In article 2008110201201975249-jerelull@maccom, Jere Lull
wrote:

On 2008-11-01 19:21:31 -0400, Larry said:

clouddreamer wrote in
m:

They're not voting for Obama for any particular reason.

They're voting AGAINST McCain.

I can't buy that because Israel runs the Republican party.

That would be a surprise to my ex-wife and our friends. I doubt any of
them ever voted for a Republican, much less get involved in the party.
They really don't like conservatives, love the liberals.

A 2003 overview publisehd by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs found
that 23% of American Jews considered themselves conservatives, and 19%
voted for Bush in 2000. When just the Orthodox Jews weere considered the
percentages jumped enormously, 43% leaning toward Bush (the study was a
few months before the 2004 vote). In New York City in 2002/3, 47% of the
city's Jewry said they were considering voting regionally for Republican
candidates and nationally for Bush. In California at the same time, 31%
of Jews supported Schwartzeneger despite that his father was a hardcore
Nazi. Nationally as it turned out Kerry had 76 or 78% of the Jewish vote,
but Bush junior still had 24% support, more than he'd had from Jews when
many couldn't bring themselves to vote for Gore.

Republican voting was at the time of that report regarded as on the
upswing among American Jews. But historically Jews have always swung one
way then another, often supporting Republican candidates. In 1916 45% of
Jews supported Hughes, the losing Republican. In 1920 43% supported the
Republican winner, Harding (38% voted for a Socialist candidate and would
likely otherwise have voted the Democrat). But almost twice as many Jews
voted for the losing Democrat who ran against Calvin Coolidge in 1924, and
almost three times as many voted for the losing Democrat who ran against
Herbert Hoover in 1928. They still hated Hoover in 1932 and went
overwhelmingly for Roosevelt, 82% in 1940, 90% in 1994. Roosevelt was the
one candidate Jews were truly and extremely to cause Jews to favor the
Democratic, and I wish it could be duplicated for Obama but it's not
possible.

Democratic presidential candidates remained the favorites by a big margin
with Jews voting mostly for Democrats Adlai Stevenson, Lyndon Johnson,
Hubert Humphrey, McGovern, and Carter the first time through. But then 39%
voted for Reagan (40% stuck with Carter) so pretty even division.
Regretting that choice on the second run, Jews overwhelming supported
Mondale against Reagan.

Presently the Jewish contingent in Florida overwhelmingly supports McCain
-- perhaps the average age contributes, schfartza is still an easy word
from the mouths of older Jews, which ain't friendly. Outside of Florida,
though, Obama seems to have about 60% of the Jewish vote, McCain 32%, with
25% identifying themselves as conservatives.

Unfortunately supporting McCain makes a lot of sense if the condition of
Israel rates highly in any given family, high enough that they actually
check voting records of senators on issues that effect Israel. Democrats
have a TERRIBLE record in that regard, Republicans have a very good
record. That's something I hate to admit, cuz I think Republicans are for
shit, but it's a fact, and McCain has been one of the more vohement of
many vohement Israel supporters among Republicans. By comparison, Obama's
record is too small to figure out what he might do, so his being open
minded toward crazy-ass Ahmadinejad has to stand as a negative signal. It
makes one wonder why not MORE than 25% wouldn't by now identify as
conservatives.

-paghat the ratgirl
--
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