Citing Israel, GOP eyes Jewish vote

[Sbane]

Borderline offensive to say Jewish-Americans base their vote only on Israel.

Yeah, another reason Jews won't vote for the GOP. And the GOP anti-intellectualism and indifference towards inequality doesn't help either.

[Brittain33]

Sarah Palin was like kryptonite to Jewish voters for the reasons mentioned above.

[Hnv1]

One reason American Jews are so left-leaning is that right-wing Jews disproportionately moved to Israel.

Sadly true. Jerusalem in recent years had been infested with a wave of religious right wing American Jews raising housing prices and spreading even more hawkish moods. And lets not forget a large amount of settlers are Americans and an especially large amount of the Khanist supporters (old and new) are Americans.

[Obama-Biden Democrat]

What the hell happened to the Israeli left any ways? They were border line commies back in the day with the whole kibbutz thing.

[traininthedistance]

Maybe in 20-30 years, this could happen (we're seeing the Jewish move to the right abroad, in Canada and France -- and Israel, I suppose), but Jews will vote >60%, maybe >70% for Democratic Party candidates in 2014. Notwithstanding contrarians like me.

Even if the Republicans did end up with a majority of the Jewish vote, how much would it really mean?

It could tip the balance in close races. Every vote matters and whatnot.

Don't the majority of American Jews live in solidly Democratic urban/metropolitan regions, anyway?

'Round where I am (central-to-southern Brooklyn), most of the Jews are Republicans and most of the Republicans are Jewish. 

To be less flip: yes, the Republicans will be getting a larger and larger share of the Jewish vote in the years ahead.  But that has everything to do with high Orthodox/Haredi/Hasidic birthrates (and bloc voting in the latter category), and nothing to do with liberal secular Jews becoming single-issue Israel voters.  Which they're not, and won't become.

[Hnv1]

What the hell happened to the Israeli left any ways? They were border line commies back in the day with the whole kibbutz thing.

Fall of ideology, demographics, long standing conflict.

Still funny sometimes to here my grandmother speak about how the cried when Stalin died.

[Mr. Illini]

If anything, Jewish-heavy areas in Illinois are becoming more and more Democratic-voting. They are way too far-left on economic issues to vote for a party that wants to end Medicare and cut taxes for the wealthy but is also perceived as slightly more pro-Israel.

[GaussLaw]

I definitely can see Jews voting against the GOP because of "anti-intellectualism", but it seems like there are plenty of whites who place a very high priority on education who vote quite Republican.

Places like Huntsville, Alabama, Shelby County, St. Tammany Parish in LA, Williamson County, TN, Colin County, TX, Douglas County, CO, Hamilton County Indiana, etc. tend to have a lot of very Republican, well-educated whites.  Perhaps "intellectual" isn't the right word for them, but they certainly care about their kids getting a good education.

Perhaps those types of voters are hybrid "intellectual/anti-intellectual" voters?  The type that would speak poor grammar and wear cowboy hates yet at the same time write normally and place a high priority on college?

These are just some thoughts, but whenever I hear "anti-intellectual", I get a little skeptical as that being a big reason.

[All Along The Watchtower]

I definitely can see Jews voting against the GOP because of "anti-intellectualism", but it seems like there are plenty of whites who place a very high priority on education who vote quite Republican.

Places like Huntsville, Alabama, Shelby County, St. Tammany Parish in LA, Williamson County, TN, Colin County, TX, Douglas County, CO, Hamilton County Indiana, etc. tend to have a lot of very Republican, well-educated whites.  Perhaps "intellectual" isn't the right word for them, but they certainly care about their kids getting a good education.

Perhaps those types of voters are hybrid "intellectual/anti-intellectual" voters?  The type that would speak poor grammar and wear cowboy hates yet at the same time write normally and place a high priority on college?

These are just some thoughts, but whenever I hear "anti-intellectual", I get a little skeptical as that being a big reason.

It's not really the contemporary GOP being "anti-intellectual" as it is their thinly veiled contempt/hostility toward People Who Aren't Like Them.

Those upper-middle class white Republican-voting suburban enclaves that you mentioned place a high value on their children's educations, but good luck getting them to support more public resources and funding toward the educations and communities of poor children and their families.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

I definitely can see Jews voting against the GOP because of "anti-intellectualism", but it seems like there are plenty of whites who place a very high priority on education who vote quite Republican.

Places like Huntsville, Alabama, Shelby County, St. Tammany Parish in LA, Williamson County, TN, Colin County, TX, Douglas County, CO, Hamilton County Indiana, etc. tend to have a lot of very Republican, well-educated whites.  Perhaps "intellectual" isn't the right word for them, but they certainly care about their kids getting a good education.

Perhaps those types of voters are hybrid "intellectual/anti-intellectual" voters?  The type that would speak poor grammar and wear cowboy hates yet at the same time write normally and place a high priority on college?

These are just some thoughts, but whenever I hear "anti-intellectual", I get a little skeptical as that being a big reason.

