Posted on 08/17/2004 10:26:07 AM PDT by white trash redneck
A new poll commissioned by the National Jewish Democratic Council says American Jews will still vote overwhelmingly for the Democratic presidential candidate, John Kerry, despite US President George W. Bush's policies toward Israel, which have been widely praised by the Jewish community.
The poll, released on Monday, said American Jews preferred Kerry to Bush by a 75 to 22 percent margin. The survey of 817 likely Jewish voters was conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research between July 26 and 28, and has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percent.
Respondents said in 2000 they had voted for Vice President Al Gore over Bush by a similar margin of 76 to 21 percent.
Exit polls in 2000 showed Gore won 79 percent of the Jewish vote, and Bush 19 percent.
"The White House and (President Bush's political adviser) Karl Rove in particular have expended a lot of resources on this Jewish vote. Just like with Hispanics, they've come up with zero," said Ira Forman, executive director of NJDC.
Matthew Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, a rival group, discounted the survey's results since the poll was taken during the Democratic Convention in Boston.
"I discount these findings because this poll was taken right in the middle of the Democratic Convention, right in the middle of a massive deluge of Kerry press coverage," Brooks said.
"We stand firmly committed to the notion that President Bush will do substantially better among Jewish voters than he did in 2000," Brooks added.
Another survey of American Jewish opinion in January found that 31 percent of Jews would support Bush when matched with Kerry, who was not yet the nominee at the time.
The new NJDC survey said 66 percent found Kerry to be better on the issue of Israel, while 34 percent found Bush to be. Only 23 percent of respondents felt the country was moving in the right direction, while 77 percent said it was on the wrong track. Twenty-five percent approved strongly or somewhat of the way Bush is handling his job as president, while 75 percent disapproved strongly or somewhat.
A new national Zogby survey released Monday showed Kerry ahead of Bush 47 to 43 percent. Without Independent Ralph Nader and other candidates the lead stretched to 50 to 43 percent.
I don't get it. I thought that Jews were the ultimate capitalists. Why would they go for socialist kerry. Jews in have been persecuted by socialists for decades. And what about Israel. Something stinks here.
Many liberal Jews are more afraid of Christian fundamentalism than they are of a foreign threat posed by Arabs. Israeli Jews aren't so confused on this issue...
The American Jewish community pays lip service to supporting Israel but is far more concerned with themselves. For example when polled they are much more willing to give up land for peace (as if that works) than Israeli citizens are. They think Kerry is better for them and really don't care what happens in Israel.
So Pat Buchanan is correct to have a pro Arab view.
This reflects the secularization (and liberalization) of ethnic Jews. We Christians who support Israel are called upon to make them jealous for their God.
This Poll was done by a Clinton Poller.
I'm a Jew and never defore have I heard so many of my Jewish friends say they are either voting for Bush or not at all ebcause of their disgust not for the Dem party so much but with the Dem electorate.
I wouldn't trust any foreign polls, regardless of the group.
Mental illness.
From you mouth to God's ears my friend!
Thanks for your post and your perspective. When I read the article, my reaction was that this "poll" was more spin and the pushing of opinion than a legitimate measurement of opinion. Your comments re-enforce my suspicion.
Mr. Mojo, I sho hope you're right!
"if 76% of American jews like Kerry over Bush there are some dumb-assed American jews"
Dumb-a$$ed secular Jews like the ones working for the ACLU and the media. The ones who gave up their religion and only use it when it is convenient for them. Orthodox Jews would probably not want to see kerry win (IMHO).
How could such an educated and responsible group of people be so politically stupid for so long?
The Jews have been on the wrong side of history ever since the Exodus. So this shouldn't surprise anyone.
Yet Christian fundys don't blow up their buses and pizza parlors full of women and children.
Ive decided to not believe this poll due to the source.
I've wondered for some time whether those Jews who truly care about Israel and the defense of a Jewish homeland have already relocated to Israel to personally help in the building and defense of that nation. Which means that those Jews who remain in the US aren't as strongly "pro-Israel" as we'd like to assume.
1. Many American Jews are not observnt and consider secular humanism to be their principle idoelogy and
2. they consider the Religious Right to be a bigger threat than Islamic extremists.
I regularly listen to Michael Medved's radio program and some of his Jewish callers are every bit a bigoted against conservative Christians as anti-Semites are against Jews.
This was particularly evident during the controversy surrounding "The Passion of the Christ."
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