Dozens of Jewish Super-Delegates May Hold Key to Democratic Race

[Purveyor]

According to a new survey conducted by the Forward, a disproportionately large share of the Democratic party’s super-delegates are Jewish. Many of them have declared their support for Hillary Clinton, accounting for more than 15% of her current backers.

Like the general population of super-delegates, whose support remains fluid, several Jewish supporters of the New York senator said in interviews that their votes still remain up for grabs. All told, more than 70 Jewish super-delegates will make the trip to Denver this summer for the Democrats’ nominating convention. They account for nearly one-tenth of the party’s nearly 800 so-called super-delegates, the informal term for elected and party officials whose status as delegates to the convention does not depend on state primaries and caucuses.

If the Democratic presidential primary comes down to a photo finish, these Jewish insiders could play an outsized role in anointing a nominee at the party’s August convention. And it would be a history-making experience: Although Jews have long been considered a formidable voting bloc and have been overrepresented among the country’s cadre of liberal activists and thinkers, they have only more recently become common as Democratic establishment insiders, with unprecedented numbers of both Jewish elected officials and party leaders.

“Politics in America has become a Jewish profession, just like arts and the law,” said Ira Forman, executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council and the author of a book about Jews and American politics. “We now are overrepresented in all these areas.”

The relatively high number of Jews among super-delegates highlights a larger political shift that has occurred in recent decades, according to Forman. Although Jews have always been well represented on the American left, he said, historically they have tended to gravitate toward causes, such as the labor and civil rights movements, rather than active participation in party politics.

---eoe---

http://www.forward.com/articles/12998/

[Bicoastal]

1. I wonder if my Jewish congressman, the honorable Henry Waxman, will endorse soon...

...that would be a feather in SOMEONE's cap.

[trained specialist]

19. Blame the Jews

because Obama has screwed himself.

[Adelante]

27. What did Bicoastal say to elicit that response?

Or are you just a hate-spreader?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

34. Obama is very supportive of Jewish people

He is very supportive of Jewish people and yes Hindu, Muslim, Christian etc

[Hepburn]

39. That kind of shit is out of line....

...knock it off, OK?

And I am speaking to you as someone with a Jewish background who supports Obama.

Now...STFU, OK?

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Here's the thing.

(Assuming this is a bloc within a polical bloc), if the choice of a majority of the Jewish superdelegates is for Hillary and then she isn't chosen (seen as a rebuff to them), there may be the implicit threat of voting McCain who is posturing as strong on Israel.

This democratic sojourn has been run on threats and inuendo as much as campaign promises.

[cali]

20. that's idiotic

most of those 70 Jewish SDs are people in Congress or on the DNC. Most are liberals. Are you seriously suggesting that they'll threaten to vote for McCain. Pull your head out of your ass and breath some air. Your brain needs it. phaww.

[no_hypocrisy]

30. In fairness, I DID say "assuming it's a politcal bloc".

If it isn't, I concede to you.

[trained specialist]

22. Um, I thought Obama already won

[Indenturedebtor]

3. Interesting article thanks

Honestly it makes me kinda nervous to have so many Jews in politics... When I was raised I was told to keep my head down. :hide:

Hell when Lieberman was running I got REALLY scared. Especially because he's such an asshat.

[Bicoastal]

7. We've got Boxer and Feingold. Either would make an EXCELLENT VP.

[LeftishBrit]

13. Ooh yes...

those Joooooos are dangerous. I mean, for instance, over three-quarters of your Jewish Senators belong to that eeeeeeevil party the Democrats, as compared with only half of the Senators as a whole.

And anyway, would you trust anyone who's not a Good Christian in politics? :sarcasm:

[frazzled]

4. Oh my G_d! The Jews are running the country!

I realize this article is supposed to be a "pride" piece about how Jews have finally made good within the actual structure of the party (even if they account for only 70 out of 800 superdelegates) --but I'm afraid it will send up a flurry of conspiracy theories about secret Jewish control.

[Indenturedebtor]

6. And that didn't take long

"Here's the thing.
Edited on Fri Mar-21-08 10:05 PM by no_hypocrisy
If the choice of a majority of the Jewish superdelegates is Hillary and then she isn't chosen (seen as a rebuff to them), there may be the implicit threat of voting McCain who is posturing as strong on Israel.

This democratic sojourn has been run on threats and inuendo as much as campaign promises."

All of the threats and innuendo have come from McDeath and HRC trying to scare Jews into rejecting Obama. I haven't seen any coming from the Jewish community.

Care to share these threats? Or is this just a feeling you have deep down in your soul?

[AntiFascist]

38. I agree, it is the Jewish support of Israel which is getting played...

and fear mongering is much more effective for a nation that is under a more severe threat. What supporters of Israel need to realize is that stirring up hornets' nests may not be an effective method of increasing security. Obama's approach is much more sensible.

