Much choice because of our numbers. The fact that we dont matter electorally. The amount of intent to the Effect Committee put upon that they require. And hopefully because he was like having a double headache all day long from day long from the time you wake up in the evening because jews are insistent complainers. Complaining is the National Pastime for jews all over the world. The amount of money and time being put into jews and to get to vote is an absolute waste of time. I know its hard to admit youre not part and which are not. Ill tell you why. New york, california, theyre not voting republican. The republicans in california have no power. They cant get anything done in the state legislature. Is the craziest thing i ever saw. Where else do they live . They live in illinois. Or not voting republican. Ohio . Not likely. You look at the shift in democrats, people who are becoming more assimilated and becoming less jewish may be voting for Democratic People becoming less assimilated unless acculturated by voting more frequently republican, but numbers are smaller in relationship to the rest of the body at large. So the idea the jewish vote for republicans in massive numbers doesnt make any sense. Its not likely to happen and the last democrat to jews universally felt good about was probably bill clinton. Were not feeling good about barack obama and i think we have every reason to feel that way. I think that bill clintons unified or made it easier for us because he was able to bring an evangelical streak within, a jewish streak within. You were to church. It was religious in a country that prides itself on religiosity. It is now in danger. Theres a story this week about the decline of religiosity. Clinton was the last president in our lifetime to all of us who probably presided over a nation that still had meant a growing and pretty apparent and clear so the culture, that since appeared in the 90s that is decline precipitously, with the end of fraternal organization, the local Community Groups and the declining participation of religious activities that gave people the culture that defines this country. That problem is serious [inaudible] well, robert had been made industry. The original article is worth reading an important that every graduate student for the rest of the time will be reading them in clinical science and sociology. Contact him at the decline of civic culture of Television Viewing is made worse by Television Viewing and a device that dr. Troy was kind enough to raise into his hands because it tells you where this is going. People are not participating at levels they would. So what does it mean for us as a jews and people who are a democracy . During the clinton years and bush one and two, a public discussion with was featured out like, less personal, more significant. And in fact in many ways, more jewish. There is no place in the khmer, no matter how heated the argument is that people say im going to sheedy today im going to do something to excommunicate you because youre in a missile in and cutting off your funding. It doesnt work that way. But we have is a political culture in this new era that is completely balkanized, where the expectation is that nothing will get done in the jewish think theyre important because somehow are not important at all. But they are important for us checkwriting. One of my favorite experiences is to go to the white house for christmas party. Yes, theyve Christmas Parties at the white house. And i was fair, as are a bunch of other people. One guy looked at me im sitting there, what purpose this . The world these people . I saw some local pols i knew around the country a couple people work for the president at the level it works out. And there were other people, and they were all well dressed and well mannered weird i said hi, what do you do . I said im sure in for coming because for the president. That im a writer. Matteroffact, while writers. What did you write . Well, we write checks. They look like me, i could feel it, polish, jewish, german, jewish, sending romanian, jewish. I felt it. Then i went subsequently that 50 comes from jews. And thats achten said its pretty amazing. When you become . Rebuttal, but we dont vote at the same laborious to because because the 11th commandment is thou shalt vote. Its quite out to me. I said what are we doing . Were not of funders. A couple years ago i got some flack for saying publicly in the newspapers that new york city ways the atm for american politics, where might the antisemi and decided that they should make that because i was proven in fact we control the world. Im not so sure about that. Some days i wake up and say its good to be a member of these conspiracy, but its hard. The banks in the morning, media in the afternoon. The conspiracy at night in the comments colberg at we could offer people on one call, they communicate in that way. That being said, were writing checks, but were not participating. And this has taken on a greater and much more significant center in the latter part of the bush years, going into the obama years and going forward. So what were doing is ugly, as opposed to the clinton years as are not participating. Even political scientist nrb writing studies to indicate, and ive looked at them to check readiness important part of public participation, rather than going to go. You know, its kind of nice. So where presiding over a people like me have created a political system. I talk about that this week in the wall street journal. For participating in a system to essentially become entirely run by cash, with no ideas and the ultimate issue will be, what does that mean for jews in the jewish state . I would argue and i give this lecture at a synagogue a couple months ago, that this is neither good for us longterm, nor shortterm and he should have more hope that the state of israel will survive and democracy will continue. And the problem we face from a gun into the democracy game because we came to this country and we participated in the became socalled progressives because we came from places that were fascist government and the became