Likud Primaries: How to Vote?

Likud Primaries are coming soon, and it's time to think about who should be on the Likud's MK list for the upcoming national elections.

Last night I reviewed the list of candidates and started making notes to myself of potential people to get my vote. The process works as follows: You must vote for 12 candidates on the list as your primary candidates, and then 1 additional person as your regional candidate.

So far, the only candidates that I am 100% certain about are from the list from Mattot Arim. Their current update is as follows (I am providing only the Likud-related section of the report. You can read their full report here on their website (look for the English posts on the right hand side): 

 

Accountability 4: Vote for Those who Get Things Done - Mattot Arim's Parliamentary Report 4 

 

We invite you to vote for the high-scorers, so that this time, YOUR Knesset and YOUR Government, will get DONE what YOU want!  Here is Parliamentary Report 4 by Mattot Arim:  http://heb.mattotarim.org/images/docs/yamin.pdf  It discloses what the MKs and ministers got done in the first half of year 2011.

 

High scoring MKs and ministers, in the attached report, are those who have been standing strong against Oslo, Disengagement, Palestinian State  and other pro-Arab anti-Israel paradigms.

There are 4 MKs and one minister which consistently do well in all reports - Danny Danon, Zev Elkin, Zipi Hotovely and Yariv Levin. Top-ranking minister: Yuli Edelstein. Make sure these 5 are on your list!! A new but particularly strong candidate is Moshe Feiglin. 

 

Residents of the Ashdod-Rehovot area (shfela area)  -- please take note!! It is important for you to vote for Meir Malka. He is running against a very powerful proponent of disengagement. If you vote for Meir Malka who has the same kind of national viewpoint as you do, you are sparing the Knesset his rival who could be very dangerous.  Please forward this paragraph about the important candidacy of Shfela representative Meir Malka, to EVERYONE you know in the following cities: Ashdod, Rishon leZion, Rehovot, Modiin, Lod, Gedera, Yavneh, Nes Ziona, Ramleh, Kiryat Ekron, Beer Yakov, Bet Dagan, Bnei Ayish, Gan Yavne, Mazkeret Batya, Macabim-Reut. Only residents of those cities are eligible to vote for Meir Malka. 

 

Reminder: if you want to help with Mattot Arim's important national accountability project, learn more: http://mattotarim1.blogspot.co.il/2012/10/we-need-your-help-right-now-to-generate.html . And feel free to contact us at mattot.arim@gmail.com.

 More updates to come...

PS: Just make sure NOT to vote for Zachi HaNegbi!

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Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

The Likud's Rebirth

It is with gratitude to G-d and a deep satisfaction that I write these words this morning -- after years of hard work, the Likud had the potential this morning to have made a significant return to its commitment to a nationalistic platform, a commitment to the land of Israel, and an awareness of the unique Jewish character of the State of Israel.

The Likud's new list from the primaries is comprised of mostly decent people, many of whom rejected the Disenagegment under the Sharon government, inclduing many open to the acceptance of the manhigut yehudit, Jewish leadership faction. Moshe Feiglin (#20) and his supporters reached realstic spots -- and many of those I urged people to vote for are in excellent spots.

The list is as follows, with those I recommended in orange. (Those in plain bold, I didn't actievly endorse, but are good as well)

