Why American Jews support Obama
Just in case any of you need a reminder.... In short, the litmus test determining American Jewish support is not a candidate’s position on Israel. Liberal positions on issues such as abortion, gay marriage, school prayer and health care are what determine the vote in the core of America’s Jewish community.For any Republican candidate to win 35% in 2012 would be a miracle. And the very candidates who are likely to excite the Republican base (Bachmann, Palin, Pawlenty and other social conservatives) are the lest likely to draw the Jewish vote. The best hope may be that they stay home and don't donate money.
Obama’s confrontational positions on Israel may be problematic for many American Jews, but are easily rationalized away by Democratic talking heads, who insist that most Israelis actually support the pre- 1967 borders, even though the undoubtedly left-leaning former foreign minister Abba Eban once referred to them as “the borders of Auschwitz.”
The reality is that most American Jews, while not necessarily economic liberals, are definitely social liberals who would find it difficult to support a staunchly pro-Israel conservative candidate like Michelle Bachmann. The term “knee-jerk liberal” or “knee-jerk Democrat” certainly applies here, and while most American Jews would decry such a characterization, the facts validate its veracity. In 1980, Ronald Reagan ran against incumbent Jimmy Carter, whose anti-Israel credentials certainly rival those of Obama.
When Reagan succeeded in capturing 35% of the Jewish vote, it was considered a major accomplishment, as many independent-minded Jews for whom Israel was a highpriority issue shifted to the other side of the aisle; but the majority remained faithful to the overall Democratic agenda and rationalized away the anti-Israel feeling that Carter conveyed.
Obama is a similar case. This president, whose sympathies clearly lie with the Islamic world, is no friend of Israel. His lack of appreciation for the Israeli narrative was obvious long before his victory in 2008. It’s no coincidence that his first major foreign policy speech was given in Cairo, during which he repeatedly proclaimed his deep respect for the religion of Islam. It’s also no coincidence that he bowed to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Last but not least, it’s no accident that he has chosen not to visit Israel even once during his term. Ideological litmus tests aside, the time has come for American Jews who truly care about Israel to remove their rose-colored glasses and consider an alternative.
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Campaign 2012, Democrats, Republicans
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:39 PM
4 Comments:
Nothing has changed since FDR was too important to criticize
Of coursethe same deafening silent types who have made the Holocaust a big business never hesitate to condemn the Pope yms. The Jewish libs will sell Israel out in a second. Remember it was a goy who spoke up for Israel during the last presidential debates.
Jews made the Holocaust "a big business"? Jews, liberal, conservative, American, Israeli did not create the Holocaust. They didn't make it a "big business" either. Is this a reference to Spielberg's List? He did some valuable work afterwards in archiving survivor accounts.
The federations that largely ignored the Holocaust have made it a cottage industry. They also try to generalize it instead of acknowledging what we read in the Hagaddah. Moreover their holocaust monuments never discuss their deafening silence as was documented by Medoff et al
hmm. OK. but take Holocaust Museum here in DC. Some PC but focus on the shoah--albeit not a theodicy. Do they feature the quiescence of the American establishment stacked up to Jabotinsky's heart-rending pleas and dissenters--dunno.
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