Posted on 09/03/2008 10:33:33 PM PDT by rightinthemiddle
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Barack Obama has struggled for 18 months to lock down the support of a traditionally Democratic group, Jewish voters.
In the past week, John McCain may have helped Obama with his Jewish problem by choosing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.
(snip)
But Democrats hope Palin's social conservatism, her paper-thin record on Israel, and - perhaps most importantly - her cultural roots in evangelical Christianity may be a major turnoff to Jewish voters, just as Republicans have tried to reach women disappointed that Obama didn't choose Hillary Clinton,
(snip)
There is almost always an inverse proportion between a candidate's popularity among conservative Christians and secular Jews - said Jeff Ballabon, a Republican lobbyist long active in Jewish politics who supports McCain.
An illustration of that gap came just two weeks ago, when Palin's church, the Wasilla Bible Church, gave its pulpit over to a figure viewed with deep hostility by many Jewish organizations: David Brickner, the executive director of Jews for Jesus.
(snip)
Palin was in church that day, Kroon (her pastor) said, though he cautioned against attributing Brickner's views to her.
The executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council, Ira Forman, cited the "cultural distance" between Palin and almost all American Jews."
"She's totally out of step with the American Jewish community," he said. "She is against reproductive freedom - even against abortion in the case of rape and incest. She has said that climate change is not man-made. She has said that she would favor teaching creationism in the schools. These are all way, way, way outside the mainstream."
Huffington Post on Tuesday posted portions of Palin speaking at her former church, a politically conservative Assemblies of God congregation, in which she suggested that an Alaska pipeline plan reflects God's will.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Well, Hashem should forgive me, but what kind of Jews are those? Jews don't kill their own children.
I would suggest to Mr. Chaim Schmerel that he confuses his religion with Liberalism. And I would further say to Mr. Big Shot, that Liberalism and Judaism are incompatible.
How do I know? Read the Torah, Mr. Big Shot.
I don't fault them for that but claiming they aren't really Jews is a cop out.
They may not practice Judaism but they hate Christianity with a vengeance. Were a Christian to be as openly disdainful towards Jews as some of them are to Christian believers, that Christian would be shunned and called an anti Semite.
Why on earth even non believing Jews would support a man cozy with Muslims who for the most part have a serious track record of supporting killing them pell mell simply for being Jews in favor of consistently supporting or even orchestrating an antagonistic campaign (David Axelrod, Obama's Rove)against anything remotely Christian conservative is one of life's great complications...especially from folks oft acknowledged (rightfully so) to be rather bright.
Nice gereralization there, Ben. SOME are, obviously. But I personally know plenty of Jews who LOVE Sarah Palin.
...so the same media that doesn’t think Jeremiah Wright should matter is looking in to Palin’s church?
Wow....
I really think that most people who identify themselves as Jews may historically be descended from Jewish ancestry, but do not practice the Jewish religion, and therefore are actually atheists. They identify as Jews because of the victim status attached to the Holocaust. This is not a complete analysis, but I’m thinking through it.
I’m pretty much of an atheist myself. But I am like Medved, I appreciate the values and morals of Christianity, and therefore support and promote Christianity. I’m mostly into Christmas holiday purchases and Easter celebrations. And I put coins in Salvation Army buckets. But I digress....
I’m a strong supporter of Israel. I believe in the right of Israel to exist, and to be a Jewish state, but I think that the liberal Israelis are probably also not religious Jews, and are therefore Atheists as well. This is why they tend towards appeasement, because they do not believe they are God’s number one, or that God wants them to have a Promised Land. That is all just unenlightened superstition. And that is why it doesn’t matter what Evangelicals think about Israel where liberal Jews are concerned.
There are approx. 6.4 million jews in the USA.( 2.2 percent of the population)
The majority already live in Rat states.
How many are of voting age ?
As a voting block, how much sway can they have in an election ?
The only plausible explanation is that the Rats are trying to stop defections.
thanks for the PING-a-roonie.
It is really, really self-hating and self-destructive for any Jew to vote for Obama. (Of course, we may see a gigantic Bradley effect coming from this corner.)
I thought you might find it interesting, brotherman.
Of course you can’t trust me cuz I’m Southern Baptist. :-)
I hate to disagree with you but of the 1-200 Jews I’ve known in my 50 years of which around 70% were leftists, I have been told over and over that they fear the Religious Right getting too much power.
That was told in 2000 to me by a lady who used to run Dade County NOW who is a pal of mine....almost ver batem. That is why she hated Bush...that and her Holy Grail ..abortion...something leftist Jews for some self destructive reason love.....if any group out there ought not be having abortions it’s them. I hear this also here in Nashville from prominant Jewish democrats my wife and I are social with.....though....some are wary of Barry.
I really hate saying this Cindy but freepers who think it’s all kumbaya with most Jews on Christian Conservatism are wishful thinking.
This is not to say they don’t maybe like the support of Israel but many of them think we wish Israel to be some sacrificial lamb to signal end times...they really don’t get it. That we support them as the original holders of God’s covenant and all that entails for them and us...course some of them view that as patronizing and condescending....and not always without reason admittedly.
Their derision of Christianity is ages old...way way beyond the GOP and even America. It’s providential....not a word I use lightly.
On the upside....I think the younger Jews whether religious or not tend to have at least dropped the Red Diaper baby mentality a bit and don’t think of Christian Right as Sturm Abteilung
The Chabad rabbi in Alaska thought Palin was a great friend..Liberal Jews are stuck on stupid..
That Messianic Jews and Charismatics might have some doctrinal issues is not exactly news.
The problem Jews have with Evangelicals is what happens after the Rapture.
I’d be right next to you in a foxhole any day. I’d trust you with my life. Brothers are Brothers.
Not exactly. Many secular jews are quite apprehensive about evangelical support. But most of them are far left libs who would never depart from punching the D ticket.
Obama is actually likely to get fewer jewish votes than Kerry, who did very poorly against Bush by historical standards. The reason is quite simple: McCain is a strong consistent supporter of Israel, while Obama has waffled on Jerusalem and other issues. Palin (and Biden) are not really relevant to the discussion.
Roger that.
If Jews are so stupid that they don't realize conservative Christians are the very backbone of Israeli support in this country, they deserve what they would get with a flip-flopping Obama! Yes, the same Obama who, when in Israel, told Jews Jerusalem should be undivided and under Israeli control. Before the newspaper ink was dry, he was backtracking, after he realized he had upset his Muslim relatives.
Do they enjoy the thought of being the object of terrorist attacks OVER HERE? The likelihood of such attacks would be much higher with the Muslim sympathizer Obama in office, IMHO. Again, I don't know what Jews are thinkin’. Obviously, it's not very much!
Many Evangelicals are interested in the witness of Jews for Jesus, that does not make Evangelicals antisemitic or anti-Israel; my God, even Jews for Jesus are not anti-Israel.
Try again MSM, I've been constantly in touch with a Jewish friend in the know, and they know that Obama will turn his back on Israel the minute things get rough - that's one big reason Lieberman was at the Republican Convention; they know what is in the balance; I suspect this will be the first time in history the Democrats will not carry the Jewish vote!
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