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Jewish voters increasingly put faith in GOP, surveys show
The question why American Jews vote Democrat against their interests has been discussed extensively by the inmates of the 'burg. I've extracted the relevant statistics from this article.But political rhetoric aside, surveys show that Republicans are making inroads in a group that once regarded their support of the Democratic Party as natural as their attendance at temple on Saturday and their support for Israel. A recent survey by the American Jewish Committee found that younger Jewish voters are much more likely to support Bush than their older counterparts. Bush was favored by 33 percent of Jewish voters under 40, according to the survey. By comparison, he snared the support of 25 percent of Jewish voters between 40 and 50 and a mere 19 percent of those over 60. My aged parents have reached the "a pox on both their houses" stage. Further, support for Bush is even more pronounced in certain segments of the Jewish community: those from the former Soviet Union and Orthodox Jews. A whopping 60 percent of Orthodox Jews surveyed said they supported Bush, compared with 26 percent who said they would vote for Kerry. Although various surveys, including the one taken by the Jewish committee, show Bush will get only 24 percent to 30 percent of the Jewish vote overall, that is up from the 19 percent he got in 2000. It is also within reach of the record 39 percent Ronald Reagan got in 1980. More important, the push for Jewish voters is strategic. The fight is being waged in Florida and other battleground states where the shift of a small number of voters could make a difference. Florida, New York, New Jersey, and lots of Israelis in California - the climate is so like home! Any other states I missed? Although Jewish voters make up only 4 percent of the electorate nationwide, their turnout on Election Day far outstrips any other racial or ethnic group. While about 50 percent of Americans vote in presidential elections, the turnout is 80 percent among Jews. "It's part of the Jewish dictum that is written in the Talmud, that you should vote," said Rabbi Dan Levin at Temple Beth El in Boca Raton. I didn't know that. I thought voting was part of being a good citizen, like praying that our leaders act wisely, our country be blessed, and peace come to all the world. Posted by: trailing wife 2004-10-12 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=45694 |