Mormons in Congress

[Goatnapper'96]

I asked this of one of my Jewish co-workers (old NYC jewish family).

To summarize his explanation:

1. Most Jews today are being raised by parents who were children of Jews that were subjected to a lot of anti-Semitism....much of which was institutionally perpetrated by the elite class on the migrant/working class Jews that came to our country along with all other Euro immigrants. They naturally aligned themselves politically with the working class political party.
2. American Jews are liberal by nature and do not care for the legislation of morality or religion....in short, they would afford all men the freedom to worship what they may but choose to live according to the dictates of their own consciousness. This is somewhat seen in the daily practices of Judaism, which is a non-proselyting religion....Jews dont care what you do or believe as long as you leave them alone.

This is a paraphrase, of course, but it made sense to me as he tried to explain why so many Jews are Dem.

The Democrats pandered to the Jewish lobby and were staunch Zionists post WWII. The Republicans took a more isolationist view to foreign relations and as such were not quite as gung ho on that front.

I sense a changing in this historical Democratic constituency especially with the more hawkish Republicans moving toward more and more support of Israel as it deals with militant Islam. I am interested in how the Jews vote in the next Presidential election and the extent to which their being less than enamored with President Obama will push them more towards the only true and living political party!

[CJF]

I asked this of one of my Jewish co-workers (old NYC jewish family).

To summarize his explanation:

1. Most Jews today are being raised by parents who were children of Jews that were subjected to a lot of anti-Semitism....much of which was institutionally perpetrated by the elite class on the migrant/working class Jews that came to our country along with all other Euro immigrants. They naturally aligned themselves politically with the working class political party.
2. American Jews are liberal by nature and do not care for the legislation of morality or religion....in short, they would afford all men the freedom to worship what they may but choose to live according to the dictates of their own consciousness. This is somewhat seen in the daily practices of Judaism, which is a non-proselyting religion....Jews dont care what you do or believe as long as you leave them alone.

This is a paraphrase, of course, but it made sense to me as he tried to explain why so many Jews are Dem.

This is pretty close to what my buddy says also. He just gave me a long list of all the people throughout history that have persecuted the Jews and a high majority of them are Christians. They're not real fond of the religious right.

[TripletDaddy]

The Democrats pandered to the Jewish lobby and were staunch Zionists post WWII. The Republicans took a more isolationist view to foreign relations and as such were not quite as gung ho on that front.

I sense a changing in this historical Democratic constituency especially with the more hawkish Republicans moving toward more and more support of Israel as it deals with militant Islam. I am interested in how the Jews vote in the next Presidential election and the extent to which their being less than enamored with President Obama will push them more towards the only true and living political party!

I wouldn't hold my breath for a seachange in the political psyche of the American Jew. They may be American, but culturally they are Jewish and part of that identity has been voting Democrat for generations now.

I think what I have seen is that there are more young Jews willing to branch out away from their parents politics without fear of shunning, although I would say that roaming off the political reservation is much more acceptable than, say, marrying outside of the tribe.

The other problem with your observation is that even if Jews want to migrate, where are they going to go? In the last election, the alternatives were religious right Huckabee, lefty turned righty MittBot, and Palin...who spent most of her time criticizing the "gotcha" media and "liberal Hollywood elite." The Palin approach isn't exactly the roadmap to success when courting the Jewish vote.

Any republican candidate that will have a chance of swaying the Jewish vote will have to be a real left-leaner, centrist at worst. Hard-core conservative Repubs need not apply. I just dont see that happening.

[Green Monstah]

I wouldn't hold my breath for a seachange in the political psyche of the American Jew. They may be American, but culturally they are Jewish and part of that identity has been voting Democrat for generations now.

I think what I have seen is that there are more young Jews willing to branch out away from their parents politics without fear of shunning, although I would say that roaming off the political reservation is much more acceptable than, say, marrying outside of the tribe.

The other problem with your observation is that even if Jews want to migrate, where are they going to go? In the last election, the alternatives were religious right Huckabee, lefty turned righty MittBot, and Palin...who spent most of her time criticizing the "gotcha" media and "liberal Hollywood elite." The Palin approach isn't exactly the roadmap to success when courting the Jewish vote.

Any republican candidate that will have a chance of swaying the Jewish vote will have to be a real left-leaner, centrist at worst. Hard-core conservative Repubs need not apply. I just dont see that happening.