the great voters and because we couldnt get into whether theyre republican or democrat machine based in iris or other dominant political culture is. With that in the cities because we had no place else to live and we need to be close to synagogues and institutions that we need. What we did instead was the became organized thinking that somehow fight over organizing you would have access to power. The people running for president. Over organizing does not have power and access does not have power. The definition of power now is the ability to write a check. During the clinton years it was getting in the voting booth in meeting the president shaking his hand. In the bush years, it is being a downhome country boy and being able to fit and put the extraordinary and still viable cannot for election of president , which issa called the iron triangle, which is northern catholics, dynamic to put people into office. As a way a jews dont necessarily fit enough. I want to blow your mind, but youre just not important enough a piece of southern protestants, northern catholics. Bush understood that in the first term. Rove understood that certainly. Contrary to whatever may have written, it worked that way. Bush won understood it, bush two. Jimmy carter got away with it. Richard nixon invented it. It was nixon and the Great Southern strategy, putting northern catholics in another place from which gave rise to the evangelical drift. That being said, sasso functioning quite sure it is, but not in the same way. It is dangerous for us is a Smaller Group of people with this political system and the parties do not function the way they should and are instead replaced by mercantile sense because we survive on the notion that the voting booth matters, even though we really dont count president ial elections. And we survived because we are, so long as that notion matters and nobody has figured out that is starting to become a 3d con job. The symbolic use of politic was written a long time ago, talks about a great place for extraordinary things happen and that is the basis for belief of the american system. If i were doing is writing checks, we dont have much to believe about because money is not a deity last i looked in democracy of some of the same. A breakdown of the parties, which is what happening with the person of money and a breakdown of ideology is not that. When they breakdown in ideology is, certain things happen. In recent times is probably venezuela. I would doubt that the absent, the white van in whitehorse is not that far off if something doesnt correct the exceptions of cash and mercantilist at politics in this country. Why . There were two parties i worked in venezuela in the 90s. Two parties function copay, christian democrats, right . And the democratic alliance, which was really i would say the centerleft. Both parties had definitive ideologies when they began. Both parties became correct. Both parties made no room for young people to move up the ladder. Both parties had a structure, harvard, princeton, cornell, but not someplace else or no college. Note these things very carefully. They are not good for jews. Tanaka for democracy and the exactly opposite of what either president bush or president clinton had in mind. They are dangerous to democracy longterm and dangerous he appeared so close you up with this thought. You dont have to like what george bush did. I thought that the villain in the piece was rumsfeld for a whole host of reasons. You cant fight a war, whether blunt and wore nike camp can put because you want to save 2. Eisenhower didnt do it. It was a great organizer. He may not offend most extraordinaire most extraordinaire president and not the greatest friend israel had. That being said, these two president s, because of their wages at the time they took office, represented a particular point of view a particular sense of where the nation is going at the end of the 20th century. What we see this in and out the way democracy functions. And into the way we saw democracy also, and the legacy of as yet to be counted, but during the clinton years and i have to do this because they have to be partisan, will be remembered as a country that is not a word, where most of the works were regularly, were doubledigit inflation much of the carter years didnt have to remember, where Mortgage Rates were down over america seems to be thriving and where were mostly at peace. We are now at a point where things are not that way at all, where the future is not something were pretty sanguine about. The state of israel is both existentially at risk and risk politically because of an increase in International Antisemitism and just to hear strolling along past the holocaust. So how do you combat these things . At a few rail against the nature of money in politics and you call for Campaign Finance to fund it shut this down as quickly as possible. Think are going to lose the democracy so many of us think is important to see people like clinton and bush get to office. Thank you very much. [applause] i think you did fill 20 minutes, thank you. And we have time for some questions. Theres a microphone microphone in the ideas. Well start right to your right. Both of you talked about president clinton and id like to ask you, we talked about support of jews for the various president , but i would like to know what has been the support of the jews by these president s, particularly nothing was mentioned about clintons oslo accords, which were not good for the jewish state. The active involvement of president clinton defeating and israel by sending his political at a thursday. Thats not true, by the way. I was fair. Thats absolutely not true. That is absolutely false. I can tell you a story about it but its historically accurate or not is not true. Very simply, was in the room. First of all, he was pulling for paris against netanyahu. Sean came in the room and sat, asked for me. We were to the room, he said we have to send to his or her right away because he understands, speaks a language, knows the culture. They said that your contract, is the country. Im firing all of