Posted on 02/13/2007 10:00:19 PM PST by Mount Athos
It is no secret that Jews in America have historically not favored the Republican Party. Several polls estimated that only 25 percent of Jews voted for Bush in 2004. Although disputed for of its small sample size, the National Jewish Democratic Council's 2006 poll showed only 12 percent of Jews voted for the GOP. The Jewish Community Relations Council estimated that Bush got just 19 percent of the Jewish vote in 2000.
Commentators in the Jewish community and party pollsters debate endlessly why Jews are not more favorably disposed toward the GOP. Jews are wealthier and more educated than the average American, generally oppose affirmative action and favor strong support of Israel. On these counts the GOP should, many say, have greater appeal.
Is it because Jews have an historical affinity for FDR and the party of immigrants and the "little guy"? Is it because of Jews' religious devotion to "tikkun olam" — repair of the world — which they translate to support for governmental social services? Maybe some of each but perhaps something else is at work
The dustup over the location of Mitt Romney's presidential announcement — the Henry Ford Museum — may be revealing. For Jews over the age of 40 or so, the name Ford means more than Mustangs and American innovation. Ford, of course, was a notorious anti-Semite, publisher of the International Jew (an update of the Protocols of Zion), and an apologist for Hitler who received the Grand Cross of the German Eagle from Hitler's Nazi government in July 1938. In many Jewish homes, owning a Ford was verboten.
He was no cultural icon.
Fast forward to today. As soon as Romney announced that he would make his presidential announcement at the Ford Museum, the accusations and statements started to fly. The National Jewish Democratic Council came out first, chastising Romney for making a pilgrimage to the site of this famous anti-Semite. Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matt Brooks fired back in a press release today, saying, "I'm saddened and disappointed by the attack today by the NJDC against Gov. Romney."
Pointing out that former President Clinton had once said nice things about Ford, the RJC said that "The RJC believes that the NJDC does a disservice to Gov. Romney's strong record of support for the Jewish community and to their own reputation by their actions."
The NJDC responded, ""Presidential campaign announcements are as much about symbolism of the location as the substance of the speech. Mitt Romney went to a museum named after the most premier anti-Semite and xenophobe in American history. But his choice of location suggests that he should do his homework on basic American history."
It is doubtful either of these groups believe Romney is really an anti-Semite. Democratic consultant Dan Gerstein perhaps said it best: "I don't think Romney is guilty of anything other than obliviousness.
But you could argue that obliviousness is indicative of a broader problem with the social conservatives Romney is trying to court, which is a lack of sensitivity to the concerns many Jews have about their place in American society."
Indeed, the incident may say something not only about Romney but about the GOP's problem with Jews. In his boatload of advisers, Romney apparently did not have anyone to say, "You know, a lot of Jews really hate Ford, and it might mess up your message. Let's try Edison's lab to make a point about American innovation."
The GOP has become a rural, overwhelmingly Christian and Southern party. It is not populated by urban ethnics who, even if they aren't Jewish, understand Jews' cultural references and sensibilities. Ask an Italian New Yorker in October why the restaurants are empty, and he'll say "It's Yom Kippur, silly." You would never catch a Greek from Chicago saying, as a Republican from southern Virginia just did, that asking the state to apologize for slavery was like "asking the Jews to apologize for killing Christ."
In short, the Republicans are not just our kind of people, many Jews say. They don't sound like us, they don't talk like us and they don't understand us. Unless and until that changes, Jews likely will likely be voting overwhelmingly Democratic for years to come.
I've mentioned this before, but the Reform synagogue I attend had as many Bush bumper stickers as Kerry stickers in the parking lot, during the '04 election. The present Rabbi is a centrist, as far as I can tell. The previous Rabbi, I'm told, was a NRA member.
All true, in many ways the war resulted from a moral failure of Western civilization. At least until the invasion of Poland. For the US, even in the face of the destruction of Poland, we stayed out till attacked. The warning signs were there beginning with the persecution of early 1930s Germany.
Check their "born on" dates. If they've been here for more than a couple of years and have a good number of posts, they're probably legit.
This principle applies to other groups and in other venues. For instance, Irish and Poles, whose Catholicism was persecuted by Protestants in the former instance and Communists in the latter, tend to be more loyal to their ancestral faith and more resistant to the secularism that has overtaken other European countries. The Irish Catholic may see or hear a Baptist missionary and be reminded of Oliver Cromwell and the Penal Laws, even though the Baptists had nothing to do with his ancestors' misfortunes and were themselves victimized by the same Anglicans and Puritans who reduced the Irish Catholics to destitution.
Past persecution of one's ancestors is an incredibly strong form of inoculation. Even though liberalism is against the best interests of both Jews and blacks, only a severe setback to their present interests at the hands of the Left will persuade them to abandon their own leftist politics.
"Just because people have idiot religious beliefs, as, in my opinion, anybody who hates the Catholic Church does, doesn't make them a target for slime."
In no way can I agree with that statement. Considering the inhuman history of antisemitism, when an international public figure, such as Henry Ford, publicly embraces and champions such a thing, he becomes a legitimate target. Unless one is comfortable with the continued existence of antisemitism and similar evils, it is not a "so what" happenstance as you assert. Continued animosity toward the Ford Motor Company is not appropriate from Jews probably, and certainly does them more harm than good, but it is also somewhat understandable, considering the purposeful and public animosity directed at them by the founder of the company.
"George Washington had a small personal devotional statue to the Virgin Mary..."
