GREEK AMERICAN COMMUNITY SUPPORTS the PHILHELLENE SENATOR of NEW JERSEY.
www.Apodimos.com
In the previous article titled ÌÉÁ ÊÑÁÕÃÇ ÁÃÙÍÉÁÓ ÃÉÁ ÔÇÍ ÕÐÁÑÎÇ ÅÍÏÓ ÄÕÍÁÔÏÕ ÅËËÇÍÉÊÏÕ LOBBY. we had located the needs for a strong Greek Lobby, in this article Apodimos.com it presents to you the necessity of support of Philhellene Senator of New Jersey, Mr Robert Menendez.
Prominent leaders of the Greek American community gathered at the Grand Havana, in Manhattan, to express their support for a great friend of the community in Congress, Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey.
Throughout his long career in the House of Representatives, Bob Menendez has been one of the strongest voices for Cyprus, the religious freedom of the Patriarchate and the Macedonian issue.
Since last year, Menendez replaced in the Senate Governor Jon Corzine and in November he is up for re-election, facing and unusual strong challenge by Tom Kean, son of the former NJ Governor. Following a mud throwing campaign by the Republicans, recent polls show Menendez practically in dead heat with Kean. NJ Latest Zogby polls shows Menendez with 46.6% and Keane 40.9%, while according to the Rutgers-Eagleton poll 45 percent preferred Menendez vs 44 percent Tom Kean Jr.
Speaking at the fundraising event, Menendez was very optimist that his campaign is heading for a victory, regardless the tough road ahead and he said that the election is about changing the course of events in America to move in a much better direction «We are going to a tough election because our opposition is wrong on the issues, wrong on the war in Iraq, wrong on an economy that doesnt have incomes grow and dives deeper and deeper into debt, wrong on trying to move forward embryonic stem-cell research that we can cure the diseases of so many of our people, and a host of so many other things. And when you’re wrong on the issues you have only one recourse, and that is to attack your opposition and do it in the most personal of ways.
And as someone who stood up at the very beginning of my public career, testified against a corrupt political machine of my own party, wore a bullet proof vest during that period of time when my life was threatened, I have understood my moral compass from that time and have continued it through and so will continue to rebuff all of these efforts to divert from these core issues that at the end of the day make a different to the people in New Jersey and in this country »
Menendez spoke about his close relationship with Senator Paul Sarbanes, who is retiring this year and expressed his gratitude for all his assistance and leadership. Menendez told the audience that he has already informed the democratic leadership of his intention to move to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. «I want you to know that my views in the House of Representatives as it relates to the international relations will continue to be those views in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. You will have a friend and a strong ally in creating a reunited and just Cyprus. In making sure that the Aegean is safe for the people in Greece and the people in Cyprus in the long term. And lastly I assure you, that I will never vote to send your sons and daughters to a war that I wouldn’t send my son and daughter to».
Bob Menendez thanked the organizing committee and all the members of the community for their continuous support. «It has been a long term relationship that I have had with the Greek and Greek-Cypriot community over the last 14 years in the Congress of the United States, the last thirteen in the House of Representatives as a member of the International Relations Committee».
Menendez said he is proud of the positions he has taken in pursuit of the American ideals, which are about freedom, democracy, a respect for human rights. «I believe those provisions are things we should be advocates of regardless of who we find ourselves in conflict with at that respect. And so even though we have a State Department that historically has in my mind for the wrong reasons different views, I have not hesitated to stand up for what I believe in and stand up for this incredibly important relationship».
Menendez thanked Cyprus for the support provided to the US during the Lebanon evacuation. «When the United States was trying to get its citizens out of Lebanon, the one country in that part of the world that received its citizens and I’ll respectively say did more for Americans coming to Cyprus than the American government did itself for its citizens, was the government of Cyprus».
One of the people Menendez mentioned, was Kinisis Travel chairman, Dino Kakouras, who helped many citizens of New Jersey to travel safely from Cyprus to the United States. «I actually had citizens from New Jersey who were trapped in Lebanon and were trying to get out and as we were working the State Department to get these guys out. when they got to Cyprus to be honest with you, our government pretty much left them on their own and it was Cypriots, both the government of Cyprus and private citizens, who actually made sure that our friends and my constituents from New Jersey were very well taken care of as they transitioned out and were taken back to the United States. » .
Presenting the Senator to the gathering, Cyprus Federation President Peter Papanicolaou said that, re-electing Bob Menendez is the best thing that could happen for the people of New Jersey and also for the United States. «Throughout his long career in public service he showed that he is always a fighter for the right causes. Of course a lot of us we know first hand his hard work and we all hope that the night of the election we are all going to be together celebrating our great victory.»
Source: greeknewsonline.com
