By Herb Brandon
Israel News Agency
Washington — November 5, 2014 … Contrary to the myth that all American Jews vote with Democratic and other liberal parties, thousands yesterday helped the Republican party to retake the US House of Representatives and the US Senate.
“For many of us, we didn’t see this Republican victory as one club conquering another,” said Joel Leyden, Director of Israel 4 USA.
“We realized that the mid-term elections represented basic security issues for both the US and Israel. Between suffering terror attacks in Jerusalem, threats to the US by ISIS, Islamic Jihad and Hamas and having a US President who throws insults at us, calling Israel “chickenshit” for not weakening our security, we knew we had to do all we could to get Republican control of congress.”
In the House, the GOP secured at least 246 seats, its largest majority since World War II. Speaker John Boehner, celebrating a widened majority, said he is “humbled by the responsibility the American people have placed with us.”
With seats still to be decided in Virginia, Alaska and Louisiana — where there will be a runoff in December — the GOP’s massive wave currently has 52 seats in the Senate.
“We are at a pivotal moment, both domestically and internationally,” said the RJC.
“The President’s low job approval ratings, coupled with the voters’ repudiation of Democrats and their policies across the country in this election, signal that the country is looking for leadership — and the Republican-led Congress will provide it.
The Republican Jewish Coalition played an important role in today’s victory. Our members contributed and raised millions of dollars for campaigns around the country. The RJC PAC made significant contributions to critical races. And our grassroots events energized our members to participate in get-out-the-vote efforts.”
Leyden, an American born Israeli who has served as an officer in the IDF, added that much of his creative efforts were now directed to providing digital PR and marketing consulting support for the 2016 US Presidential race.
“The US and Israel could not be closer. The US Congress, the Department of Defense and Israel are on the same page, same paragraph, same word. Now we need to elect a US President who places the security of both the US and Israel as a priority. These two democratic nations will not live under an Iranian nuclear threat, we will not live under the threat of continued Islamic terror attacks – not in Washington, not in Jerusalem.”