How you draw a parallel to George Washington's Christianity and Henry Ford's anitsemitism is beyond me.
"Jews are not the center of history..."
I hardly think that has even been suggested, although Christianity does recognize them as the Chosen People, which may count for something.
"Every Southern Founder of note was a slaveholder..."
Perhaps, but Washington came to doubt the wisom and morality of slavery, and left his slaves their freedom in his will. Jefferson openly recognized the evils of slavery.
"Ford did more for America than the Jews.
I don't know if it's appropriate to compare Ford the individual to "the Jews" as a category here, and I don't think there's a useful point served by it. And it's open to argument.
"To put is succinctly, in this criticism of Romney declaring at the Henry Ford Museum, the Jews are completely full of shit."
One hopes your use of the phrase "the Jews are completely full of shit" is not meant to be all inclusive, as it unfortunately sounds. As I noted previously, the attack on Romney should not be seen as a collective whine by Jews against Christians, but as an insincere political attack by leftists on a "conservative."
"...it's time to start ignoring Jews..."
Perhaps that would be a welcome change.
The president of the NRA is a Jewish woman. There was a thread about it last night.
This is a side bar to the overall tenor of this thread, but if my memory is correct, the Ford Plants in Ypsilanti MI made 12000+ish B-24 Liberators that helped us to win WWII.
Of course they do. Falwell, Robertson, Bob Jones Universlity, etc.
The point truly is - and I see this again and again at this board - is to put the conservative Jews on the defensive. That's not the way to welcome people to our side.
I don't know why you perceive that to be the case. You seem to feel it is your obligation to defend the indefensible. Just because most Jews are liberal should not make you feel defensive about your religion or conservatism. It is not about religion, but political views. I presume you identify yourself as a conservative because of your political views. As far as I am concerned, your religion is irrelevant.
Cool!
****I've mentioned this before, but the Reform synagogue I attend had as many Bush bumper stickers as Kerry stickers in the parking lot, during the '04 election. The present Rabbi is a centrist, as far as I can tell. The previous Rabbi, I'm told, was a NRA member.****
The Rabbi at my Reform syagogue is a liberal - but he is changing before our eyes. His foreign policy views are trending conservative.
He was shocked at Carter's book - all the Reformed Rabbis were - they cancelled a trip to Carter's Center which was to take place early in March during a convention of Reformed Rabbis.
As the Roosevelt generation dies off, and the younger people are coming of age, there is less and less of a tendency to vote automatically in any direction.
And how do we know with true accuracy how the Jewish community votes as a whole? Exit polls are unreliable - this we all know for a fact.
Telephone polling is also unreliable - people often say what they think others want them to say.
Jews in New York City voted for Bloomberg - now before you fall off your chair and tell me how liberal Republican Bloomberg is - we also have to remember those same Jews voted for Guiliani.
Yes, Jews must have voted for Guiliani.
Most have voted for Pataki too.
And Jews must have voted for Mitt Romney in Massachusetts as quite a number of them live in that state.
I really do resent this tarring an entire group of people with a very broad brush.
So let's repeat it....
Since so many Jews live in New York City...
and Guiliani was mayor of New York City....
therefore must have been a substantial number of Jews who voted for the Republican Guiliani over whoever the democrat was.
*****I don't know why you perceive that to be the case. You seem to feel it is your obligation to defend the indefensible. Just because most Jews are liberal should not make you feel defensive about your religion or conservatism. It is not about religion, but political views. I presume you identify yourself as a conservative because of your political views. As far as I am concerned, your religion is irrelevant.****
If by your own statement religion is irrelevant -
THEN DON'T BRING RELIGION UP
****The title of this thread is Why So Few Jews Vote for Republicans. I didn't introduce or interject it.***
But you participated, insisted, expanded and repeated it.
Therefore you are complicit.
I never had an idea that there were Jews who wouldn't buy a Ford until I met my future wife in college some 38 years ago. I was driving a Ford on our first date, actually. But I'm sure she'd freak out today, if I came home with a new one. Not that she doesn't understand that it's probably pointless, but old traditions die hard, I think.
I agree with your post and had the recent unfortunate experience of living it in a political discussion with some acquaintances where the simplistic parroting was all the 'thinking' going on.
As to "except the Hasidic" you are leaving out the Jewish Orthodox who are not Hasidic but polls show vote Republican.
I agree but sometimes people do not learn from history,they think it won't ever happen to them. But the world has become so Godless and flaunt the fact. God have mercy on our country and I pray for the conversion of sinners.
"My point is that Jews represent the Dems second most loyal constituency."
Please define your terms and post a link to this.
Do you know why your Rabbi believes and teaches you must vote Democrat to be good Jews?
Maybe it is the Jewish leaders that need to be educated and maybe even scolded for leading their people down the wrong political path, by Jews like you who know better. Just a thought
Most Jews are thoroughly secular - is that what you mean?
Your attack on the Jooos in this post is over the top. Your repeated attempt to draw them as a monolithic, self-obsessed, do nothing bunch, is duly noted.
A Democratic Jewish group criticized Gov Romney's choice of the Ford Museum. A Republican Jewish group fired back condemning the attack on Romney.
Which part of that are you missing?
"I don't care about Henry Ford's anti-Semitism."
That's clear. You have made the point that the only anti-Semitism you care about is that which you can use as political fodder for your own cause (Hillary). In that you have shown yourself to be no different than the National Jewish Democratic Council.
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