FWIW, there are several Jewish partners at my firm who are not just Republican, but insanely Republican. When you also take Ari Fleischer into account, I think it's clear that living within the borders of the Republic of Texas is the best way to turn Jews into Republicans.

[Blueintheface]

I was surprised when Pete Stark (a congressman I interned for in '75; I blush to admit this) announced just a couple of years ago that he was an atheist. That'd be political suicide in most parts of the country, but in the East Bay, no one cared.

My brother was a speechwriter for Jake Garn some years ago ('89). I remember meeting the Senator (I was just 17 years old at the time) and him taking us on a walking tour around DC. I've been back several times since but I always felt like that first visit was special. He seemed like a very decent fellow.

Fast forward 20+ years and my political apathy is at an all-time high and my brother is now considering a run for Mayor of Salt Lake as a Democrat.

[Goatnapper'96]

I wouldn't hold my breath for a seachange in the political psyche of the American Jew. They may be American, but culturally they are Jewish and part of that identity has been voting Democrat for generations now.

I think what I have seen is that there are more young Jews willing to branch out away from their parents politics without fear of shunning, although I would say that roaming off the political reservation is much more acceptable than, say, marrying outside of the tribe.

The other problem with your observation is that even if Jews want to migrate, where are they going to go? In the last election, the alternatives were religious right Huckabee, lefty turned righty MittBot, and Palin...who spent most of her time criticizing the "gotcha" media and "liberal Hollywood elite." The Palin approach isn't exactly the roadmap to success when courting the Jewish vote.

Any republican candidate that will have a chance of swaying the Jewish vote will have to be a real left-leaner, centrist at worst. Hard-core conservative Repubs need not apply. I just dont see that happening.

I think the fact that there are fewer and fewer who identify with their emotional and ideological reasons for affiliating with the Democrat party more and more will drift to the Republican. I think you will find them voting more and more within their assimilated demographic block rather than as a cultural block. I also think that they are going to be more enamored with Sarah Palin hating on "liberal Hollywood elite" than many of them are going to be with President Obama's current less than cozy relationship with Israel.

[oxcoug]

You interned for a Democrat? May as well be atheist...

Yeah so did I. Changed me forever.

[oxcoug]

I wouldn't hold my breath for a seachange in the political psyche of the American Jew. They may be American, but culturally they are Jewish and part of that identity has been voting Democrat for generations now.

I think what I have seen is that there are more young Jews willing to branch out away from their parents politics without fear of shunning, although I would say that roaming off the political reservation is much more acceptable than, say, marrying outside of the tribe.

The other problem with your observation is that even if Jews want to migrate, where are they going to go? In the last election, the alternatives were religious right Huckabee, lefty turned righty MittBot, and Palin...who spent most of her time criticizing the "gotcha" media and "liberal Hollywood elite." The Palin approach isn't exactly the roadmap to success when courting the Jewish vote.

Any republican candidate that will have a chance of swaying the Jewish vote will have to be a real left-leaner, centrist at worst. Hard-core conservative Repubs need not apply. I just dont see that happening.

I've done enough Jew-dabbling in the last decade that I can sing Shalom Aleichem start to finish and am therefore deeply qualified to comment on this.

The realities I see (and sort of see them around me, as my neighbors and best friends in NYC are mostly younger, professional Jewish folk) are

1. Overwhelmingly Jewish people still lean strongly Democratic on almost all social issues.

2. But on economic and foreign policy issues they're increasingly skeptical of the "progressive" project and its latent anti-semitism.

I think Michael Bloomberg is actually a legitimate bellwether for what's coming - in other words, they don't know where they belong. My ex-girlfriend's Dad (a lifelong New York Jew, Yankee fan and Columbia grad, who isn't at all religious but is very much Jewish) was genuinely undecided until election week in 2008 before finally going w/ Obama. He's a classic, ambivalent, quasi-Dem, quasi-Republican, mostly Independent, early 21st century Bloomberg Jew.

But after all this - the Jewish path to the right is already marked by the neo-cons, a movement with all of its intellectual roots in the pre-Vietnam Dem party, and then a group exit to Republicanism. More will follow.

But I'll add - every Jewish person I know loathes Sarah Palin for her populist anti-intellectualism. Her and the Bachmann types are going to keep most Jews, even the younger ones, at arm's length from the Republican party.