1) Binyamin Netanyahu
2) Gideon Sa'ar (Voted against Disengagement under the Sharon government)
3) Gilad Erdan (Voted against Disengagement under the Sharon government)
4) Reuven Rivlin (Voted against Disengagement under the Sharon government)
5) Bennie Begin (Right wing)
6) Moshe Kahlon (Voted against Disengagement under the Sharon government)
7) Silvan Shalom (Refused to criticize Manhigut Yehudit, not a Netanyahu Yes-man)
8) Moshe Ya'alon (IDF Chief of Staff, Fired by Sharon for not wanting to carry out Disengagement)
9) Yuval Steinitz (Voted for the Disengagement under the Sharon government, yet acknowledges it was a mistake)
10) Leah Nass (Voted against Disengagement under the Sharon government)
11) Yisrael Katz (Mostly voted against Disengagement under the Sharon government)
12) Yuli Edelstein (Voted against Disengagement under the Sharon government)
13) Limor Livnat (Pushed to second woman's spot by Leah Ness, a better candidate)
14) Haim Katz
15)Yossi Peled
16) Michael Eitan (Our best chance for real judicial reform -- could offset Dan Meridor by having a better showing, which is why I voted for him)
17) Dan Meridor (Our biggest danger in the Likud)
18) Tzipi Hotobeli (Excellent new candiadate)
19) Gila Gamliel
20) Moshe Feiglin (Head of the Jewish Leadership, Manhigut yedhudit faction, in a realisitc spot)
21) Ze'ev Elkin
22) Yariv Levine
23) Tzion Piyan
24) Michael Ratzon (Voted against Disengagement under the Sharon government)
25) Ayoub Kara (Right wing Druze MK - aligned directly with Manhigut Yehudit)
26) Danny Dannon
27) Carmel Shama
28) Ophir Akoonis
29) Ehud Yatom (Mostly voted against Disengagement under the Sharon government)
30) Alali Adamso
31) Yitzhak Danino
32) David Eventzur
33) Keti Sheetrit
34) Miri Regev
35)Sagiv Asulin Manhigut Yehudit Representative
36) Boaz Ha'etzni Manhigut Yehudit Representative for "YESHA" district
37) Guy Yifrach
38) Asaf Hefetz Thank G-d he was relegated to spot #38. Police Chief who was extremely anti-right wing.
39) Yehiel Leiter
40) Keren Barak
41) Danny Benlulu
42) Uzi Dayan Best news of the day. Bibi's ultra leftist who actively supported and helped architect the Oslo Accords -- gets pushed to an unrealistic spot.


Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

Technical Troubles Plague Jerusalem

11:31 AM Jerusalem, ISRAEL

A Jerusalem tractor cut through 2 of Bezeq's fiber optic lines this morning causing severe technical problems for cell phones, internet and land line usage, as well as the Likud Primaries digital elections.

Not only is the Jerusalem voting location, "Binyanei HaUma" currently "offline", but surrounding areas Mivasseret Zion and Bet Shemesh are affected as well.

I think its time to ban tractors from Jerusalem, period

(anonymous tractor responsible for "accidental" fiber optical cable cut pictured above)


Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

Final Recommendation List (for now)

The Manhigut Yehudit Website has the following list (which is also listed below)
My recommendations/additions are in Orange.

Every voter MUST vote for 12 candidates on the general roster plus 2 olim on the olim list and one district candidate. Ballots with additional or fewer names will not be counted. Each candidate has a number that will appear on the voting screen. Please vote for the following:

General List

1. Moshe Feiglin (151)
2. Sagiv Asulin (106)
3. Gilad Ardan (107) <--- not my personal favorite, but voted against the disengagement
4. Benny Begin (109)
5. Gila Gamliel (116)
6. Moshe Kachlon (135) <--- not my personal favorite, but voted against the disengagement
7. Osnat Mark (141)
8. Gidon Sa'ar (147) <--- not my personal favorite, but voted against the disengagement
9. Ruby Rivlin (163)

To complete your vote for the General List, you must add another 3 names. Please add names from the recommended candidates list below. If you prefer to replace Begin, Rivlin, Sa'ar, Ardan or Kachlon - all of whom will get in anyway - with other worthwhile candidates, please use the list of recommended candidates below:

Efraim Even (102)	David Menna (143)
Yuli Edelstein (103)	Bilhah Nissenson (145)
Miriam Erez (108)	Leah Ness (146)
Daniel Benlulu (112)	Nazia Abdallah (150)
Eli Gabbai (115)	Nurit Koren (156)
Zeev Jabotinsky (120)	Michael Kleiner (157)
Tzippy Chotobeli (125)	Ayub Kara (158)
Ehud Yatom (133)	Michael Ratzon (164)
Michael Kafri (136)	Zalman Shoval (166)
Moshe Moskal (142)	Etti Talmi (170)

Jameel adds: In addition to the above, I am adding:

Miki Eitan (104)
Moshe Yaalon (132)

In addition, please vote for the following two "house" candidates for the Olim list.

