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.
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.
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.
After this thread we'll be lucky if we don't lose a few Jewish voters.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.