(JacobKornbluh).In my interview with Dem. Assemblyman Rory Lancman on the Bibi Report Radio show,the Queens Assemblyman was very critical of President Obama's Israel policy, especially when its comes to Israel's security.
"In the 2 1/2 years since hes been President, he hasn't always remembered, what it means to the people of israel, Southern Israel, Northern Israel, to live with the constant existential threat of destruction... I think the President has lost that internalization that he had articulated and talked about when he visited israel as a candidate..."
Asked about the Jewish vote following Obama's UN speech, if he believes there will be any shift of the Jewish vote, back into the Democratic camp, Lancman said:
" I don't know if the President 's speech, will be enough to erase or restore the erosion in the President's popularity not among just the Jewish community, but the American community who Israel is an important issue... I would like to believe that the speech is a turning point...perhaps the President has just realized that the course that he has pursued in trying to obtain a middle east peace has not really been correct and has not worked...and maybe he will focus the attention on where is ought to be - to hold all the Palestinians (not only the smiley Abbas, but the non smiley Hamas regime in Gaza too) accountable and press them to return to the negotiation table, to recognize the State of Israel as a Jewish state, and make the hard choices that the Palestinians have not been able to make since the beginning of this conflict, and if the President has that focus he will perhaps be able to bring this decades (century) long conflict to a peaceful negotiated resolution... and if he does that, a secondary consequence benefit for him, I think he will renew his support among the Jewish community ...".
Lancman hinted of an Congressional Challenge against Congressman Turner in 2012, if the NY9th district is saved during the redistricting process:
"Having a Republican congressman is new to me.. its really extremely important to me, that my Congressman represent my values on Israel and on many many other issues...and you can be certain that i will do everything i can to make sure that my Congressman does so, whether or not that's me, I guess time will tell, but if I felt that I had to be the person to make that race, I wouldn't be shy or reluctant to do it.."