you. Thats a story. Thats what happened. So what youre saying is not true. Are valid weeper . Astarte out of the white house. Nothing to do with anything. They were with iraq that had nothing to do with anything. Nothing whatsoever. I ask you about the oslo accords. Was that a policy that was good for the jewish state . I think hindsight is a wonderful thing. Look, im a jabotinsky eich, so i cant have a rational discussion about it. You know, i dont believe theres palestinian people. From a clinical standpoint, hindsight is a wonderful thing. For who . You. Lets give a couple more people a chance to play by. Ill just defer to hank of all things clinton. Me again. So bill clinton and george w. Bush are not on the ballot. What should we do . [laughter] you really want an answer to that . I said i gave a speech we could go about this. The other guys are morons on the trail. Would you like to do . He must commit suicide. What would you like to do . I have a rope, i have a gun. Bush reshoot affair quiet obviously a big to differ. Ive are the first part, but not the second part. Up i ran this campaign, i would be fired up enough to never work again. Im voting for harry truman. We have time for one more question. If we can get the microphone to the gentleman in the middle who was in a bad geography and probably wont have another chance. Hank, i see the photo of Prime Minister netanyahu and president clinton. I was wondering, why did clinton lie tonight and yahoo . He told them after the wide plantation accord that he was wary pollard and uptodate grandma was signed, he reneged on it. Pattern of you associate the question. I suggest you ask to go to jeanneau this house and move on the lawn until he stops the nonsense hes been doing with the help of the National Security establishments for the last 26 years. I think thats about it for questions. Thank you are much, gentlemen appreciate it. [applause] now come i have to be honest with you. These things are great. [cheers and applause] i think its interesting that the president still doesnt have an agenda for a second term. Dont you think that its time to finally put together what hell do in the next four years if he were elected . I mean, hes got to come up with that over this weekend because theres only one debate left on monday. So lets recap what we learned last night. The tax plan doesnt add up. The jobs plan doesnt create jobs. His deficit Reduction Plan a to the deficit. So you know, everybody here has heard of the new deal. Youve heard of the fair deal. Youve heard of the square deal. Mitt romney is trying to sell you a sketchy deal. [cheers and applause] we are not buying it. I see cspan in a business capacity. I love keeping up at the hearings. If im keeping that with whats going on live, i go to cspan. Its what i needed in my business capacity that i was able to watch it and i felt very current and uptodate. A cybersecurity was the last one. I didnt want to wait for the coverage a couple of years later. A look now at the changing geopolitical map of the middle east. Roxane farmanfarmaian at a lecture at the university of cambridge examines event including the civil war, rep from Irans Nuclear program, new alliances in what she calls the arab cold war. She spoke at a form of the World Affairs council of dallas, ft. Worth. This 50 minute event begins with an introduction by the councils chairman, patricia patterson. Good morning everyone. I welcome you to the series endowment lecture. With the help of many new in this room, it has established several years ago to bring people of great as he does become issues. And we certainly have an outstanding start in that department today. Roxane farmanfarmaian is an affiliated lecture at the Political InternationalRelations Department at cambridge university. She is also affiliated as a middle east scholar at the institute of politics at the university of utah, which is closely at the middle east center there in utah, which interestingly is the oldest middle east center in the country. She has also a fellow of the Al Jazeera Research and spent last summer and is very excited about projects to drink cambridge and al jazeera. Shes a specialist on strategic affairs, particularly relations with media neighbors to the European Union and United States. Roxanne is inside im their worst articles on the islamic revolution, soil economy, security profile and particularly its Current Nuclear standoff with the west. Roxane is not only qualified to speak today because of her education and experience, but also because of her heritage. Roxanne is a member of the family that goes back to the year 900 became in the 18th century the family of persia and continued until the shots came in. She was born in tehran. Her mother is american. Her father was persian and she corrupt in holland and lived in iran during her revolution afterwards. She was there in 1979 and chose to study and report on the revolution. She published a weekly magazine at that time called the iranian. Shes a frequent speaker and media commentator, peeling regularly on npr, the bbc and outstanding shows in the u. K. She is here as the keynote speaker at the World Affairs council of the committee on foreign relations. She obtained her masters of philosophy and phd from cambridge and her undergraduate degree from princeton. Roxane and i have been dear friends for 18 years and i can tell you its exactly that long since her brother married my daughter at that time. I present roxane farmanfarmaian. Dr. Farmanfarmaian. [applause] what a pleasure it is to be here today. Thank you so much, Pat Patterson for that wonderful introduction and for the World Affairs council for making this trip. I wanted to make sure that you have a look at the map. Its a pocketsized map so that everything i talk about today becomes manageable and understandable. Two years ago, if we have had the conversation about the middle east, it would been such a different conversation. It has had since then the air of spring come in with no predictions and such huge changes to our world. And we need to keep our eye on the ball. Because if we take it off