A Tight Squeeze: It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book: When planning an event, make sure the room is a little too small for the number of people you are expecting; that way, the room will always be full. But as J Street began its inaugural national conference October 26 at a Washington hotel, the rooms were way too crowded to suspect any deliberate underestimation. Organizers expected little more than 1,000 participants, but as the doors opened, the numbers grew. Walk-ins brought the number of conference participants to 1,500. A huge success for J Street, it was a big problem for those who tried to make it into the breakout sessions packed beyond capacity.Read More
New Jersey and Virginia traditionally are the only states to vote for governor in the year after a presidential election, and so they are considered a referendum of sorts for a new administration in Washington. That’s one reason Democrats are so concerned this year about mobilizing usually reliable Jewish voters in these close races.Read More