Honestly, the more a Jew today is informed about economics and maybe is involved in some way, and the stronger his or her personality or convictions, they should vote conservative. And some do.
Being an “out” Jewish person, that is, my friends and family know how I lean, sometimes people will “confess” to me that they voted for the R guy too, but they are not ready to tell the world.
But it’s a hard demo to crack. One relative told me he doesn’t trust people to give to help the poor. This guy DOES, he donates his money and time to charities. But he doesn’t trust others to do so, so he is ok with the government taking from the rich (he would fall into that category according to obama) to help the poor. It’s a head shaker.
And they will align with the NYT or the mass media. They consider themselves well informed, well read. They suck it up like Hashem wrote the NYT. I was once approached and asked by one female relative, “You’re not part of the [said in a voice tinged with disgust] Tea Party, are you?” I asked her what she thought the tea party was, and I told her that it wasn’t a party, it was just a symbolic revolt against both parties in power with the name Taxed Enough Already. She had no idea. She thought it was sometimes deep and Christian fundamentalist. I told her that it is mainly about returning to the freedoms in the constitution, where a lot of the crap thrown down to us by the government is unconstitutional. They buy everything they read in the paper. And if they step out of the shtetl on a subject, friends will mock.
There is a long tradition of clannish ness with Jews. Like with american blacks. Both these groups close ranks a lot to outsiders. Even innocent outsiders. Again, I know this from personal experience. I grew up in a mostly Jewish neighborhood. 60% of the kids at my elementary school were Jewish. I take after my German jewish grandma and have blonde hair and blue eyes. My grandfather, after surviving the camps, changed our name. When I would play at a friend’s house, the parents were very stiff and polite to me. I would never have thought there was anything wrong at all, everyone was kind and nice. But when the parents found out I too was Jewish, I became part of the family. There was a warmth and a “family” feel, where they relaxed around me.
I would say that there are more Jews voting conservative now than ever before, but it’s still a hard demo to crack. And yes, they all think Sarah Palin is stupid. Also, most Christians or non religious think Sarah Palin is stupid. I’d say 3/4 of America are pretty sure she is stupid. I’m not all that happy with Sarah’s recent choices, but I know she is NOT stupid. Boy did the media win THAT one.
Thanks for your insights on swinging the Jewish vote.
Although I am well socialized with Jews, I’m not Jewish. The aspect of clannishness that you mentioned, is something that I have seen, but did not really appreciate as a political factor until you pointed it out.
Looking at the swing in the Black community from R to D, one of the factors proposed has been leadership from within the community championing the change. I listen to Mark Levin regularly on the radio, and occasionally to Michael Savage. Have you noted any Jewish leaders or political representatives actively preaching conservatism to Jews, or ringing the clarion of the Democrat Party betraying Jews to the Islamists? Any insider voices which might get through the media screen?
Another factor mentioned in the historic political realignment of Blacks, was the crisis economic situation of the Depression, and the appeal of a “New Deal”. Any inkling of a shift in feelings on economic policy? Is there a feeling of “wrong direction” worrying folks?
Finally, there was the Civil Rights Act, which cemented the realignment. This kind of strikes to the heart of alienation and distrust which unifies an oppressed/injured minority. That “circle the wagons” mentality will naturally persist for a long time, after traumatic events - it is an important lesson learned to impress on the kids. Who is viewed to be on your side on such an existential issue will trump most other considerations.
In my opinion, Jews are threatened in a way that dwarfs any danger to American Blacks, by the organized efforts for eventual genocide by Islamists both Sunni (Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas) and Shia (Iran/HizbAllah). For a long time, those were faraway threats to secular American Jews, but their numbers have been ballooning in Europe and America, and the string of attacks is growing. At some point, a watershed event will likely occur.
Sadly, I just see this as a matter of time. Obama is selling out Jews, just as he is selling out the middle class - while lying to them that he is working for them. If things get hairy with attacks on American Jews, do you think that security issues would cause a flip?