JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

Who’s your bubbie?

By Ben Harris · September 25, 2008

JewsVote, a new organization promoting the Obama candidacy in the Jewish community, is urging young Jews to head to Florida next month to convince their grandparents to support the Dems in November. The effort, called The Great Schlep, just released this video by comedian Sarah Silverman.

UPDATE: The video below is the "clean" version. A more risque, and frankly funnier, version available here.

11 Comments | Share This | Barack Obama, Florida, Presidential Race |

RJC: Hastings and Cohen “offensive”

By Eric Fingerhut · September 25, 2008

The Republican Jewish Coalition is responding quickly to Rep. Alcee Hastings' (D-Fla.) comment that "anybody toting guns and stripping moose don't care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks" at Wednesday's National Jewish Democratic Council conference. It calls that remark and Rep. Steve Cohen's comment that Jesus was "a great Democrat" inappropriate and offensive. Here's their release:

Washington, D.C. (September 25, 2008) – Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) Executive Director Matt Brooks responded today to comments made yesterday by Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) and Rep. Steven Cohen (D-TN):

CNN reported yesterday that Rep. Hastings, speaking to the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC), said, "Anybody toting guns and stripping moose don't care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks." Addressing the same panel, Rep. Cohen called Jesus "a great Democrat."

"Representative Hastings stooped to the worst kind of divisive politics yesterday. Hastings' unconscionable remarks do nothing but sow seeds of fear and divide people," said Brooks. "There should be no place in our country for this sort of political discourse. We can constructively disagree on the issues without denigrating others. As for the comments made by Rep. Cohen, I do not believe the NJDC would have been as permissive if it had been a Republican calling Jesus 'a great Republican.' This sort of rhetoric is inappropriate, offensive and should be repudiated."

Full CNN story below:

(CNN) - Rep. Alcee Hastings told an audience of Jewish Democrats Wednesday that they should be wary of Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin because "anybody toting guns and stripping moose don't care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks."

"If Sarah Palin isn't enough of a reason for you to get over whatever your problem is with Barack Obama, then you damn well had better pay attention," Rep. Alcee Hastings of Florida said at a panel about the shared agenda of Jewish and African-American Democrats Wednesday. Hastings, who is African-American, was explaining what he intended to tell his Jewish constituents about the presidential race. "Anybody toting guns and stripping moose don't care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks. So, you just think this through," Hastings added as the room erupted in laughter and applause.

After telling attendees that the most important thing Jewish and African-American Democrats could do to support one another was to get Sen. Barack Obama elected president, Hastings had one more message: "For those of you like me that supported Sen. Hillary Clinton, she lost! Get over it!"

Hastings was joined on the panel by Rep. Steven Cohen of Tennessee, who is Jewish and represents a majority African-American district; Rep. Artur Davis of Alabama, who is African-American and whose district includes many of the significant sites in the 1960's civil rights movement; and Georgetown Law Prof. Peter Edelman, who was a legislative assistant to Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.

Cohen, who recently remarked that Jesus Christ was a community organizer, took his comments about the founder of the Christian faith further Wednesday. "A lot of what Jesus talks about is wonderful," Cohen said. "Talks about helping people and lifting them up and caring about people who are sick and all those things. He's a great Democrat."

The panel was part of the National Jewish Democratic Council's annual conference. The Jewish Democratic group recently voiced criticism of Palin's invitation to an anti-Iran rally timed to coincide with Mahmoud Ahmedinajad's visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. Palin's invitation was withdrawn by the rally's organizers after Hillary Clinton announced that she would no longer be attending the event.

The support of Jewish voters is shaping up to be a highly sought after prize in the general election match-up between Sen. Obama and Sen. John McCain. Jews have historically favored Democrats by wide margins in recent presidential races. But, the McCain campaign is making a concerted effort to go after the loyal Democratic constituency and Obama has been plagued by false Internet rumors that he is Muslim which have had particular salience in the Jewish community.

1 Comment | Share This | Florida, NJDC, RJC, Sarah Palin, Steve Cohen |

Obama still lagging among Jewish voters

By Eric Fingerhut · September 25, 2008

Barack Obama leads John McCain by 27 points among Jewish voters, but he significantly trails the Jewish vote for recent Democratic candidates, according to a new survey.

