How important is the Jewish vote in the next election?

[The Sushi Bandit]

With 5.7 million jews in a country of 293 million (1.9 percent of total) how effective is the voting block?

Can Democrats win without the jewish vote?

[rockymountaindem]

1. It is not important.

I say this because I believe it is a foregone conclusion that the Jewish vote will go overwhelmingly for Kerry.

Bush makes a move regarding Israel, and everyone automatically assumes it's to please the Jewish voters. Where's the talk about him trying to pacify the radical Christian-Zionist vote? There's like 20 million of them or more.

[The Sushi Bandit]

2. What if the party platform denounces the occupation of palestine...

by Isreal?

Could the Dems win without their vote?

[Jim Sagle]

3. Hell no. I doubt if many would switch but many would stay home.

I would not be among them. In fact I would join my local Dem org to help retake it from the Palestine Firsters.

[number6]

12. is that some kind of sin ?

Palestine Firster ? :shrug:

[Jim Sagle]

15. No - but I have an opposing view. I hope that's OK.

[number6]

16. its ok ...

:hi: ;)

[Prodemsouth]

6. No, Because Middle Eastern and immigrants from Arab and

other Muslim Countries do not vote on Palestine, the way Jewish voters do on Israel. Palestine does not seem as a critical issue to American Arab/Muslim voters as support for Israel does to the US Jewish voter.

[Jim Sagle]

13. If so, then why didn't Reagan get 90% of the US Jewish vote against Carter

in 1980 instead of 40%? And why did w get 90% of the Muslim vote in 2000? I don't think the facts bear out either of yuour assertions.

[Prodemsouth]

18. The feeling about Israel's security was not as strong of an issue

in 1980, as it is today. Camp Davis Peace, many Jewish Americans were willing to give that a try. Remember Sadat, many Jewish Americans had positive feelings about Egypt and Israel. Began, Begin(sp??) was Lukkid, not Labor, as well so more Jewish Americans were trusting of Camp David Peace. Today there are many more of what the right calls "serious Jews" that means religious Jewish people, I guess. People indentified as Jewish in 1980 were much more secular than those of today.

[Prodemsouth]

7. I think the majority will vote for Kerry, but it will be down

significantly over past Dems, if he does not have a Jewish running mate or other circumstances arise. I think Bush may get anywhere from 30-40% of the Jewish votes nationwide but that could be enough to swing things his way in certain states that he needs to win. Why do you think Kerry went out with Lieberman in Florida and said what he did yesterday on MTP regarding the killing of the Hamas leader? Obviously the Jewish vote is important.

[Jim Sagle]

14. I think you're over-estimating the extent to which Jewish Americans

vote single-issue style. W's militarist approach has made no one safer, and I think that's apparent to all.

[Prodemsouth]

17. Look at the 2002 votes in the mid term elections. Surveys show

more Jews indentifying themselves as Republicans or Independents. Since the 2000 election Jewish voters are trending Republican it is a fact. Sorry.

[The Sushi Bandit]

19. Then why is the Democratic party so unwilling to abandon the failed...

mid-east policy??

Why is it in OUR best interest to support Isreal?

[FOM]

20. Because Israel is right.

When you put all the facts together, Israel does the best it can in a bad situation and the Palestinians are not willing to compromise.

The Pals can make very emotional arguments, but they don't have realistic proposals of their own. Usually, you can't even tell who speaks for them.

Politicians like constructive solutions, supporting Israel is the best one!

[The Sushi Bandit]

21. Your Wrong!

The only way peace can happen is if the state of Israel and the proto-state of Palestine become one. One government, one country, one people, all religions.

[FOM]

25. That's wrong

If that were to happen it would shortly spell doom for the Jews.

A Lebanon style ugly civil war, probably with neighboring country intervention would certainly occur.

[The Sushi Bandit]

26. Why is everyone afraid to try it??

remove the guns from both sides and give property rights to all.

[Classical_Liberal]

22. There has been a realistic proposal since the 90s

stop the settlements. Never been tried though.

[Classical_Liberal]

23. Show those polls then?

?

[Classical_Liberal]

24. The polls don't show support for settlements

Furthermore, I don't think Holy Joe helps draw jewish votes, particularly in Florida.


Anyway the main threat we face to lose florida is from black voter purges, not the jewish vote.

[Name removed]

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[unblock]

5. speaking as a jew,

jews are overwhelmingly democratic and the constant repuke appeal to "jews" is a fairly obvious fig leaf to keep people from accusing him of single-mindedly promoting christianity from the presidential pulpit.

they don't give a rat's ass about anything jewish except israel, and that they only care about because it's our one solid beachhead in the oil region.

yes 5-10% of jews are conservative and will vote republican, but then republicans also get 5-10% of the black vote, which makes about as much sense.


not to mention that 2% of the population is not much of a voting block. jews influence politics by being very active in the charity business. the network of jewish charities touches so many non-profit organizations that they can being considerable influence from far and wide to a single race. so jews can be very influential in any given senate or house race -- if enough jews can agree where to focus their energies -- but not for the presidential race.

[Name removed]

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[mrdmk]

9. It is not the Jewish people that are the concern

It is the majority of people who have been brainwashed into a sympathetic trance about Israel. In 1972 Israeli athletes were attacked, held hostage then killed at the Olympics in Germany. Of course the U.S.A. were quite tuned in to Olympics and were told about the "eight Arab commandos" who did the deed. The Olympics were a truce to the cold war, in other words a mutual form of peace to the world. Of course these were eight idiots that had the worst idea for promoting their cause and painted anybody Arab as a ruthless being. Anything from that point on that had to do with Israel and their national security, Israel was given a green light. That was until Mr. Jimmy Carter came along, but that is another story.

[number6]

10. very important, as is the young peoples vote...

the question is, how will Muslims vote...
they were pro-Bush in the past ...

[Darranar]

11. Not very...

the issues that might sway a few to switch - Israel/Palestine, mostly - are agreed upon by both presidential candidates.