Olim List
Shmuel Sackett (211)
Asya Entov (203)

District Voting
Boaz Haetzni (358) Yesha District [or Yossi Fuchs 359)
Keti Shitrit (357) PLEASE VOTE FOR THE BEST CANDIDATE: FRED MONCHARSH (355) Jerusalem District
Emanuel Vizer (333) Tel Aviv District
Alon Siso (346) Haifa and Krayot District
Danny Danon (320) Coastal District
Yariv Levin (304) Shfela

Postscript: Jeffrey adds that Zeev Jabotinsky is a good vote. I won't disgree. You could also choose to support any of the anti-Disengagment MKs: (Gidon Sar, Gilad Ardan). If you think that Benny Begin will help us...than he's also a possibility. I haven't finalized my exact list, but till post it around 5 PM.


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Likud Primaries Recommendations

Tomorrow, Monday Dec 8th marks a very important milestone in Israeli politics.

Likud members will be voting to create the "list" of who will be running on the Likud party's list in the upcoming national election.

I joined the Likud over 13 years ago through the Manhigut Yehudit faction within the Likud, out of the conviction that to lead the country, you need to be in a party that has the potential to lead. Coming from the United States, one can be a liberal Republican, a conservative Democrat, and expect that the majority party (or President from a specific party) will need to represent the entire country. In Israel, we still have a far way to go -- I recall Yitzchak Rabin's infamous comment that he is only the Prime Minister of 98% of the country -- directly implying that the settlers (and their security) were not his responsibility, nor did he view any connection to them.

The Likud should be a large party which can represent a majority of Israel's interests. Perhaps it's naive, but so should any ruling party. There should be no need for splinter self-interest groups representing "religious" or "chareidi" or "Sephardi" or "Worker" rights -- but they should be able to find a willing niche in any large party.

The smaller parties only view to influence policy, and worry about their own narrow minded self-interests, but are myopic when it comes to the "big" picture and leading the country.

With this in mind, I wanted to help be a part of leading Israel, not just "influencing".

In tomorrow's vote, you can pick 12 candidates running in the "national" slot, 2 candidates for the "immigrant" spot, and 1 candidate for a regional spot (based on your region).

Unfortunately, I can't list a total of 12 worthy candidates who would stand on their own merit -- from a political, rightwing point of view, as well as being intelligent, responsible law-makers.

Nevertheless, my list is as follows:

For the 12 "National list" candiates:

151 Moshe Feiglin. Moshe has been spearheading the Jewish leadership campaign within the Likud over the past 14 years, and I believe that this election will be a test of whether "Mahigut Yehudit" (MY) is going in the direction we hope it will.

103 Yuli Edelstein

146 Leah Ness

125 Zipi Hutabeli (comments from the Ben-Bayit blogger indicate she's a Bibi yes man. Waiting for anything to substantiate this...otherwise, many indicate she's a good choice).

106 Sagiv Asulin The MY candidate. Can't say he is the inculcation of MY's ideology, but he is running with MY's support.

163 Rubi Rivlin

142 Moshe Muskal

132 Moshe Yaalon Yaalon will get in -- the point is he needs to be ranked much higher than Dan Meridor so he can help pull Bibi rightwards away from Meridor.

104 Miki Eitan Yes, he supported the Disengagement. So did Gila Gamliel who is currently being touted by the MY list. I'd prefer Eitan (who I know personally), because I would much rather see him as Justice Minister than Meridor. Again, anything than will lower Meridor's chance of being Justice Minister is important. Miki's one of the few ariticulate and intelligent parlimentarians in the Knesset, and he does realize the mistakes of the Disengagement. (And unlike others, he really cares about helping those thrown out of their homes)

I can't bring myself to list some of the others (yet). While they did vote against the Disengagement, I can't see myself voting for some of these people.

I will not vote for knee-jerk Netanyahu yes men, even if they are religious Jews living in Yesha...which is why I'm waiting for more feedback about Tzipi Hutabili.

For the 2 Olim Spot: (the following are the MY choices)

203 Asia Antov
211 Shmuel Sackett

For the Yesha spot (if you are a Yesha resident) -- both of the following are excellent choices. I'm highlighting Hetzni, simply because he's the MY choice.

358 Boaz Haetzni (The MY candidate)
359 Yossi Fuchs

For the Jerusalem Spot (if you are a Jerusalem resident), I fully support

355 Fred Moncharsh One of the most dedicated MY supporters and a real mover/shaker for the Likud. I know Fred personally, and endorse him in the warmest of terms.


I'm open to change a bit...will be back later.

Jameel

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד