Category: Armenian Question

Posted on November 2nd, 2008
by The Stiletto in All News, Society and Culture, US Politics

Crazy as it sounds, losing the Armenian vote just might cost McCain the election.
How can the votes of this “small tribe of unimportant people,” as Armenian-American writer William Saroyan described them, matter? By various estimates Americans of Armenian descent number 385,500 to 1 million – roughly one half of one percent of the total number of people who voted in the November 2004 election. But Armenians have more clout – particularly in this election – than their miniscule numbers might suggest.
Once a reliable Republican voting bloc, Armenian-Americans have left the GOP en masse after George W. Bush reneged on his campaign promises of 2000 and 2004 to support the Armenian Genocide Resolution in Congress, which characterizes the systematic slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Turks in 1915 as a genocidal crime against humanity.
Unlike John McCain, who avoids the topic, Barack Obama has acknowledged the Armenian Genocide as settled history, and anecdotal evidence suggests that he enjoys near-absolute support of the Armenian-American community. Armenians have no idea where McCain stands on passing the Armenian Genocide Resolution, but Obama has made a convincing case to this community that he stands with them in their quest for justice.
Armenians have clustered in states that are solidly Democrat – particularly, Calif., Mass. and New York – so they will neither help Obama much nor hurt McCain much in those states by abandoning the GOP. But swing states could be another story. The Armenian population in several of the states up for grabs is small, but these votes could be decisive in two of them this year: Fla. Is home to 25,000 Armenians, Mich. to 60,000.

Armenians consider themselves in a permanent state of Diaspora, and reward candidates who support recognition of the Armenian Genocide with their wallets and their votes. Like Cubans and Evangelicals, Armenians tend to be single-issue voters. In the past, candidates from both parties made sure to pay lip service to supporting the Armenian Genocide Resolution and Armenians tended to vote Republican because of shared conservative economic and social values.
But when it mattered most last October, Democrats tried to get the Armenian Genocide Resolution passed in the House whereas Republicans repaid the decades-long loyalty of the Armenian community with betrayal after Turkey threatened to complicate Iraq war logistics by cutting off air and ground supply routes. Obama – who successfully pursued a “no vote left behind” strategy in caucus states – wasted no time capitalizing on the opportunity created by Bush to aggressively court Armenian-Americans.
Neither of the candidates’ campaign Web sites include speeches or position papers by the candidates on the Armenian Genocide. However, an officially-sanctioned coalition group, Armenians for Obama, compares Obama’s positions with McCain’s using statements and speeches from both candidates.
In contrast, McCain has shunned the term “genocide,” even in his half-hearted attempts to reach out to the Armenian community. And not only McCain does not have a counterpart to Armenians for Obama backing him – there are, however, American Indians for McCain, Bikers for McCain and Racing Fans for McCain – even the Web site of the National Organization of Republican Armenians hasn’t been updated for quite a while.
Pollster Scott Rasmussen zeros in on seven must-win swing states, which are very much in play, including Fla. Other numbers crunchers include Mich. on their lists of crucial battleground states. While a comfortable five-point margin separated George W. Bush and John Kerry in both states in 2004 (Bush won Fla. 52 percent to 47 percent; the results were flipped in Mich.) the Fla. race is much tighter this year, with most polls showing just one to two points separating McCain and Obama – and McCain has already ceded Mich. to his rival, having stopped campaigning in the state several weeks ago.
In the 2004 election the Bush campaign used “microtargeting” to find significantly more black votes in Ohio than he got in 2000.

McCain is using the reverse strategy with the Armenian vote. Rather than teasing out additional votes wherever he can, McCain has inexplicably chosen to leave 44 Electoral College votes on the table by writing off Armenian-American voters in Fla. and Mich. And it’s not like he can afford to lose them – especially in Fla., where Bush has also managed to alienate another important voting bloc, Cuban-Americans.
As that old rhyme has it, “for the want of a nail … the horse was lost.” By overlooking – indeed, disrespecting – this seemingly insignificant ethnic group, McCain is extending a Bush legacy that will haunt Republicans for years to come.
Note: The Stiletto writes about politics and other stuff at The Stiletto Blog, chosen an Official Honoree in the Political Blogs category by the judges of the 12th Annual Webby Awards (the Oscars of the online universe) along with CNN Political Ticker, Swampland (Time magazine) and The Caucus (The New York Times).
 

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
October 1, 2008
Contact: Michael A Zachariades
Email: mzachariades@aaainc.org
Phone: (202) 393-3434

MCCAIN, PALIN ISSUE LETTER TO THE ARMENIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY

Washington, DC – The McCain-Palin campaign issued a letter to the Armenian-American community today, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly). In the letter, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) wrote that he is “grateful for all of the contributions that Armenian-Americans have made to our wonderful country,” and that he “greatly value[s] the opportunity to stand with the Armenian-American community.”
 
