Right Wing Jewish Group Drums Up Fears About Sestak’s Record on Israel

[alp227]

When former Sen. Chuck Hagel reached across the aisle last month to endorse Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) for the Senate last month, Sestak gladly accepted the honor as a sign of his moderate politics and cross-party appeal. To a certain group of conservative Jews, however, it was further proof that Sestak was a bad choice for the state of Israel — and they’ve now launched internet ads to try to drum up fear about his candidacy.

The ad in question spends a lot of time criticizing Hagel but is rather short on Sestak’s particular shortcomings. An accompanying website mentions that Sestak once signed a letter asking President Obama to pressure Israel to relax its security measures on the Gaza border. It cites, oddly, a New York Times article that mentions the frustrating and overly burdensome restrictions that were then in place.

Full story + repressed links: http://washingtonindependent.com/96831/right-wing-jewish-group-drums-up-fears-about-sestaks-record-on-israel

[Jefferson23]

1. Shameful yet predictable:

It neglects to mention that Gov. Ed Rendell (D-Pa.) and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter (D-Pa.) have also attended the CAIR event in Philadelphia in previous years and neither stands accused of hating the state of Israel.

The ad campaign is backed by the Republican Jewish Coalition, whose PAC has thus far spent money this election cycle donating to Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.), Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), former Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), and a host of other Republicans. It has less to do with Sestak’s beliefs and more to do with an effort to sow doubts among Pennsylvania’s pro-Israel population by distorting them.

[Ken Burch]

2. This group was probably involved in the smear of Lynn Yeakel

when she was making a close race of it against Specter a few years ago.

[bemildred]

3. Fear == Donations$$$$$ nt