By Debbie Schlussel
It’s no surprise that–even with his gargantuan record of pandering to Islamists, terrorists, anti-Semites, and America-haters–Barack Obama is leading John McCain by at least 2-1 in poll after poll of Jewish voters in America.
That’s because the GOP has had–for over a decade–people like Matt Brooks, Executive Director of the so-called Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), running their lackluster campaign. Instead of speaking on behalf of Jewish interests–like Israel and terrorism (which are, frankly, American interests, not just Jewish ones)–Brooks and his RJC pander to anti-Israel, pan-Islamist Republican politicians.
My friend, the great Yehudah of New York, has a name for the Jews Jews like Matt, who claim to represent Jewish interests to the Republican party, but actually do vice versa: RINO-JINOs (“Rhyno-Gynos”), which stands for

Republicans In Name Only, Jews In Name Only.

You know the type. They are the typical “congenital GOP,” Republican for business or family reasons and zero conservative reasons. The same goes for their connection to organized Judaism or any sort of Jewish interests.
In over a decade at the helm of the RJC, Brooks never did increase the Jewish Republican vote much beyond 25%. In most national elections, even Blacks vote Republican in higher percentages than Jews (though with Obama atop the ticket, that’ll likely be different, this year). That’s a pretty sad performance, considering that the Democratic party is full of anti-Semites who hate Israel. While the party is rife with Jacksons, Sharptons, Farrakhans, McKinneys, and the like and has been for years, the only things that have increased under Brooks’ Republican Jewish “leadership” have been his rotundity and his salary.
In 2005, the last year for which RJC taxes were filed, Brooks made about $350,000 in salary and benefits, a large chunk of RJC’s total budget. That includes the salary and benefits he earns from the RJC front-group posing as a Jewish think tank, the National Jewish Policy Center, a quarter of whose budget goes to Brooks’ salary. In contrast, Ira Forman, Brooks’ counterpart at the National Jewish Democratic Council, made less than $122,000 in salary and benefits, according to the group’s 2006 taxes. Also in contrast, Brooks makes more than Wayne LaPierre, who heads the far bigger NRA, and Howard Kohr, who heads the much larger American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
And while Brooks’ salary has grown, the list of anti-Israel speakers and guests he’s featured at RJC events has grown, too:

* In 2003, after I wrote a scathing piece against anti-Israel, pro-Hezbollah Republican Congressman Darrell Issa a/k/a “Jihad Darrell” in the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the RJC hosted an even with Issa to “answer Debbie Schlussel.” (Debbie Schlussel was not invited, FYI.)
This was after RJC’s then-California chief, Bruce Bialosky (a wealthy Beverly Hills accountant), called me and insisted to me that, despite Issa’s open support for Hezbollah and hatred of Israel, I “need to sit down to lunch with Darrell Issa,” and that he would “facilitate” the “peace conference.”
Issa has consistently supported Syria and feted father and son Assad, called Israel “an apartheid” state, Hezbollah a “group of farmers” who “do humanitarian things,” and Yasser Arafat a kind man with small hands who lets you eat the food off his plate and has a good sense of humor. In 2002, at the height of homicide bombings against Israelis, Issa went to do some Arafat food-tasting by hanging with him during the Ramallah siege. Read more about RJC poster boy, Issa a/k/a “Jihad Darrell,” here.
Despite the fact that RJC’s Bialosky knew Issa’s record well, he told me, “He is a Congressman, and he might be California Governor. And we need to be nice to him.” Issa would pay for my trip and meal, he told me. I don’t do peace conferences, I oppose them, and I told him I would not even accept one greasy falafel ball from Jihad Darrell.
* In 2005, the RJC was set to host Tom Campbell, one of the most anti-Israel members of Congress, and one of two Congressmen who marched in Florida to protest the jailing of Islamic Jihad chief Sami Al-Arian and his brother-in-law. (The other Congresman was David Bonior.) Campbell’s Chief of Staff, Suhail Khan, was the son of a top Al-Qaeda fundraiser and brought Islamists and anti-Semites into the Bush White House (in his next job). After I wrote about it and the RJC got tons of angry phone calls (and dissed me in reponse–kill the messenger), they were forced to “replace” Campbell as the speaker.
* In 2006, the RJC was set to host Christopher Hitchens, whose comments about Israel are consistently disgusting. They “postponed” it indefinitely, after the Washington Jewish Week’s astute reporter Eric Fingerhut covered it and reported on my and other Jewish leaders’ rightful outrage.
* In 2006, when a new Texas chapter of the RJC was set to kick-off in Austin, they invited me as their speaker. Just prior to the event, RJC demanded that their name be taken off the event, even though it was a packed house. Sadly, I helped good Jewish conservatives get involved in RINO-JINO, Inc.
* At a 1999 or 2000 National Jewish Policy Center (which Matt Brooks also heads as RJC chief) in Arizona, all of the speakers (except the great Ruth Wisse) called for Jonathon Pollard to rot in jail for life. Rabbi Daniel Lapin, Mel Gibson’s rabbi and a rabbi with zero congregation or pulpit, made the outrageous statement that Congressmen know American Jews are loyal, but they just don’t know which country (Israel or America) they are loyal to. Way to go, RJC, questioning Jews’ loyalty to America. I question RJC’s loyalty to America.

