I wrote that you can always trace it to the candidate.
Ford had his famous “reevaluation” of Israeli policy and was not friendly to Israel. Carter was a hopeful unknown.
You have to remember that in 1980, Anderson (a former Republican) and Reagan together got 53% of the Jewish vote to Carter’s 45%.
In 1984, Mondale was a long time friend of the Jewish community and Reagan had been disappointing in his reaction to the 1982 Lebanon War (saving Arafat for one example.
The simple truth is that until this last election Democrat Presidential candidates - with the exception of McGovern- always were seen - many with justification- as much more friendly to Jews and Israel then the Republican candidate. Some Republican candidates were outright hostile.
Bottom line is that many here want to label Jews as dumb and/or Socialist and such but it has always come down to the man running.
The next election in 2012- unless the Republicans put up someone totally unexpected - should be the definitive test.
The bottom line is that Jews always vote against the Republican, they always vote against the more conservative.
The fact is that it is a perfect uninterrupted record, so to try and come up with excuses doesn’t work, pre depression, post depression, pre Hitler, post Hitler, pre war, post war, pre Reagan, post Reagan, pre 1960s, post 1960s, pre Israel, post Israel, nothing changes their vote, so no explanations about a temporary period mean anything. It is a pattern carved into stone.