Posted on 08/31/2014 4:37:01 PM PDT by Kaslin
This is a perennial question which has flummoxed Republican strategists for years and continues to defy conventional political logic and planning. While it is impossible – and politically perilous – to attempt to take any American demographic group and treat them as a homogenous block, on the major issues of the day one would think that the GOP would be a natural fit for the majority of American Jews. When you look, in particular, at which party provides the staunchest support for Israel, there really is no comparison. A host of other topics appear to be a good fit as well, as Zev Chafets observes in an editorial for Fox News.
The American Jewish community – white, assimilated and prosperous – is out-of-place in a Democratic Party determined to build a coalition around an appeal to racial gender minorities, unmarried women, the LGBT community, immigrants and the dependent poor. And while the Jewish community is shrinking because of low birthrates and intermarriage, its Orthodox wing – strongly pro-Israel and socially conservative – is gaining in numbers and self-confidence…
All this, according to some conservative pundits, has created a tipping point. In November, they say, Jews could turn out in key congressional elections, especially in Senate contests, and vote for Republicans who have made support for Israel a signature issue. And in 2016, fed up with Obama’s chilly attitude toward the Jewish state and his weakness in the face of Islamic aggression, Jews could abandon their traditional affiliation with the Democrats and give their energy, their contributions and their votes to the Republicans.
Sounds good, right? This is a sunny, optimistic view which has trapped more than a few campaign managers across the country. And to be sure there are a number of highly respected Jewish community leaders, bloggers and business people who are very vocal supporters of the GOP and their support of Israel. So does Zev think that this is finally the year when the rank and file will assemble along the same lines?
I hate to rain on anybody’s inaugural parade, but this is sheer fantasy.
Jews are not simply supporters of the Democratic Party; they are at the heart of everything from union leadership to campaign funding, think-tank policymaking to grass roots organizing…
The fact is, the great majority of American Jewish Democrats see their party and its agenda as their secular religion. Reform Judaism, America’s largest Jewish denomination, is sometimes jokingly called “the Democratic Party with holidays.” A lot of Jews would sooner convert to Shia Islam than leave the party of their forefathers.
I wish I had all the answers to these questions and could make a case that Zev is wrong, but I can’t. We struggled with the same things in New York during the 2010 campaign, working vigorously with leaders in the Jewish community, reaching out and looking for a foothold. We lost the Jewish vote in a landslide.
I think some of the assumptions which Zev notes as common knowledge in his piece are also somewhat hollow. For example, I believe that it’s true that the lion’s share of American Jewish voters are strong supporters of Israel. But it’s equally true that these are not single issue voters, and that one policy stance alone is not enough to get them hoisting a new flag. Further, Chafets’ characterization of Jews as white, assimilated and prosperous is not only a generalization, but borders on offensive. There are plenty of folks in the Jewish community who are struggling in a tough economy just like everyone else, and policies which benefit the economically successful don’t automatically become a winning, bread basket issue for them.
Still, it always sounds like the Jewish vote would fit far better with a conservative alliance than with the liberals. Why doesn’t it happen? I wish I could tell you. Is it about to change in 2014? I think Zev is probably on the money here, I’m afraid. I wouldn’t bet the ranch on it.
I know the recent sources and that they are suggestive of the tiny Orthodox vote going republican currently, but I’m not aware of anything that documents this claim “Orthodox conservative Jews have always supported the GOP or conservative candidate”.
They’ll never vote GOP because too many Republicans are Christians.
That is only recent, both parties were always Christian when the Jews were voting democrat.
Here is an article I found interesting about the history and tendency of voting patterns
The voting seems to be there even if the self identification is not. But it should be noted that Jewish voters are a small percentage of the total electorate and conservative Jewish voters are and even smaller percentage
The importance of the Jewish vote isn’t numbers, but in funding and influencing of public opinion and the creation and leadership and in many cases, membership, of leftist groups.
If Jews became conservative, we would get a heck of a lot more than just their simple vote.
That would require:
A logical thought
Critical thinking
Admitting to one self they maybe their original belief system was wrong
That ain't ever going to happen!
Bingo! There's your answer. American Jews are more afraid of Christians (whom they view as a threat to their well being) than they are of democrats.
They would never believe that democrats would march them off to the gas chambers.....but they feel certain that republicans.....would.....given the chance.
only if they all become Orthodox.
You have the historical proof for this? “”Orthodox conservative Jews have always supported the GOP or conservative candidate.””
Where is it?
Oh I agree.... there is a perception that would go with such a swing....
The GOPe, no, but then I don’t. I hope Jewish Americans will look at CONSERVATIVES who support Israel.
” - - - When you look at the history of Jewish activism and activity in the United States, it has always been fighting for, writing for, financially supporting, and leading the left. - - - “
BINGO!
“...support the GOP?”
Lead into gold?
IMHO
Jews won’t switch... they’ll stand with Sharpton... Blacks aren’t going to switch parties either. Then again our NRA folks aren’t going to become democrats...
American Jews are pro Hamas so they will never support those who oppose Hamas,
My sad was Haganah and taught me to never trust American Jews.
American Jews are club Jews.
Not sure...but I do know 83% vote their wallet.....Its essential to the religion....
I would say no but there are pockets that have swung over. There was that house seat in NYC which was heavily jewish in demographics that a pub won. Also in Canada the Jewish vote is now trending towards the conservative party there or it did during the last fed election.
"You can’t reason someone out of something they weren’t reasoned into."
Most people will quite literally die before they will change the beliefs that they have been indoctrinated with for their core personality. A change of heart is a rare thing, and even then is generally the result of personal trauma rather than any rational consideration.
The American people have been steeped in Progressive ideology for well over 100 years now, and in the last 40 years the demographics of the country have been permanently changed by manipulations of the political elite. Too many people have been told that they deserve "free stuff", and the government should get it for them. They want to believe that.
There is no going back to an imagined Constitutional Republic with limited government and a rule of law for all the people. It would have been nice if we had tried it.
"The People" want Socialism - and they are going to get it good and hard. The inevitable failure will be blamed on "Right Wing Capitalist Wreckers", and "The People" will believe that too.
There isn't going to be any great awakening to Conservative causes by Jews, or Blacks, or Hispanics, or Gays or Women, or any other core constituency of the Democrat party. The Institutional Republicans are simply distracting themselves with wishful thinking - and alienating what remains of their original base supporters.
The particular tragedy of the Jews is that they are the first group that the Progressives turn against as the loot runs out.
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