"Just visiting"?
Posted on 08/05/2008 7:46:53 AM PDT by MeanWestTexan
"Just visiting"?
Thanks, I just signed it and left a comment on his site cheering him on! I wish Eric Cantor was running for President, I’d vote for him so fast Pelosi would hear the sonic boom back in San-fran-damn-cisco where she’s getting her claws painted before she goes on her book tour.
Another poster had an idea to post the link with some Cantor information -— maybe with a list of Freepers who endorse Cantor.
Can we list you?
Anyone else?
"E Pluribus Unum"Hint: It has something to do regarding your, "be part of a generic glob of mush, each part of the glob of mush indistinguishable from other parts of the glob of mush?"
What makes one think that Jews aren’t automatically going Democrat as they always do?
I appreciate your comments, but I think you are leaving out two factors:
If the Jewish population shifts its votes it will not be in a vacuum. I would expect a similar movement of Hispanic and Asian demographics (African-American is obviously off the table here). With the exception of Jindal, no one I can think of would move the Asian vote. I can’t think of a similar Hispanic name that might make sense in Pennsylvania or New Jersey.
Look at your own calculations: The Jewish movement brings the Pennsylvania total almost to 1%. A similar shift in Asian and Latin turns the tide there.
If nothing elses, it certainly makes Obama spend a lot more time and money there than expected. Given the near 100% African-American vote in that state for Obama (regardless of the usual shenanigans that Phily tends to engage in - more voters than registered!), Obama probably felt he had the state going in.
Also, if just a small percent of Hillary voters stay home, that can also tip the balance.
Either way, it looks life Pennsylvania has all the potential to be the Florida 2000 of this campaign.
I suspect the New Jersey numbers will show a similar movement. My brother is a good example of a New Jersey-ite who would vote for McCain even though he is mostly a Dem voter lately. There are a lot of moderate Dems in New Jersey who would easily have pulled the lever for Hillary, but are really wondering here. They have always been receptive to McCain’s brand of Republicanism. After all, this is the center of ‘Country Club’ Republicans, many of which voted for Gore, Clinton and even Kerry. But McCain is acceptable to many of them too.
I just think that these are the two states, besides Michigan, where McCain can get a potentially needed breakthrough.
Here is one Jew that is not, and has not for years. And for your information, there are plenty of us. Your remark is bigoted and ignorant.
Same reason as with Carter.
The generation voting for FDR, too, is dying.
You’re right that Jewish voters are only around 2% of the national electorate, but they are a much larger percentage in some key states, such as Florida, New Jersey, Nevada and Michigan. And, unlike some other ethnic and religious groups, Jews have a *huge* voter turnout in election after election, so we can safely assume that just about every Jewish vote that McCain wins above and beyond what President Bush won is a vote that would likely have gone to Obama (and not one that would have stayed home).
That being said, I think that, if McCain selects Eric Cantor, it will be because he’s a young, personable, experienced and proven conservative from Virginia with an uncommon ability to describe conservative principles and who is an excellent fundraiser.
Not if it's based on a perceived hostility toward Jews. Unfortunately my explanatory posts upthread were pulled, but Carter went from 71% of the Jewish vote in 1976 to 45% in 1980 because of perceived antisemitism and anti-Israel attitudes. No other demographic showed that large a shift. Similarly Bush I got 35% in 1988, after Reagans 39% and 34% in 80 and 84, then dropped to 11% in 1992 because of the perceived antisemitism of various associates. Again independent of other demographic moves.
That said, the importance of the Jewish vote is overstates. In 2004 there was no state it could have changed, in 2000 could have had an impact in Florida which was clearly important, but that's all. The numbers in most states are too small, and the "polling" these numbers come from is usually unreliable. Generally the extrapolation of very small numbers of individuals who self describe as Jews in exit polls, and in no way indicative of the overall Jewish population, about a third of which in more focused polls do not identify as Jewish when asked.
By the way, according to exit polls, turnout among Jewish voters (i.e., the percentage of Jews 18 or over who voted) was a whopping 87%; Kerry carried Jews by around 75%-25%. If McCain can get, say, 35% of the Jewish vote, it could be the final nail in the coffin for Obama in states in which his inability to do well among blue-collar white votes could lead him to lose in states won by John Kerry (PA, MI, MN, WI, NJ and NH come to mind).
A bad attempt at humor that would only occur to a clueless "longtime Jewish Democratic operative."
Virtually no Jewish voters in WI or MN, three Jewish Senators though. NH or MI too, under 1%.
You can put me on the list. His district is further south in Virginia than mine, but I know he’s well liked in most of real Virginia.
Then he should be pleased with the choice.
I don’t know the effect on the entire Jewish electorate per se, but I can make 2 observations:
1. Jews have been proven over and over again, in large numbers, to suffer from the mental disorder known as liberalism. This mental disorder is characterized by the abject inability to vote for anyone with an (R) designation and an irresistible compulsion to vote for the jackass party.
2. Jews who never suffered from this disorder (ie: me) or who have been cured will not likely vote for a ticket because of any of the “balkan” reasons: ethnicity, race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, etc. In other words, non-liberals use their brain and choose according to fitness, including character, values, leadership qualities, intelligence, stance on issues, as well as likelihood of achieving electoral success. Case in point: Lieberman’s VP slot on the Gore ticket didn’t influence me one drop to vote for Gore (barf).
Is MI really under 1% Jewish? There are many Jews in the Detroit suburbs, especially West Bloomfield and the NW section of Southfield.
My understanding was that there was a substantial Jewish community in the Twin Cities. The Milwaukee area has some Jews as well, not all that many, but enough to swing a state that President Bush came within less than 1% of carrying in both 2000 and 2004. And NH is also such an evenly divided state in presidential elections that Jewish voters swinging to McCain could put the final nail in Obama’s coffin.
But you’re right that McCain can’t carry any of these states based solely upon an improvement in the Jewish vote; he must be able to capitalize on Obama’s inability to connect with Catholics and blue-collar white voters.
If McCain picks Cantor to reach out to Jewish voters, it ain't going to work.
If he picks him to reach out to Conservatives and because he's a qualified VP who happens to be Jewish, it could be a great move and, maybe, pick up a few wavering Jewish voters in the process.
It ain't going to sway any of the 55% who would vote for Adolph Hitler if he had a "D" after his name any more than picking Alan Keyes or Dr. Sowell would sway the 90% or so of hard-core black voters who would vote for the Grand Wizzard of the Ku Klux Klan as long as he has a "D" after his name.
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