Ed Koch Endorses Obama Despite Earlier Misgivings
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Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Bryan Cave LLP
It turns out that failed New York congressional candidate David Weprin and former NYC Mayor Ed Koch have more in common than many people thought.
Koch, 86, backed Republican Bob Turner in the special election to fill disgraced Democrat Anthony Weiner’s old seat. Koch repeatedly said while campaigning with Turner he wanted to “send a message” to the White House on Israel.
Message received, apparently. Koch endorsed President Barack Obama today.
In an email sent to supporters and obtained by Politico, Koch says he is backing the president for recent moves regarding Israel.
“The president should be praised for intervening with the Egyptian army to save the Israeli diplomatic personnel from physical assault and providing the Israeli military with bunker buster bombs, advanced military technology and providing military intelligence cooperation far exceeding his predecessors,” Koch wrote. “I’m now on board the Obama Reelection Express.”
At Turner’s election party in Queens earlier this month, Koch told reporters the president had “thrown Israel under the bus,” and he had also suggested he would take his message to other places in the country with large Jewish populations such as South Florida. But it seems all is now well with Koch and the president.
The New York Times reported that Koch also cited being invited to a party the president and first lady held at the New York Public Library for United Nations delegates last week where he spoke with the president.
When Turner claimed victory over Weprin in the overwhelmingly Democratic district, both Turner and Koch said it was a referendum on Obama and that Jewish voters were upset at his call to return to Israel’s pre-1967 borders.
Koch’s backing of Turner apparently helped give the businessman with no previous political experience the momentum that led to his victory in the deep-blue district. No word yet on whether Koch will help Obama do the same, but it could help to end some of the chatter that Jewish Democrats are abandoning the president.
UPDATE:
ABC News’ Devin Dwyer reports that a senior Obama campaign aide says, “We appreciate the Mayor’s support, look forward to working with him and welcome any help he’s able to offer as the campaign proceeds.”
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Posted by: jonnie | September 27, 2011, 4:35 pm 4:35 pm
Some people never learn.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | September 27, 2011, 4:43 pm 4:43 pm
Israel just approved 1100 new settler homes in Gilo , land annexed after the 1967 war. They obviously aren’t serious about making peace with the Palestinians , clearly. The UN Quartet specifically asked Israel / the Palestinians to refrain from causing any inflammation to the already explosive situation , and what does Israel do in response ? I do think the USA needs to start distancing itself from Israel , especially when they do things as unilaterally and rashly as the Israelis are well known to do . They are probably going to be the catalyst that starts ww3 , and Turkey ( among other nations ) outraged over the flotilla raid , is plenty big enough militarily to whip Israel , good too.
Both parties need to start looking hard for peace and common ground , and in truth the Palestinians are not much better . They have to recognize the Jewish state of Israel we all understand that , but the Israelis building settlements while negotiations have yet to be settled is just exacerbating the problem to the nth degree . It looks to everyone in the world that Israel is just trying to build up as many settlements on as much occupied territory as they can , as fast as they can.
Posted by: billybobbytimmyfred | September 27, 2011, 4:43 pm 4:43 pm
Il Tedeschi responsibiliti tutti! Basta!
German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble said it would be a folly to boost the EU’s bail-out machinery (EFSF) beyond its €440bn lending limit by deploying leverage to up to €2 trillion, perhaps by raising funds from the European Central Bank.
“I don’t understand how anyone in the European Commission can have such a stupid idea. The result would be to endanger the AAA sovereign debt ratings of other member states. It makes no sense,” he said.
Mr Schauble told Washington to mind its own businesss after President Barack Obama rebuked EU leaders for failing to recapitalise banks and allowing the debt crisis to escalate to the point where it is “scaring the world”.
“It’s always much easier to give advice to others than to decide for yourself. I am well prepared to give advice to the US government,” he said.
Posted by: Benito | September 27, 2011, 5:38 pm 5:38 pm
It’s a shame that American Jewish politicians don’t pay as much attention to the US as they do Israel. Some republicans want there to be an “oath of allegiance” taken from Muslin’s working in government, I think that oath needs to be given to the Jews working in the government instead.
Posted by: JR | September 27, 2011, 6:53 pm 6:53 pm
It’s a shame that someone gets praised because they’ve given someone a new means to kill more people.
Posted by: blind spot | September 28, 2011, 5:51 am 5:51 am