Israel Matzav

Meet Jim McCormick, Independent candidate for Congress in FL-19

Shmuel Rosner interviews Jim McCormick, who is an Independent candidate for Congress in Florida's 19th district, the district currently represented by Robert Wexler.

I think you'll like this.

Why do you think this time a candidate that isn't a Democrat can won your district? Is it really a possibility or more a dream?

I believe now, more than ever, our country needs candidates with no party affiliation. Independents are the only group that can truly bridge the gaps in the existing partisan Congress. I feel that both sides can have good ideas but because it comes from someone with a "D" or an "R" by their name, they are immediately prejudged. Independents are sought after by both parties, leaving them less pressured than their partisan colleagues and more apt to vote for or against legislation because it is or is not in the best interests of their district. One of the candidates has said that he will be "a loyal supporter of President Barack Obama's efforts..." Further stating that "The president is going to need allies in Congress...". I believe our district needs allies and if the President's agenda is one our district supports, then he shouldn't worry about needing allies. Democrats in the district are looking for change and many believe that voting for a Republican may be too much of a step in the wrong direction. Just because they want change doesn't mean they want to go back to the days where Republican's ruled the Congress.

Can you please specify for me your positions on these three important issues:

- Dealing with Iran and the possibility of a nuclearized regime in Tehran.

Under no circumstances can we allow Iran to become a nuclear armed nation. A nuclear Iran would only further destabilize the region and clearly threaten the state of Israel. The "deadlines" that the current administration has given are clearly worthless as Iran continues to develop the type of weapon we're currently trying to reduce. I believe Iran has every intention of, and is close to, obtaining nuclear weaponry. By talking sternly to Iran and setting "deadlines" they know will never be met, the administration is furthering Iran's agenda. Iran has not been truthful or forthright in any of the negotiations for the sole purpose of extending time. They need time and we're giving it to them. We should set a firm deadline, while obtaining the cooperation of other nations and not just any but all nations to put economic and socio-political pressure directly on Iran. China and Russia will certainly be the most difficult nations to convince, but I believe deep down they don't want a nuclear armed Iran either. We need UN inspectors with unfettered access to ALL areas of the country and we need to demand and observe Iran destroy their refining equipment. This should be the President's top foreign priority.

- Relations with Israel and the Arab world.

Israel is a democratic beacon of hope in an otherwise blood thirsty land. They are a nation of peace but they will not and should not acquiesce to allowing "street thug" type attacks from the Palestinians. They also should not give up another inch of land as I truly believe that peace cannot be obtained through the attrition of Israel. I don't believe that all of the Arab world seeks Israel's destruction but it's certainly difficult establishing meaningful relations with nations that are still getting their borders breached by terrorist factions funded by Iran. The nation of Israel is a peace loving nation and as long as the United States loudly voices their support for her and then follows up with it, the Arab nations will remain off balance and more open to negotiation.

- The Middle East peace process, what America can and should do about it.

It's difficult for the United States to attempt long term peace in a region of the world that blames us for their problems, all-the-while cheerfully selling us oil. We need to obtain energy independence in order to put real pressure on that region. However, there is a growing sentiment in Iran of a younger and more educated population that seeks change. We should help foster that change through the international community and show our commitment by attempting to bring prosperity to regions like Iraq. We cannot expect to obtain peace overnight as much of the radical agenda is through lack of education and generational bias. We can, over time, strip away pre-conceived notions, generations of indoctrination, and unwarranted hatred through education and perseverance. American troops in the region are currently needed but should be expeditiously removed once the tasks are complete to remove doubts about occupation.

Many of the voters in your district are Jewish. Is it your impression that they are disappointed with the Obama administration and the Democratic Congress? Why, and do they tend to be more disappointed than others or just about the same?

I believe that most voters in general are disappointed in the current administration and Congress for good reasons, including broken promises, out of control spending, lack of principles, and disregard for the voice of the people. We also have a high number of seniors in our district, and the current health care legislation, which I absolutely do not support, would clearly put our seniors in either financial difficulty or a lack of care. However, the Jewish community has one other reason to be further disappointed and that is Barack Obama's lack of support for Israel. His lack of respect for Israel's' Prime Minister and solemn belief that the problem with Israel and Palestine is equal blame on both sides. His State of the Union address further underlined his lack of support by never mentioning Israel even once. He was all over the board with his speech on a plethora of topics but did not mention Israel? I believe his lack of even mentioning Israel would simply highlight his utter failure in addressing the real problems of that region. At the very least he should have mentioned that it was part of his agenda, whether he would tackle that topic or not.

Read the whole thing. This guy sounds great. Anyone from Boca know more about him? Is there a Republican candidate? Much as he casts himself as an Independent, McCormick sounds like a Republican. And he keeps coming back to supporting Israel....

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:36 PM