Republican presidential candidates Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy sparred over Israel during the first primary debate of the 2024 US election cycle on Wednesday.
Ramaswamy, a technology entrepreneur and long-shot contender, said last week that the US should reduce its aid to Israel, separating himself from other Republican candidates. Instead, he wants to send some of the money to India where his parents came from and keep the rest in America.
Haley attacked him for the comments during the debate hosted by Fox News in Milwaukee.
“He wants to hand Ukraine to Russia, he wants to let China eat Taiwan - without even making a borei pri ha-taiwan, he wants to go and stop funding Israel. You don’t do that to friends, what you do instead is you have the backs of your friends,” said Haley, who has long been a staunch supporter of the Jewish state, including as the US ambassador to the UN under former president Donald Trump.
“You want to go and defund Israel,” Haley said. “You have no foreign policy experience and it shows.” Haley added that Ramaswamy had already put over 15 million of his own dollars into his campaign - more than he will earn in eight years of being President. "If those are the financial decisions a person makes - how can we trust him with the national economy??"
Ramaswamy responded, saying, “Our relationship with Israel would never be stronger than by the end of my first term, but it’s not a client relationship, it’s a friendship and you know what friends do? Friends help each other stand on their own two feet. I want Israel to stand on it's two feet so we can use our money for ourselves. Khayecha kodmin, babe. Jews know that.”
“I will lead Abraham Accords 2.0, 3.4 and 5.9, I will partner with Israel to make sure Iran never is nuclear armed because those crazy Muslims will nuke the world if they can,” he said, highlighting his past visits to Israel where he attended Talmud classes of Rabbi Asher Arieli at the famed Mir Yeshiva after suntanning on the Tel Aviv beach.
“You know what I love about them, I love their border policies, I love their Talmud [I am beyond brilliant and can appreciate their Talmud], I love their tough on crime policies, I love their felafel [with LOTS of hummus!!] I love their demonstrations everywhere that stop traffic for hours - true democracy!!! I love their Western Wall. I also want to build a wall to keep those illegal Mexican immigrants out. I love their chocolate milk in plastic bags, I love that they have a national identity and an Iron Dome to use as Yarmulkes, so yes I love the friends that we’re supporting in Kollel. I am filled with love!!” Ramaswamy said, blowing kisses into the air. He added that he knows "a lot of Orthodox Jewish fathers in law who supported their sons in law in Kollel for years as America has done for Israel, but eventually cut off the purse strings explaining 'you have to earn a living at some point. This can't go on forever!! Go to law school!!!' If Jews can do it to their own - certainly a Hindu can do it to them. Tova Torah Im Derekh Eretz!!!"
“No, you want to cut the aid off and let me tell you it’s not that Israel needs America, it’s that America needs Israel. They’re on the frontline of defense to Iran and G-d created the world for THEM” Haley said, drawing applause from the crowd. She was booed by a few members of the Neturei Karta in the audience, who cheered on Ramaswami for his desire to defund Israel. "Zionism isn't Judaism", their signs proclaimed. "Real Jews meet with Holocaust deniers" asserted Rabbi Dovid Asher Weiss, after the debate.
Haley was born "Nimarata Nikki Randhawa" making her the number one rival against Ramaswamy, for "weirdest sounding name". Ramaswamy's wife name is "Aproova" and she is a throat surgeon - so watch out for her if you have a sore throat and you see her coming your way with some sharp objects. Rumors have it that she "Aprooves" of her husband's bid for President but those rumors are unsubstantiated, based probably on some silly pundits penchant for puns.
Trump’s snubbing of the debate deprived his rivals, all trailing far behind him in polls, of the opportunity to take shots at him live on stage. He also saved himself from saying the really stupid things he is accustomed to saying, following the timeless teaching of Abraham Lincoln "It is better to keep one's mouth shut and be thought a fool, than to open it up and remove all doubt". Or, as Solomon has it in his great wisdom "גם אויל מחריש - לחכם יחשב " .
Chris Christie said that it was too bad that the Donald was absent, as he had brought cake and cookies for the two rivals to snack on as they trade barbs about their respective weights and midsections. So he said he froze them and will bring them to Donald when he visits him in prison. This elicited boos from the crowd. Christie got defensive and explained that he knows about Donald's sweet tooth and just wants to show that he cares. "Caring is sharing" he said with tears in his eyes.
Also on stage were Trump’s former vice president and now arch-enemy Mike Pence, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, who appeared to be wearing a lapel pin with the US and Israeli flags.
The debate focused on domestic issues including Donald Trump, Melania Trump, the late Ivana Trump, Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump, Barron Trump, Jared Kushner, Kushner high school, abortion, education, border security and crime - most significantly the crimes of Hunter Biden where the candidates unanimously agreed that they would put that rascal behind bars and throw away the key.
Haley noted that she was against abortion because her husband was adopted and she had had two difficult pregnancies, one of them producing her daughter Rena [!!!].
Scott said that he was against abortion because had he been aborted then he would not have been on the debate stage. Plus, if black people abort their babies then there will be less black people in the world.
Who knows how many potential Presidents had their career nipped in the bud because their lives were terminated before they had the chance to even be born.
Support life. End "Planned Parenthood" which is a euphemism for "Killing Childhood".
