Swift Boat Watch: Republican Jewish Coalition PAC

Abby Callard — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:25:00 GMT

See all Swift Boat Watch entries here.

Who They Are: Republican Jewish Coalition PAC

Purpose: To advocate for issues relevant to Jewish Republicans. In this election, they oppose Barack Obama.

Executive Director: Matthew Brooks, who also directs the Jewish Policy Center.

Funding: Individual donations.

Cost of the Ad: More than $1 million.

Where It Ran: Florida, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania through Election Day.

Claims: Obama would meet with leaders of unfriendly countries during the first year of his administration. Hillary Clinton said she would not. She also said Obama's stance was irresponsible and naïve.

Accuracy: Obama and Clinton's responses are taken from the July 2007 CNN/Youtube Democratic Primary debate in South Carolina. (Watch their complete responses here.) As some have pointed out, Obama never explicitly said he would meet with Ahmadinejad-only that he would consider sitting down with unnamed leaders. (The questioner did not specifically name the leaders, but a picture of Ahmadinejad was shown.) Clinton, in an interview with the Quad City Times, called Obama's comments "naïve and frankly irresponsible."

Background: Formerly the National Jewish Coalition, the RJC lobbies on behalf of Jewish interests. The PAC has contributed heavily to state candidates in the past. They were responsible for some pretty nasty attacks on Howard Dean in 2005. Last month, the group received sharp criticism for a poll that asked Jewish voters to respond to negative statements about Obama. One polled voter happened to be a writer for the New Republic and blogged about his experience.

Swift Boat Rating:

Obama has reiterated his intention to meet with leaders of anti-American countries. The ad leaves interpretation up to the viewer.

Trailhead : Republican Jewish Coalition

Swift Boat Watch: Republican Jewish Coalition PAC