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We are all disappointed and saddened by the outcome of this week's election. This was a long and hard-fought campaign about the issues we care about and the direction of our country. Despite the results, our democracy worked as it should. Now we must come together and continue our efforts to improve our country.
Thank you to everyone who was engaged in the election with your financial support and grassroots efforts. I am proud of what we tried to accomplish. Our JAC members worked to help get the vote out by knocking on doors and phoning voters. Many people went to get out the vote in battleground states, such as Pennsylvania, Florida, Wisconsin and Nevada. We picked up several new House seats in New Hampshire, Nevada, Florida and Illinois; new Senate seats in Illinois and New Hampshire; and retained the open Senate seat in Nevada.
While voting is one of our most important responsibilities as citizens, it is vital to stay involved and informed. As Hillary Clinton said, "Our constitutional democracy demands our participation, not just every four years, but all the time."
Our work has become more challenging. We need to fight harder for the U.S.-Israel relationship, reproductive rights and religious freedom - and we must start now.
As Hillary reminded us, we must "never stop believing that fighting for what's right is worth it."
Again, thank you for your continued support.
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Hillary Clinton's Speech Following the Election
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President Obama's Comments on the Election
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Monday, Nov 14
12:00 noon
home of Janna Berk
Highland Park, IL
Click to RSVP
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A Conversation with
Tom Friedman & Gidi Grinstein
Wednesday, Nov 30
92nd Street Y
New York, NY
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Where Do We Go From Here?
Post-Election Discussion
Friday, Dec 9
Philadelphia, PA
Watch for details
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For more information and to RSVP, contact the JAC office at 847.433.5999 or info@jacpac.org
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JACPAC is proud to say that, with your support, we were able to provide all of our JAC-supported candidates with the critical funds needed this election cycle. Join us in congratulating the following JAC candidates across the country.
SENATE
| Michael Bennet |
Colorado |
| Catherine Cortez Masto |
Nevada |
| Tammy Duckworth |
Illinois |
| Maggie Hassan |
New Hampshire |
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Patrick Leahy
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Vermont
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| Patty Murray |
Washington |
| Chuck Schumer |
New York |
| Chris Van Hollen |
Maryland |
| Ron Wyden |
Oregon |
HOUSE
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Julia Brownley
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CA-26 |
| Val Demings |
FL-10 |
| Ted Deutch |
FL-19 |
| Bill Foster |
IL-14 |
| Lois Frankel |
FL-22 |
| Josh Gottheimer |
NJ-5 |
| Robin Kelly |
IL-2 |
| Ruben Kihuen |
NV-4 |
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Dan Kildee
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MI-5 |
| Ted Lieu |
CA-33 |
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Nita Lowey
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NY-18 |
| Ben Ray Lujan |
NM-3 |
| Seth Moulton |
MA-6 |
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Stephanie Murphy
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FL-7 |
| Rick Nolan |
MN-8 |
| Scott Peters |
CA-52 |
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Mike Quigley
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IL-5 |
| Raja Krishnamoorthi |
IL-8 |
| Jamie Raskin |
MD-8 |
| Jacky Rosen |
NV-3 |
| Raul Ruiz |
CA-36 |
| Jan Schakowsky |
IL-9 |
| Adam Schiff |
CA-29 |
| Brad Schneider |
IL-10 |
| Carol Shea-Porter |
NH-1 |
| Debbie Wasserman Schultz |
FL-20 |
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Post-Election Letter to My Children
by JAC-Member Dana Hirt
Perhaps I should have had this letter ready to go first thing this morning or even last night. However I, like many, failed to recognize the profound disillusionment and disenfranchisement experienced by so many Americans who seem to have voted for a political outsider who filled the campaign trail with rallying rhetoric and promises of a better life. I'm no political expert...and I don't fully understand what happened in this election. What I do know is that we are profoundly lucky in our lives, which makes it is easy for us to trust a system that, although flawed, has served us - or at least not betrayed us.