Regarding U.S. affirmation of the Armenian Genocide, the statement refrains from referring to the events of 1915-1923 as genocide, and instead employs a dictionary definition.  McCain said, “It is fair to say that one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century, the brutal murder of as many as one and a half million Armenians under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, has also been one of the most neglected. The suffering endured by the Armenian people during that period represented the prologue to what has come to be known as humanity’s bloodiest century.” He added that “It is our responsibility to recognize those tragic events and to ensure that our world never experiences the impact of the bloody conflicts that so filled the 20th century.”
 
McCain also thanked Armenia for her “support of coalition operations in Iraq and NATO peacekeeping efforts in Kosovo.”
 
The Armenian Assembly of America, as a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan advocacy organization is prohibited by law from endorsing, supporting or opposing candidates for elected office.
 
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) revealed today that the Turkish Government has hired former Bush Administration official, Noam Neusner, to harness Jewish American support for a pro-Turkey agenda in Congress, with defeat of the Armenian Genocide Resolution as his top priority.

“If Turkey had a credible case to make to the Jewish American community – which has grown weary of Ankara’s pressure to deny the Armenian Genocide – it wouldn’t need to be spending this kind of money in a misguided attempt to manipulate Jewish American opinion,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “Sadly, it seems that for $8,500 a month from a foreign government, Neusner Communications is putting at risk the well-deserved reputation of the Jewish American community as a powerful opponent of all genocides and a defender of universal human rights.”

This revelation came as part of a September 30, 2008, mandatory U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ) Foreign Agent Registration Act filings by Neusner Communications, LLC, a Washington, DC public relations firm that has been on the Turkish Government payroll since September, 2007. The initial registration document submitted by the firm cites “policy goals” including “U.S. Jewish efforts to promote a pro-Turkey agenda in the U.S. Congress.” Neusner Communications LLC is tasked to ensure “regular emails and phone calls to Jewish leaders highlighting Turkey’s relationship with Israel” and facilitating the “creation of working relationships between U.S.-based Jewish and Turkish community groups.”

Neusner’s filings reveal that the first order of business for the public relations firm was, in September and October of last year, to contact top Jewish-American organizations regarding pending Armenian Genocide legislation, H.Res.106. Beginning with a phone conversation with AIPAC Director of National Affairs and Development Jon Missner on September 17th, Neusner personally contacted groups, including JINSA, the American Jewish Congress, Anti-Defamation League, B’nai B’rith, Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs some 23 times over the next four weeks regarding H.Res.106. The House Foreign Affairs Committee adopted the Armenian Genocide Resolution on October 11th by a vote of 27 to 21.

The U.S. DOJ filings note subsequent emails by Neusner with the ADL’s Director of Government and National Affairs Jess Hordes regarding “ADL action on HR 106,” and ADL Director “Abe Foxman’s visit to Turkey” in May, 2008. Neusner continued to hold meetings with AIPAC’s Jon Missner and National Political Director Rob Bassin regarding the Armenian Genocide Resolution, including one on November 29th. Seven months later, Neusner held a follow up meeting with Missner and AIPAC Director of Research and Information Rafi Danziger to discuss “Turkish concerns about Armenian issue; lack of support on the Hill from Jewish orgs.” The meeting came just one day after the House Foreign Affairs Committee held a two- hour hearing on the South Caucasus region, with specific focus on Turkey’s ongoing blockade of Armenia. In total, in the span of one year, Neusner Communications contacted or met with Jewish American groups at least 100 times – 32 times specifically to
 discuss Armenian Genocide legislation or Armenian American concerns.

Neusner is well-known to Jewish American leaders, having served as President Bush’s liaison to the U.S. Jewish community from 2002 through 2005, in addition to his capacity as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Speechwriting. Neusner’s DOJ filings indicate that he was hired by the “Embassy of the Republic of Turkey through DiNovo Strategies and Fleishman Hilliard.” DiNovo Strategies partner Jay Footlik served as Clinton Administration liaison to Jewish Americans and to European and Mediterranean groups, including the Armenian American community.

According to the Foreign Agent Registration Act, a firm must register within ten days of agreeing to become an agent and before performing any activities for the foreign entity. It is unclear why Neusner Communications’ filings were submitted over one-year after it began lobbying for Turkey, a lapse that may represent a violation of U.S. DOJ registration guidelines. FARA also mandates that all communications from public relations firms must conspicuously cite any connection to a foreign government. Copies of email communications submitted by Neusner Communications to the U.S. DOJ make no reference to his firm’s representation of the Turkish Government.

Neusner Communications, Inc. is one of four public relations firms currently representing the Government of Turkey, including DLA Piper, Fleishman Hilliard, and the Gephardt Group, who together receive over $3 million a year for their services. Neusner Communications is currently paid $8,500 a month by the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey. Leading the campaign to clean up Turkey’s image in the United States are former House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt and House Majority Leader Dick Armey. Former House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bob Livingston ended his eight- year, $13 million lobbying stint with Turkey earlier this year, after which he picked up a lucrative $2.4 million contract with Libya.