Crucial? American Israeli Vote May Hold Keys to Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania
Published October 23, 200840,000+ Strong – Half of them hail from battleground states.
According to the get out the vote non partisan ‘Vote From Israel’, if the race is tight in key swing states the Americans living in Israel & registered to vote could tip the balance (JPOST)
[...] “If the election is close, as it was in the past two [presidential] elections, then the deciding votes could be coming from Israel,” he said. According to the organization, Israel has the third-largest group of American voters abroad, behind Canada and Britain.
While the largest number of registered US voters in Israel come from New York or New Jersey, two states heavily in the Democratic camp according to polls, the next two states are the key battlegrounds of Ohio and Florida. Several thousand votes will likely be going to those swing states from Israel.
Furthermore, the significance of the votes from Israel could be magnified because they will come well before the November 4 election. Their choices, to be reported next week in an Israel-based exit poll commissioned by Vote From Israel, could influence American Jews in the United States, believes Greenspan. [...]
Many of these Israeli American good souls are devout, a great many of them in fact. If we look at the block voting from Israel from a purely Jewish perspective in comparison to American Jewish voters with no Israeli ties, polling so far would show that this could be a big chunk of change for McCain in key states.
Data so far from America points to Orthodox Jewish Americans overwhelmingly supporting John McCain for President, in stark contrast to more secular & Liberal Jewish voters who favor not so much Obama as posted yesterday, but the Democratic party itself. The polling numbers also say that McCain pulls heavily in the demographics most cognizant of Israel as an important foreign policy issue, again this issue in polling has shown overwhelming resonance with Orthodox voters for whom a strong Israel, with the Star of David above Jerusalem is non-negotiable.
If we disregard the USA data for a moment and look only at Israeli Americans with votes, I’d surmise the picture for McCain is even stronger coming out of Israel. Poll after poll in Israel of Israelis show heavy leans towards McCain. It is the worst kept secret in Israel that the Military elite which comprises a huge power base here, and the political & government strata also overwhelmingly favor what is being called ‘more of the same’ – Meaning, friendly GOP which under Bush has been a valued friend.
Obama Biden & Iran
Recent sensational statements by Biden about Obama have raised red flags, the notion that Obama will be ‘quickly tested’ according to Biden by enemies of America, and that Obama’s response will go against the grain of American public opinion, thus requiring the ‘far left to explain to the rest of America they are in the right’ immediately conjures up images of Obama leaving Israel flapping in the wind in the face of Iranian nuclear aggression. Both these links above give somewhat divergent interpretations of Biden’s remarks, but I disagree with Allahpundit on this one.
These statements reinforce the worst fears about Obama here in Israel, where few are prepared to go quietly into the wind in the face of a nuclear armed Islamic fundamentalist state that calls for genocidal destruction of Israel. We are wary of Obama here and with good reason.
Get Out the Vote
Israeli American voters here will be by default uber security conscious for obvious reasons, issues like Missile Defense funding, US sponsored peace negotiations, sanctions on Iran & Syria, the isolation & destruction of terrorist organizations etc, are pillars here in Israel. Many Israelis polled refuse to answer whom they prefer openly leaving large undecided blocks, that mirrors American Jewish data stateside as well. There may be of thousands of McCain votes pouring into crucial Ohio, Florida, and linchpin Pennsylvania – Special delivery from the Holy Land.
“Vote From Israel” will hold events in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv on October 26th and 28th, in which registered voters can drop off their ballots and, if they have yet to receive ballots from their state or country, submit a federal ballot provided by the organization.
I am partisan, If you are an American living in Israel, this election may be crucial to both countries in a manner not seen for 60 years. Please register & Vote!
The 2000 U.S. Presidential Election was decided on 537 votes. Your vote can make the difference. Welcome to Votefromisrael.org, where we strive to make it easy for 250,000 US citizens living in Israel to vote in the American elections.
2 CommentsJesse Jackson: Obama will cut down Israel and bring ‘justice’
Published October 15, 2008Leading African American Democrat hails Palestinian deliverer..
As if we weren’t already concerned here with the American left’s steady march towards open hostility regarding Israel, the advisors surrounding Obama who hold openly antagonistic views to the Jewish State, Obama’s own ties to radical preacher / hater Wright, and prominent Palestinians in the US, the Iranian & Arab quiet endorsements, the Hamas support..
Now Jesse Jackson spells it out
PREPARE for a new America: That’s the message that the Rev. Jesse Jackson conveyed to participants in the first World Policy Forum, held at this French lakeside resort last week.
He promised “fundamental changes” in US foreign policy – saying America must “heal wounds” it has caused to other nations, revive its alliances and apologize for the “arrogance of the Bush administration.”
The most important change would occur in the Middle East, where “decades of putting Israel’s interests first” would end. Jackson believes that, although “Zionists who have controlled American policy for decades” remain strong, they’ll lose a great deal of their clout when Barack Obama enters the White House.