Democracy...so central to our freedom in this great country...requires dialogue, compromise and commitment to ideals of unity, not division. Let's work to hold our elected officials to that standard and hope that the mandate for reform will push collaboration and not obstruction. We must stand with the groups that have been victimized and marginalized by Trump on the campaign trail. As Jews, and as human beings, we cannot stand by or fail to speak up for women, people of color, the LGBTQ community, those with disabilities, immigrants, veterans and other minority groups.
As I face this new day...one I could not have imagined...one that fills me with fear...I am also thinking about tomorrow.
I have lived my life motivated and mobilized by anxiety and fear rather than paralyzed by them. That approach is intentional and reflects my values. It is a volitional choice I have made, and I have worked hard to model this to the three of you because anxiety, fear, disappointment and rejection are part of life. It is not realistic to eliminate them, but it is empowering to learn how to use them to help us grow and change. Resilience is key...and challenging times like this are tests of our grit and our resolve, and we will persevere.
This is a moment where despite my fear, despite my anxiety, and despite my profound sense of despair, I am going to find a way to mobilize and reengage and be part of the solution. I want to do whatever it will take to heal our country, because the vast divide that has been identified and highlighted by this election cycle is ultimately destructive and dangerous for America.
I encourage you today to take the time you need to grieve and to mourn. I feel your pain and wish I could hold you all in my arms. But tomorrow, I encourage you to awake with a renewed commitment to being citizens of this country and citizens of this world.
This will manifest differently for all of us. You get to decide how to use your spheres of influence...you get to choose how you can make your mark...what you will do...what you will say. There is no right way, nor is there only one way. But promise me that despair won't win the day...that apathy won't be victorious...that hate won't prevail. Find your path...continue to be engaged members of your community in whatever ways you define them.
I need you to know that I am beyond proud of the three of you. You are the greatest joys in my life. I know that you are fundamentally engaged, responsive, committed people who are going to be part of the solutions in this country.
Today we mourn. Tomorrow we recommit to Tikkun Olam...healing our world.
I love you beyond measure.
Mom
❤
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Biden: Trump Admin Will Honor Commitments to Israel
"I stand here to tell you that I have no doubt, none whatsoever, that in the Trump administration there will be no diminution of support as a consequence of this transition," Biden said Wednesday night in a speech to the World Jewish Congress in New York.
Trump & Netanyahu - A Match Made in Heaven?
On the face of it, Donald Trump's victory seems to be a dream come true for the Israeli prime minister. The president-elect has repeatedly vowed to unconditionally back the Jewish state in any possible way: he promised not to try to force a solution on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; slammed the Iranian nuclear deal; pledged to move the US embassy to Jerusalem and removed the two-state solution from the Republican party platform.
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Anti-Semitism & Intolerance
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KKK of North Carolina Announces Trump Victory Parade
The Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan announced on their web site that they will hold a victory "klavalkade Klan parade" on 3 December 2016 honoring the electoral victory of Donald Trump. The announcement was made on the group's home page and tops a screed about its members' wanting to live apart from "the darker races":
Children Are Already Being Harassed
In the days following the election, students are already invoking the name of our president-elect while they spread white supremacist messages. During lunch at Royal Oak Middle School in Royal Oak, MI, a group of students chanted "Build the wall! Build the wall!"
Read Full Article
Muslim Ban Statement Disappears from Trump Website
A statement that the Trump campaign issued proposing a total ban on the immigration of Muslims to the United States has disappeared from the team's website.
Read Full Article
What Does It Mean to Be a Jew in Donald Trump's America?
I know that as a white, Jewish, well-educated woman living in a very blue state, I have a civic obligation to understand those other Americans, who are so different from me and who have determined our national fate. I knew this before last night. I have tried to read as much as I could to learn and empathize, to imagine policies to address their crying needs, to think of ways that the Jewish community can participate in the healing.
