Other items in today’s column include:
*The Senator-elect’s wife is a doctor
*San Diego County congressional delegation divides over certification
*New fiscal advisory board proposed for San Diego County
*Jewish community in San Diego planning Tu B’Shevat Zoom workshop
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO — Jewish elected officials, reflecting partisan divisions in the country, are split over the validity of Joe Biden’s election as President, whether Donald Trump is culpable for the mob that attacked and ransacked the Capitol building resulting in five deaths, and what, if anything, should be done about Trump in the days remaining before his term ends, and Biden’s begins, on Wednesday, January 20th.
On the Democratic side, there are voices like that of Rep. Adam Schiff, D-California, who messaged on Saturday: “Not only should Trump be held accountable for his repeated violations of the rule of law and our democratic norms, but he must be stopped from sowing further chaos and causing more harm. Every effort must be made to remove him as soon as possible. To protect our country, President Trump must leave office, immediately, But doing so would require a devotion to country and sense of decency that this president has never before displayed. In failing to resign, Trump should be removed from his presidential duties by the Vice President and Cabinet through the 25th Amendment. But that would require a courageous and patriotic act of the Vice President [Mike Pence], and qualities that he has never displayed. So Congress should immediately begin impeachment proceedings.”
Agreeing, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California called for articles of impeachment to be fast-tracked, and among those members of Congress drafting them were Democrats David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, and Ted Lieu of California. The articles may be officially introduced Monday and set for debate sometime thereafter. However, the U.S. Senate does not resume its substantive work until Tuesday, January 19th, making it all but impossible for an impeachment trial in the Senate to be completed while Trump is in office.
While impeachment proceedings could occur after Trump leaves office–with conviction on the impeachment charges precluding Trump from ever running again for federal public office–there is question whether this would further divide the country and distract the Congress from enacting Biden’s proposals to fight the coronavirus and to stimulate the nation’s economy.
With the victories in Georgia on Jan. 5th of two Democratic U.S. Senate candidates — Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff — the leadership of the Senate will pass from Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky to Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York. While on the record calling for Trump’s removal, in determining how that should be done, Schumer may be whiplashed between moderates in the Democratic party who want to focus on Biden’s agenda, and Progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who want prompt action against Trump. Ocasio-Cortez already has said she is considering opposing Schumer in 2022 when he faces reelection.
While Democrats work their way through this conundrum, Jewish Republicans Congressmembers David Kustoff of Tennessee and Lee Zeldin of New York seem content to condemn and call for the prosecution of the rioters who broke into the Capitol while deflecting criticism from President Trump. Both Republican Congressmen were among the group of House Republicans who voted unsuccessfully against certifying the electoral college results from Arizona and Pennsylvania.
In an interview with the Jackson Sun, Kustoff, a former U.S. Attorney, said: on Thursday: “Whether it’s from the right or the left, a mob is a mob. I condemned the violence last summer we had from Antifa, and I condemn the violence yesterday in the Capitol. There’s no place for that in this country.”
Zeldin made a similar point in an interview on Fox News with host Laura Ingraham. “The double standards are really clear. You’ve been talking about that silence coming from the left after Kenosha, New York City — I’m from New York State — Chicago, Seattle, Portland.” Furthermore, said Zeldin, “On the other side of the aisle, they have members of their conference talking about defunding the police” as well a for the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Custom Enforcement.
Staying true to Trump, even in the waning days of his crumbling presidency, has back-home consequences for some Republican lawmakers. For example Kustoff has been the subject of considerable prodding from Terry Roland, a former county commissioner, who has been an active Trump supporter since the 2016 primary season.
In the lead up to January 6th, when Congress voted on the electoral college certification, Roland taunted the Congressman, posting the question: “Is David Kustoff part of the Surrender Caucus wing of the Republican party?” He used a graphic merging Kustoff’s face with that of Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee), an ardent Trump foe, to suggest the two were one and the same.
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The Senator-elect’s wife is a doctor
Senator-elect Jon Ossoff’s wife, Alisha Kramer, is a doctor, specifically an OB-GYN now serving as a resident at Emory University Hospital, reports The Forward. They met at Paideia School in Atlanta, Georgia; continued their romance at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and then she went to medical school at Emory University in Atlanta. The night her husband defeated Republican incumbent David Perdue, Kramer was on OB duty. Oh baby!
