[Ifroham4]

http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdCo...id=236045&R=R7

When an Orthodox Jewish, kippa-wearing Democratic candidate might lose a congressional election in the most Jewish (and 75% Democratic) congressional district in America – a seat occupied by Democrats for nearly a century – to a non-Jewish Republican, something significant is going on. And Golda Koppelman knows what that something is.

New York’s 9th Congressional District (Brooklyn and Queens) is gearing up for the September 13, 2011 special election to fill the seat vacated by disgraced Democrat Anthony Weiner. Koppelman, a Holocaust survivor who has lived her American life in the district, is a devout Jewish mother and grandmother, with family in both Israel and America. Like many of her generation, she’s also a devout Democrat. Until now.

“I have never voted for a Republican in my life” she says. But in this election, “I don’t even care who the Democrat is; I am voting Republican to show Obama I am upset with his policy on Israel.”

[Raj_Copi_Jin]

Someone smarter than I recently said: "if you voted for Obama to prove you weren't a racist, you now have to vote for anyone else to prove you are not stupid."

[Lt_Apple]

I am a native-born American, moved to Israel at the age of 23, a year after casting my first ballot as a legal, of-age voter in 1968 for Humphrey. I was completely amazed when I saw my dad shortly after the election and he told me that he had voted for Nixon - he was a rock-solid Democrat for as long as I could remember... When I asked him why, he looked at me in his own amazement and answered that Nixon was friendlier to Israel.....

Fast-forward to 2008. I am at my son's house in Modiin, and he had especially invited a new neighbor of theirs over for lunch because this guy was a Reform rabbi who had studied at HUC in Cincinnati and even remembered (or claimed he remembered) my aunt who had worked there. Unfortunately, the fool rabbi started talking politics and bragging about being a part of Rabbis for Obama, which got my son worried since he knows that I speak my mind. However, I just got up and left the table when the fool stuck his head literally in my FACE and hissed at me that the reason why Israelis didn't like Obama was because we think he is a Muslim.

Did he think he was going to "shame" me like some limp progressive Jew into proving that I was a "liberal" by voting for Loser Obama? Well, he was sooooo wrong.

And Ephraim, I ADORE what you posted!!!!

[Raj_Copi_Jin]

I ALWAYS tell Jews in America to vote for whoever is best for AMERICA, as it is up to Israel to take care of herself and we can't expect the American President (whoever he/she is) to be more of a Zionist than our own leaders. However, even when taking Israel out of the picture, I don't see why anyone would re-elect Obama....

[Beerinkol]

People vote for the guy who has the best spin doctors. Then they spend the next 3,4 or 5 years pretending that they voted for the other bloke.

[softy54534]

I think this issue is moot. Mr. Obama will be the Democratic candidate for President in 2012. There is no real opposition to him in his own party.

Almost all of the Republican candidates are proving themselves too radical to have any real hope of election. This is especially true when you consider various Republicans and their proposals to demolish Social Security, to forbid the construction of mosques, and to subvert the Constitutional protections of political minorities. The Christian Right may be strong, but most Americans are somewhat freaked out about the possibility of religion becoming too influential, in an overt manner, in American politics.

Mr. Ron Paul would make a very good President, and he is cut of different material. The problem is, he has less charisma and is not electable as a President on a first time basis. He would make a great Vice President who might step into presidential shoes in the manner of a past underdog: Harry Truman.

In a nutshell, Mr. Obama will win the 2012 election, unless the Republicans dig up a candidate of their own who is middle of the road and has charisma. This does not seem likely at this point.

A lot of people find themselves not comfortable about this, but there will be no perfect candidates in this coming election; not in fantasy or reality.

[tgs]

I think the Tea Party faction will ensure that the Republicans nominate someone who is unacceptable to most American Jews. I am going to go out on a limb and predict that a slim majority of American Jews will vote again for Obama in 2012 despite his gross mishandling of the Mid-East Peace Process.

[Drugmachine]

Dems worried that their court Jews are fleeing the palace.

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/20...a/#more-767381

It’s true most Jews are not single-issue voters who only care about Israel. Many are die-hard liberals who will never vote for a Republican no matter how often Obama offended Jewish sensibilities on Israel. But some Jewish centrists and even some liberals are not indifferent to the fact Israelis consider Obama to be the least friendly American president in recent memory. Add in the fact that, like most Americans, Jewish voters understand Obama is an indecisive leader who inherited a shaky economy and made it worse, and that’s a recipe for potential electoral disaster.
The one factor Democrats still have going for them is that most liberal Jews are still far more fearful of pro-Israel evangelical Christians because of their stand on church-state separation than they are of Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah or even al-Qaeda. That means a candidate like Rick Perry will likely struggle to improve on John McCain’s poor showing among Jewish voters in 2008 despite doubts about Obama on Israel. That will mean the Democrat “message” to Jews will have far more to do with scaremongering about evangelicals as well as the usual liberal Medicare tactics about entitlement cuts than it will about Obama’s virtues. But that doesn’t necessarily solve Democratic fundraising woes or save weak congressional candidates like David Weprin in NY-9.

[NeroASERCH]

My personal opinion is that Obama could vote for Palestinian Statehood later this month and still get over 50% of the American Jewish vote. Ideology is thicker than blood.

[9mm_fan]

Not so sure about that. NY District 9 is a great litmus test. Weiner's seat has been Democratic for nearly a CENTURY. His replacement in the special election is an Orthodox Jew. And he's running 6 points behind the GOP challenger.

[LottiFurmann]

My personal opinion is that Obama could vote for Palestinian Statehood later this month and still get over 50% of the American Jewish vote. Ideology is thicker than blood.

Unfortunately, I think you are right. If 78% of Jews could vote for Obama after finding out that his religious mentor blamed 9/11 on Jews, they will vote for him again.

[LottiFurmann]

Not so sure about that. NY District 9 is a great litmus test. Weiner's seat has been Democratic for nearly a CENTURY. His replacement in the special election is an Orthodox Jew. And he's running 6 points behind the GOP challenger.

I don't think District 9 is representative of other Jewish communities in the US. True, Obama will not get 78% of the Jewish vote again, but somewhere between 50-65%, which is unacceptable.

[Lt_Apple]

I don't think District 9 is representative of other Jewish communities in the US. True, Obama will not get 78% of the Jewish vote again, but somewhere between 50-65%, which is unacceptable.

Moreover the difference in views on Israel is not materially different between the two candidates. This election is a kind of referendum on Jews' views toward Obama, his policies against Israel. There's always going to be that contingent of antisemitic Jews who's hatred would give the Nazis a run for their money. Nothing to be done about them. But running through all of this is the fear that the DNC's access to high dollar Jewish fundraising and 'bundlers' may be drying up. This is going to be a billion dollar Presidential election. If Obama loses his court Jews and their money it's going to hurt him.

[tgs]

I wonder if they would ever give their money to Romney or Perry; both of whom are leagues above Obama in support for Israel. Probably not, but one can always dream

[NeroASERCH]

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/147874
Obama Loses ‘PA Referendum’ in NY Election
Republican Bob Turner won an upset in NY’s strongly Democratic 9th district in a special election that focused on Obama’s views of Israel.
The ninth district, especially the Orthodox Jewish community, voted strongly for President Obama in 2008 but now gives him an approval rating of only 13 percent, largely because of his backing of the Palestinian Authority.

Former Democratic New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani supported Turner and said during the campaign, "Israel is our ally, not the Palestinian Authority.” He added that recognizing the PA would be the same as “establishing another terrorist state.” Former Democratic New York Mayor Ed Koch said to vote for Turner to show displeasure at Obama's behavior towards Israel.