By Ezra Friedlander. Everyone seems to be focusing on the candidates for President but not enough on the Vice Presidential contenders. Having the ear of the President is no small matter. In recent memory, vice presidents-think Cheney and Biden-have exercised significant influence, and it would be prudent to assume that the next Vice President will follow suit.
Recently nominated as Hillary Clinton’s running mate onto the Democratic ticket, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, who has a long history of public service, has likely found the spotlight to be familiar and also (at times) harsh. It is important that we do not neglect discussing figures like Tim Kaine, whose possible election has great ramifications for our community.
Kaine has a long history as a champion for underserved populations or those at disadvantage because of race or disability-a mission that he has upheld throughout his many years as a private attorney and in elected office. His deep-rooted Catholic faith is apparent in every undertaking, such as his missionary trip to Honduras 35 years ago, and in his sense of responsibility as a public servant. I feel that it is imperative to unpack and discuss why he has faced backlash from many in the Jewish community.
It is important to address that I am neither endorsing the Clinton-Kaine ticket nor defending him at any cost. Still, I urge people to reconsider whether he deserves the vilification that he has received. Many times, lack of understanding (or the lack of willingness to understand) fuels distrust or assumptions, as is the case for some labeling him as an Islamist or anti-Israel.
However, should his political blunders merit such caustic labels?
The answer is no.
As a Senator, he co-sponsored the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014 and supports funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense program. He is a member of Congress who undeniably understands that Israel’s national security and interests are closely aligned with those of the U.S.
Let us read carefully between the lines and look at Kaine in his entirety as an individual with deep convictions. He likely knows better than most private citizens that hindsight is 20/20, especially as the bulk of his job requires very public decisions that are open to criticism. Take for example, Kaine’s appointment (as governor of Virginia) of Esam Omeish to the Virginia Commission of Immigration in 2007. Given the emergence of disturbing anti-Israel rhetoric and calls for jihad from Omeish, Kaine had to ask for his resignation-ultimately a situation that could have avoided from the very beginning had he been more thorough.
Before he was nominated as Clinton’s running mate, I had the privilege of interacting with Senator Kaine on many occasions at the annual Jewish Heritage Celebration on Capitol Hill where he recognized the many ways in which the Jewish community has and continues to make valuable contributions to American society. Whatever one may think of Senator Kaine’s policies, it is unjust to deny the man his humanity or the warmth that radiates from his person. His emphasis on his collaboration with the Jewish community during his time as Virginia’s governor should be acknowledged. When he speaks of his dedication to promoting people’s rights to “honor their own faith traditions”, this should resonate with the Jewish community.
Even-keeled and extremely likeable, I understand why he has the support of many of his Democratic colleagues as well as those from across the aisle. Republicans from all over the country including Senators John McCain, Pat Toomey, Lamar Alexander, and many more have demonstrated only the utmost respect and praise regarding his nomination. Republican Senator Jeff Flakes notably tweeted, “Trying to count the ways I hate [Kaine]. Drawing a blank. Congrats to a good man and a good friend.” Kaine and Ted Cruz, a staunch conservative, find mutual interest in discussing the humanities though they often oppose each other’s political approaches which reveals Kaine’s ability to find common ground with all types of people.
He is an individual who has a clear grip on the human factor and knows how to effectively incorporate this understanding into his decisions. These outstanding qualities are obvious to all who work with him and benefit from his leadership. His effectiveness as a lawyer, mayor, governor, and senator are testaments to this. Moreover, it is telling that Republican Senator Lindsey Graham describes Kaine to have a “steady hand” and “well-received by [the Republican side] of the aisle”.
Senator Kaine is a fearless unifier with a honed sense of responsibility and duty. The Jesuit ideals he adopted as a young man remain a steadfast beacon in his political and personal life. The extent to which he holds to his religious beliefs and is driven by them were revealed when he said, “If faith is your motivation, share that”. Such is why I urge people to take deliberate pause when he or any other politician reaches conclusions different from their own. Members of our government undergo long and difficult processes where they must foresee all possible implications of particular decisions but it has become far too easy for those with limited knowledge or understanding to immediately write off people like Senator Kaine when they disagree with him.
