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"I never have gotten the liberal Jewish thing."

It's really a holdover from the past, sort of like Irish Catholics who insist on voting Democrat even though they are fairly conservative. Voting habits get established early in life and they don't change easily. I think many Jews see the GOP as the party of anti-semitic WASPs. I'd like to say that's completely false, but frankly it was often the case decades ago.

Now the Dems are the anti-Israel party and the home of black anti-semitism. Some Jews are starting to catch on to that, but it's very hard for them to embrace the Republican alternative. I think the current situation in the Middle East is speeding the process of change, but it will take a while. I do expect Bush will get a lot more of the Jewish vote in 2004 than he got last time around.

BTW, I am also a gentile. I'm basing my opinions on my conversations with various friends and acquaintences who are Jewish. It's purely speculation based on annecdotes of a very small sample of people. Take it for what it's worth.

I never have gotten the liberal Jewish thing.

There have been a number of articles posted in various places (FR & elsewhere) trying to explain this phenomenon. In fact, read David Horowitz's biography, RADICAL SON, for some insight into the secular-liberal Jewish ethos.

BTW I am a gentile.

Me too. However, I grew up in a Taxachusetts town that was 50% Jewish and so most of my friends were secular Jews. One of my oldest Jewish friends, whom I am still in contact with, shys away from ANY political conversation with me since I have proclaimed my political beliefs to him. He is EXTREMELY liberal.

I'm continuing to 'work' on him, LOL.

I never have gotten the liberal Jewish thing. If there ever were a people who have pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, and accomplished more by sheer hard work, I don’t know who it would be. BTW I am a gentile.

I'm Jewish, and I can't figure it out either.

It's not only Jewish immigrants who have worked hard. Look at nearly every immigrant group who has NOT tried to rely on government hand-outs. The Irish, Germans, Poles, Chinese, Scandnavians, etc... More recently, Vietnamese, Koreans, Jamaicans, and other African immigrants. The key is that they do NOT depend on the government for their survival. I recently saw an article on how recent black immigrants from the east Indies and Africa are doing far better than native born blacks. I think that it pretty much proves the point.

I'm the black sheep in the family: libertarian with conservative tendancies, first of my generation to NOT graduate from college, and I love motorcycles and guns! Everyone in my family are bleeding heart libs. The reason that they ALL voted for "Sore/Loserman" was two-fold: 1) "They're not conservative christians" and 2) "Lieberman's Jewish!"

They spewed such hatred at Governor Bush, and when I asked them why they thought he was such a bad person, they couldn't come up with a better reply than, "I just don't like him" (although one did say that he killed too many people in Texas). They also loved the idea that Lieberman was Jewish, nevermind that when he was tapped as the VP cantidate, he abandoned all of his supposedly conservative Jewish views. Mt response to them was that "voting for Lieberman because he's Jewish is every bit as bad as NOT voting for him because he's Jewish!

I just don't get it. Most liberal Jews are liberal first, and only "cultural" Jews. I've seen the word "JINO" posted here, "Jews In Name Only," which I believe is quite accurate. These are people who put all their faith in government, never mind that over time, it's been the governments that they support who have turned against them!

Mark