Brooklyn Democratic Assemblyman Dov Hikind will cross party lines to back Mitt Romney for president.
Hikind, who has pull among Orthodox Jews, said he’s fed up with the way President Obama has treated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the Jewish state deals with threats from Iran.
The assemblyman said his backing of Romney will be more than lip service. He has offered to stump across the country.
“Florida. Pennsylvania. Wherever Romney needs need me, I’ll be there,” Hikind said.
Arguing that Obama has been a bad president, Hikind said he was particularly infuriated that the president couldn’t find the time to meet with Netanyahu during the UN conference but has schmoozed with celebrities at New York fund-raisers.
“Israel is under the gun. Israel is the target of Iran. Israel’s existence is being threatened. And Obama doesn’t have time to meet with the Israeli PM? It’s insulting. It’s degrading. This president scares me,” Hikind said.
“I’m a Democrat but not a knee-jerk Democrat. I’m only loyal to America and the survival of Israel.”
Hikind frequently backs Republicans for national office. He supported John McCain over Obama in 2008 and backed the re-election of George W. Bush in 2004.