In March 2015, he was attacked by segments of the Jewish community when he was not present for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress. Upon his nomination, a firestorm of criticism regarding his absence from the speech has painted him as anti-Israel. As much as others might disagree with him, Kaine’s position stemmed from the perceived partisan nature of Netanyahu’s invitation along with the reality of the upcoming Israeli elections at that time.
Let me be clear: If I were a member of Congress, I would have attended the speech. However, to disqualify Senator Kaine as a friend of the U.S.-Israeli relationship for this is absurd, no matter how passionate one is on the subject or how righteous one feels his position is.
It must be understood that a disagreement with a component of Israeli policy is not equivalent to “anti-Israel” sentiment. There are those that want to promulgate a doctrine that decisions made by Israeli political leaders cannot be criticized in any way or anyhow-surely this cannot contribute to productive discussions or attitudes. I am in no way insinuating that Netanyahu addressed Congress for any political purposes other than to alarm the world to the dangers he foresaw in the Iran Deal, but at the end of the day, Israel, like the U.S., is governed by individuals-politicians-which allows room for criticism.
Thus, instead of jumping to conclusions, we should all be more proactive in examining the political sphere. It is vital that we maintain a civil dialogue with the awareness that inflammatory rhetoric is unbecoming of responsible leaders and citizens. Additionally, there must be emphasis that U.S. government officials such as Senator Kaine have to prerogative to draw their own, informed conclusions.
We, as a community, would benefit from an eagerness to listen and a willingness to understand one another. More importantly, we would all gain from respecting the potential Vice President of the United States and doing our best to acknowledge existing diverse approaches. It is only to our detriment if we approach the world in absolutes.
One of our community’s weaknesses is that we perceive those with different perspectives as menaces to society, but this should not be the case. Life is very complex. There is far less black and white than grey-a fact that many struggle to acknowledge. Though society very rarely experiences total unity, perhaps this is indicative of difference in beliefs and approaches, not necessarily of good or evil. We would do well to see Senator Kaine in this light.
Ezra Friedlander is CEO of the Friedlander Group, a public policy consulting firm based in NYC and Washington, D.C. For more information, go to www.thefriedlandergroup.com and may be contacted at ezra@thefriedlandergroup.com or followed on twitter @ezrafriedlander
[TLS welcomes your letters by submitting them to newstips@thelakewoodscoop.com]
He’s anti Israel. Easy online search.
Who asked him
WE VOTE FOR PRESIDENT NOT THE HEART BEAT AWAY FROM THE PRESIDENT!!!! ITS TRUMP OR THAT YOU KNOW WHAT
Unreliable source of info
Ezra- I read just the headline of your article and it was enough for me. Bottom line is you have an agenda and your agenda is to see Hillary get elected at any cost – even if it means compromising your own Torah values, because that works for you. The Clinton/Kaine ticket and their agenda is not pro-Torah it’s not pro-Israel -say what you want but it’s not!.. and on many issues they and the Democratic party which they represent is not consistent with Jewish values. Non of this seems to concern you so as long as you maintain your grip on power within the Democratic establishment. If that’s not bad enough you have to shove down your crooked hashkofos down the the throat (so to speak) of all of us in Lakewood who have pro-Torah values and care a little more about EY then maybe you and some of your liberal friends. And given, while Donald Trump may not be the perfect candidate but on these very issues and ideals he is far more in line with Jewish ideals and Torah values then your friends in the Democratic party. And that’s why I believe many yidden who have a conscious are voting for the Trump/Pence ticket
Remember both Hillary and Tim Kaine have a record and it’s not one that they can be proud of as far as many Jews are concerned so for you to think that you can sugar coat all that over in a few lines of your personal experiences is not only insulting to the Lakewood oilam but also in my view morally wrong in that you’d try to ask others to vote for someone that is not exceptable by any stretch.
he’s Nadler’s friend that says it all.
stop this paid solicitation by a viper.
It was a long article as the writer undoubtedly was getting paid for every word
Why is the lakewoodscoop giving this lobbyist a venue? He’s part of the Hillary/Obama team. Does he pay significant money tobthescoop to spew his agenda?
Looks like someone is trying to earn political points with Kaine.
This guy Friedlander is such a Hillary shill its embarrassing.even After all her criminal activity
Nice try Ezra Freidlander we vote Killery we could all say good bye to America and to Isreal!!! Hello Iran!!!!