Given all this, it’s rather hilarious that RJC claims this–on its tax returns–as its “mission”:

PROGRAMS SEEK TO EDUCATE AND ADVOCATE SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL AS WELL AS OTHER FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND DOMESTIC ISSUES OF IMPORTANCE TO THE JEWISH COMMUNITY.

And the RJC has lofty, right-wing sounding official positions. But who cares? It’s all bunk, when you see who they’re supporting and breaking bread with.
Today in RJC history is more of the same.
This afternoon, in Michigan, the RINO-JINOs are holding a kick-off event. And their choice of guest of honor is most interesting, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, who badly wants to be Governor.
But Cox has a history of pandering to Islamists and refusing to prosecute them for serious crimes such as mass Medicaid fraud. His schedule features regular appearances at openly pro-HAMAS and pro-Hezbollah organizations, where he offers his help to extremists. Here’s a brief summary of Cox’s achievements, from my column about federal insurance fraud convict Ali Jawad, an open supporter of Hezbollah and one of its most important agents in America. Jawad was kicked off the McCain campaign. But Cox was a major recipient of Ali Jawad’s campaign contributions and hasn’t returned them. And Jawad has a habit of only giving to pro-Hezbollah Republicans:

So, how did Jawad formerly come to be one of six members of John McCain’s Michigan campaign finance committee in the first place? . . .
[P]erhaps he was tapped because he was a major donor to Michigan Attorney General Cox. Cox was McCain’s Michigan campaign chairman, but resigned last summer, when it looked like McCain’s campaign wasn’t going to succeed. Now that McCain is the presumptive nominee, though, fair-weather friend Cox is back on board and has his name on the invitation. As a Jawad donee, Cox–who is running for Michigan Governor–played both sides of the war on terrorism.
After he appeared and spoke at a pro-Israel rally, during the 2006 war with Hezbollah, Cox then campaigned at the dinner of the extremist, openly pro-Hezbollah/HAMAS Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan dinner. [The keynote speaker at the event was a man who said Israel comitted the 9/11 attacks.] And he visited the offices of Jawad’s friend [FBI award revokee, “former” Islamic terrorist, and marriage fraud perpetrator] Imad Hamad–the openly pro-Hezbollah/HAMAS Michigan ADC–asking what he could do for them. That’s not to mention that he lied about and refused to pursue millions of dollars in Medicaid fraud by pregnant foreign alien Muslims perpetrated by the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS).
Cox waited for the last of the Medicaid defrauders to leave the country before he filed a few toothless, token warrants for their arrest, sending out press releases and going on national TV to brag about it. When Cox was contacted by Michigan Republican legislators, upon ACCESS chief Ismael Ahmed’s nomination to head the Michigan Department of Human Sevices (overseeing billions in Medicaid), Cox declined to give them any information and was suddenly mum, unlike his effusive “O’Reilly Factor” appearance regarding the topic.