“Obama is about change,” Jackson told me in a wide-ranging conversation. “And the change that Obama promises is not limited to what we do in America itself. It is a change of the way America looks at the world and its place in it.”
Jackson warns that he isn’t an Obama confidant or adviser, “just a supporter.” But he adds that Obama has been “a neighbor or, better still, a member of the family.” Jackson’s son has been a close friend of Obama for years, and Jackson’s daughter went to school with Obama’s wife Michelle.
“We helped him start his career,” says Jackson. “And then we were always there to help him move ahead. He is the continuation of our struggle for justice not only for the black people but also for all those who have been wronged.” [...]
He goes on hitting on everything from Mexico, to black slavery, to Iraq.. Normally I’d be skeptical of Jesse’s views since he doesn’t represent the traditional democratic mainstream, but in this case these are worldview fears commonly discussed & aired by Israel’s supporters for months now regarding Obama.
I don’t pretend to say Obama will actively seek to harm Israel or damage the strong alliance between us & America, only that his ‘game changing’ policies and sure to be futile diplomacy moves resulting in pressure on the Jewish state, will. Obama hails from the liberal far left portion of the Democratic party. Perhaps Jackson doesn’t represent the democrat mainstream, but Obama who shares many of those same extreme liberal views now does so by default as his party’s nominee for President. How’s about a bit more? Sure..
[...] “Barack wants an aggressive and dynamic diplomacy,” he says. “He also wants adequate preparatory work. We must enter the talks after the ground has been prepared,” he says.
Jackson is especially critical of President Bush’s approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict. “Bush was so afraid of a snafu and of upsetting Israel that he gave the whole thing a miss,” Jackson says. “Barack will change that,” because, as long as the Palestinians haven’t seen justice, the Middle East will “remain a source of danger to us all.”
“Barack is determined to repair our relations with the world of Islam and Muslims,” Jackson says. “Thanks to his background and ecumenical approach, he knows how Muslims feel while remaining committed to his own faith.”
Great, he may be leading the nation and be joined by a fully powered US House & Senate to boot.
LINK Update: Plenty of action on this story over at the memeo
1 CommentDiminishing Returns: US Jewish support for Obama at historic lows
Published September 26, 2008Obama pulling only 57% of those polled, While an astounding 76 to 80 percent supported the Democratic candidate in 4 previous elections..
It’s not looking too good in the US Yid department.
Despite near Messianic fervor on the far left for Mr Obama, the one term, one year serving Senator who has been hounded by much weaker foreign policy views; Including welcoming talks with Iran & Syria, waffling on Jerusalem’s unity, being endorsed by Israel’s enemies, and mentoring for 20 years under a wildly anti Semitic Church - is struggling to pull American Jewish voters according to the latest polling. There’s shocker, huh?
One Man’s loss is another man’s gain
On the flip side McCain is pulling strong numbers for the Republicans at 30%, with an alarming for Obama 13% still undecided. Perhaps they will run home to papa as they say, but if they don’t and if say 8-10% went McCain’s way he would set a monumental Jewish American support record for the GOP, perhaps cracking a whopping 40% – Unheard of.
From JPOST below (also at Haaretz)
Obama leads 57 percent to 30% among those polled in the American Jewish Committee’s 2008 Annual Survey of American Jewish Opinion, with 13% undecided, but he significantly trails the Jewish vote for recent Democratic presidential candidates.
By contrast, John Kerry received 76% of the Jewish vote four years ago against George W. Bush, and in the three prior presidential elections, Democrats won 78% to 80% of Jewish votes. [...]
Jpost goes on to note that Palin is not very popular with those polled at only 37% approval while Biden weighs in with a strong 73%. Palin’s not very well known, I’m less surprised by the VP numbers, she still bests McCain overall. But illuminating is this..
The economy was seen as the most important issue. Fifty-four percent of respondents said that was the one issue they would “most like the candidates to discuss,” with 11% answering health care, 6% the war in Iraq and just 3% answering Israel.
How would you explain those numbers? Perhaps like this..
Obama has already lost on the foreign policy issue, and those polled perhaps want to weigh still outstanding views on the economy, or they just don’t factor much for Israel. Which makes less sense when you view Obama’s historic lows and the juicy 30 McCain pulls in the poll. He’s already 6 points HIGHER than Bush, who in 2004 was seen as a very close friend to the Jewish State only 3 years after 9/11 yet, and who himself upped that Jewish support number by 4 or 5%.
In any case, that low 57% support number polled could spell disaster in key swing states. I expect Obama to lay it on thick re: Israel in tonight’s debate if it stays on the Foreign Policy topic, thicker than we have ever seen. He could backtrack fully on a number of issues (Iran), and mirror his strong sounding but fleeting AIPAC speech the day after he won nomination. I believe they call it pandering in America lol.
What choice does he have? Have you seen these numbers? No wonder the NJDC & J Street behaved like depraved lunatics this past week, they are likely in a frothy panic.
That's me, I'm part of the vast global Zionist Conspiracy you often 'read' about ;)
