During the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) this weekend no one spoke about Rand Paul. Last year he was at the center of the conversation but this year the hosts and attendees were not so sure about Paul and his support for Israel.
According to POLITICO, other candidates are much more in line with the RJC than Rand Paul. They were also worried Paul’s past words and actions indicate he might not provide any military funding and foreign aid to Israel.Last Thursday the groups biggest donors gathered at billionaire mega donor and RJC board member, casino mogul Sheldon Adelson’s house for a private dinner to discuss the presidential race. Those in attendance said Paul was never mentioned. This is significant because in 2012 Adelson donated $100 million.
RJC’s longtime executive director, Matt Brooks criticized Paul in 2013. He said Paul employed an aide who had pro-Confederacy views. During his 2010 Senate campaign Brooks also said Paul was a “neo-isolationist” and he was “outside the comfort level of a lot of people in the Jewish community.”
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Others feel the lack of attention to Paul is because he trails in polls when compared to other candidates. Pro-Israel candidates such as Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Ted Cruz, Governor Scott Walker and former Governor Jeb Bush are way ahead of him.
Former Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman now sits on the RJC’s board of directors. He said the following about Paul:
I don’t think there’s a feeling that there’s a train out there that you have to stop.
He thinks if he was more of a force to be reckoned with there would be a greater desire to oppose him.
Recently Paul has been working overtime to mend his frayed relationship with the Republican Party. Once a strong critic of defense spending, Paul has recently proposed an amendment to boost the Pentagon’s budget by about $190 billion over the next two years. His campaign also has a page titled “Rand Paul stands with Israel.”
That is not unusual for candidates to do. Many times they change their views when they are running for office to later change them back. That is what has the Jewish Republicans worried.
Ari Fleischer, former press secretary in the George W. Bush White House said:
Rand Paul is cut from a different cloth. I think it’s hard for him.
