One of the sidebar stories to Mitt Romney’s self-destructive comments about half of the U.S. being entitled, the Palestinians wanting the destruction of Israel and the need to keep the status quo in Israel/Palestine is that he made the statements at the home of Marc Leder, a wealthy 50-year-old in the private equity industry. Leder and some of the other donors there have funded Jewish causes as well as politicians who espouse right-wing Zionism and Islamophobia.
Of course Romney has raised money from lots of rich right-wingers– so it may be strictly coincidence that the most explosive story of the campaign came when he was speaking in front of a Jewish crowd. But it is surely yet another example of how Israel plays a major role in the financing of political campaigns– or as Jim Besser of the Jewish Week said, “While Jewish voting isn’t very Israel-focused, Jewish campaign giving is — and especially the mega-giving that is playing a bigger role than ever in Election 2012.”
Indeed, Romney’s statements to the crowd about the peace process may have been scripted by another one of his pro-Israel givers, Sheldon Adelson, as the Jewish Telegraphic Agency notes. (In August of this year, The Daily Beast reported that Adelson has ”asked Romney to state publicly that Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are a waste of time because the Palestinians are unwilling to make peace”–which is pretty much what Romney said at the fundraiser. While the story was reported after the Romney fundraiser in Boca Raton took place, Adelson has been meeting and speaking with Romney since February.)
So who was in the room that night in Boca Raton? There’s no confirmed list, but Mother Jones has posted a list of some of the other donors who possibly attended Romney’s May 17 $50,000-a-plate fundraiser in Florida. The names Mother Jones lists are based on a “search for Florida-based donors” culled from “people who gave $50,000 to the Romney Victory PAC between May 1 and May 17.” Included in that list are other donors whose politics are tied to right-wing Zionism:
- According to tax records, Leder has given money to Jewish causes, like the United Jewish Appeal Federation of New York ($2,696 in 2007), and the Jewish Federations ($5,000 in 2007). Leder’s family foundation gave money to the Jewish Federations, while another foundation to which Leder’s family foundation contributes to, Sun Capital Partners Foundation, gave the money to the United Jewish Appeal.
- Douglas Berman is executive managing director for HIG Private Equity. Berman is a board member for the Jewish Federation of Broward County.
- Then there’s Jeffrey Feingold, the CEO of McNa Dental Plans. Feingold accompanied Florida Governor Rick Scott on a 2011 trade mission trip to Israel. The purpose of the trip was “to strengthen business and cultural ties between Israel and Florida,” according to a report in the Sunshine State News. Feingold also gave $5,000 to the Republican Jewish Coalition–one of the the main right-wing Israel lobby groups–in April 2011. And Feingold has also given money to Allen West, the Florida Tea Party Republican who is a big supporter of the Greater Israel agenda and a virulent Islamophobe to boot. Feingold forked over $5,000 to West’s campaign.
- Another right-wing Israel supporter in Florida is Jonathan Kislak, who is in the venture capital industry. Kislak sits on the board of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, a leading neoconservative think tank.
- Rafael Kravec is a Cuban Jew who told the Miami Herald, “I’m still a Cuban and have very strong ties with Israel.”
- And Sydney Lassen, a former CEO of Sizeler Property Investors, a “real estate and investment trust,” has given money to the Jewish Federations of New Orleans (pdf)–between $5,000 and $10,000 in 2004-05, as well as bankrolling Allen West with $3,500 in 2012.
Some of these figures–like Leder, Berman, Feingold and Kislak–have also given money to Adam Hasner, an up-and-coming Florida Republican who is–surprise!–another right-wing Zionist and Islamophobe. As Salon’s Alex Seitz-Wald has reported, Hasner pals around with Pamela Geller. And as Mondoweiss has reported, Hasner, a chairman of the “Jewish Americans For Romney Coalition,” is a right-wing Zionist and believer in Greater Israel. “The Jews’ legal, religious, historical, and moral rights to the Land are superior to those of the Palestinian-Arabs,” Hasner wrote in September 2011.
Leder gave $2,500 to Hasner in 2011. Feingold gave Hasner $5,000 last year. Kislak gave Hasner $2,500 in 2012, and Berman gave him $1,000 this year as well. Other Hasner donors in attendance were Manuel Kadre and John Sykes, who both gave $1,000 this year.
(Additional research by Allison Deger and Adam Horowitz)
I wonder if anybody can identify the questioner who asked Romney how to duplicate the scenario of Carter’s Iran hostage crisis (to whom Romney replied he would work to find a way to take advantage of any such opportunity). Romney told donors he’d try to ‘take advantage’ of moment to look strong on Mideast:
Mitt Romney:
Most Americans don’t think about Israel at all, or about Mideast politics, or about international affairs in general. They are focused on American issues and problems, and understandably so.
Without the aggressive and bullying presence of the Israel lobby, pumping vast sums of money into the political system, Israel would be close to a non-issue in American politics. Americans overall would barely give Israel and its problems a glancing thought.
>> Without the aggressive and bullying presence of the Israel lobby, pumping vast sums of money into the political system, Israel would be close to a non-issue in American politics. Americans overall would barely give Israel and its problems a glancing thought.
