Republicans, Democrats and Israel

As support for Israel decreases around the world and particularly in Europe, one can notice a correlation between the positions of those on the left and those on the right with respect to backing the Jewish state.

The same ideological divide that has emerged in Europe can be seen in the United States, where those differences have a much larger impact on Israel that in any other place, given that American support is crucial to the existence of Israel. Therefore, a new poll commissioned by McLaughlin and Associates for the Emergency Committee for Israel helps shed light on the positions taken by the two main parties in America and the position of Americans in general with respect to Israel. For those of us who are supporters of Israel the results of this survey are extremely encouraging.

93 percent of those polled responded that the United States should be concerned about the safety and security of Israel, and 54 percent actually responded that the United States should be “very concerned” about Israel’s security. The same percentages expect their elected representatives to be pro-Israel. 53 percent also responded that they would be more likely to vote for candidates who support Israel, while 24 percent said that they would be less likely to vote for such candidate, thus showing that holding an anti-Israel position could actually hinder an election.

The poll becomes even more enlightening when we identify those polled by party. Among those who responded that they intend to vote Republican this November, 69 percent stated that they would be more likely to vote for a pro-Israel candidate, while 15 said that they were less likely, giving the pro-Israel group a 55 percent margin. Among Democrats the numbers reflect a very different picture and a pro-Israel margin of only 7 percent. 40 percent stated that they were more likely to vote for a pro-Israel candidate, while 33 percent stated that they were less likely to vote for such candidate. Among liberals the margin shrinks to 5 percent.

A poll by Zogby in 2009 already had began to show the different trends that exist between Democrats and Republicans with respect to this topic. 10 percent of Obama voters wanted the president to support Israel, while 60 percent of voters for McCain expected him to support Israel.

When asked whether the United States should get tough with Israel, 80 percent of Obama voters said yes, while 73 percent of McCain voters said no. Asked whether the United States should negotiate with Hamas, 69 percent of Obama voters said yes, while 79 percent of McCain’s voters said no. With respect to a “Palestinian right of return” this plan was endorsed by 61 percent of Obama’s voters, while only 21 percent of McCain voters supported it.

As we look at the results of these polls, one has to wonder what is it that has placed the Jewish vote in the pockets of the Democratic party. Will the numbers in November reflect the numbers in 2008? Cracks have began to emerge in the Jewish block. Will it be enough to shift the balance of power in such states as New York, Florida and California.   As a lover of America and a supporter of Israel I certainly hope so.

This article contains some opinions written by William Kristol and Daniel Pipes in The Weekly Standard and National Review.

The Jewish Vote

Looking at the results of the last election, I noticed that when it comes to wooing Jewish voters, the Republican Party continues having a Jewish problem.

In the last election, Barack Obama, despite the initial negatives of his association with Rev. Wright and Rashid Khalidi, ended up receiving 78% of the Jewish vote.

Arguing that Bush fatigue and the financial crisis were contributors to this outcome would be a logical conclusion, where it not for the fact that Jews voted for Kerry in almost the same proportion four years earlier. And so it went for decades.

It is clear that the Jewish electorate identifies itself as Democrat or liberal, with a meager 24% identifying themselves as conservatives. Thus, affiliation with a party that purports to represent the social values that are important to many Jews, trumps voting for the party that has been most supportive of Israel.

As a supporter of Israel who is convinced that protecting Israel is in the best interest of the United States, I am worrried; and a new study conducted by Professors Steven Cohen of Hebrew Union College, and Samuel J. Abrams of Harvard University, has done very little to quell my concern. Their study concluded that Israel has diminished in importance when it comes to the political thinking of young Jews.

In this poll, 54% of Jews 65 or older, answered that Israel ranked high or very high in their political thinking and in determining for which candidate to vote.

For Jews age 35 to 64 the number was 39% and for those younger than 35 only 29% consider Israel a top priority.

These numbers concern me not only when it comes to presidential elections, but also with local and state elections of Congressmen and Senators, where many are being elected in districts or states with shifting populations, and whose support for Israel might not be as solid as it used to be. As new immigrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa arrive and become citizens, candidates will look at these polls with tremendous interest and will act accordingly, and perhaps to the detriment of Israel and Jewish interests.

However, one group within the Jewish community might help reverse the anti-Republican trend; namely Orthodox Jews. Among this group with their high birthrate the majority identify themselves as conservatives or Republicans. If this continues, in a few years we might see Democratic Jews sipping Chardonnay while the Republican ones sip Manischewitz.

L’Chaim!