Why So Few Jews Vote for Republicans

ABC news ^ | Feb. 13, 2007 | JENNIFER RUBIN

[ndt]

"Why So Few Jews Vote for Republicans"

"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."

"American Jews hate the Christian GOP.... moron vote... Jews for Nazi's ... Jews hate Christians and Republicans... Jews must have a death wish... If the Jewish people knew anything.... Liberal American Jews are Liberals... Hitler will reemerge... Jewish massacre in the death camps"

Gee, I almost had it figured out for a second there. Can't remember what it was now though.

[BackInBlack]

It's really not that complicated. First, as someone mentioned earlier, Jews tend to live in cities, and city folk vote Democrat. Second, relatedly but not the same, Jews tend to be cosmopolitan types and are therefore social liberals -- pro-abortion, pro-gay, no faith in the public square. Even the ones who vote Republican tend to do so because of economics and foreign policy, not social issues. If the Reps and Dems switched on abortion, gays, and faith, then you'd see a massive shift in voting behavior.

Finally, remember, too, that Jews who came to the U.S. near the beginning of the century were often socialists. They didn't come here to flee communism. The New York Jewish community was probably THE major source for the development of American socialist thought in this century.

Yes, voting Democratic is against their interests in a lot of specific ways. But who Jews are at their core is so aligned with the Democratic philosophy that it's hard to conceive of them voting differently, barring a massive change in party ideology of the kind I mentioned.

[KellyAdmirer]

Most, if not all, of the Jews I know inherited their politics from their parents in some way. Maybe most people do in general, but I particularly notice it about them. Anyway, I assume (and have seen some evidence) that their parents got their politics from their parents, etc. It is a very traditional culture. That works both ways, btw - a very conservative Jew I knew got her politics from her father, another from his father the Rabbi.

As to why the Jews back up the line were liberal, well, there's the question that needs to be answered. I don't know the answer, perhaps it has something to do with persecution in the old country. But I do know that nobobdy is going to wave a magic wand and change these traditions with mere logic about who supports Israel the most. The most liberal Jews I've known were fervent Israel supporters, to the point where they talked about going and serving in the military there if necessary. But that sure didn't have any effect on their politics here.

[ndt]

"Many 'jews' also idolize communism and by extension histories worst mass murderers Mao, Stalin, Pol Pot."

Oooo Can't you just feel the love in the room tonight. I can't for the life of me figure out why we can't get their vote.

[Brimack34]

Lincoln (republican) ended slavery. Republicans passed Civil rights. Democrats controlled the South and have a former KKK Senator. Yet Blacks still vote Democrat? Is it the media? I don not understand either.

[Zeroisanumber]

Gee, I almost had it figured out for a second there. Can't remember what it was now though.

After this thread we'll be lucky if we don't lose a few Jewish voters.

[Generic_Login_1787]

The most liberal Jews I've known were fervent Israel supporters, to the point where they talked about going and serving in the military there if necessary. But that sure didn't have any effect on their politics here.

If they didn't feel that to some extent, I'd be worried. But running with a far-left crowd can change you. The leftier of those two friends I mentioned above once told me about a Jewish friend of hers who got some adjunct teaching job at Columbia ... the guy went in pro-Israel, and after about a year she found a Lebanese flag on his desk. I mean, what can you do for somebody like that.

[Generic_Login_1787]

After this thread we'll be lucky if we don't lose a few Jewish voters.

LOL, I've seen how my papist crowd gets treated on FR, I'm not eager to see the rest of this thread.

I've always said, though, I feel closer theologically to most Jews than to most Christians.

[Bommer]

Oooo Can't you just feel the love in the room tonight. I can't for the life of me figure out why we can't get their vote.

Since when did truth become love? Its Lemming voting, and of course not 100%, but enough to make it Lemming just the same, because it constantly high levels voting only one way. Its not that complicated nor is it racist, it is baffling (even with the black vote) since the Democraps have adopted most of the Nazi philosophys of government run schools, gun control, anti-semitism, and racism with "white power" as a central dominating theme from the civil war to the 1960's. As a voting block they don't care what type of a incompetant scumbag is running, the question is, is he a Democrap?

[johnmark7]

Brilliant!!

But the Jews won't care. I are part one, and know my relatives, so to speak. When Jews became secular, they simply turned their messianic yearnings and prophetic Jeremiads into secular Utopian schemes. Hence, communism, socialism, anarchism, environmentalism, etc. All totalitarian schemes to bring on the secular Day of the Lord perfection of life.

[BackInBlack]

That's the most obtuse canard of an argument. If Republicans want black votes, the argument has to be better than "Generations ago, Democrats were bad on civil rights." Make a real argument: personal responsibility, anti-crime, moral values. And cut the "blacks just don't get it" attitude.

[Brimack34]

That was not an argument it was a point of fact. What arguments to Democrats have, Because Jessie and Al told them to vote that way. You have the attitude not me. I am not trying to convert anyone, just trying to understand voting patterns.

[Misterioso]

I think Jews have been collectivists historically. It's the safety in numbers mindset. Centuries of persecution have produced a subliminal fear of the cultures they inhabit. The Democrats under Roosevelt bought the Soviet propaganda regarding mistreatment of blacks in America. (Not that it wasn't prevalent, but the communists wanted to disrupt the political landscape by pitting blacks against capitalism). Jews identified with persecuted blacks and lined up behind FDR and his party.

[still_learning]

I wish these polls would identify Jews as either "Americans of Jewish Heritage" or practicing Jews. Otherwise it is like assuming anyone who has an Italian last name is Catholic.

[Heatseeker]

Am I the only one to have discerned the real purpose of the article was to reintroduce the "Republicans are Nazis" meme?

Obviously the author of the piece can't and doesn't say so directly; and in fact produces a source to argue (weakly) against it near the end, down where few are likely to be followed.

But methinks she gives herself away by saying that "The GOP has become a rural, overwhelmingly Christian and Southern party" and trying to use as an example of this, a Harvard graduate comfortably elected governor of Massachusetts.

[Lewite]

Reply to post #4

Did the National Jewish Democratic Council object to Hitlery swapping spit with Arafat's wifey, or to her calling Jewish people "Fucking Jew bastards"? The pseudo Jewish group "NJDC" should disband and go into hiding. They are a lying bunch of outrageous commies.

[StonyBurk]

Seem to recall and AMerican Orthodox Jew once sayiing that
most American Jews are more LIBERAL than they are Jewish.
The religion they practice is Liberalism not Judaism.
Michael Medved said it better than I,if I remember him
correctly.It was memorable for it explained so much.

[Recon Dad]

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

Urban ethnics also are usually liberals through their educational upbringing. It's not just Jews that fall into the geographic liberal abyss that the Northeast and other areas of engender.

I would be considered an "urban ethnic" who was lucky enough to escape the cycle.