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San Diego County congressional delegation divides over certification
The partisan divide over certification of the electoral college results was reflected in San Diego County’s congressional delegation. The four Democrats — Sara Jacobs, Mike Levin, Scott Peters, and Juan Vargas — voted to accept the results from Arizona and Pennsylvania, en route to the Electoral College confirming Joe Biden’s presidential election, whereas the county’s lone Republican Congressman, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Bonsall, voted against accepting the results from the two contested states.
In a message to constituents, Vargas commented, “When I was a young Jesuit working in remote villages in the developing world, our country — the United States — was the principal example of the hope and possibility of peaceful, democratic governance. I am dumbfounded that this could happen here. How could an angry mob brandishing weapons breach the U.S. Capitol and enter the House and Senate chambers? How could they stop the lawful and peaceful counting of the electoral votes for the next president of the United States? … Sadly, the attacks also resulted in several deaths, including that of a Capitol Police Officer who was serving to protect us and the U.S. Constitution. I had the pleasure of knowing Officer Brian Sicknick. My heart is heavy and my thoughts are with his family during these difficult times. I am tremendously grateful to the Capitol Police, the D.C. police, and all the other members of law enforcement who put themselves in harm’s way to protect the Congress of the United States and the democracy that we serve. … This week, I voted to accept the certified electoral votes and to ratify the peaceful transition of power that is the hallmark of our democracy. I voted on behalf of my constituents in California, and on behalf of the tens of millions of Americans who, in good faith and with honest intentions, voted for their candidate for president and vice president. I would do so regardless of who had won the election. I believe history will note who is responsible for this travesty and hold them accountable. I know in my heart that the vast majority of Americans support our democracy and the rule of law.”
One of the terrible ironies of the attack on the Capitol was that Officer Sicknick, on his own time, had been a supporter of President Trump. But when the mob attacked the Capitol, he put partisanship aside and did his duty.
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New fiscal advisory board proposed for San Diego County
County Supervisors Nathan Fletcher and Terra Lawson-Remer are in line to serve on a proposed advisory board that would examine the County of San Diego’s budget and offer possible revisions, The San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Because it would involve expenditures, such as retaining consultants, creation of the board will need to be approved by the full 5-member Board of Supervisors.
Lawson-Remer’s background is that of an economist who worked for the U.S. Treasury Department during the Obama administration. She explained, “We are committed to the best fiscal practices and being fiscally responsible. Th question is, how do you do that? How do you make sure the resources the county has, the $6.3 billion that the county is charged with spending, is spent in a way that’s most effective and most impactful.”
For example, she said, if changes are to be made in the county jail system, “We’re not just looking at how much something costs on the front end, but how much that might save on the back-end. It’s obviously better to spend 10 cents on the front end and save a dollar on the back end.”
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Jewish community in San Diego planning Tu B’Shevat Zoom workshop
Tu B’Shevat, familiarly known as the “Birthday of the Trees,” will be observed this year from nightfall Wednesday, Jan. 27, to nightfall Thursday, January 28. In preparation, the San Diego chapter of the Jewish National Fund is putting together a Zoom workshop from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 24, featuring Nan Sterman, host of KPBS-TV”s A Growing Passion, and Noa Zer, resource development director for Israel’s Central Arava Regional Council, on how to promote the environment in both countries.
Among synagogues and Jewish organizations already signed up as participants are Beth Jacob Congregation, Coastal Roots Farm, Congregation Beth Am, Congregation Beth El, Congregation Beth Israel, Congregation B’nai Tikvah, Congregation Dor Hadash, Hadassah, Jewish Federation of San Diego County, Kahal Am, Lawrence Family JCC (Early Childhood), Ohr Shalom, San Diego Jewish Academy, San Diego Outreach Synagogue, Temple Adat Shalom, Temple Beth Shalom, Temple Solel, Tifereth Israel Synagogue, and Young Israel of San Diego.
Debbie Kornberg is chairing the event. Her committee includes Allie Donahoo, Marti Eisenberg, Myra Chack Fleischer, Lauren Lizerbram, Jacqui Schneider, and Peter Singer. Registration and more information is available via this website.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com