Posted on 06/05/2008 7:21:06 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Norman Kaplan brought a printout of an e-mail with him to the ROMEOs luncheon last Friday at the Tallgrass Creek retirement community’s Blue Sky restaurant. The headline was “Michelle Obama’s Militant Racism Revealed,” and it highlighted allegedly objectionable passages from the would-be First Lady’s 1985 college senior thesis at Princeton.
ROMEOs stands for Retired Old Men’s Eating Organization, and they are a predominantly Jewish bunch. But, like many professional pundits these days, Kaplan doesn’t think Sen. Barack Obama will get the traditional 75 or 80 percent of the American Jewish vote if he does, indeed, become the Democratic presidential nominee.
“I don’t think so,” Kaplan said. “There are a lot of reasons. That’s why I brought this article. Even though we have presidents, the wives have a lot to do with it. The Reverend (Jeremiah Wright) has a lot to do with it.
“And second, there is something about (Obama) I just don’t like. I don’t know how or why. … He doesn’t have enough experience to be president. … He’s not the right man right now. It’s not because he’s black.”
Kaplan, who said he generally votes Democratic, has “no idea” who he’d vote for if the major-party choices in November are Obama and Sen. John McCain.
Opinion among the ROMEOs was hardly unanimous on this issue.
“I’m going to vote for (Obama),” said Bob Kleban. Kleban said he thinks Obama would get the traditional 3- or 4-to-1 support from American Jews.
“There is a lot of stuff if you want to believe every e-mail. I don’t put too much stock in it,” he said.
Paul Russell agreed, “because McCain is not an option for most Jews.”
Russell knows that some question Obama’s commitment to Israel but says, “We won’t know until he’s president. I believe he will be as staunch a supporter as his predecessors.”
Lingering concerns
On the other hand, it wasn’t hard to find nay-sayers among the 70 or so ROMEOs at last week’s luncheon.
Herb Fishman, who spends half the year in Florida, says, “I get people saying they will vote for McCain versus Obama. They don’t know Obama. The truth comes when they get in that voting booth and pull the curtain. Then it’s a gut reaction that tells you who to vote for, and Jews have doubts about Obama.”
Jack Bohm, who’s backing Sen. Hillary Clinton, thinks Obama would get a clear majority of the Jewish vote but not the traditional whopping margin.
“I don’t know how he begins to separate fact from fiction, with the Internet stuff about his supposed ties to Islam,” said Andy Hilvitz. “Jews aren’t immune to this stuff. He’s got a job cut out for himself.”
Marty Fox, who traditionally votes Republican, thinks Obama would get a historically low percentage of the Jewish vote — 50 percent.
“Fifty percent will go to the Republicans,” Fox said. “Jews would feel safer under McCain, and Israel would be protected, based on what McCain has said. … Obama has never said anything, except that he’ll talk to our enemies.”
At last Thursday’s annual fundraising dinner sponsored by the local chapter of the scrupulously non-partisan American Israel Public Affairs Committee, chapter president Dr. Larry Nussbaum considered the question of Obama and the Jewish vote.
“I think Jews will continue to be majority Democratic,” Dr. Nussbaum said, “but not 80-20; maybe 60-40. People are concerned about Obama’s foreign policy regarding Israel, even though his statements are good.”
Allan Abrams, a local member of the board of directors of Brit Tzedek v’Shalom, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, has been an Obama supporter from early on, and he hopes his fellow Jews will give Obama their traditional vote margin.
“I think he will get very close to that … because people who have been paying attention to the news can’t help but see what he has done before and with Jewish groups,” Abrams said. “His statements have been quite supportive of Jews in general and of Israel. He has acquitted himself very well of any charges of anti-Semitism or anti-Israel. … I don’t think the great majority of educated, informed people believe that.”
Still, one Obama supporter among the ROMEOs hinted at the reticence the candidate will have to overcome if he is to fully tap the Jewish vote, Jewish campaign contributions and Jewish political influence.
“I don’t like his middle name,” said Harold Prince. “His name is Hussein, and we had a war to get rid of a guy named Hussein.”
Even so, Prince said, “I would vote for him over McCain.”
