Israel Matzav

Might Jews vote Republican?

Roger Simon has some grounds for optimism that Jews might start to vote Republican in 2010 and 2012.

Regarding the Jewish vote that went 78% for Obama, [Karl Rove] was more than guardedly optimistic, seeing the situation at this moment as a great opportunity for Jewish Republicans.

Anecdotally, I think he has a point. I have been attending this annual RJC event for three years now, first for Pajamas Media and then for the last two years doing interviews for PJTV. I always asked essentially the same question: What’s the climate with your friends and relatives? Is everyone in your world (mishpocheh, in the parlance) still a knee-jerk liberal? Can you even speak to each other at the dinner table?

I always got basically the same response — a cynical shrug that signaled the old Yiddish expression “Vat den?” (’twas ever thus).

But not last night. Almost uniformly the attendees to whom I asked this question responded differently. Yes, they said, things were changing. Their mishpocheh – in the smaller and larger senses — were listening to them, not getting angry or walking away. Sometimes they just remained silent, but it was a thoughtful, worried silence. From what I could tell at the Beverly Hilton last night, the polls showing Jews deserting Obama were evidently not entirely apocryphal.

Most surprising to me were some words I exchanged with Rep. Dan Lederman of the South Dakota House of Representatives. (I didn’t even know there were Jews in South Dakota.) Lederman told me of his recently making a speech strongly attacking Obama policies to an audience of seventy or so B’nai B’rith members in his neighboring Nebraska and not getting a peep of objection. This would have been unheard of a year ago. Cue Bob Dylan — or should I say Zimmerman — and change, change you, or at least I, can believe in.

Roger's interview with Karl Rove is here.

But forget the Lakers, Roger. This is the Celtics' year.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:36 AM