- Rebel Yid - https://www.rebelyid.com -

Why The Jews Matter to Obama

The special election in New York to replace Twitter pervert Anthony Weiner is proving interesting.  It is not surprising that in a heavily Democratic district in New York that the Jewish vote would come to play.  It may be surprising how much the Jewish vote there has turned against Obama.  In the Wall Street Journal,  9/13/11, Dan Senor writes Why Obama Is Losing the Jewish Vote [1].

The quick summary is that an accumulation of bad anti-Israel policies is having its effect:

Read the article to see a long list of public affronts to Israel.  Republican Robert Turner,  aided by a strong endorsement from Ed Koch,  is leading substantially in a district covering Queens and Brooklyn that Weiner easily carried,

This Rebel Yid was surprised that Obama got the strong Jewish support that he did, given his associations, but that is history.

Why is the Jewish vote so important to Obama? The Jewish influence in politics is not the result of sinister conspiracies, as many anti-Semitic theories contend.  There are three clear reasons.

  1. Jews vote at twice the rate of most citizens.
  2. Jews are concentrated in states with large  numbers of electoral votes.
  3. Jews are engaged in politics and are more willing to work and fund their favorite candidates.

While Jews are only 2.2% of the population they are 8.4% of New York.  If they are twice as likely to vote than their fellow citizens then their impact in this state with substantial electoral votes is effectively 16%, quite a substantial block.  Jews also have above average representation in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Florida and California; all heavily blue states.  Florida may be the largest swing state. For Jewish voters by state see The Jewish Virtual Library [2].

Jews in red states tend to be less monolithic Democrats but are still less likely to vote GOP than the rest of the population.

While the Christian evangelists are also sensitive to Israel they largely vote Republican anyway.  A large swing of Jewish support away from key Democratic candidates, including the president, can have a serious impact on an election.

print