In NJ, Orthodox Jews swung toward Bush in the 2004 election

But Bush's 25 percent of the total Jewish vote was an improvement from his 19 percent showing in 2000. And election results from Bergen County show a striking change in the voting patterns within Orthodox neighborhoods. In the district near the Englewood synagogue, about 45 percent of voters went for Bush, as opposed to 21 percent in 2000.

You mean 55% of an Orthodox population went for Kerry??? Where's Rabbi Mosheh Feinstein (zt"l; zy"`a) when we need him!

Oh well. They're not lagging too far behind the Catholics in this regard.

I read that in 2000, 88% of the Mormons voted for Bush. I would be interested to see what the stats are like this time around. Mormons tend to be moral conservatives and very pro-Israel and pro-national defense.
We have to remember the Mormonism is the second-fastest growing religion in the United States...largely among the fastest growing immigrant population...the Hispanics. We can thank the Mormons for stanch Republican tides in Idaho, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Wyoming, Arizona, and New Mexico. They also have very high concentrations in California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington. Them coupled with the devote Catholics, Orthodox Jews, and Fundamentalist/Evangelical Christians...that is a huge bloc of voters....all trending Republican.

I'm glad we have such a big coalition, but my disappointment had little to do with electoral outcomes. I'm just disappointed that such a large segment of the community I see as G-d'd voice to the world refuses to heed the ruling of Rabbi Feinstein (zt"l; zy"`a) forbidding voting for any candidate who does not support the Seven Noachide Laws, which no contemporary liberal does.

Part of the problem is that no one seems to recognize the difference in perception between immigrant or identified ethnic communities and the large, non-ethnic, abstract "host population." Members of the former believe that the country must be liberal in order to insure their own freedom to govern themselves according to their own religious laws, but what about those of us in the latter? We have no ethn-cultural communal organization to mediate between us and the secular government (which we vividly remember was not originally a neutral entity but our "Beit Din"), so we are immediately at the mercy of its liberalism, plus no one considers our ethno-cultural taboos and traditions as a healthy expression of American pluralism but rather as a perpetual threat to everyone else. No politician ever tells us we are part of the "beautiful mosaic." In fact, politicians can actually be attacked and condemned for appealing to us for our votes.

I wish the entire spectrum of Orthodoxy, from "modern" to Yeshivish, as well as all our fellow-citizens lucky enough to have a hyphenated American identity (and thus be given a pass by secularist liberals who think we are Satan incarnate) would understand that just a little bit. But know. Osama Bin Ladin (mach shemo) they can understand. Fundamentalist mullahs they can understand. After all, they are "other." But we they cannot understand. We are just a threat.

I'm sure the fact that that hurts us gives the libs a thrill, what with them being so "compassionate" and all.

"There are those within the community who are very frightened by this association," Goldin said. "They feel the evangelical movement has always been more interested in converting Jews than in helping Jews."

Don't be frightened! No religious Jews will be converted!! Anyone that would convert was probably not very attached to Judaism. Spend more $$ to reach the unaffiliated, and don't be afraid of Christians!! We have more common goals than not.

Mazel Tov on the Orthodox 70%.

The Hispanics have made their vote something to fight for, voting 40% conservative.

We really need to work on the blacks, who have made their vote wholly useless to their community by giving it up without any effort on the Democrats' part.

Black Freepers, what do you think it is? I live in a pretty mixed neighborhood and I could only make 2 guesses.

1) Like we Jews, blacks are kept from breaking with tradition by the fear of ostracism from the group
and
2) Superficially, it seems that black kids are even more tuned in to pop culture (TV culture?) than whites, Hispanics, and Asian kids. Could being more tuned in make the MSM more effective in imprinting their bias on black youth?? Do conservative blacks need to warn black families that there should be MORE separation from the ideas in pop culture, MORE careful decision about how much brainwashing to take in? "Being cool" should be more individual, not just how slavishly someone follows the MSM.

The Jewish intermarriage rate among unaffiliated jews is now 70%, for reform 52%, for conservative between 1/4 and 33%, and for orthodox, a mere 3%. So of course, most Jews in the non-traditional (non-orthodox) movements aren't going to vote based on the President's Israel policy. They don't care! As between protecting American liberalism and protecting Israel, they much prefer the former.

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