Race for the White House 2016 Volume 12

As Winter turns to Spring, developments on the Presidential campaign trail were relatively quiet this past week. In fact, far more attention was paid by political junkies to a national election in Israel. I am quite pleased that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secured what looks like enough support to continue in his role leading the Jewish State. Before the election, many felt that he was about to be ousted after so many years in power, and his relationship with Barack Obama has certainly received much attention both in Israel and in the United States.

I could certainly talk in great length about how disappointing Obama's attitude towards Netanyahu and Israel have been, especially as it relates to what could be a very dangerous deal with Iran in regards to nuclear capability. Of course, Obama is a lame duck, and while his relationship with the Israeli Prime Minister is unlikely to get much better, Netanyahu is very likely to be in office when a new American President takes office in early 2017. Candidates in both parties are likely to express how they believe they will be better for U.S.- Israeli relations than the current occupant of the White House, but Republicans will probably be far more vocal in doing so. The issue is likely to play a part of the GOP primary campaign, even though most Jewish voters and donors continue to consider themselves Democrats. It remains to be seen how current events and the positioning of Obama's Democrats might change the percentage of such political behavior though. I hope it changes a great deal and that there is ample evidence to suggest that my fellow Jewish-Americans who care about the very survival of Israel as a core issue have more in common with Republicans than Democrats these days.

Very soon, candidates from both parties are expected to formally announce that they are running for President, or maybe even in a case or two, hold a big event to state that they will not be running, but plan to play a role, etc. etc. An upcoming speech by Senator Ted Cruz of Texas may fit into the latter category, but it is also possible that he will indeed announce a run for the White House. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is scheduled to formally kick off his run on April 7 and many other candidates may also be holding similar events this spring. For the Democrats, Hillary Clinton is believed to be eying an April announcement, although questions surrounding her email scandal and potential illegal donations by foreign governments to the Clinton Family's foundation continue to linger, and all but assure that she will face at least one credible opponent for the nomination.

Until these campaigns really get under way, the early polls, which show Clinton ahead of all opponents, both Democrat and Republican, as well any GOP primary polls, which continue to show fairly impressive numbers for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker need to be taken with a grain of salt. After all, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, whom many on the right totally dismiss as a potential nominee, is said to be continuing to score victories behind the scenes in terms of his fundraising and organizational building, in advance of a campaign.

One of the oldest cliche in Presidential politics is, "this is a marathon, not a sprint", but it happens to be one that is quite true, especially in a cycle when the Oval Office will be open and up for grabs in a politically divided country and the candidates are just about to start stepping up to their starting blocks.