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| President Bush is Attracting More Jewish Voters |
| 2004-09-01 |
| For decades, when it comes to courting the Jewish vote, Democrats have had the inside track. Their liberal positions on the issues matched up well. But this campaign season may be a bit different, as George W. Bush tries to make a dent in Democratic territory. To many Americans, President Bush is seen as a born-again Christian, wearing his faith on his sleeve daily. But in a way, he is starting to earn another reputation: the first Jewish president. Just like Bill Clinton was called the first black president because of his support for African Americans, Mr. Bush seems to be making major inroads within the Jewish community. There is an area on the upper west side of New York that is considered very Jewish and very liberal, and the Bush camp doesn't expect many votes to come from this area. That is because the Jews here pretty much disagree with the President on every social issue from abortion to stem cell research. But another camp, a growing number of Jews, do support the President's strong stand for Israel and for fighting Muslim terrorists. And one of the leading Bush supporters is a famous face, former New York City Mayor Ed Koch. He is a Democrat, he is liberal and he is Jewish. But he says, Bush is the right man to lead the war on terrorism and his support for Israel is rock steady. Koch said, "On that issue, there's no question that George Bush ranks as number one of all Presidents with respect to supporting the security of the state of Israel." So the result is more of this: orthodox Jews showing up as delegates at the convention this week. One said, "The orthodox Jewish community mostly endorses George W. Bush, and they will vote for George W. Bush." And it is not just his support for Israel that has them excited. The Jews who believe in Old Testament law embrace Bush's stance on family values. Tuvia Yamnik said, "President Bush is teaching us we should go back to this morality, to this law, and if we do it, this will make the country stronger and more secure, and that's the reason why we should vote for President Bush." |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #8 Dar, I think that the content of JWR strictly reflectes the veiwpoint of the Jewish conservatives, a minority of Americans who are Jewish. I think Koch knows why Israel was not mentioned in Kerry's speech: Kerry knows that Muslim Americans will flock to him unless he makes a strong supportive statement for Israel. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-09-01 8:29:02 PM |
| #7 Brett, I also think the % of the Jewish vote that goes Republican will increase. However, two orders of magnitude??? That would be an increase from 20% to 2000%. Even in Chicago you couldn't vote 20 times. |
| Posted by: mhw 2004-09-01 4:58:53 PM |
| #6 ZF, We will see, fellow prognosticator, we will see. |
| Posted by: Brett_the_Quarkian 2004-09-01 2:44:58 PM |
| #5 Forget it. More Arabs (40-60) will vote for Bush than Jews (20-80) yet again. The politics just don't mix. The guys looking for a Jewish conspiracy in the Republican Party are looking in the wrong place - the Donks own the Jewish vote. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2004-09-01 2:41:26 PM |
| #4 mhw, I think the percentage of Jews who vote Republican will increase by orders of magnitude. Jews see sKerry pandering to the mooslims, offering Jimmah as a mediator, talking down the fence, saying the EU and UN need to be more involved, etc. It could be huge in places like Florida. |
| Posted by: Brett_the_Quarkian 2004-09-01 2:37:32 PM |
| #3 See! The Bush Administration = Zionist Conspiracy! The Islamofascists were right all along! |
| Posted by: Chris W. 2004-09-01 2:24:13 PM |
| #2 Yes I think W has a lot of supporters in the Orthodox Jewish community and among non Orthodox Jews whose main focus is Israel. However, remember that these two groups combined are only about 10-25% of the Jewish pop in the US. Among reform Jews, Kerry is the overwhelming choice. Among secular unaffiliated Jews, Kerry is almost as overwhelming a choice. Among wealthy Jewishish donors to presidential campaigns and 527s (like, oh- say George Soros and Haim Sabin), Kerry is the overwhelming favorite. |
| Posted by: mhw 2004-09-01 2:14:34 PM |
| #1 I've been hitting the Jewish World Review site regularly for the last year or so, and it is practically an extension of Fox News and World Net Daily. I don't know how reflective this site is of the Jewish attitudes in general, but it screams Republican! I hope the American Jews are, like American blacks, increasingly viewing the Democrats as taking their votes for granted. |
| Posted by: Dar 2004-09-01 2:01:42 PM |