Dr.
Mark Klein, Presidential Candidates, Anti-Semitism And Iowa
Republican GOP Ames Straw Poll
By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency
Jerusalem ----June 9 ....... The man is a leading and respected
physician and a psychiatrist. He directly represents three main
sectors of the American public - divorced fathers who yearn
for equal access, shared parenting and more time with their
children. At 65 years-old, a father of four, grandfather of
two, Dr. Klein represents the Seniors vote and perhaps most
important - the Jewish vote.
Dr.
Mark Klein is the only Jewish candidate running for the
Presidency of the United States.
Yet, the Iowa GOP is now banning Dr. Klein from participating
in the Iowa Republican Ames Straw Poll.
"We
have two criteria for running in the Iowa Republican Presidential
Candidates Ames Straw Poll, Iowa Republican GOP Chairperson
Craig Robinson told the Israel News Agency. "One,
the presidential candidate needs to be running a national campaign
for the Presidency and two has established a grass roots campaign
in Iowa."
Dr.
Klein meets both criteria. But yet, Klein is still barred from
the Iowa Republican Ames Straw Poll.
Not that everyone is rushing to be in this Republican Iowa poll.
Recently Rudolph W. Giuliani and Senator John McCain announced
that they would skip participation in what has been a significant
early test of candidate strength in Ames, Iowa.
The
Giuliani campaign cited the high cost of participating in the
poll, which they estimated at $3 million, as the reason for
pulling out. Hours later, the McCain campaign followed suit,
raising the prospect that the event would lose its import in
the road to the nomination.
The
Ames straw poll started in 1979, initially conceived as a way
to raise money for the caucuses. It has been criticized as a
poor test of support because the candidates essentially buy
the tickets for the attendees who do the voting. Campaigns are
expected to buy thousands of $30 tickets for supporters, provide
them transportation and then pamper them during the carnival-like
event, which is scheduled to be held on Aug. 11 at Iowa State
University.
George
W. Bush used a straw poll victory in 1999 as evidence of his
campaigns legitimacy and strength. The poll has also proved
important in helping thin out the field, with lesser-known candidates
who perform poorly dropping out of the race.
When
Klein was asked why he believes the GOP should get behind him
and make him a nominee he responded: "I am the only person
who can save the GOP's bacon. The party's "approved"
candidates are political retreads owned and operated by the
mega money interests financing their campaigns. None have a
ghost of a chance to beat Clinton, Obama, or Edwards."
Klein
continues: "I am a genuine idealist who not only talks
the Republican talk, and I'll walk the Republican walk as President
by insisting among other things on budgetary restraint and much
more modest foreign policy. You can take to the bank the days
of borrowing and wild spending will end along with America playing
World Copeak. I can win because Americans ache for a fresh face.
Discovered campaigning I've got whatever the personality magic
is to become president. People like me because I'm always me
and am congenitally allergic to not speaking my mind."
Dr.
Mark Klein is a proud Jew. He has never made any attempt to
conceal his Jewishness and his love for Israel. In fact, Dr.
Klein who is one of Israel's staunchest defenders for its right
to exist and has children living in Israel.
And
perhaps being Jewish is a problem for the Iowa Republican GOP.
It would not be the first time that Anti-Semitism has raised
it ugly head in Iowa. Recently, a disabled US Jewish war veteran
alleged anti-Semitism at an Iowa VA hospital.
"Since moving back to Iowa about two years ago I have been
thrust into a struggle with the Iowa City Veterans Hospital
& Clinics over religious discrimination and Christian proselytizing."
says Jewish Navy Veteran David "Akiva David" Miller.
"Over time it has become clear that each experience of
discrimination is not isolated from the others; in fact the
problem of religious discrimination is systemic to the Iowa
City VA. I am a disabled veteran who served my Country honorably
in the US Navy. I am also an Orthodox Jew. Not only did the
hospital refuse to notify my Rabbi, as I requested, they sent
a Protestant chaplain in to see me each time. The first two
visits by the Protestant (Assembly of God) Chaplain were all
about trying to convert me - trying to convince me that I needed
Jesus, that Jesus was the Messiah of the Jews too - this while
I was suffering chest pains and wired to a heart monitor!"
