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Interesting new polling numbers have come out post Democratic convention, where the lasting image for many Jews was the obvious discomfort the Democratic delegates had for including the word "G-d" and having Jerusalem reinserted in the platform as the future capital of Israel. Not a watermark day for the Democrat's appeal to Jewish voters.
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the TIPP Poll shows that Obama’s support among Jewish voters has plunged to 59 percent, from 78 percent in 2008, notes Jonathan S. Tobin at Commentary Magazine.
Obama’s showing is lower than Jimmy Carter’s 45 percent showing in the 1980 election against Republican Ronald Reagan and Independent John Anderson. It’s also below the 64 percent Michael Dukakis received in 1988, Tobin writes.
The current TIPP Poll, however, found that Romney received 35 percent of the Jewish vote, up from the 21 percent Arizona Sen. John McCain attracted in 2008.
Bottom line, it appears as if the Jews, who have historically supported the Democrats in huge numbers, are feeling tepid and mistrustful of the current president and his intentions with the Jewish state.
I know the majority of the folks here in this forum are rather liberal in their approach.
Do you all think there is any religious justification for supporting Obama? Or are historic factors more likely to blame? And then why the dramatic drop in Jewish support recently?
Do you all think there is any religious justification for supporting Obama? Or are historic factors more likely to blame?
This strikes me as one of those "do you like wine or do you think it might rain tomorrow" questions. The answer, of course, is 'yes.'
The religious justification for supporting Obama is a commitment to social justice.
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Originally Posted by theflipflop
And then why the dramatic drop in Jewish support recently?
We are awash in a number of claims and counter-claims, and this is necessarily polarizing. Jews are capable of being gullible, swayed, and mistaken much like any other demographic.
By the way, your decision to use of Obama's middle name in the title is noted.
Full disclosure. I did it for effect. But it is his middle name, after all. Mine is Yerachmiel.
It's actually not particularly relevant, of course. But I do think the Democrat's voice vote on the G-d/Jerusalem platform issue is indeed VERY relevant. And I think there are perhaps tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of Jews who saw that and suddenly have a sinking feeling in their stomachs they may have not had 2 weeks ago. Hence the massive turn of Jews away from Obama.
Yes. No doubt one could find antisemitic diatribes where the bigot relies heavily on emphasizing the 'Jewish sounding name' of his target. Truly "full disclosure" involves making a claim and supporting it with evidence.
But I do think the Democrat's voice vote on the G-d/Jerusalem platform issue is indeed VERY relevant. And I think there are perhaps tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of Jews who .... Hence the massive turn of Jews away from Obama.
1. Dont overrely on any one poll. Polls vary, intrinsically.
2. Jews were effected by the economy like everyone else
3. They are still very strongly democratic
4. The make up of the Jewish community is steadily changing - more Orthodox, who have long tended to voted more (though far from uniformly) Republican
5. There is certainly anxiety about Israel. While there are many who consider BHO's positions on Israel fine, and many who might worry about the long term effects on Israel of other US policies (like say global warming) the tension in the ME has probably not helped Obama.
6. Whats in party platforms is mostly irrelevant. The Jerusalem mention is profoundly irrelevant - no US admin has ever moved to the embassy to Jerusalem despite lots of promises. And the Dem platform had new language about the need to stop Iran. As for the mention of G-d, G-d was mentioned a lot at the Dem convention - there were many invocations, including one by Rabbi David Wolpe. I think most American Jews are either uncomfortable with american gentile pols talking about G-d, or are indifferent.
7. One new phemenon I notice - haredi Jews who are nominally anti-zionist, who follow sometimes strongly antizionist gedolim, who attack Obama for not being supportive of Israel. I find this somewhat perplexing.
This strikes me as one of those "do you like wine or do you think it might rain tomorrow" questions. The answer, of course, is 'yes.'
The religious justification for supporting Obama is a commitment to social justice.
well yeah.
other reasons would include a fear of the strength of the Christian right, concern about the environment (partly a social justice issue, but party self interest). A self interested belief that BHO is better for the economy.
A belief that BHO is better for Israel (its not like the previous admins policies redounded to Israels security). And as I hinted in my other post, a concern with the effect of global warming on a small, coastal, relatively arid country.
other reasons would include a fear of the strength of the Christian right, concern about the environment (partly a social justice issue, but party self interest). A self interested belief that BHO is better for the economy.
A belief that BHO is better for Israel (its not like the previous admins policies redounded to Israels security).
Both very good observations -- the second in particular. The specter of Romney intervening in the Middle East is chilling.
G-d has no place in a political platform and Tel Aviv is the capitol of Israel. My Israeli friends are still scratching their heads as to why the latter is such a big deal.
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