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Republican Running For Weiner's Seat Loves To Invoke 9/11
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 12, 2011
Modified Aug 12, 2011
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By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 12, 2011
Modified Aug 12, 2011
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Republican Bob Turner is running for Anthony Weiner's Congressional seat in a special election against Democrat David Weprin this September 13. He has former mayor Ed Koch's endorsement (Koch is trying to get back at President Obama over Obama's stance on Israel) but now he's venturing into Rudy Giuliani territory—by opposing the so-called "Ground Zero" mosque. Check out this Turner ad attacking Weprin for supporting the Park 51 community center (which would include a mosque) proposed for blocks from Ground Zero, calling the mosque "a purposeful and confrontational act of provocation":
Send A Message from Bob Turner for Congress on Vimeo.
Weprin issued a statement, "As we approach the tenth anniversary of 9/11, it's shameful that Bob Turner is trying to use the tragedy for his own political gain." But Turner has been all over the Park 51 project for a while—last September, he posted a graphic of the 9/11 attacks at the World Trade Center to his Facebook page and insisting that the mosque would be located at Ground Zero. PolitickerNY points out, "The spot could appeal to the relatively conservative strain in the Ninth Congressional District," which has a large Jewish population.
A former aide to Turner wrote an op-ed explaining what Turner needs to do in order to beat Orthodox Jew Weprin with includes, "Bob Turner needs to go to Israel now. He needs to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top Israeli officials to discuss the needs of the Jewish State. He should take a tour of the West Bank and the border towns and see the threat to Israel, up front and personal."
Tagged
anthony weiner
bob turner
david weprin
election 2011
israel
orthodox jews
special election
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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