Jewish Dems: Palin out of step with community opinions

Following U.S. Presidential candidate John McCain's announcement that he had selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate on Friday, the National Jewish Democratic Council issued a statement saying McCain's judgment appears "lacking." "Today, Senator John McCain made his first critical decision with his selection of his vice Presidential running mate. In Governor Sarah Palin, McCain chooses a running mate with zero foreign policy experience and a brewing scandal that is being investigated by the Alaska state legislature," said the group's Executive Director Ira N. Forman in a statement yesterday.
Comparing the newly named vice presidential nominee to her Democratic counterpart Senator Joe Biden, the statement went on to say "the contrast with Joe Biden could not be starker and more unfavorable for the soon-to-be Republican nominee." "For a party that claims it is trying to reach out to the Jewish community, McCain's pick is particularly strange," Forman continued. "Prior to today's selection, Palin apparently has never spoken publicly about Israel. Moreover, on a broad range of issues - most strikingly on the issue of women's reproductive freedom - she is totally out of step with Jewish public opinion. The gulf between Palin's public policy positions and the American Jewish community is best illustrated by the fact that the Christian Coalition of America was one of the strongest advocates of her selection," he said. In contrast, the Republican Jewish Coalition issued a very different response to McCain's running mate selection, saying that the choice demonstrated his good judgment and commitment to challenging politics-as-usual. "As governor of Alaska, Palin has enjoyed a strong working relationship with Alaska's Jewish community," said Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matt Brooks. "Palin has been a leader on the critical issue of energy independence and lessening our need to buy oil from nations not sharing American and Israel's foreign policy," he said.