[pocoloco]

37. Not a damn thing secret about AIPAC!

[Cali_Democrat]

5. delete

removed because it could be considered inflammatory

[Indenturedebtor]

8. Yes

Especially one so evil as the juice OMG NOES!!!!11111!11!!!!111

The same could be said for WASPS in the world. NT

[Jamastiene]

9. I have a problem with the wording of this article.

"a disproportionately large share of the Democratic party’s super-delegates are Jewish"

"All told, more than 70 Jewish super-delegates will make the trip to Denver this summer for the Democrats’ nominating convention. They account for nearly one-tenth of the party’s nearly 800 so-called super-delegates"

Just how is 10% so disproportionately large?

[oberliner]

12. Jewish people only make up about 2 percent of the population of the US

So I guess 10 percent is disproportionately large.

I wonder what the male/female breakdown of superdelegates is.

[Indenturedebtor]

15. You know what it is disproportionately large

And if we're going to be out there in the limelight, at least we're democrats!

But really this is why I support Israel. No one really wants us around unless we're working under them.

[maddiejoan]

17. That's 2% of the USA

what's the percentage of voting Democrats that are Jewish?

Bet it's more like --hmmmmm---10% (87% of Jews are Democrats)

[oberliner]

31. That is a really good point! nt

[Jamastiene]

32. Here is an article suggesting that a minimum of 4 to 10% of

voting Democrats in several statezs (at least in the primaries) is Jewish:

http://www.njjewishnews.com/njjn.com/021408/commVotersAsk.html

"It seems, however, that this obituary for Jewish power is premature. In some key states, such as New York, New Jersey, California, Connecticut, and others, Jews still represent a minimum of 4 to 10 percent of the turnout of Democratic voters in the primaries. While Hispanics and blacks made dramatic moves in participation, it remains to be seen if they will sustain the same level of participation in November and in future elections. Even if they do, actual Jewish voters as a percentage of the number of eligible Jewish voters — especially in Democratic primaries — remain huge."

I am having trouble finding an exact breakdown of our party, but I still don't necessarily think 10% is too high considering the amount of support we get from the Jewish population. :shrug:

[Jamastiene]

36. More numbers:

http://www.jewishaz.com/issues/story.mv?080208+clinton

"In New York, Jews represent roughly 9 percent of eligible voters, according to University of Miami demographer Ira Sheskin, but represented 16 percent of voters in the Democratic primary. In Connecticut, Jews are 3.5 percent of the electorate but made up 10 percent of Democratic primary voters.

In California, Jews were 5 percent of Democratic voters, compared with 3.7 percent overall; 6 percent in Massachusetts, compared with 4.5 percent; and 9 percent in New Jersey, compared with 6 percent.
"

[Jamastiene]

24. I guess, but don't most Jewish people vote Democrat?

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.0.html

says 74% of Jewish people voted for Kerry


http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/states/US/H/00/epolls.0.html
Says 87% of Jewish voters were Democrats

[oberliner]

40. The National Jewish Democratic Council Executive Director made the statement

about Jewish people being overrepresented in politics (as in arts and law) in the US.

For whatever that is worth.

[Emit]

29. In our state, the Dem Party tries very carefully to elect an equal number of male/female delegates

I've noticed that in past caucus meetings. And in our early caucus this year, in the Temporary Caucus Guide under Notes on Nominating Delegates and Alternates, the first bullet states, "While it is not mandatory, caucuses that elect more than one delegate should try to elect and equal number of men and women..." ... it also states, "Care should be also taken to encourage diversity among the candidates for delegate."

[oberliner]

10. Very interesting article - thanks for posting!

This superdelegate business is pretty nutty!

[sueragingroz]

11. more race politics from the :obama campaign

ooooh what a surprise :obama

[David__77]

18. The article is from a Jewish independent newspaper, not from the Obama campaign.

But if you'd read it, you'd know that already.

[XemaSab]

25. Are you familiar with The Forward?

Here's a hint: it's not an internal Obama campaign publication.

[cali]

26. ,more stupid.

Forward Magazine is not part of the obama campaign, genius. duh. And neither are posters on DU. Pathetic.

[Megahurtz]

35. Lol!

:D

[BenDavid]

14. yep, it's all my fault! and watch the obama campaign and their

surrogates and followers respond to this. Now be sure to catch the bigotry in those comments.....and from the few thus far, it is easy to call this the Obigot08 campaign

[Indenturedebtor]

21. Oh please Achi

Your shield draws my eyes to your posts in every thread. Frankly throwing around the bigot label seems a little disingenous. You've been saying this about Obama from the beginning... all the while talking about how he can't win because of how bigotted the country is.

[David__77]

23. No bigotry here.

I am thankful for the role of Jewish Americans in the progressive movement. It's absolutely pivotal and always has been. I know that the large majority of Jewish voters will support the Democratic nominee in November.

[cali]

28. disgusting comment

from a real live one. You are the real thing. Go to freeperville where you'd be one of many.

[tishaLA]

33. An example of the phrase

"shanda fer de goyim"

[jaysunb]

16. Here we go....

:evilfrown: