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American Jews can usually be counted on to line up squarely behind the Democratic presidential candidate, but Jewish voters this year are expressing misgivings about likely nominee Barack Obama.
And the Jewish vote could prove crucial in November in swing states like Ohio and especially Florida, where Democrat Al Gore lost the presidency by a few hundred votes in 2000.
A longtime Democratic constituency with a high turnout rate, Jews are important to Obama’s “general election hopes, particularly in New York, which he expects to win; in California and New Jersey, which he must keep out of Republican hands; and most crucially, in Florida, where Jews make up around 5 percent of voters,” the New York Times observed.
But Shirley Weitz, one of many South Florida Jews interviewed by the Times’ Jodi Kantor, said: “The people here, liberal people, will not vote for Obama because of his attitude towards Israel.
“They’re going to vote for McCain.”
Many of the Florida Jews who spoke with Kantor questioned Obama’s commitment to Israel. Some suspect him of being too cozy with the Palestinians, and others accuse him of having ties to Muslims because his father was born Muslim and as a boy he lived for a time in Indonesia, a Muslim country.
Several people told the Times that they were worried about Obama’s stated willingness to speak without conditions with Iran’s leadership, given that nation’s nuclear ambitions and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s threat to “wipe Israel off the map.”
Other voters were critical of Obama’s endorsement by Rev. Jesse Jackson, because Jackson once called New York “Hymietown” and has made other comments offensive to Jews, the Times reported.
Obama could lose Jewish votes to McCain due to Sen. Joe Lieberman’s strong backing of the presumptive GOP candidate.
Lieberman “is expected to spend plenty of time in front of Jewish audiences, in Florida and elsewhere,” Kantor noted.
“A Democrat turned independent, an Orthodox Jew and one of Mr. McCain’s closest friends, Mr. Lieberman will promote Mr. McCain’s strong national security resume and centrist stances.”
Another longtime Jewish Democrat, former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, said he might also support McCain over Obama.
He told Newsmax in an exclusive interview that McCain “has no equal” when it comes to opposing Islamic terrorism, and said he is bothered by Obama’s relationships with Rev. Jeremiah Wright and terrorist bomber William Ayers.
Aides said Obama plans to spend a considerable amount of time in the next few months campaigning in Florida, which could once again decide a close race in November.
Boca Raton, Fla., Rabbi Ruvi New, referring to a nearby heavily Jewish retirement community, told the Times: “The fate of the world for the next four years — it’s all going to boil down to a few old Jews in Century Village.”
40, this is a cropped NYT article. Everything that counters the problems Obama has with Jewish people in FL is cropped out. I know you didn't realize this so I'm not putting the onus on you, but it's something to keep in mind when you post Newsmax articles.
40, this is a cropped NYT article. Everything that counters the problems Obama has with Jewish people in FL is cropped out. I know you didn't realize this so I'm not putting the onus on you, but it's something to keep in mind when you post Newsmax articles.
Thanks DWKB. I'll check that out next time. I just kind of got a kick out of the last paragraph that says the fate of the world could very well be decided by a few old Jews in Florida. The Jewish dry sense of humor never fails to crack me up.
Thanks DWKB. I'll check that out next time. I just kind of got a kick out of the last paragraph that says the fate of the world could very well be decided by a few old Jews in Florida. The Jewish dry sense of humor never fails to crack me up.
Obama Asks Jewish Voters to Judge Him on His Policies
Eric Thayer for The New York Times
Barack Obama at the B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton, Fla., where he asked voters to disregard false stories about him.
By JEFF ZELENY
Published: May 23, 2008
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Senator Barack Obama sought to assure Jewish voters here on Thursday of his commitment to the security of Israel and implored them to disregard the false stories and rumors about his beliefs, background and foreign policy views toward the Middle East.
“We must not negotiate with a terrorist group that’s intent on Israel’s destruction,” said Mr. Obama, of Illinois. “We should only sit down with Hamas if they renounce terror, recognize Israel’s right to exist and abide by past agreements.”
For nearly two hours, Mr. Obama tried to work through a deep-seated skepticism of his candidacy by some Jews. He was welcomed by warm applause that seemed to grow throughout the afternoon session at a synagogue.
Mr. Obama had sharp words for his Republican critics, singling out President Bush and Senator John McCain of Arizona as “counting on fear” and what he called a distortion of his stance on Israel and his plan to meet with foreign leaders. He said he would not negotiate with Hamas or Hezbollah unless they renounced ties to terrorism.
“If my policies are wrong, vote against me because my policies are wrong,” Mr. Obama told several hundred people gathered inside the synagogue, B’nai Torah Congregation. “Don’t vote against me because of who I am.”
First, he fielded questions about his name, which he acknowledged is probably at the root of false rumors about his being Muslim. He is a Christian, he said, and gently told one man, “People shouldn’t worry about my name.”