I think this article exposed more about Ezra Freidlander than it did Tim Kaine. Tim Kaine is a friend of the anti-Israel J-Street Lobbying Group. they donated heavily to have him rel-elected.
The fact that Freidlander is supporting him is unconscionable. Kaine’s views do align with Clinton’s on Israel. Which means to say, that the needs and desires of the Arab nations, who have given millions in speaking fees and millions more in “donations” to the Clinton Foundation, are paramount.
I don’t know why TLS felt the need to print this propaganda. However I am glad that the readers are wise to the truth and that TLS is printing their comments.
Ezra is a lobbyist. Hillary is terrible. I would write a long post now but I’ll just say this: gam ani mitztaref to everything said by Cool Masmid. Thx.
Ezra,
What a joke of an article! All respect I have for your opinion is out the window. You should know better than trying to shift focus to the VP. The Hillary/Kane ticket is the worst nightmare this country can ever have, not saying that Obama/Biden was a better duo. At this juncture of American history there couldn’t be a more catastrophic outcome than Hillary as commander in chief.
I looked at the article and I realized this is man has an egenda…..vote trump!!
Agree with “cool masmid”
If you get paid to post articals thats the tlc parnasa im assuming that a frum jew would not support clinton but for a pay to play bassis thats okay hillary did bothing for the jewish nation she made and supported the worst deal made in us history thats the iran deal the would pay $$ for them to bome isreal if you support that you must be missing somthing up there!!!
This article should have “[COMMUNICATED}” before it as it is obviously submitted by him and not an unbiased news item.
It’s sick how low they will go to support anti Israel candidates just to fill their pockets and get some kavod. disgusting. The Scoop should be better than that.
Doesn’t he support Late term abortion? Is that also part of his catholic faith?
Tim kaine is a hard core liberal who supports deviant lifestyles and so many other things we find unpalatable.
TLS, you should not have posted this without mentioning that the writer is a paid lobbyist.
So sad that a frum person would even attempt to answer up for this anti israel, anti American values ticket
This article is more fitting for the NYT or LAT not TLS.
Most of us in Lakewood agree with COOL MASMID above. This article says more about Ezra then Clinton and her gang of crooks!
I’m not entirely sure who Ezra Friedlander is but as I’ve seen him shill for in multiple publications geared to the yeshiva community. He seems bent on pushing his pro-Hillary agenda by any means possible. There are so very many things wrong with this article that is is difficult to know where to start. 1) the POTUS is the POTUS. no matter how much influence the Vice President has and how much access he has to the president, he does not wield the power. At the end of the day the decisions are made by the president. And Hillary has proven herself to be a woman completely without morals on so many levels. There is a known body count behind the Clintons. Anyone who dares to get in the way of their political ambitions somehow mysteriously committed suicide. She also proudly embraced and kissed Arab murderers. A leopard can not change its spots. 2) Senator Kaine is hardly a political neophyte. To use the excuse that he doesn’t know any better regarding the US-ISRAEL relationship is insulting. He has had years of political involvement to decide which side of the fence he would like to fall upon and it is clear that his interests are NOT particularly favorable to our brethren abroad. 3) It is disingenuous to cast the current political environment in a light of grey areas and not black and white. At this time in out country’s history, more than ever before, we are fighting for the very survival of a good and moral culture. As immoral lifestyles become more and more politically correct and celebrated, we must distance ourselves as much as possible from that and try to find the candidate that most aligns himself to our lifestyle. Unfortunately it’s not a perfect world. It is far from it. But from the 2 very imperfect candidates, there is one who has talked out of both sides of her mouth and during her tenure as secretary made choices which have proven detrimental to the safety of Israel. She has used her Jewish ‘friends’ as a convenient prop, to be brought up on the campaign trail when it furthers her political means- not unlike her phony southern accent. On the other hand we have an egotistical man who does not have much political experience but hasn’t bowed to policies correctness and has proven himself to be a true friend of the Jews and the state of Israel time and again. The choice seems pretty clear to me.
Nice to finally see a nuanced approach. Frum people are not very good at nuance generally.
I for one am voting Hillary.
Why would you think Ezra is Pro Israel he is probably ANTI – Tziyoni Satmar