Read Full Article
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Under Trump, Abortion Rights Not Doomed, But Not Safe
Donald Trump has promised that he would appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that made abortion a constitutionally protected right for American women. If he followed through on his promise, and if Roe were overturned, a woman's right to abortion would depend on which state she lived in.
Read Full Article
Obama Moves to Protect Planned Parenthood Permanently
The Obama administration has proposed a new rule that would prevent states from defunding Planned Parenthood or any other family planning provider for political reasons.
Read Full Article
This Election's Impact on Abortion Could Be Devastating
It's a new era in America, and Republican Donald Trump is now going to be the next president of the United States. Plus, with Republican majorities in the House, the Senate, and in two-thirds of the state governors' mansions, Trump will likely be able to enact his agenda with almost no resistance from Democratic lawmakers. And yes, that could well mean the end of safe, legal abortion in the country.
Read Full Article
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The GOP Attack on Voting Rights Most Under-Covered Story
T
here were 25 debates during the presidential primaries and general election and not a single question about the attack on voting rights, even though this was the first presidential election in 50 years without the full protections of the Voting Rights Act. Fourteen states had new voting restrictions in place for the first time in 2016-including crucial swing states like Wisconsin and Virginia-yet we heard nary a peep about it on Election Day except from outlets like The Nation. This was the biggest under-covered scandal of the 2016 campaign.
Nearly 1/2 Americans Now Covered By Background Checks
Private transactions, exceedingly slow reviews, and laws that don't recognize the threat from abusers all pose steep challenges to keeping firearms away from people who can't legally possess them. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have expanded background checks to private sales. On Election Day, Nevada became the nineteenth state to do so.
Almost Half of Eligible Voters Didn't Vote this Election
While many continue to mourn, celebrate, and dissect Tuesday's election, new data now suggests that part of the reason for its surprising outcome might be due to low voter turnout.
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The Number of Women of Color Has Quadrupled in Senate
Three new women of color were elected to the Senate on Tuesday night. Rep. Tammy Duckworth beat Republican incumbent Mark Kirk in Illinois. Nevada's former attorney general, Catherine Cortez Masto, won over Republican Rep. Joe Heck in that state's Senate race to become the United States' first-ever Latina senator. And in California, Attorney General Kamala Harris, who is black and Indian American, bested fellow Democrat Rep. Loretta Sanchez for the Senate seat that opened when Barbara Boxer announced her retirement.
Some of the Ballot Measures that Passed on Election Day
Voters in 33 states decided on 157 ballot measures this election day. The measures ranged from legalizing marijuana to bringing back the death penalty.
Who won the 2016 House Election
Republicans will command the House for two more years as Donald Trump's astounding White House triumph helped them keep their record-sized majority nearly intact.
Read Full Article
Here Is What Donald Trump Wants To Do In His First 100 Days
Below is the 100-day plan Trump's campaign released in October, called "Donald Trump's Contract With The American Voter."
Read Full Article
What the Election Means for U.S. Foreign Policy
The U.S. election season was watched with great interest around the world, and with good reason-with the office of the presidency comes great power in the domain of international affairs. We asked Brookings foreign policy experts what this election means for U.S. foreign policy (both in general and for a particular region or issue they work on), as well as what key recommendation they'd make to the incoming president. Here is what they said.
Trump Voters Will Not Like What Happens Next
The Trumpers never expected their guy to actually win the thing, and that's their problem now. They wanted only to whoop and yell, boo at the H-word, wear profane T-shirts, maybe grab a crotch or two. Alas for the Trump voters, the disasters he will bring on this country will fall more heavily on them than anyone else. The uneducated white males who elected him are the vulnerable ones, and they will not like what happens next.
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Kids Write Messages of Love Outside Hillary Clinton HQ
As supporters of Hillary Clinton, still reeling from her failed presidential bid, walked past the Democrat's former Brooklyn, New York, headquarters Thursday night, they came across a heartwarming and heartbreaking scene. Kids sitting on the sidewalk were writing messages of love and thanks to the Democratic nominee.
