Bush, Aides Court Jewish Votes in Tight Race

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A speech by President Bush (news - web sites)'s national security adviser to a powerful pro-Israel lobbying group in Florida eight days before the election caps a concerted Republican drive for Jewish votes that has so far yielded minimal results.



Seemingly undeterred by a probe into whether the AIPAC lobbying group passed classified information to Israel -- an allegation it denies -- the White House has given the organization almost unparalleled access to top officials, from Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) on down.

~snip~

Administration officials say Rice will not mention Democratic presidential rival Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites) by name. But she is expected to tout the president's steadfast support for Israel and the policies of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites), while defending the invasion of Iraq (news - web sites) as a boost to the security of the United States and Israel.


Democrats have criticized Rice for making speeches in battleground states, accusing her of compromising the traditionally non-political role of national security adviser. The White House insists Rice's speeches are not campaign events and are appropriate due to the importance of security matters.

more: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=1895&e=1&u=/nm/20041024/pl_nm/campaign_jewish_dc

Liars, and we'll be paying for this jaunt!?!!?!

[still_one]

1. bush is not going to get the Jewish vote

[Davis_X_Machina]

2. Bush's numbers with Jewish voters will be...

...+/- 3% of what they were in 2000. For every Jewish vote -- miskakenly, I would argue -- he picks up for 'taking out one of Israel's enemies', he will lose one for turning this country towards a Protestant Christian theocracy.

Oh, and dittos for the Catholic vote. Every 'pro-life' voter will be cancelled out by another one horrified by Bush's taking a walk on social justice issues and his attempt to establish a Protestant Christian theocracy.

[PeaceForever]

16. Good post. You took the words out of my mouth. n/t

[TaleWgnDg]

3. is * fully aware that John Forbes Kerry is 1/4 Jewish but never

knew it until recently? Yes, his father's father changed Kohn (Jewish) to Kerry before escaping Hitler's Europe for America. The family converted to Catholicism as is Kerry who is a very devout Catholic . . . who's trying to play the "Jewish card," here?


. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

edited due to typo

[6th Borough]

5. ...and Wes Clark was 1/2...

I know he didn't win, but he was "my dog in this hunt" :D

[RivetJoint]

13. How can you be a 1/4

of a religion?

[6th Borough]

4. A Jewish Republican is nearly as rare as a Log Cabin Republican.

And that isn't changing.

It's time they realized that the majority of Jewish voters A)aren't single issue voters like the elderly Cuban immigrants B)probably the single most progressive demographic and D)possibly the most highly educated demographic, and if you know anything about voter tendencies, it's that the more education one has the more likely they are to vote Democratic.

Florida will be sending a new House member in this year who isn't only Jewish, but a woman; not just a Jewish woman, but the youngest perseon EVER elected to the Florida Senate (at age 26).

Break it down; now matter the age or sex, Jews do and will continue to vote Democratic.

[phillysuse]

6. Bush and the Jewish vote

How about an ad aimed at Jewish voters in swing states
showing that
1) Prescott Bush, the grandfather of President Bush, was involved in helping Hitler develop his industry in the 30's and a
good friend of the Nazis and
2) KKKarl Rove's father was an Austrian Nazi.
A Jew for Bush is almost as pathetic as a Jew for Hitler.
Bush has made Israel much less safe in the Middle East.

[iamjoy]

7. GOP Will Get Some Jewish Votes

I mean, some Jews do focus mainly on the Israel issue and see Bush as more supportive on that. These are the Jews that think Sharon and the Likud government are just peachy keen. These Jews believe God meant for Jews to have all of Israel including the West Bank and Gaza. They see Palestinians as terrorists and don't negotiate with terrorists. Some prominent Democrats have criticized Israel, while Bush will always be a friend.

Other Jews are less religious; they love Israel too but not blindly. They are pragmatic, and not so sensitive as to take every criticism of Israel as anti-Semetic. When the Republicans try to link Democrats to Palestinians, these Jews wonder if the Democrats questioning some of Israel's actions have a point. It isn't like these politicians said "fuck the Jews" or something, just trying to understand the motivations of the rest of the world.

Your very religious Jews are being swayed by Bush. On the other hand, your secular Jews are staying Democrats and becoming friends with Arab Americans who are increasingly becoming a Democratic constituency. While these Arab Americans prefer the Republican stance on social issues (abortion, gay marriage) they cannot abide the Bush Administration's trampling of civil liberties (especially as it has disproportionately affected this group) or its stubborness about Israel.

[baby_bear]

8. I think the commenters here underestimate Jews for Bush

I can't say that I speak from authority by any means. But I have one intellectual Jewish friend, who has gone over to the Bush side, and from what he tells me, it seems that it is totally because of the Bush administration's support of Sharon as well as - I gather - the fundamentalist support of Israel in general over Palestinian rights. Whenever I send him an article that is critical of Israel, or sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, he accuses the author of being anti-semitic.

I don't understand it myself, because I thought that the only reason the Falwells et al. support Israel is because of their fundamental belief that Jews are Christians-in-waiting, i.e., almost but not quite to the kingdom of Christianity; they are just waiting to be converted. I would think, if I were a Jew, that I would be offended by that.

Nevertheless, my point holds, and that is that Democrats underestimate at their peril, the appeal of the Bushies to Jewish American voters (I hope Jewish American is a PC term. Sorry if not.)

Maybe some Jewish DUers could shed some light on this matter better than I can. I would like to be enlightened.

s_m

[6th Borough]

9. Still at least a 40% margin for Kerry amongst Jewish voters.

[Dem2theMax]

10. I can't get past this one line:

The White House insists Rice's speeches are not campaign events and are appropriate due to the importance of security matters.

Meanwhile, back in "BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 24 - The Iraqi interim government has warned the United States and international nuclear inspectors that nearly 380 tons of powerful conventional explosives - used to demolish buildings, produce missile warheads and detonate nuclear weapons - are missing from one of Iraq's most sensitive former military installations."

If they were so concerned with 'security matters,' Condi would have been on top of this last year. But NOOOO, they are too busy courting votes and trying to bury the truth.

I'm :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke:
:nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

[maddezmom]

15. thanks...that was line that got me

could care less who * is trying to court for votes, but Condi is not the one to be out of DC doing it. And at the very least is should be called what it is....CAMPAIGNING!!! And the RNC should pay for it.

[LiberteToujours]

11. Are the Jews going to be the deciding factor in this race?

Just like the gays, blacks, women, gun owners, fundies, and Cathloics? I'm getting tired of these stories ...

[Sinnerman]

12. Zogby... "17-18 Million More Americans will Vote vs. 2000"

Watched CNN late last night and zogby says 17-18 Million More Americans will vote this time around.

[Name removed]

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