The other thing to keep in mind is that for the purposes of any Republican outreach to non-orthodox Jewish voters, what matters is how they are perceived by the Jewish community.  Even if we say for the sake of argument that the Republican Party hasn't become an anti-intellectual party, the vast majority of the American Jewish community still perceives them as such.

[ingemann]

The Evangelical right scares the crap out of both American and Israeli Jews. It's been made very clear they want preserve Israel for Armageddon and convert them.

While they accept their support, they're not keen on the right being at the controls necessarily.

The Jewish people are not single issue voters, and even if they were, a lot of Democrats support Israel anyway.

Speaking as someone who actually is Jewish, I can confirm both of these, especially what King said.  I would add two other things, however:

1) Both Judaism and Jewish culture place an extremely high value upon social justice while the Republican Party is filled with folks like Glenn Beck who are running around screaming that social justice is somehow a code word for eugenics and/or Nazism.

Yes because most other religions don't do that.

Catholism, Lutheranism, Othodoxy and Islam all place a great value on taking care of poor people.

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Again some other religions also do that, if it was that simple the prarie states would be overwhelming Democratic as Lutheranism and German Catholism put an incredible high value on education.

[Brittain33]

Yes because most other religions don't do that.

Catholism, Lutheranism, Othodoxy and Islam all place a great value on taking care of poor people.

Is there not a distinction to be made by mitzvot and salvation through good works (Catholicism) as opposed to salvation through faith (Lutheranism)? Catholics used to vote more heavily Democratic until they were cross-pressured on abortion and crime worries, plus assimilation. Catholic advocacy was crucial for the success of PPACA, even over the objections of their own bishops.

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Well, Minnesota hasn't voted for a Republican since 1972...

[ingemann]

Yes because most other religions don't do that.

Catholism, Lutheranism, Othodoxy and Islam all place a great value on taking care of poor people.

Is there not a distinction to be made by mitzvot and salvation through good works (Catholicism) as opposed to salvation through faith (Lutheranism)? Catholics used to vote more heavily Democratic until they were cross-pressured on abortion and crime worries, plus assimilation. Catholic advocacy was crucial for the success of PPACA, even over the objections of their own bishops.

While Lutheranism believe in salvation through faith, good work are seen as a outward sign of salvation. So if you're asshole who leave a starving man to die in the streets, it's good sign that you're going downward after you pass on.

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Well, Minnesota hasn't voted for a Republican since 1972...
[/quote]

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

The Evangelical right scares the crap out of both American and Israeli Jews. It's been made very clear they want preserve Israel for Armageddon and convert them.

While they accept their support, they're not keen on the right being at the controls necessarily.

The Jewish people are not single issue voters, and even if they were, a lot of Democrats support Israel anyway.

Speaking as someone who actually is Jewish, I can confirm both of these, especially what King said.  I would add two other things, however:

1) Both Judaism and Jewish culture place an extremely high value upon social justice while the Republican Party is filled with folks like Glenn Beck who are running around screaming that social justice is somehow a code word for eugenics and/or Nazism.

Yes because most other religions don't do that.

Catholism, Lutheranism, Othodoxy and Islam all place a great value on taking care of poor people.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Again some other religions also do that, if it was that simple the prarie states would be overwhelming Democratic as Lutheranism and German Catholism put an incredible high value on education.

Where in that post did I say no other religions place a value on helping the poor/education/social justice?  That said, I do think that overall, the white Protestant and (albeit probably to a somewhat lesser degree) Catholic establishments in the U.S. tend to prioritize "culture warrior" issues like abortion over social justice.  Furthermore, I would argue Jewish culture (at least in the U.S.) probably does place a higher value on education and intellectualism than Catholic and Luthern culture.  This isn't to say that those groups don't place a high value on education, learning, intellectual curiousity, etc, but I don't think it is to the same degree overall that Jewish culture does.  I don't mean that as a knock on other religions or anything, but it is what I have observed.

[ingemann]

The Evangelical right scares the crap out of both American and Israeli Jews. It's been made very clear they want preserve Israel for Armageddon and convert them.

While they accept their support, they're not keen on the right being at the controls necessarily.

The Jewish people are not single issue voters, and even if they were, a lot of Democrats support Israel anyway.

Speaking as someone who actually is Jewish, I can confirm both of these, especially what King said.  I would add two other things, however:

1) Both Judaism and Jewish culture place an extremely high value upon social justice while the Republican Party is filled with folks like Glenn Beck who are running around screaming that social justice is somehow a code word for eugenics and/or Nazism.

Yes because most other religions don't do that.

Catholism, Lutheranism, Othodoxy and Islam all place a great value on taking care of poor people.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Again some other religions also do that, if it was that simple the prarie states would be overwhelming Democratic as Lutheranism and German Catholism put an incredible high value on education.

Where in that post did I say no other religions place a value on helping the poor/education/social justice?  That said, I do think that overall, the white Protestant and (albeit probably to a somewhat lesser degree) Catholic establishments in the U.S. tend to prioritize "culture warrior" issues like abortion over social justice.  Furthermore, I would argue Jewish culture (at least in the U.S.) probably does place a higher value on education and intellectualism than Catholic and Luthern culture.  This isn't to say that those groups don't place a high value on education, learning, intellectual curiousity, etc, but I don't think it is to the same degree overall that Jewish culture does.  I don't mean that as a knock on other religions or anything, but it is what I have observed.

