Six Republican presidential candidates addressed the Republican Jewish Coalition in Washington, D.C. yesterday. Candidate Ron Paul was not invited by the RJC because of his views on Israel, though Paul says those views are being characterized unfairly. (
CNN report.) Videos of the address by each of the six candidates are available from
this page on C-Span's website. The candidates focused heavily on U.S. policy toward Israel and the threat to Israel and the U.S. of a nuclear Iran. Reporting on the candidate forum, the
New York Times said:
One reason Republicans seek to sound serious on Israel is to appeal to evangelical Christians who make up large portions of the Republican primary voters in South Carolina and the caucusgoers in Iowa. Down the road, they also know that Jewish voters are critical to victory in general election swing states like Pennsylvania and Florida.
But just as the candidates have staked out hard positions on Israel, they have also moved to the right on other issues, a shift that Democrats say calls into question their appeal to a wide swath of Jewish voters.
