Pro Politics with Zac McCrary Jeremy Ben-Ami, Founder and President of J Street
Jeremy Ben-Ami was born into a family among whom politics was very personal – and became active in politics himself at a young age, interning for the 1976 Carter campaign at 14. From there, he worked for numerous politicians from Ed Koch and David Dinkins and Mark Green to Bill Clinton and Howard Dean. Jeremy talks his life in campaign politics, working in the White House, what led to the creation of J Street, and how J Street has grown to become an influential voice that’s changed the debate on American policy toward Israel.
IN THIS EPISODE
The first campaigns that caught Jeremy’s attention at a young age…
Jeremy’s measures of iconic NYC political figures like Ed Koch and David Dinkins…
The surprising presidential candidate for whom Jeremy served on the ballot as an “elector”…
The issue that led Jeremy to switch from local NYC politics to national politics…
What happened when Jeremy “just shows up” in Little Rock to seek work in the 1992 Clinton campaign…
Jeremy talks about the Bill Clinton he saw up close and personal…
Jeremy gives a glimpse into what it’s like working in the White House…
Jeremy tells the story of managing Democrat Mark Green’s NYC mayoral race that was interrupted and defined by 9/11…
The best practices for campaign managers Jeremy has seen over the years…
Jeremy’s time as Research Director on Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign and how Dean caught fire (temporarily)…
How his time on the Dean campaign led to the formation of J Street…
The first steps Jeremy took to get J Street off the ground…
Jeremy cites the key moments early in the J Street experience that showed it was getting traction…
Jeremy talks through some of the criticisms he and J Street have received from within the Jewish community…
Jeremy gives his 101 on Jewish communal politics…
Jeremy talks the rising threat of anti-Semitism and how it’s intertwined with the attacks on democracy…
Jeremy’s thoughts on why the issue of settlements has become an important flashpoint in the Israeli / Palestinian debates…
Jeremy weighs in on the impact of Benjamin Netanyahu…
Why Jeremy wants to expunge the term “peace process” from the discussions of Israel and Palestine…
How Jeremy thinks of one day passing the torch as President of J Street…
Jeremy’s “strangest work habit”…
AND…the 3 Ps, Mahmoud Abbas, the ADL, AIPAC, alphabet soup, John Anderson, asterisks in the polls, Michael Bloomberg, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, chopped salads, creeping annexation, the “Dean scream”, the Democracy Alliance, “dog and pony shows”, the first rule of holes, founder syndrome, Rudy Giuliani, hanging from the rafters, imprimaturs of seriousness, Martin Indyk, institutional infrastructure, invitations from Hogwarts, Dan Kurtzer, the Man from Hope, meetups, Aaron Miller, the NYC groove, the New York Times magazine, Barack Obama, Ehud Olmert, the Oval Office, the Palestinian Authority, panic attacks, Nancy Pelosi, Ronald Reagan, silent majorities, Rob Stein, talks about talks, a vocal left, Paul Wellstone, The West Wing, & more!