attacks against Jews. As astounding as this sounded, as reported by Sports Illustrated in this week's issue, Arab nations continue to order their athletes to refuse to compete against Israeli athletes. Despite this overt and blatant anti-semitism, the athletic world is silent. Sanctions are not sought against the Arab athletes or their countries despite their horrible acts against the Jewish nation. What an outrage! Centuries after the first Tisha B'Av, the Jewish people are continually reminded of the hatred against them which continues to exist in the world.

Romney II/Chick-Fil-A

Elli Ganchrow writes:

The news on Friday that the unemployment rate is still above 8% allowed political commentators to state the obvious: this is Romney's race to lose. Its been decades since an incumbent won re-election with an unemployment rate this high and it shouldn't be difficult to convince Americans that we are on the wrong track. Yet, as I noted in my previous posts there are some real issues that Republicans need to deal with. The first is Obama's personal popularity which remains high. The second is Romney's awkwardness as a candidate. The third is that the Romney campaign trying to imitate the Dole campaign (and I don't mean that as a compliment. The Dole campaign was inept and lacking in focus and ended up losing to a weak (but personally popular) incumbent by 8 points. The Romney are refusing to play to win but rather they are playing not to lose. Instead of talking about the issues they are making the argument that Obama shouldn't be President. Its a risky strategy that doesn't seem to be working. The fourth is that Romney still has not sealed the deal with conservatives that he can be trusted- the New York Times had an article on Saturday that stated that certain Iowa Republicans are making it known that they may not vote since they don't believe that Romney is conservative enough. It is disconcerting to open up Saturday's WSJ with its rundown of the latest poll information from 12 swing states and observe that Romney trails in every one of them except for North Carolina. As Yogi Berra says, its getting late, early.

_______________________________________________________________________
It has been interesting to note the left's lack of respect for the First Amendment. It appears that the left believes that that the bill of rights protects only that speech to which the government agrees with. All other speech should be regulated or banned. Take the reaction of the left to the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United. In that case, the Court held that held that the First Amendment prohibited the government from restricting independent political expenditures by corporations. It seems logical that corporations would enjoy these freedoms. Yet the left reacted as if the Republic was about to be destroyed. Yet if you ask a Democrat why they don't oppose some corporations (like the New York Times or MSNBC or Newsweek etc, etc.) from being involved in unregulated political speech, they have no answer. Yet its clear what the left's theory is: we are in favor of corporate speech that we agree with ( the left wing media) but we oppose corporations that will give donations to our political opponents. That brings us to last week. The left went crazy when the head of Chick-Fil-A pronounced that he believes in the traditional form of marriage (i.e., man and woman). This is a position held by a clear majority of Americans (gay marriage is regularly defeated when placed on the ballot no matter the state, even in California). Yet Democrats acted as if Chick-Fil-A had pronounced some nutty position. That in of itself would have been fine. Some, including a candidate for Mayor of NYC, wanted the government to punish Chick-Fil-A for its speech. It doesn't take a constitutional expert to figure out that such pronouncements by government officials are outrageous and should be condemned by all members of society (left and right) who believe in the freedoms that are guaranteed by the Constitution. This was partly what led to the huge crowds at the chain's restaurants last week as many wanted to show their support for the First Amendment. It was ironic that as the commotion was continuing over Chick-Fil-A, the head of Amazon gave a sizable donation toward a gay marriage initiative in Washington state. There was no protest from the right as a result of this political speech. We need to stress to our elected officials that the First Amendment is too important to be ignored.

Romney

Elli Ganchrow writes:

Firstly, let me state out the outset that it is imperative that President Obama be defeated. His domestic policies are destroying our economy and his foreign policy is incoherent and dangerous. While Governor Romney would not have been my first choice as Republican nominee, I am enthusiastically supporting his candidacy. His trip to Israel was well-played and it was reassuring to hear him refer to Jerusalem as the capital. With the economy growing slowly and unemployment over 8%, this race is very winnable. However, if you are a Romney supporter and are not nervous about the state of the campaign then you are not paying attention. According to Real Clear Politics, as of today, Obama has 247 electoral votes that are either solid, likely or leaning in his favor. If you add to that Ohio (which Obama has led in every poll for the last 6 weeks) and either Nevada or Colorado and the election is over. A clear and quick turnaround is needed by Romney. What can he do?
1. Stop being distracted by side issues like Bain and out-sourcing. Focus like a laser on jobs, government spending, taxes and Obamacare.
2. Release your taxes during the Olympics (on a Friday night)- make the issue go away when no one is paying attention.
3. Select the Vice Presidential nominee on the Tuesday after the Olympics so that Romney can get a week of positive coverage prior to the convention. It will also give him an extra body to do campaigning.
4. Select Senator Portman as the VP nominee- Ohio is a must win and Portman is the best candidate out there. There is no good reason not to pick him.
There is still time to turn around the race but with just three monthes to go its important that the Romney people pick up the pace now.