And last, but not least, Mike Cox allowed illegal aliens to drive from all over America to get driver’s licenses here in Michigan. He sat by for five years, despite complaints from many Michiganians. Once he decided he was running for governor, he suddenly changed course and cited 9/11 and how the hijacker’s easily got IDs. Well, guess what? 9/11 happened before Cox was ever elected Attorney General in 2002, but he looked the other way for over five years.
Ironically, Mike Cox will speak to Michigan’s RINO-JINOs about “The Importance of the Jewish Vote in 2008.” But a better topic might be “The Importance of the Jewish Vote in 2010,” when Jews can exercise their importance and vote against Cox’s bid for Governor.
So, why is Cox the “main event” for Michigan RINO-JINOs? Well, Matt Brooks told me the obvious. His new, Deputy Chief of Staff at RJC, Stu Sandler, organized the event.
Who is Stu Sandler? Well, until this year, he was Mike Cox’s Girl Friday and “cleaner.” The unimpressive Sandler’s official title was “Assistant Michigan Attorney General for Foreign Affairs.” And since Michigan doesn’t have foreign diplomacy to speak of (especially from the Attorney General’s office), it can only mean one or all of three things, since he really hasn’t practiced law to speak of. He’s not even a licensed member of the State Bar of Michigan, so one wonders how he could parade around as an “Assistant Attorney General” of anything in Michigan.
Sandler’s name and testimony are all over a Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission case involving an attorney who was involved in Cox’s attempts to keep his extramarital affairs secret and to keep Geoffrey Fieger from talking about it during a failed Cox investigation of Fieger. Yup, Foreign “Affairs” of the heart and the libido. Michigan taxpayer dollars at work.
Then, there’s Sandler’s involvement in stopping the prosecution of the Medicaid fraud by the foreign Muslim aliens. He was intimately involved in that, and he contacted me regarding it. The Medicaid fraud continues to this day, thanks to Sandler and Cox. Oh, and Sandler was in charge of sending Cox to both the pro-Israel rally and then the HAMAS/Hezbollah Islamic dinner. He sent me a curt e-mail because I dared write about Cox’s sickening attendance at the Islamo-confab.
Uh-huh, the guy who is 2nd in command of the Jewish campaign for McCain and against Obama only recently was answering to “Slut clean-up in Aisle Eight!” and “Hezbo Falafel-Fest Aisle Five!” That’s why McCain is losing the Jews to Obama.
RJC’s Matt Brooks constantly complains that I don’t go to him first with complaints about his constant parade of anti-Israel, pan-terrorist speakers and guests of honor. That’s not a valid complaint, but I called him a couple of weeks ago. First, he pawned off my call on the “Cleaner”/”Assistant Attorney General for Foreign Affairs” Sandler. Then, he called. When I told him about Cox and that there were many Jewish high-dollar Republican McCain donor friends of mine who were disgusted by Cox as the guest, he responded:

But are they high dollar donors to the RJC? Are they on our national board? If not, then we don’t care.

Translation: “No Dollah, No Hollah.” [For you RINO-JINOS, that’s, “No Dollar, No Holler.”]
That’s your Republican ambassador to Jewish America . . . and actually, all of America.

Mazel Tov: RINO-JINO-in-Chief Matt Brooks
Fetes Michigan’s Top GOP Pan-Islamist Mike Cox
And finally, there is the other name on the invitation for the Michigan RJC RINO-JINO event, Ambassador Ron Weiser–the King of RINO-JINOs.
When I first learned that federal convict and Hezbo was on the invitation to a John McCain fundraiser that took place two weeks ago, I contacted Weiser, as his name appeared atop the invitation. I noted that he had zero involvement in any Jewish organizations whatsoever (google him and you’ll see). He’s simply out of touch with our community. When I told Weiser about Jawad’s federal conviction and open support for Hezbollah, the shocking conversation went like this:

Ron Weiser: Well, we don’t care about the Hezbollah stuff.
Debbie Schlussel: What?! John McCain doesn’t care about Hezbollah, while he’s saying we’re fighting terrorists over there in Iraq, so we don’t have to fight them here?!
Ron Weiser: Well, what I mean is that everyone in America has a First Amendment Right to support whatever group they want, even Hezbollah terrorists.
Debbie Schlussel: Yes, but they don’t have a right to be atop the McCain campaign in Michigan. If that’s the case, why not invite Jimmy Carter to host the event? And one of Ali Jawad’s convicted co-defendants in the insurance fraud is from the Makki family that sold and were convicted of Hezbollah cigarette smuggling.
Ron Weiser: Look, just give me the case numbers of his insurance fraud convictions.

