An Arutz Sheva Column on the Presidential Campaign

Arutz Sheva has published a column by one author from California assessing the Presidential candidates. (March 12, 2016.)

Since Arutz Sheva leans far to the right predictably this columnist does not like Bernie Sanders or Hilary Clinton.

He says the following about Bernie Sanders.

Bernie Sanders actually is a very good man — he is honest, and he is decent.  He really is.  He is the most honest and decent guy in American politics.  The only problem is that he is an Old Time  Marxist from the Old Country — everyone has an “Uncle Boinie” like him — a socialist who literally honeymooned in the Soviet Union upon marrying years ago, an utterly assimilated Jew from another era when all Jews spoke Yiddish and could read Hebrew, and were so assimilated that you could not even call them “self-hating.”  He is not a self-hater.  He rather is a gentle Marxist like the crazy uncle who comes to the Seder every year and wants to know why no one will drink the wine in the Elijah Cup if Elijah doesn’t want any.  This past Rosh Hashanah he was busy speaking at aChristian University in Lynchburg, Virginia, asking for their votes.  In the language of his ancestors: er vayst foon gornisht oon is a shtikel meshuggeh (He knows from nothing and is a bit crazy.).

So that is all you need to know about Bernie.  He is not going to win the Democrat nomination, and Americans surely would not elect him President at age 74 even if he did get nominated (say, if Hillary gets indicted, and he is the last man standing).  Still, he is very likeable — he is nothing like a bitter Yossi Sarid or Shulamit Aloni, if you remember them.  Enough about Bernie.

A Clinton presidency is denounced. He says it will be a "terrible, terrible blight upon Israel."

Clinton would be a terrible, terrible blight for Israel.  This cannot be emphasized enough.  Not that she is anti-Semitic.  Like Obama — who was surrounded by Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrad and other such riff-raff — Hillary is surrounded by a fair number of Jews.  They and she even regard themselves as friends of Israel, much as Franklin Roosevelt was a friend in the 1940s. ... The danger in Hillary is that she knows how to manipulate the political system to impose her will. 

And being right wing predictably he wants a Republican to be elected.

Marco Rubio is praised.

[Marco Rubio] is a wonderful guy, an amazing friend of Israel — he only uses the term “Judea and Samaria” and never says “West Bank,” and he is pro-Israel beyond belief.  However, like pro-Israel Gov. Mike Huckabee’s failed campaign, Rubio’s effort seems not meant to be.

John Kasich does not inspire any enthusiasm for this author.

Ted Cruz is praised.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, by contrast, is amazingly pro-Israel.  I have never seen anything like it.  On his first day in office, he will move America’s Israelembassy to Jerusalem.  He will allow construction in Yosh.  He is so pro-Israel that, frankly, my only fear is that Israeli politicians will weaken him....  Cruz, the son of Cuban immigrants, is a brilliant debater, a brilliant mind, graduate of one of America’s greatest law schools, and a former Solicitor-General of Texas, whose job entailed arguing and winning cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.  He is a rock-ribbed conservative, supporter of religious rights and an abortion opponent, a Reagan-style free-enterprise capitalist and, like Rubio, a strong supporter of a strong American military role in the world.  For better or worse, though, entrepreneur Donald Trump probably will beat Sen. Cruz for the GOP nomination, if present voting trends hold up.

Most of the rest of the article discusses Donald Trump.

In this article Trump's bankruptcies are portrayed as a strength, not a liability. He also expresses hope that this is a sign that Trump will reserve policies of Obama the Arutz Sheva columnist disapproves of.

His opponents point to those corporate bankruptcies as a bad sign, but I like it.  Seriously, a guy who can walk away from his debts, again and again, can walk away from Obama’s Iran nuclear deal and from Obama’s other delirious “executive actions” that have damaged America in a variety of ways ranging from health care to border control to energy independence to America’s role in the world.

While discussing Trump the Arutz Sheva author refers to a possible future Israeli Prime Minister from the Labor Party as "an idiot".

The main concern and danger with Trump is that, if Israel eventually elects an idiot from the Labor Left as Prime Minister, then Trump understandably would feel he should not be more pro-Israel than an Israeli Prime Minister offering to concede the farm.

While discussing Trump the Arutz Sheva author denigrates American Jews who work with Democratic Party legislators as "self-haters" who "leech" to the Democratic Party legislators.

[Donald Trump] trusts Jews in his highest places — and not the kinds of self-haters who leech onto Democrats — and, again, there is his daughter.

About 80% of American Jews vote for the Democratic Party. How is it that this man would wish to compare the vast majority of American Jews to leeches and accuse them of being "self-haters"? This is troubling to say the least.

And to think the COGs trust this media outlet.

Arutz Sheva is a far right media outlet in Israel that caters for national religious Israeli Jews. It is closely associated with the settlers. Its headquarters are in Beit El, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank.

Arutz Sheva is often quoted by PCG and to a somewhat lesser extent by UCG, LCG and RCG. It is never criticized by the COGs. The COGs trust Arutz Sheva. They have never bothered explaining to their readers the political stance Arutz Sheva tends to take.