Monday, May 12, 2008

Obama Does Not Have a Jewish Problem

The idea that Jews won't vote for Obama is one of those lies told over and over again by the media. Here is Gallup:
PRINCETON, NJ -- Barack Obama is faring better than might be expected [By who?? --JA] among Jewish voters, beating John McCain in Gallup Poll Daily general-election matchups and trailing Hillary Clinton only slightly in Jewish Democrats' preferences for the Democratic nomination.

This is according to an aggregate of Gallup Poll Daily tracking from April 1-30, including interviews with close to 800 Jewish voters, and nearly 600 Jewish Democratic voters.

Furthermore, Gallup Poll Daily tracking finds no recent decline in the percentage of Jewish Democrats favoring Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. Jewish Democrats continue to favor Clinton, but by only a slim margin over Obama -- 50% to 43% in April, compared with 51% to 41% in March.

In terms of the general election, Jewish voters nationwide are nearly as likely to say they would vote for Obama if he were the Democratic nominee running against the Republican McCain (61%), as to say they would vote for Clinton (66%).



Both the 61% and the 66% numbers seem low to me, considering the percentage of Jews who voted for Gore (79%) and Kerry (74%).

11 comments:

yingerman said...

Perhaps you should define Jewish.
Will the ultra orthodox vote Democratic party, blindly, for the monetary benefits? Irrelevant of who name is on the ballot?
Will those who fall under Israel/Zion supporters vote Republican, whether they hurt themselves domestically or not?
Or are you lumping us together for a collective vote.

jewish philosopher said...

I'll probably vote for Obama, although it's one of those lesser of two evils things.

Orthoprax said...

McCain is super pro-Israel and Obama has a number of associations which do make a certain demographic of Jews uncomfortable.

I suspect that McCain will fare awfully well among Brooklyn Jewry.

Anonymous said...

These kinds of polls annoy me to no end. Considering that most Americans do not follow politics, and that 50% of Americans cannot name the Chief Justice, the degree of error is simply overwhelming. This was a poll directed at Jewish Democrats, which in my mind, is a small, rational, percentage of the overall Jewish American population.

However, in the general election, irrational Orthodox religions (any religion) will lead their flock to vote for conservative Republicans (McCain in this election).

... Love your blog.

Ezzie said...

I think it's way too early to tell. I think you'll find a lot of older Dems shying away from Obama and toward McCain - whom they like a lot - in a national election.

Anonymous said...

orthoprax wrote that Obama has "associations which do make a certain demographic of Jews uncomfortable."

Yes, indeed. J. Wright for starters; 20 years supporting and attending a church of anti-semitic ranters and friends of Hamas and Louis Farrakhan.

At best, Obama speaks well of Israel in public; in private he had no problem with who knows what kind of radical and anti-white, anti-Israel, anti-Semitic droolings.

Jews vote blindly for liberals, because that's what we've done historically.

It's time for some thought, and this should cut across "demographic" lines among Jews.

When we vote, we should ask, "who is best for America?" Because Israel's best bet in this world is a strong America. Not an America ready to talk without preconditions to the likes of Ahmadinejad and Assad and whichever moke is in charge of Hamas.

Bottom line? Jews of all conditions and belief ought to have a problem with Obama.

Anonymous said...

As a Jew, I am proudly voting for Obama as the best alternative. I do not have a problem with him or any of his "associations." On the other hand, I have a problem with bigotry -- or any other right-wing ultra conservative fundamentalist views (thanks for the example, Yochanan).

The Candy Man said...

I have to disagree. There is a great problem looming. Which is:

There are Jews in the Clinton and McCain camps that are sending out nasty e-mails about him. Pure lies, but that doesn't stop them. They're trying to swift boat him on the Jewish vote.

Anonymous said...

Jews are what 2% of the population in the US. But there is the fact that the media in the US is controlled by secular Jews so in that regard I think ass-kissing Jewish voters will very much be an issue to consider for the candidates.

Jack Steiner said...

But there is the fact that the media in the US is controlled by secular Jews

I call bullshit on this. Prove it.

Anonymous said...

Rational Russian:

"As a Jew, I am proudly voting for Obama as the best alternative."

What does being a Jew have to do with the reason you're "proudly" voting for him.

"I do not have a problem with him or any of his "associations."

So what you're saying is you don't have a problem with Bill Ayers, Jeremiah Wright and his other anti-Israel associates. So does that mean you think those associations are okay, or you don't think they're important.

"On the other hand, I have a problem with bigotry -- or any other right-wing ultra conservative fundamentalist views (thanks for the example, Yochanan)"

I read and re-read Yochanan's post, and completely missed that part, unless you're saying that any criticism of Obama is bigotry.

Candyman,

"They're trying to swift boat him on the Jewish vote."

You need to be careful when you use the term "swift boat" as a verb. It's meaning depends on your political orientation. To 60 million people it means "telling the truth."

Ichabod Chrain