Sunday 22 February 2015

Israel election campaign continues


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday panned the international community for negotiating 

with Iran while taking no steps to curb its sponsorship of global terrorism, as top American and 

Iranian diplomats attempted to hammer out a deal in Geneva

Meanwhile, the police commissioner said the evidence against the Netanyahus with regard to alleged financial impropriety was solid enough to warrant an investigation, and the attorney general was reviewing the accusations against the premier and his wife.
A separate housing report by the State Comptroller was slated to be released later this week, but ahead of its publication, Netanyahu’s rivals attacked him for the high cost of living.(1)
Unfortunately most domestic issues not being addressed, certainly not by the Right-wing parties. And the planned speech by Netanyahu to the US Congress should not occur, in my view.

Note:
(1) http://www.timesofisrael.com/february-22-2015-netanyahu-likud-comptroller-elections-iran/

Thursday 19 February 2015

Chris Christie losing supporters



It has begun, particularly due to his character flaws and behaviour;

He does not return phone calls. He does not ask for support. He arrives late for meetings. And he acts as if he has all the time in the world.
The complaints have piled up for weeks, dismaying many longtime supporters of Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and sending others into the arms of his rivals for the presidential nomination, according to interviews with more than two dozen Republican donors and strategists.
As a half-dozen other candidates aggressively raise money and chase endorsements in Iowa and New Hampshire, friends and detractors alike say Mr. Christie’s view of his status and pre-eminence within the Republican field is increasingly at odds with the picture outside his inner circle.Policy advisers, donors and even a prominent New Jersey state senator who met his wife through Mr. Christie have all flirted with or committed to rival candidates. One potential donor, Woody Johnson, the billionaire owner of the New York Jets, will back Jeb Bush, according to three people close to the Bush campaign. Mr. Johnson attended a round of Bush fund-raising events on Wednesday in Chicago, where the former Florida governor acknowledged him by name.
In Iowa and New Hampshire, Mr. Christie’s negative ratings in some opinion polls are higher than his favorable ones. He has been slower than Mr. Bush to lock down support within the Republican Party’s pool of big-name “bundlers,” and it is unclear how quickly Mr. Christie is amassing cash. A spokesman declined to say, or even provide a range for, how much money the governor’s leadership political action committee has raised.
“He’s a very popular figure, but he’s made a mistake by not creating the necessary momentum for the kind of national organization you need to be successful,” said Anthony Scaramucci, a New York hedge fund manager who is now backing Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin. “He’s not touching enough people. And I think this is a classic rookie mistake.”
Friends say Mr. Christie is both understaffed and too controlling. They also say he is convinced that his raw talent and charisma can overcome the political obstacles in his way. Thomas H. Kean, a former governor of New Jersey and Mr. Christie’s onetime mentor, with whom he mended fences after a public break, said Mr. Christie had “gotten in the habit of kind of doing everything himself.”
“You can’t do that in a presidential campaign,” Mr. Kean said.




Link;

1. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/20/us/some-chris-christie-supporters-now-turn-their-backs.html