Read Full Article
One Woman Met the Clintons After the Election in the Park
A mom left "heartbroken" by Hillary Clinton's stunning presidential election loss got a surprise Thursday when she ran into the former secretary of state, who was hiking with her dogs.
16 Powerful Hillary Clinton Quotes to Inspire Women
"For all the women - especially the young women, who put your faith in me - I want you to know that nothing has made me prouder than to be your champion."
Jewish Contingent in House Grows from 19 to 22
Five Jews overall were newly elected to the House, while one Jewish congressman each in Florida and in New York is retiring. The Senate Jewish contingent dropped from nine to eight.
Report: Gingrich, Guiliani Among Tump's Cabinet Picks
Donald Trump's preliminary list of candidates for his Cabinet team includes Rudy Giuliani, Chris Christie, Newt Gingrich, and Mike Huckabee, among others. The list contains 41 names and covers 14 different departments, with many candidates being considered for multiple positions.
Trumpism & Ryanism Are on a Collision Course
The speaker of the House declared at his post-election press conference yesterday that the president-elect has won "a mandate." But a mandate for what? Trump's victory represents nothing less than a repudiation of Ryan's brand of Republicanism, both substantively and stylistically. The two have sharply different views of what it means to be a conservative, and they want to take the Republican Party down different paths.
The Polls Missed Trump - We Asked Pollsters Why
The polls missed Donald Trump's election. Individual polls missed, at the state level and nationally (though national polls weren't far off). So did aggregated polls. So did poll-based forecasts such as ours. And so did exit polls.
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What You'll Tell Your Kids About the Election Results
You will tell them she didn't win. That there will not be a woman in the White House. Not yet. So, you will tell them that we will survive the next four years, as we have survived previous difficult four-year stretches of time. You will tell them that it is possible, more than possible, to move on from disappointment. Then, you will get to work. Parenting. Loving. Living.
Read Full Article
Following the Election, Rabbis Call for Unity & Tolerance
As the shock of Donald Trump's unexpected victory sunk in, rabbis across the country took to social media to share their reactions and address their congregants. Many rabbis encouraged unity and tolerance, and called on Jews to build bridges with their fellow citizens.
5 of Leonard Cohen's Most Jewish Songs
Leonard Cohen, who died last night at 82, was one of the most explicitly Jewish popular songwriters since the ancient King David, whose Psalms he expertly imitated over a five-decade career. Here are five of his most Jewish songs:
The Electoral College, Explained
Some of you may be wondering this morning: "Why are we having another election where the candidate who wins the popular vote doesn't get the White House? Are there plans to change the Electoral College?"
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Our members count on JACPAC to provide information on current events, candidates, and elections. JACPAC depends on membership support to make this possible.
If you have not renewed your membership, please consider doing so today, to help us pursue a strong US-Israel relationship, reproductive rights, and separation of religion and state. Together we can make this a better world!
Sincerely,
Marcia Balonick, Executive Director
Joy Malkus, Research Director Dana Gordon, Membership & Outreach Hollis Wein, Communications Director |
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ELECTIONS MATTER
JOIN/RENEW YOUR JAC MEMBERSHIP
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Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs (JACPAC) is a pro-Israel PAC with a domestic agenda. We support a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and advocate for reproductive health and the separation of religion and state and incorporate other issues of importance to the Jewish community, including gun violence prevention and climate change. In addition to providing financial support for U.S. Senate and House campaigns, JACPAC educates our membership with outreach events designed to inform and activate their participation in the political process.
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Paid for by Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs. Contributions or gifts are not tax deductible. Contributions may total up to $5400 per individual ($2700 for the primary election, and $2700 for the general election). Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation, and name of employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 in an election cycle. Corporate contributions and contributions from non-US citizens who are not lawfully admitted for permanent residence are prohibited. All contributions by individuals must be made from personal funds and may not be reimbursed or paid by another person.
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