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Joel B. Pollak

Joel B. Pollak

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Democratic National Committee fundraising email

Dems Fundraise off Obamacare Repeal

Democrats seized on Tuesday’s Obamacare repeal vote in the U.S. House of Representatives to raise cash, sending a slew of fundraising spam to their email lists, raising the alarm–and raising potential millions of dollars from alarmed supporters.

Gordonbush_Wind_Farm

California Jews Celebrate Tu B’Shvat, Holiday ‘Occupied’ by the Left

On Tuesday evening and Wednesday, Jews across California and the world will celebrate Tu B’Shvat (literally, “the 15th of the Hebrew month of Shvat”), the “New Year for trees.” The holiday roughly coincides with the appearance of the first spring blossoms in Israel–as well as in California, large portions of which enjoy a similar climate to that of the Holy Land. In recent years, the religious holiday has been overtaken by environmental themes–and, lately, by anti-Israel activists.

Unaccompanied Minors in DHS Holding Facilities, June, 2014

Did Border Crisis Trigger Measles Outbreak?

The sudden outbreak of measles across the United States raises questions about how the disease arrived in the country after it was eradicated here in 2000. A quick review of the U.S. State Department visa requirements for immigrant visas reveals that applicants must be vaccinated for measles prior to their approval. Measles vaccination is not required for tourist visas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nor are they required for any other disease.

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

A Rare Foreign Policy Win: Congress Defends the Internet

It is often said that the President controls foreign policy, and that there is little Congress can do, within its more limited foreign policy mandate, to direct it. The Republican-controlled Congress–and the U.S. House of Representatives in particular–has defied that conventional wisdom by stopping President Barack Obama’s worst foreign policy blunder by far–namely, the effort to end U.S. control over Internet domain names, which would have boosted the enemies of freedom.

Pete Carroll (Matt York / Associated Press)

In Defense of Carroll’s ‘Worst’ Call

After the improbable finish to Super Boxl XLIX, it seems natural to blame Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and his team for calling a pass from the 1-yard line with less than 30 seconds to play, rather than handing the ball to Marshawn Lynch. But while it’s understandable that a Seattle fan might feel Carroll’s was “the worst call in Super Bowl history,” it wasn’t bad. And it was actually New England Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick’s call the play before that won the game.

obamai

In CNN Interview, Obama Commits to Appeasement

On Sunday, President Barack Obama explained his stance on radical Islam to CNN’s Fareed Zakaria–and in the process, showed exactly why it is that the U.S. is losing to Al Qaeda, ISIS, and Iran. Obama believes, against all available evidence, that only a small minority of Muslims share the political beliefs of Islamist terror groups. And he is wedded to a particular tactic–the so-called “surgical” strike–that precludes any commitment of troops, giving the enemy wide freedom of action.

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

New York Times Forced to Correct Netanyahu Speech Timeline

The New York Times has continued its reflexive bias against Israeli Prime Minister with a story Friday alleging, falsely, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went behind President Barack Obama’s back in arranging a speech to Congress in March. In fact, Netanyahu only accepted Speaker of the House John Boehner’s invitation once the White House knew of the invitation. The story has since been corrected online, but the incorrect version will misinform print readers today.

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Bibi Surges in Israeli Polls

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is enjoying a surge in the latest opinion polls of Israeli voters. The Jerusalem Post reports that its latest poll shows Bibi’s party, the Likud, is leading the race for the first time in weeks. Other polls agree, and show the Likud leading its rival, the Zionist Union, which is a combination of the Labor and Hatnua parties.

Blue State Blues (Breitbart)

Blue State Blues: Why the Left Hates Bibi, the Modern Man

The left hates Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Some hate him as they would hate any Israeli leader; they just hate Israel (and they may hate Jews, too). Some hate him because they love Obama, and Netanyahu stands up to Obama–which is why many Democrats who would otherwise love Bibi have chosen to hate him. But at the core, the left hates Netanyahu because just as Israel is a nation-state in a post-national world, Bibi is a modern man in a post-modern era.

boxer

Boxer Retires, Jumps 12% in Polls

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) was deeply unpopular among Californians last fall, with only 41% of adults and 45% of likely voters approving of her performance, according to the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). However, her decision to retire has been followed by a dramatic increase in her popularity: 53% of adults and 51% of likely voters now approve in a new PPIC poll.

Burton (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press)

Obama Aide Cashes out in California

Bill Burton, a prominent political aide to Barack Obama, has been hired by SDKnickerbocker to head its new Los Angeles office, a plum position that signals the enduring influence–and burgeoning affluence–of Obama campaign alumni.

old BNN

New York Times: Full-Court Press Against Bibi

The New York Times has launched a full-court press against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer over Netanyahu’s acceptance of an invitation by Speaker of the House John Boehner to address Congress on the subjects of Iran and radical Islam in March without coordinating with the White House.

Netanyahu addresses Congress, May 2011 (Associated Press)

The Speech Netanyahu Should Give Congress

The speech that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will deliver to a special joint session of the US Congress in March will be the most important address by an Israeli leader in the history of the Jewish state.

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Goldberg Blames Bibi for Obama’s Disastrous Israel Policy

For Goldberg, Obama can do no wrong when it comes to Israel–and only Israel. In his efforts to cover for Obama, he has fumbled away much of his credibility on the issue. There is not much for Netanyahu to fear from the habitual criticism of a pundit who has so clearly departed from reality. But as an example of how American Jewish liberals are tying themselves in knots trying to reconcile their partisan loyalties with the facts of Obama’s failures on Israel, there is no finer specimen.

AP

Auschwitz Anniversary: Why Bibi’s Speech Matters

Netanyahu has one basic responsibility: to protect the security of the State of Israel, the homeland of the Jewish people. That is why Ambassador Ron Dermer is correct to call Netanyahu’s speech to Congress a “sacred duty.”

Tawni's Ponies (Courtesy Tawni Angel)

‘Tawni’s Ponies’ Win First Round in Defamation Case

Small business owner Tawni Angel has won the first round of her court battle against a radical animal rights activist who is attempting to ban Angel’s popular pony rides from a weekly Santa Monica farmers’ market. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lisa Hart-Cole ruled last Thursday that Angel’s lawsuit against activist Marcy Winograd can proceed, finding that Angel demonstrated a “sufficient probability of prevailing” on the question of whether Winograd had defamed her.

Dennis Ross (Associated Press)

Former Obama Adviser: Get Tougher on Iran

Former Obama adviser Dennis Ross, who left the White House in 2011 amidst rumors of clashes with Valerie Jarrett, has co-written a strident op-ed in Politico urging President Barack Obama to take a tougher stance with Iran.

earnest

White House Caught in Lie over Netanyahu Speech

On Friday, White House spokesperson said that President Barack Obama would not meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visits Washington, D.C. in March due to a policy of not meeting with foreign leaders prior to their election campaigns, “to avoid the appearance of influencing a democratic election in a foreign country.” However, that excuse proves empty against the historical record, as Bill Clinton met then-Prime Minister Shimon Peres in 1996.