Then, another man was booed by neighbors when he questioned Mr. Obama about his associations with supporters of the Palestinians, specifically Rashid Khalidi, director of the Middle East Institute at Columbia University and a Palestinian rights advocate. Finally, the man asked Mr. Obama for a list of Jewish supporters who could vouch for him.
“I have to be very cautious about this,” Mr. Obama said, “because you remember the old stereotype, ‘I’m not prejudiced, some of my best friends are Jewish,’ right? ‘I’m not prejudiced, some of my best friends are black.’ ”
Later, he said: “We’ve got to be careful about guilt by association. The tradition of the Jewish people is to judge me by what I say and what I’ve done.”
Mr. Obama sought to allay concerns about his willingness to engage in direct talks with foreign leaders, including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran. A woman in the audience asked Mr. Obama what he would say to the Iranian president if he held such a meeting.
“I will do everything in my power from allowing Iran to develop a nuclear weapon,” Mr. Obama said. “Their rhetoric towards Israel is unacceptable.”
Sylvia Skavronek, 77, who leads a Democratic club in Delray Beach, Fla., was seeing Mr. Obama for the first time. She said she walked in with a sense of uncertainty but left with a favorable impression of the man she believes will soon be the Democratic nominee. Yet she conceded Mr. Obama had work to do to introduce himself to Jews.
“He wasn’t my first choice, but he’s a great second choice,” said Ms. Skavronek, who initially supported Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. “All we want is a Democrat.”
Did you guys notice the other article I posted about McCain and Obama selecting running mates?
An exerpt:
Quote:
This week, Obama has campaigned in Florida, another key swing state. Obama will speak to a Cuban American audience Friday morning about Latin American issues, and in Boca Raton on Thursday he urged Jewish voters to ignore false rumors that circulate via e-mail about his stance on Israel and his religious background.
Obama has a lot of campaigning ground to make up in FL because of the Dem primary decision. By not having a presence in FL he wasn't able to squash all the crazy rumors about him.
That's been Obama's stance on Hamas since before he declared candidacy -- that's not pandering, it's being consistent.
I will say that my friends in Israel or with family there are extremely uneasy about Obama, even the younger, sophisticated ones. They don't buy the 'Muslim' thing -- they generally think he probably means what he says about supporting Israel, but they think he is incredibly naive to imagine he could sit down with Iran or Syria and not somehow give away more than he could get -- if James Baker could get conned by Assad, no one there thinks Obama's people will have a clue.
Now mind you, this is while their own Prime Minister is talking about giving up the Golan based on rather minimal guarantees, which is utterly insane (and is creating a wave of public protest), and while acknowledging that McCain poses other serious foreign policy dilemmas. McCain and Hillary's talk of obliterating Iran gives no comfort whatsoever, either. And they reluctantly admit the current administration, for all the talk of blind support for Israel, under Condee's direction has been closer to the Pals than any since Carter, and is pressuring Israel into bargaining their security with the utterly toothless Abbas, or even submitting their security to a UN or NATO border force. (Not to mention this admin already sent high level representatives to talk to Iran and Syria about Iraq, without preconditions.)
__________________
oderint dum metuant (Latin for 'let them hate, so long as they fear').
Well, in truth I'm actually not a total hawk, but I'm not a dove either -- I'm more like an angry pigeon flying over the political arena after a really big meal. -Abba Gav
That's been Obama's stance on Hamas since before he declared candidacy -- that's not pandering, it's being consistent.
I will say that my friends in Israel or with family there are extremely uneasy about Obama, even the younger, sophisticated ones. They don't buy the 'Muslim' thing -- they generally think he probably means what he says about supporting Israel, but they think he is incredibly naive to imagine he could sit down with Iran or Syria and not somehow give away more than he could get -- if James Baker could get conned by Assad, no one there thinks Obama's people will have a clue.
Now mind you, this is while their own Prime Minister is talking about giving up the Golan based on rather minimal guarantees, which is utterly insane (and is creating a wave of public protest), and while acknowledging that McCain poses other serious foreign policy dilemmas. McCain and Hillary's talk of obliterating Iran gives no comfort whatsoever, either. And they reluctantly admit the current administration, for all the talk of blind support for Israel, under Condee's direction has been closer to the Pals than any since Carter, and is pressuring Israel into bargaining their security with the utterly toothless Abbas, or even submitting their security to a UN or NATO border force. (Not to mention this admin already sent high level representatives to talk to Iran and Syria about Iraq, without preconditions.)
Hey AZZ. Long time no see. So tell me. Did you find the statement by Rabbi New at the end of the article I posted to be hilarious?
Honest to God. All the long faces around here!!! It's a beautiful day and I didn't find my name in the obituaries this morning. How much better can life get?
Eric Thayer for The New York Times
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