Fear an dLoathing in PA: The Odd Official Email about Obama

Facebook photo of Bryan Rudnick, whom I guessing is the same fellow who penned a campaign email against Obama. Either that or he shares an interest in rightwing Republicans and Florida politics.

The NYT's Jim Rutenberg reports October 24 that Jewish voters in PA are receiving Rudnick's email sponsored by the Pennsylvania Republican Party’s “Victory 2008” committee falsely alleging that Obama

taught members of Acorn to commit voter registration fraud

It also equates a vote for the Democrat with the

tragic mistake...[of those who ignored the warning signs in the 1930’s and 1940’s.

Rudick, BTW, is the CEO and President of the PR firm Alliance Strategies Group, whose other clients include Katherine Harris (an opponent of separation of Church and State). He was her fourth campaign manager during during her ill-fated run 2006 for Senate. His firm also has done pr for Standing for Israel by Christians United for Israel’s Executive Director David Brog's with a forward by Pastor John Hagee. The neo-con Republican Jewish Coalition mailed that book out to rabbis in early 2007. Rudnick also ran the unsuccessful campaign of Hal Valeche for Republican nomination for the Florida District 16 Congressional seat.

On 10/25, Brett Lieberman of The Forward provides Rudnick's complete email here:

Dear Fellow Jewish Voter: In the 5,769 years of our people, there has never been a more important time for us to take pro-active measures in order to stop a second Holocaust. Israel faces immeasurable threats from its neighbors, most especially Iran. The global community and the United Nations are strongly influenced by many Muslim nations and have therefore turned their backs to Israel and the Jewish community. We did not write this letter to scare you, but rather, to help you make an informed decision on Tuesday, November 4th, 2008. When voters elect a new President in less about two weeks, it is imperative that the Jewish community elects the one man who understands the challenges facing Israel and the Jewish people—John McCain. John McCain has always been a friend to Israel and the Jewish people and as leaders of the community throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we want to remind you of the importance of your vote to the future of our Jewish homeland. John McCain has never wavered on the need to keep Jerusalem the capital of a Jewish Israel. He has even vowed to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

More importantly, John McCain understands that radical members of the Islamic faith from Hamas, Hezbollah, Muslim Brotherhood and other extremist groups seek to do us harm no matter how we try to appease them. He will not cave into the pressures to divide OUR homeland as a result of threats from people whose agenda is deleterious to the fate our people. John McCain is an American hero who has selflessly served the United States since he was 18 years old. America and Israel need John McCain as President of the United States NOW MORE THAN EVER. What do we really know about Barack Obama?

He has served in the Illinois legislature before joining the U.S. Senate in 2006 having sponsored no meaningful legislation in either body.
· Prior to beginning his legislative career, he served as a corporate lawyer and community activist. · During his days of community activism, he taught members of ACORN to commit voter registration fraud. · He associated with a known terrorist, William Ayers, who thought the terrorists didn’t do enough on 9/11. Later, Obama used Ayers’ home o launch his Senate campaign, but referred to Ayers as “just a guy in the neighborhood”. If a known terrorist lived in your neighborhood, would he just be a “guy in your neighborhood” or would you be calling the FBI to have him removed?

For 20 years, Obama and his wife attended the church of Rev. Jeremiah Wright who called Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan “one of the greatest minds of the 20th Century.” (National Press Club Speech, 4/28/08) · Farrakhan said Obama is the “hope of the entire world that America will change and be made better.” (Associated Press, 2/25/08) Obama and Iran Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says: Israel is “a stinking corpse” and should be “wiped off the face of the earth.” (The Jerusalem Post, 5/8/08)

Ahmadinejad says: “The real Holocaust is what is happening in Palestine where the Zionists avail themselves of the fairy tale of Holocaust as blackmail and justification for killing children and women.” (The Jerusalem Post, 5/22/06) Obama says: HAMAS and Hezbollah have “legitimate claims.” (David Brooks, Op-Ed, “Obama Admires Bush,” The New York Times, 5/16/08)

Obama says: “I would” when asked if he would be willing to meet separately, without precondition, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea. (CNN/YouTube Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Charleston, SC, 7/23/07)

The World on Obama

The Wall Street Journal said Barack Obama’s foreign policy “could strengthen Mr. Ahmadinejad.” (Jay Solomon, “Obama’s Foreign-Policy Pledge Sparks Criticism from Rivals,” Wall Street Journal, 3/26/08)

