(Gallup).Jewish Americans gave President Barack Obama a 60% job approval rating in June, down from 68% in May, but statistically unchanged from 64% in April. Thirty-two percent of U.S. Jews now disapprove of the job Obama is doing, similar to their 30% average thus far in 2011.
Gallup cannot say whether the speech had an immediate impact on the views of Jewish Americans toward the president nationally, as sample sizes for this group in Gallup Daily tracking are too small to isolate short time periods.
However, aggregated Gallup Daily tracking interviews for the month and half periods prior to and following the speech show no significant nor sustained shift in Jewish Americans' views toward Obama. Sixty-five percent approved of him for the April 1-May 18 time period, and 62% approved from May 19-June 30.
Job Approval of President Obama Before and After May 19 Speech
Gallup also finds no change in the views of the more than 300 Jewish Democrats interviewed in each period, with 86% approving of Obama prior to the speech and 85% after.
The absence of a significant retreat in Jewish Americans' approval of Obama since his Mideast policy speech contrasts with a recent commentary by Ben Smith for Politico, titled "Obama May Be Losing the Faith of Jewish Democrats," in which he suggests a "tipping point" may have been reached with Jews who have long harbored concerns about the president's support of Israel. That conclusion, based on Smith's conversations with "center-left American Jews and Obama supporters -- and many of them Democratic donors" may apply to certain politically active members of the Jewish-American community, but according to recent Gallup trends, is not reflective of the views of Jewish AMericans more generally.