Yes, this is the RINO-JINO who is king of Michigan RINO-JINOs and on the national board of RINO-JINO, Inc. a/k/a the Republican Jewish Coalition. And he’s also a big Bush donor, the reason he was rewarded by the Bush campaign with ambassadorships. He’s also the guy McCain would pick as an ambassador. Great to hear, “We don’t care about the Hezbollah stuff,” from a U.S. diplomat. Well, at least he’s saying publicly what they all think privately. Thank heaven for small favors.
This isn’t a new phenomenon regarding RINO-JINOs in Michigan, the heart of Islamist America and the heart of Hezbollah, USA. The woman organizing and helping fundraise for this RJC Michigan event is the daughter of a high-dollar Mike Cox donor. She’s also the former fundraiser for indicted, corrupt liberal Democrat Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. When I once confronted her on this, this daughter of multi-millionaires said she had no allegiances. “I made money. That’s what I do.” So did the woman who serviced “Client 9.”
This woman was also the organizer of a “Jewish Republican” event hosted at the home of Orthodox Rabbi with no pulpit or congregation, E.B. “Bunni” Friedman, pimping pan-Arabist, failed Michigan Republican Gubernatorial candidate, Dick DeVos. Despite advertising the event as a question-and-answer event, she and Rabbi Friedman tried to keep me from asking questions of DeVos, regarding his relationship with ACCESS, the anti-Israel, pro-Hezbollah/HAMAS welfare agency that got millions in Federal and Michigan tax funds and which is engaged in ongoing Medicaid fraud.
Normally, an Orthodox rabbi believes in “Negiyah,” the Jewish concept of not touching a woman who is not his wife or immediate family member. But in grabbing me and in pulling me away from DeVos (to keep me from asking questions), he suddenly forgot about that. Rabbi Friedman and his son, Mo, ran the “Jews for George (Bush)” ’04 campaign. More RINO-JINO-ism.
And RJC’s forever chief, Brooks, surrounds himself with similar minds. He’s tight with Dan Senor and has been friends with him since Senor shilled as press secretary for Hezbollah-financier, Arafat-supporting then-U.S. Senator Spencer Abraham. Senor–another prominent RINO-JINO (whose family is extremely liberal)–is responsible, with Paul Bremer, for the failed de-Ba’athification of Iraq, which has lead to a Shi’ite government that puts in place the full pan-Hezbollah Shi’ite crescent in the Mid-East. Senor is now married to Campbell Brown, who as an NBC reporter gave a gushing interview to then HAMAS leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi. (She was the girlfriend of Saudi spokesman and Ambassador to the U.S. Adel Al-Jubeir.) Senor recently wrote a clueless (or deliberately false, not sure which) Wall Street Journal article praising former Argentinian President Carlos Memem as anti-Iran. But Menem was not only pro-Iran, he halted the investigation into and covered up the Hezbollah’s and Iran’s involvement in the bombing of the Buenos Aires Jewish Community Center and Israeli Embassy in the mid-’90s. Menem covered it up because his family is Muslim and because he was paid $5 million, the New York Times reported.
That’s the RINO-JINO movement for you.
Once headed by conservative columnist Linda Chavez’s husband, Chris Gersten (and at that time called the National Jewish Coalition), the RJC was then a force for the interests of the Jewish people. Its newsletter was regularly critical of Republican President George H.W. Bush and his man James Baker for pressuring Israel and Yitzchak Shamir. It stood up for the Jewish community of Nicaragua, which was under attack by Daniel Ortega’s Sandinistas.
Sadly, it’s no longer a Jewish organization or an American one. It’s just a well-funded PR machine with a giant prostitution dynamic going on.
As my friend Yehudah says,

BEWARE OF THE RINO-JINOs!