There are many Jewish Freepers of which I am one. I have always voted Republican going back to Goldwater. I suggest you go to rjchq.org so can see that there are many Jews that are Conservative Republicans. The “all” Jews are Liberal is false. The GOP has done very little to get the Jewish vote. It is up to the GOP to expose Osama Hussein Obama, the Muslim Messiah, for the anti-semitic, pro-Muslim traitor that he is. My brother just returned from Israel and I can assure you that there is no love for Osama Hussein Obama in Israel.
One has only to point out that the Muslim Messiah has been endorsed by Al Qaeda, Hamas, Iran, and whatever other terrorist organization one can list. I would say that Obama is no friend to Israel or to any Jew, in fact, he is no friend to America, IMO.
The Jews suffered long before Christ when they were wayward (verified in the OT books of the prophets)and suffered more after rejecting him. I am not self righteous, the truth is as Jesus was going to his crucifixtion He prophesied to the the women who were weeping for him the following: “Do not weep for me but weep for your children (ancestors)” A large body of the Jewish religious leadership (Sanhedrin) of the were the one’s who demanded his trial and death because they rejected him for who he was. The mob which followed them told Pilate. “Let his blood be on us and our children.” History has more than proven this to be true as anti-semitism has grown more vicious and genocidal. It is ironic that many Jews became the founders of Communism and became total rejectors of God (Marx, Trotsky and Lenin)period (their own Orthodox faith) and rebels. Christians believe that the sins of the father are past down generation to generation and what you see today with the extreme liberals has a good grounding in history.
See Post#42.
During this repeat of history, the gas chambers will be filled with Christians, Liberals, and even the morons in the MSM. The Jews won’t be going alone.
and there are "many" blacks that are conservative, but the fact remains that the majority vote according to their traditional upbringing...that is they were raised as Dems...and Truman saved the Jewish people when he recognized Israel.
No, can you tell me about it?
Christians will be suffering right along with the Jews this time for America’s enemies want “all” of us dead. No one is immune on this go around. Even moronic, clueless Liberals will be at the front of the line.
The “all” Jews are Liberal is false.
That is very true and I know many who are awesome conservatives. The late great Casper Weinberger was one of the greatest SECDEFs of all time and highly instrumental in the defeat of the Warsaw Pact in the Cold War. He could have been president.
I don’t need a pro-Christian/anti-Jewish religion lesson.
There are plenty of arguments to make against any religion (including Christianity), if your goal is to put down its supporters and be self-righteous. I have no desire to be either, and don’t expect to be assaulted with such philosophical religious attacks when discussing the reality of a presidential campaign.
That is also very true as many Christians have fallen away from the truth to the social gospel.
He is a Democrat isn’t he? They will support anyone or anything so long as it is a Democrat.
I suggest you go to rjchq.org so you can see that there are Republican Jews who are working to expose the lies of the RAT party which is more than the GOP has done!
It is not a religious lesson as you really cannot seperate people’s faith from their politics because it forms their core values and world view. The founder’s of this country’s Consitution emphasized that the basis of the American experiment could not suceed apart from a Judeo-Christian ethic and faith in God.
The vote has been overwhelmingly Democrat for a long time. They will vote for Obama in the usual percentages.
As a Conservative Republican Jew, I find Liberal Jews reprehensible as well as embarrassing. Once Osama Hussein Obama’s Muslim ties are exposed in detail, he will lose a lot of the Jewish vote. Of course, the media will never expose the truth about their Muslim Messiah. It is up to the GOP to expose the Muslim Messiah’s anti-semitism. McLame doesn’t seem to have the guts or spine to do that.
Hollywood Jews have no religion but Liberalism. I wouldn’t call them Jews at all.
Don’t forget those pesky animists!
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Probaly right but the fact is that it doesn't matter. Ninety percent (guesstimate) of Jewish Americans live in Blue States and their aggregated numbers won't alter those states' electoral vote outcome no matter which way they vote. Florida the possible exception.
“Of course, the media will never expose the truth about their Muslim Messiah. It is up to the GOP to expose the Muslim Messiah’s anti-semitism.”
It will take an effort from both the conservative media and the national GOP to expose Fauxbama the Manchurian Candidate.
I disagree with you on that. Osama Hussein Obama is anti-semitic, anti-white, anti-military. Once he’s truly exposed, I don’t think he will get the usual Jewish vote. My brother, as I said in an earlier post, just returned from Israel and the Muslim Messiah isn’t trusted or liked there. Many Jews in America have ties to Israel and believe me, Israel, won’t sit by and not tell American Jews of their distrust of the Muslim Messiah.
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