You're welcome to have that belief, I just don't share it.

[GaussLaw]

I definitely can see Jews voting against the GOP because of "anti-intellectualism", but it seems like there are plenty of whites who place a very high priority on education who vote quite Republican.

Places like Huntsville, Alabama, Shelby County, St. Tammany Parish in LA, Williamson County, TN, Colin County, TX, Douglas County, CO, Hamilton County Indiana, etc. tend to have a lot of very Republican, well-educated whites.  Perhaps "intellectual" isn't the right word for them, but they certainly care about their kids getting a good education.

Perhaps those types of voters are hybrid "intellectual/anti-intellectual" voters?  The type that would speak poor grammar and wear cowboy hates yet at the same time write normally and place a high priority on college?

These are just some thoughts, but whenever I hear "anti-intellectual", I get a little skeptical as that being a big reason.

It's not really the contemporary GOP being "anti-intellectual" as it is their thinly veiled contempt/hostility toward People Who Aren't Like Them.

Those upper-middle class white Republican-voting suburban enclaves that you mentioned place a high value on their children's educations, but good luck getting them to support more public resources and funding toward the educations and communities of poor children and their families.

This seems pretty accurate, Progressive Realist.  I would phrase it a little more kindly, but certainly there's a bit of a conformist element in the GOP. 

I think the religious beliefs of Jews definitely has a huge part.  Sola fide, the philosophy of many Protestants, places less of a priority on justice in this world and more about salvation in the next.  Certainly, the Old Testament was more concerned about social justice (in books like Amos) than the New Testament, which was concerned far more with the afterlife.  While Jesus advocated good works for his followers, a lot of the OT books were more forceful in talking about societal injustice.

This, in my opinion, is an extremely important consideration in how Jews vote.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Except that it's generally seculars with seriously left-wing views/voting patterns...

[All Along The Watchtower]

Except that it's generally seculars with seriously left-wing views/voting patterns...

How are we defining "secular" in the context of Judaism (as in, isn't there a big spectrum there? )

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

The Democratic Party is so dominant among Jews that even Orthodox Jews supported Obama by a fairly large margin in 2012. Outside of New York and a few urban areas, casual anti-semitism is common and it's generally exhibited by Republicans. With this in mind, there's no way that Republicans will ever make serious in-roads among Jewish voters.

Republicans who support converting Jews to Christianity offend Jewish sensibilities far more than Democrats who are anti-Zionist.

[Obama-Biden Democrat]

What the hell happened to the Israeli left any ways? They were border line commies back in the day with the whole kibbutz thing.

Fall of ideology, demographics, long standing conflict.

Still funny sometimes to here my grandmother speak about how the cried when Stalin died.

Sad to hear it died that way. I am a big fan of Yitzhak Rabin , it is a shame he was gunned down by a right wing fanatic.

[Stranger in a strange land]

Republican hawkishness on Israel isn't primarily aimed at Jews. It's aimed primarily at Evangelical Christian Zionists. Inroads into the Jewish community are at best an afterthought.

[7,052,770]

Is there polling data on what % of Republicans believe that non-Christians automatically go to Hell?

[Hnv1]

What the hell happened to the Israeli left any ways? They were border line commies back in the day with the whole kibbutz thing.

Fall of ideology, demographics, long standing conflict.

Still funny sometimes to here my grandmother speak about how the cried when Stalin died.

Sad to hear it died that way. I am a big fan of Yitzhak Rabin , it is a shame he was gunned down by a right wing fanatic.

In a clear retrospect with no nostalgia....he was no real left hero. But he was probably the last one with foresight or the ability to walk the line.
And beyond that the biggest blow the left (or more accurately Labour as the major party) got was from having Barak as a leader...twice.

Pardon me for my ignorance but isn't the libertarian wing of the GOP (Ron Paul and etc.) pretty anti-Israel?   

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Thankfully, the "War on Christmas" nonsense that Republicans complain about that originated in Henry Ford's "The International Jew: the world's foremost problem" will keep them Democratic.

[Horus]

What the hell happened to the Israeli left any ways? They were border line commies back in the day with the whole kibbutz thing.

Fall of ideology, demographics, long standing conflict.

Still funny sometimes to here my grandmother speak about how the cried when Stalin died.

Sad to hear it died that way. I am a big fan of Yitzhak Rabin , it is a shame he was gunned down by a right wing fanatic.

In a clear retrospect with no nostalgia....he was no real left hero. But he was probably the last one with foresight or the ability to walk the line.
And beyond that the biggest blow the left (or more accurately Labour as the major party) got was from having Barak as a leader...twice.

Pardon me for my ignorance but isn't the libertarian wing of the GOP (Ron Paul and etc.) pretty anti-Israel?   

By international standards? Not in the least bit, very centrist. By American standards they are raging evil anti semites.