The
US Federal Courts have ruled that publicly funded hospitals
may not engage in proselytizing. Clearly the actions of the
Iowa City VA are in violation of the US Constitution's provision
for the separation of Church and State.
The
Israel News Agency asked several questions to the Iowa GOP
leadership.
Why
would the Iowa GOP deny any FEC officially registered presidential
candidate who requested listing on the Ames Straw Poll?
Wouldn't listing Dr. Klein on the poll help draw new voters
to the GOP? He potentially represents tens of millions votes
from divorced fathers and mothers upset by divorce courts depriving
them of adequate contact with their children, and destroying
them financially with unfair child support orders.
Why won't the Iowa GOP allow Iowa's orthodox Jews supporting
Dr. Klein willing to pay the $30 fee an absentee ballot for
Ames because they won't drive to Ames on August 11th, a Saturday.
Not doing that could cost Dr. Klein several hundred votes?
Why
is the GOP suppressing Dr. Klein's excellent straw poll results
from the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in Memphis
and Polk County (Des Moines) GOP chairman Ted Sporer's online
poll in August.
Also
there wasn't any mention by the Republican Party in Iowa of
Dr. Klein coming in tied for 3rd place only three votes behind
Mitt Romney in a snap straw poll conducted by the Grundy County,
Iowa GOP at its monthly meeting last month. Why?
Craig
Robinson could only respond with: "Dr. Klein has taken
out many negative advertisements against the Republican GOP
in Iowa. I will not discuss this matter further."
"I took the ads out because the Iowa GOP breached on an
agreement to put me on the straw poll," Dr. Klein told
the INA. "I made an arrangement to get on the Iowa Ames
Straw poll in late April with the Ames committee chair Ted Sporer
in the presence of the Vice Chair Leon Moseley. A few days later
I met with Robinson who said I was very unlikely to get on the
ballot because the party planned to limit the number of candidates
to only best known."
So
let's see if we have this correct. Robinson told the INA
that the decision to remove Klein was a result of his negative
ads, yet Klein was told before the ads even appeared
that he had no chance to appear on the Ames Straw Poll!
But
even if the excuse were negative ads, who does the Iowa GOP
represent?
They represent Republicans in Iowa. They represent Republicans
in the United States.
Do Republicans in the United States ban free speech? I think
not.
The INA believes that Dr. Mark Klein may be the victim
of blatant anti-semitism. There can be no other reason why any
rational group would deny an FEC officially registered presidential
candidate who requested listing on the Ames Straw Poll?
Lack
of space? Then allow this Jew, who is supported by hundreds
of thousands of good Christians in the United States, to take
the spots which are now vacated by Rudolph W. Giuliani and Senator
John McCain.
If the Iowa Republican GOP continues on their present track,
it will become a very dark stain for the good people of Iowa
and every listed Republican in the United States of America.
The
Israel News Agency is proud to repeat Dr. Klein's advertisements
asking the American public to support him in his run for the
White House.
"I'm
Dr. Mark Klein. I'm a GOP presidential candidate who believes
in things like parents having the right to refuse to hire gays
seeking jobs as babysitters. The Iowa GOP won't give me a place
on the Ames straw poll ballot because they want the party to
be an exclusive club open only to candidates funded by big money
interests. Call the Iowa GOP in Des Moines at 282-8105 to demand
all Republican hopefuls go on the Ames ballot. Again the GOP's
phone number is 282-8105."
Klein
says that the Republican Iowa GOP Central Committee is meeting
this weekend to make the final selection for the Ames Straw
Poll.
"It's
not over till its over," says Dr. Klein. "I plan to
stay in the race long after the Ames Straw Poll becomes history."