RUTHFULLY YOURS

 First there was the poll by Frank Luntz sponsored by CAMERA.  Then there was Dick Morris’ poll. And now there is the poll done by Pat Caddell and John McLaughlin ( http://secureamericanow.org/)  and they all say pretty much the same thing. Contrary to the often expressed mantra in the mainstream media, American Jews do care about Israel and they care deeply. More often than not they put that caring aside and assert other priorities, but right now they care very much and they are increasingly likely to make Israel a more important factor in how they vote in the coming election.

All three polls sought Jewish voter’s opinions and came up with similar results. Here from the most recent and most pronounced Caddell/McLaughlin survey of American Jewish voters who are likely to vote in the next election.

*93% are concerned about the threat to Israel from Arab nations and an Iran that wants to destroy her.

*81% are against Israel being forced to return to pre 1967 borders, the same percentage that opposes the UN recognition of a Palestinian state this fall.

* 76% are concerned about Islamic terrorism committed in the US by American born Muslims.

Similar percentages are reflected in answers to questions concerning Jerusalem remaining a united capital of Israel (73%), and the need for Palestine to recognize Israel as a Jewish State before its own statehood is considered (88%).

Age-old voting patterns rarely shift in wholesale fashion, but they do move incrementally and are often preceded by other political expressions such as how people allocate or withhold their financial support. So the mammoth Democrat majorities amongst Jewish voters might only change slightly even though those voters now hold opinions at variance with their voting habits, a common pattern in US politics.

 .

But there is something going on here and it’s captured best by Jimmy Carter’s former pollster Pat Caddell when he says that “These most loyal of Democrat voters are very concerned about the future of Israel and the tense relations between the Obama Administration and State of Israel.”