Barbra Streisand taped a new ad, released Friday, urging Jewish voters
to vote for President Obama and naming among her reasons his support
of Israel and opposition to a nuclear Iran.
In the video released by the National Jewish Democratic Council, the
singer also names Obama-backed legislation on healthcare and LGBT
issues as reasons to vote for his reelection.
The Jewish singer and actress weighed in on the relationship between
the U.S. and Israel under Obama, a topic that has often come up during
the campaign. Mitt Romney has argued the president needs to play a
tougher role as an ally to Israel, particularly in preventing a
possible nuclear threat from Iran.
Obama has said he's not taking any options off the table to stop Iran
from obtaining a nuclear weapon, but Romney says his administration
would levy even broader sanctions and increase the aircraft carrier
task forces in the region as a signal that the U.S. is serious about a
military option.
The National Jewish Democratic Council has been working to chip away
at Romney’s argument that he would be a
stronger ally to Israel, and
earlier this week the group attempted to tie Romney’s personal
investments to companies that have business dealings with Iran.
Streisand did not attack Romney on the subject, but she did argue in
favor of the sanctions Obama has already imposed on Iran.
“President Obama continues to stand strongly with our ally Israel and
in preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons while implementing the
strictest sanctions ever,” Streisand said in the video.
Streisand also came out in support of the so-called Buffett Rule, an
Obama proposal named for billionaire Warren Buffett that would raise
tax rates on wealthy Americans. Streisand would fall under the
category of high-earners who would have to pay more under the rule.
“A Romney administration would oppose the Buffett Rule, which would
help ensure that those who make one million dollars per year pay their
fair share of taxes,” Streisand warned in the ad, mimicking the
rhetoric the president often uses on the campaign trail.
The singer also used her recent Brooklyn concert tour to share her
support of Obama, and penned an op-ed for The Huffington Post and a
fundraising email for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee last month.
