Sen. Sam Brownback was one of several White House hopefuls looking for Jewish support in Washington today.
The Kansas senator told a candidate forum sponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition that Iowa was key and if he didn't get a "bounce" and place fourth or better in the caucuses, he was out. (We're thinking third is the cutoff, senator.)
But hey, there's always the Catskills.
Brownback's faith-based politics and strong pro-Israel support has made him lots of friends among Jewish conservatives. So he was feeling kind of loose.
Noting that the Jewish population in Kansas is a whopping 0.07 percent, Brownback said, "If any of you would like to come to my state, please come. We’d love to have you. I remember the Jewish Republican Society of Kansas. Great guy. Then he moved back to New York and that was it."
Badum-ching!
Meanwhile, Brownback waxed nostalgic about growing up in Parker, Kan. — population these days: barely 300 souls — when his family telephone was connected to a party line with seven other families. (Raise your hand if you know what a party line is.)
"Little Sam Brownback had no secrets," he said. "It was a small, tight community."
Hmmm. Was he describing an idyllic Parker back in the 1960s when he was growing up or the current White House-national security community push to eavesdrop without warrants on terrorist suspects?
