(Ed Morrissey on Hotair.com and on the Bibi Report Radio 7/4/11)...Jewish voters are one of the bedrock demographics for the Democratic Party, almost as loyal as black voters. In 2008, Obama got 78% of the Jewish vote despite the questions raised by his association with Hamas-supporting Jeremiah Wright at Trinity United, as well as a campaign adviser’s connections to Hamas. They still supported him despite having Samantha Power on his campaign team and in his administration as a Special Adviser, a woman who once proposed that Western nations occupy Israel to disarm the IDF in order to impose peace in the region.
Honestly, if that list of clues didn’t convince Jewish voters of Obama’s lack of sympathy for Israel, it’s hard to imagine that a reference to 1967 lines would provide the necessary Technicolor moment.
The Jewish vote won’t suddenly swing to the GOP, for reasons that have nothing to do with Obama. Jewish voters tend to be more progressive; the Democratic Party is a more natural home for them. While there may be some truth in the notion that African-Americans are naturally more conservative and could be won over with a more concerted effort by Republicans to address their issues through debate (as Jack Kemp tried), that’s almost certainly not true of Jewish voters as a bloc. The GOP position on Israel might be a better fit, but on domestic politics, they’ll keep voting Democratic.
But they may not be as willing to donate, especially to Obama, and that may be all it takes in what is already shaping up as a tough re-election campaign:
Republicans probably won’t make significant inroads with these voters (might be a 70-30 vote split), and exit polls in 2012 will likely show similar breakdowns as 2008. The difference will be fewer voters coming to the polls to support Obama as others sit on their hands … and their cash.