Obama leads 57 percent to 30 percent among those polled in the American Jewish Committee's 2008 Annual Survey of American Jewish Opinion, with 13 percent undecided.

By contrast, John Kerry received 76 percent of the Jewish vote four years ago against George W. Bush, and in the three prior presidential elections, Democrats won 78 to 80 percent of Jewish votes. Obama backers have argued in recent weeks that Jewish numbers for Kerry were similar at this stage in the race, but the 2004 AJC survey doesn't back them up. Taken three weeks earlier in that campaign than this year, it found Kerry leading Bush 69 percent to 24 percent.

The poll by survey research organization Synovate of 914 self-identifying Jewish respondents, selected from Synovate's consumer mail panel, was conducted by telephone Sept. 8-21. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

McCain enjoyed a 78 percent to 13 percent lead among Orthodox Jews, but Obama won easily among all other Jewish groups: Conservatives, 59 percent to 26 percent; Reform, 62 percent to 27 percent; and those calling themselves "just Jewish," 61percent to 26 percent.

McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate was unpopular in the Jewish community, according to the survey. Just 37 percent approved, with 54 percent disapproving of the selection. By contrast, Obama's choice of Joe Biden garnered 73 percent approval and 15 percent disapproval.

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 percent answering health care, 6 percent the war in Iraq and just 3 percent answering Israel.

5 Comments | Share This | Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain, polls, Presidential Race |

Political tidbits: Dem says moose strippers and gun toters aren’t good for the Jews

By Eric Fingerhut · September 25, 2008

• Rep. Alcee Hastings says Jews and blacks should be frightened of Sarah Palin, because "anybody toting guns and stripping moose don't care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks." At the same discussion, Rep. Steve Cohen called Jesus a Democrat.
• George Mason University law professor David Bernstein, at the Volokh Conspiracy blog, thinks Jewish organizations should be condemning the "anti-Palin campaign" in the Jewish community just as they did the anti-Obama campaign earlier this year.
• Larry Derfner, in the Jerusalem Post, writes that Sarah Palin has exposed a truth about Jews: "We don't like hunting."
• David Suissa, in the L.A. Jewish Journal, talks to an Israeli filmmaker who spent a few days with Sarah Palin and was impressed.
• The Philadelphia Jewish Exponent talks to Middle East experts about the presidential candidates' plans for the Middle East.
• The L.A. Times has details on an effort by some religious leaders to defy the IRS' ban on non-profit partisan political activity.
• The Jerusalem Post reports on Joe Biden's speech Tuesday night to the National Jewish Democratic Council and also has details on his remarks about Iran on Wednesday.
• The Washington Jewish Week has the story on a $500 a plate kosher fundraiser for John McCain in Rockville, Md.

2 Comments | Share This | Florida, Joe Biden, John McCain, Presidential Race, Sarah Palin, Tidbits |

Obama: Let’s have post-Shabbat debate telecast

By Eric Fingerhut · September 25, 2008

Friday's first presidential debate (assuming John McCain does attend) will take place after sundown, which means Shabbat-observant Jews won't be able to watch it live. Barack Obama is hoping the television networks will rerun it after Shabbat on Saturday night. Here's his letter to the leaders of the Commission on Presidential Debates asking for their help:

September 24, 2008

The Honorable Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr.

The Honorable Paul G. Kirk, Jr.

Commission on Presidential Debates

1200 New Hampshire Ave NW Washington, DC 20036

Dear Mr. Fahrenkopf and Mr. Kirk:

Joe Biden and I are looking forward to participating in the upcoming debates, and I appreciate the hard work you and your team have put forth to bring them about. They promise to be some of the best opportunities for the voters to assess the candidates and their views prior to Election Day.

I want to raise one issue, and ask for your assistance. Due to the schedule set by the Commission and presented to the campaigns, the first debate falls on Friday night after the Jewish Sabbath has begun. Unfortunately, that means many Jewish Americans will not have the opportunity to watch the debate live. Because I know there is strong interest in this debate in the Jewish community, and to be as inclusive as possible, I ask for the Commission's help in encouraging the television networks covering the debate to rebroadcast it on Saturday night after the Sabbath has concluded.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama

3 Comments | Share This | Barack Obama, debates, Presidential Race |