As Joel Millman points out in his Wall Street Journal article, “Bush Aide Fleischer Courts Jewish Vote for McCain,” evangelicals don’t comprise the only voting bloc that can sway an election. In fact, with Election Day fast approaching, the real religious group for Obama and McCain to court is the Jews. According to Millman, McCain is desperate to make gains among typically Democratic Jewish voters in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada. Emphasizing McCain’s dedication to Israel (and questioning Obama’s), playing up the Lieberman connection, and letting the minority that is Jewish Republicans know, for instance, that “Jews…can save…votes in a state once considered reliably Republican, but now rated by political handicappers as a tossup,”(Millman, par.4) the McCain camp has tried to empower the American Jewish demographic—and, more specifically, give them the strength to move to the right.
Millman seems doubtful, however, that such efforts will work. He emphasizes that in spite of Republican efforts, Gallup national poll results and even numbers in Florida, where Jewish support for Obama has been especially soft in light of the elderly, pro-Hillary population there, have shown dramatic increases for in Jewish support for Obama, each giving him a lead of over fifty points. This shouldn’t be too surprising. As Millman explains, the only Democrat in most of the 20th century to win less than 60% of the Jewish vote was Jimmy Carter, who only grabbed 45% in 1980 (the other 55% was divided between the Republican and Independent candidate,) and it may be necessary to put Carter’s loss in the context of his incredibly unpopular first term—even the Camp David Accords, in light of his economic failures, could not save him. Still, Millman notes that Republican campaign aide Fleischer still holds out hope for a Jewish upset. He claims, “‘Barack Obama is the 21st century version of Jimmy Carter.’” (Millman, par.18)
Associating Obama with Carter is about more than numbers. In fact, it may be a rhetorical move used to undermine Obama’s support for Israel. Jimmy Carter’s recent 2007 book, Palestine Peace Not Apartheid, accuses Israelis of maltreating the Palestinians, and his recent meetings with both the leader of Hamas and the president of Syria haven’t helped the former President’s standing with Jews. In fact, a link between Obama and Carter may be loaded with dire implications regarding Obama’s protection of Israel from terrorism and holocaustic threats from Iran. Recently, such concerns were voiced by an email circulating in Pennsylvania warning Jews not to provoke a second Holocaust by voting for Obama. The McCain campaign made sure to emphasize its distance from the inflammatory note, but Millman credits its authorship to a Paul Rudnick who, recently fired from the campaign, claims to have had authorization from party officials.
As politicians, campaign aides, and PACs from both sides of the fence make a play for Jews, they should be careful with the material they use to do so. As a half-Jew with many fully Jewish relatives, I have begun to tire of rhetoric turning Israel into a buzzword meant to reel in the demographic. Meanwhile, to evoke the Holocaust—whether in a campaign unaffiliated email or during the Presidential debates during discussion of Iran—to reach self-interested political ends is shameful. It is no wonder that such efforts to capture the Jewish vote are failing. Politicians are no longer treating the religious group like a valuable part of society. Instead, it seems that Jews, who have endured a campaign filled with rhetoric emphasizing each candidate’s Christianity, are now just another pawn in the blue and red board game of the Electoral College.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
5 comments:
I agree with Rachel that this flimsy attempt by the McCain campaign to garner Jewish votes is bound to be largely unsuccessful. This entire election has seen reference after reference to the two candidate’s levels of Christianity. It is no surprise therefore, that the Jewish population, is less than enthused by this last ditch effort being made to cater to them. Unlike the evangelical population that has a clear platform of moral issues that seem to dominate political dialogue, Jews tend to be isolated to a single issue, Israel. Personally, as a Jew, I find Israel an important issue but not something I cast my vote based upon. Unlike abortion or gay marriage, Israel is not a concern that will unify the Jewish population to vote based on a single policy rather than a candidate in general. Since the Jewish population composes a very small percentage of the American populace I find it startling that the McCain campaign is placing so much attention on them. I think this focus is perhaps more important than his potential ability to win their votes. It speaks very strongly to his general inability to secure what have long been strongholds for the Republican Party. If McCain feels the need to preach to a sector of society that contains less than 2% of the population, it is clear that he is making every possible effort to stay in the race. 2% can certainly make a difference but it will take more than that to win the election.
Both Caroline and Rachel make good points. In an election where Christianity is often the most prominent religion that is discussed, it is interesting to think about the Jewish perspective. However, while McCain's attempts to appeal to Jewish voters certainly may seem a bit desperate or manipulative, I do not believe that this is an example of a "general inability to secure what have long been strongholds for the Republican Party." Florida was not a Republican stronghold in either of the past two elections; it was a swing state both times, and I think everyone knows how important it was in 2000. Similarly, Ohio was an influential swing state in 2004. Therefore, McCain is well advised to appeal to Jewish voters in these states, though I agree that bringing up controversial subjects such as the Holocaust is not an effective way to do so. Obama has done his fair share of pandering to certain racial and religious groups, so why should McCain be criticized for following suit?
I completely agree with Rachel and Caroline, evidently the Mc Cain campaign has not been able to gain Jewish support. I attribute this problem to the way they are dealing with this sector of society. Republicans and Democrats are more experienced with gaining Evangelical and Protestant support because issues such as abortion unite the vote. Nonetheless, as Rachel mentioned, the Jewish population has a completely different set of issues and ways of addressing them, and these interests are much more delicate. The Mc Cain campaign’s denied move to evoke to the Holocaust is barbaric and horrifying. Delicate issues, such as the Holocaust and Israel, should never be used for political gains and the fact that the Mc Cain campaign attempted to is truly a dissolution. Both political campaigns need to understand that each religion has a diverse set of issues that matter most and every single one of them has to be dealt with care and respect. Even though the party denied these allegations, the damage has already been done.
With all the lies and innuendo in this election, Jews may be the most targeted demographic. The accusation that Barack Obama is a Muslim, coupled with the disturbing implication that being a Muslim somehow means you are a terrorist sympathizer or anti-American may resonate the most with Jews, especially the more easily-persuadable elderly retirees in the ever-important swing state of Florida. I'm certainly not saying that John McCain himself has stooped to this level, but there's no question that there are people out there who have.
Jewish voters have clearly been an influential voting bloc in past elections despite their small relative numbers, as Rachel points out in her post. The desire to sway this constituency has even prompted overzealous measures, such as invocations of the Holocaust. Extreme cases aside, I think that McCain’s courtship of the Jewish vote is actually an interesting example of political parties chasing voters around the “Nolan chart,” since Jews typically vote uniformly Democratic. Caroline and Claire raise valid points about the reasons behind this courtship, presenting it as both a sign of weakness and a strategic move for the McCain campaign. Although I believe that reaching across demographic boundaries to gain voters is admirable and necessary for both candidates, I am disappointed by the demonization of political opponents. For instance, the email mentioned in the article comparing a vote for Obama to catalyzing a second Holocaust crossed the line for me. American citizens, while free to express their opinions, should never abuse their right to dissent by degenerating to political hyperbole. I may not agree with all of Obama’s policies, but I believe strongly in respecting him as a person. Democrats and Republicans are not enemies, but simply Americans with differing opinions. This article highlights the cutthroat and often illogical nature of politics, which I believe needs to be remedied in order for true progress to be achieved.
Post a Comment