[TripletDaddy]

I've done enough Jew-dabbling in the last decade that I can sing Shalom Aleichem start to finish and am therefore deeply qualified to comment on this.

The realities I see (and sort of see them around me, as my neighbors and best friends in NYC are mostly younger, professional Jewish folk) are

1. Overwhelmingly Jewish people still lean strongly Democratic on almost all social issues.

2. But on economic and foreign policy issues they're increasingly skeptical of the "progressive" project and its latent anti-semitism.

I think Michael Bloomberg is actually a legitimate bellwether for what's coming - in other words, they don't know where they belong. My ex-girlfriend's Dad (a lifelong New York Jew, Yankee fan and Columbia grad, who isn't at all religious but is very much Jewish) was genuinely undecided until election week in 2008 before finally going w/ Obama. He's a classic, ambivalent, quasi-Dem, quasi-Republican, mostly Independent, early 21st century Bloomberg Jew.

But after all this - the Jewish path to the right is already marked by the neo-cons, a movement with all of its intellectual roots in the pre-Vietnam Dem party, and then a group exit to Republicanism. More will follow.

But I'll add - every Jewish person I know loathes Sarah Palin for her populist anti-intellectualism. Her and the Bachmann types are going to keep most Jews, even the younger ones, at arm's length from the Republican party.

This is my point. Even if Jews are politically disenfranchised with the current Democratic party offerings, where are they going to go? Im just not buying that they are going to jump ship to the party that recently put Sarah Palin up for VP.

As I stated before, a Republican can win over the circumcised hearts of Jewish voters, but he or she will have to be fairly left leaning on social issues to even be in the conversation. And since we don't have too many of those, Jews will remain camped in the Dem corner for the foreseeable future. TRADITION!!!!!

[Babs]

Its not politically prudent to avoid one for many of them, is my guess.

This is correct. They need a safe and politically expedient affiliation, like Methodist or maybe Lutheran.

[SeattleUte]

I was disappointed this was not a new picture thread. Especially when PAC said his linked data was graphic.

[TripletDaddy]

By the way, this thread reminds me of one of my 2011 to-dos: we need to get some Jewish folks on this board, pronto. Preferably some dyed-in-the-wool NYC Jews that are willing to endure poll after poll asking about our collective belief in the LDS Church.

I tried to get one of my old co-workers to post on CG...really great guy, went to American University for Law, grew up in Amherst, rabid sports fan and terribly opinionated on almost every social issue. I initially envisioned him being a tormentor of Adam or maybe someone that could undercut SeattleUte's self-imagined populist street cred with some actual non-Mormon world experiences. But he didnt even try it, claiming that it would be a w.a.s.t.e. of time. Ironically, he had no problem spending hours every week scouring J-date.

[New Mexican Disaster]

I was disappointed this was not a new picture thread. Especially when PAC said his linked data was graphic.

+1 Nice.

[oxcoug]

By the way, this thread reminds me of one of my 2011 to-dos: we need to get some Jewish folks on this board, pronto. Preferably some dyed-in-the-wool NYC Jews that are willing to endure poll after poll asking about our collective belief in the LDS Church.

I tried to get one of my old co-workers to post on CG...really great guy, went to American University for Law, grew up in Amherst, rabid sports fan and terribly opinionated on almost every social issue. I initially envisioned him being a tormentor of Adam or maybe someone that could undercut SeattleUte's self-imagined populist street cred with some actual non-Mormon world experiences. But he didnt even try it, claiming that it would be a w.a.s.t.e. of time. Ironically, he had no problem spending hours every week scouring J-date.

There are two of them playing PlayStation in my living room right this minute. Want me to knock them out, put them in the back of the car and deliver them to Lebowski?

One's a Long Island native and an Asst DA out in Nassau County. The other is a Manhattan native and restaurant guy. Both are in their early 30s. Good Jewish specimens. It's like my own private Seinfeld over here.

[filsdepac]

There are two of them playing PlayStation in my living room right this minute. Want me to knock them out, put them in the back of the car and deliver them to Lebowski?

One's a Long Island native and an Asst DA out in Nassau County. The other is a Manhattan native and restaurant guy. Both are in their early 30s. Good Jewish specimens. It's like my own private Seinfeld over here.

Are they playing blops? Give them my name and let's kills some putzes.