“We don’t mind - actually we like Mr. Obama. We hope he will (win) the election…” HAMAS Political Advisor Ahmed Yousef (Mosheh Oinounou, “A Hamas Problem For Obama?” Fox News’ “Cameron’s Corner” Blog, foxnews.com http://app.streamsend.com/c/1659811/6/1mnp7WD/aDmL?redirect_to=http://foxnews.com/?utm_source%3Demail_marketing_system%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_content%3D1659811%26utm_campaign%3DBarack%2520Obama%2520is%2520Dangerously%2520Unprepared , 4/16/08) “The four years ahead are far too critical for global security to place the presidency of the United States in the hands of a leader whose campaign is leaving us with more questions than answers.” (Former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Danny Ayalon, Op-Ed, “Who Are You, Barack Obama?” The Jerusalem Post, 1/23/08) o Jesse Jackson said of Barack Obama’s foreign policy, “Jackson believes that, although ‘Zionists who have controlled American policy for decades’ remain strong, they’ll lose a great deal of their clout when Barack Obama enters the White House.” (Amir Taheri, Op-Ed, “The O Jesse Knows,” New York Post, 10/14/08) Do you really think that the Jewish community’s interests could be in line with that of William Ayers, Rev. Jeremiah Wright or Louis Farrakhan? Do you really think that Barack Obama has shown proper judgment by associating with such individuals? Can America, Israel and the Jewish Community really rely on someone as dangerously inexperienced as Barack Obama? NO! Jewish Americans cannot afford to make the wrong decision on Tuesday, November 4th, 2008. Many of our ancestors ignored the warning signs in the 1930s and 1940s and made a tragic mistake. Let’s not make a similar one this year! As leaders of Pennsylvania’s Jewish Community, we strongly URGE you to VOTE for John McCain for President of the United States—a true friend of Israel and the Jewish Community. Thank you.

Sincerely yours,

I. Michael Coslov
Mitchell Morgan
The Honorable Sandra Schultz Newman

Paid for by Republican Federal Committee of PA - Victory 2008

*

After Rutenberg made several calls for comment, party leaders on October 24

said it had been released without their authorization and that they had fired the strategist who helped draft it, Bryan Rudnick.

Michael Barley, the communications director for the Pennsylvania state Republican Party told him

There were some points that were accurate, there were two that we cannot substantiate, however; as a result of them we’ve let him go....There are points that could have been made and he touched on some of them, but he definitely went a little bit farther than the facts would support.

After a suggestion by Obama spokesman that the Republicans send an email to the list
"debunking thier own lies" Barley told Rutenberg that the party would send a correction.

We apologize and that was definitely not something we authorize.

One of the signers of the letter, attorney and former State Supreme Court Justice Sandra Schultz Newman (email, website), told the reporter earlier on October 24 that she had helped to write the letter. She passed the telephone to Mr. Rudnick who said the e-mail was sent to 75,000 voters in Pennsylvania. he asked that other questions be e-mailed to him, but failed to respond to an email.

Contacted after the interview with Barley, Rudnick claimed to have had approval for the letter from officials at several levels. He said that he was dispatched from Florida where he usually works to Pennsylvania to help with Jewish outreach. Rutenberg reports that he was unable to reach Barley again regarding the refutation by Rudnick.

And in other news, Politico's Lisa Lerer reports "Courts continue to rule against Republicans."


UPDATE:

Newman apologized on October 27.


On October 30, a fellow Brandeis alum, in reflecting on the PA email, describes Rudnick's bringing of Charleston Heston to that campus thus:

Ridiculous security procedures had to be enacted to keep students safe and Rudnick, in my opinion, turned this into a political launch pad to ingratiate himself with right wing power brokers.

The security procedures and other “hurdles”–such as booking the right room–were turned by Rudnick as an us vs. the liberal college establishment battle which many eager right winger ate up. This article is one of many examples of the spin Rudnick was putting on this. Then again, it seems from what I read Rudnick was great at baiting people with outrageous comments and the playing the victim and getting PR for it. I’m not saying I agree with the Student Senate over reaction in that or any other case involving Rudnick, but I am saying he’s very experienced in making ourageous comments and the playing the victim (though luckily in the PA case, he can’t play the victim).