It is quite something to realize that not only is Israel on American radar at all but, unlike most Middle Eastern nations experiencing “tensions”, they’ve done a damned fine job of making their aggressor selves out to be the victims even as they continue smashing, colonizing, killing and cleansing.
If it weren’t so disgusting and immoral, it would almost be admirable!
I think it helps to look at the ludicrousness of the issue by changing the name of the country involved.
“Most Americans don’t think about Paraguay at all, or about Conosur politics, or about international affairs in general. They are focused on American issues and problems, and understandably so.
Without the aggressive and bullying presence of the Paraguayan lobby, pumping vast sums of money into the political system, Paraguay would be close to a non-issue in American politics. Americans overall would barely give Paraguay and its problems a glancing thought.”
I don’t doubt that most of these guys are probably supporters of Zionism, and are right wing. But you can’t prove they are right wing Zionists by just showing that they contributed to the UJA or Jewish Federation. Thousands of Jews who have a variety of ideological positions (or none) contribute to those charities. It would be like concluding that giving to Federated Catholic Charities means the donor is virulently anti-choice.
“But you can’t prove they are right wing Zionists by just showing that they contributed to the UJA or Jewish Federation. Thousands of Jews who have a variety of ideological positions (or none) contribute to those charities.”
And of course, Jews are way too smart to give to anything (especially a “charity”? Those are “charities”?) without knowing whether the organisation offends their values or not. They would never, ever give to something, oh, cause a big shot asked them, or cause they could get access or influence, or just to show they’ve got bucks. Nope, not us, the inheritors of the sacred +15! Not to mention the ethical tradition and the values!
Nor could they ever be, just, you know, wrong, or ignorant. I would never even suggest such a thing, it verges on anti-Semitism, don’t you think?
“you can’t prove they are right wing Zionists by just showing…”
What the hell are we talking about? Who on earth cares about how their wings are attached, or if they are as unable to fly as myself?
They are bloody Zionists and the left-wing ones belong to exactly the same piece of evil-stinking turd, and we have had about 80 years to learn that the leftest-wingest one is just as much of a murderous fascist as his opposed brother. So let’s please not re-introduce this sneaky propaganda tactic here, even though I will charitably assume that you are doing this unconsciously.
“Thousands of Jews who have a variety of ideological positions (or none) contribute to those charities. It would be like concluding that giving to Federated Catholic Charities means the donor is virulently anti-choice.”
Well, no, these are outspoken supporters of Zionism and one of them is officially a Zionist top organization. So whoever contributes, no matter his wings, is a Zionist. Also, nominally catholic people are not more than 90% “anti-choice”. Also, Catholics are not defined by race like you think you are; they cease to be Catholics when they become irreligious, and most of pro-choice people born into Catholic families are no more Catholic. Just as any people born to nominally Jewish families should stop calling themselves that if they have no religion, period. What’s wrong with being human?
Be back later, I’m about to puke.
It’s not easy being an old guy who knows this is the same old nasty wine in new bottles.
More amazing investigative research by Alex Kane, of the type that the New York Times, Washington Post, MSNBC, etc. assiduously avoid.
Some caterer will never get another job at the home of Marc Leder.
Jimmy Carter’s grandson leaked the video…lol…love it!
Reports: Jimmy Carter’s grandson helped leak Romney fundraiser …
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…/report-jimmy-carters-grandson-helped-l...
1 day ago – Former president Jimmy Carter’s grandson helped leak video of Mitt Romney at a private fundraiser to Mother Jones Magazine, the younger …
Jimmy Carter’s Grandson: I Exposed Romney Video | NBC New York
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/…/Carter-Grandson-Gets-Thumbs-Up-for-Ro...
1 day ago – The self-described “oppo researcher” who helped break the news of the secret Romney fundraiser video is Jimmy Carter’s grandson – and he …
Some more details about Marc Leder’s biography:
76ers co-owner hosted event where Romney made remarks
link to philly.com
“76ers co-owner hosted event where Romney made remarks”
Go Nets (or Bulls, or Wizards, or Celtics, or Heat, or Nets or Utah Jazz [the most inappropriately named team in professional sports]…)
Frankly, I’m surprised that our n00z media, which is normally so driven by salaciousness and scandal, seems completely uninterested in just how skeezy Romney’s funders are. Even if the prostitution in Macau is unproven, Shelly Adelson’s money comes from gambling and alcohol, ferchrissakes — not exactly Tabernacle-approved. And this guy, Marc Leder, owner of the Sixers, is notorious for throwing Caligula-style orgies in the Hamptons.
How the cable pundits would be reacting if Obama were raking in such sin-soaked shekels is left as a thought exercise for the reader.
Should the Republican Party be re-named the AIPAC Party
clubroma wrote:
AIPAC controls both major political parties and the mainstream media. You don’t go nearly far enough. Perhaps the Zionist States of America or the United States of Zion or the United States of Israel would be a more telling description.
G-d bless them all!
Meanwhile, a side contrary note to keep us up to date on the progress of BDS–The Irish parliament is pushing ban on goods from Israeli settlements, with some members even wanting it to be a ban on all Israeli goods and wanting a EU ban on the rogue state’s goods: link to english.al-akhbar.com