Why Jews Are Democrats

Alex Marks — October 7, 2008 – 4:19 pm | Civil Rights | Democrats | Domestic Policy | Economy | Election 2008 | Environment | Foreign Policy | Health Care | Reproductive Rights | Republicans Comments (5) Add a comment

As evidenced by the Republican Jewish Coalitions' recent "polling" in Michigan which merely repeated outright lies and smears about Senator Barack Obama, it is clear the right will stop at no lengths to try to scare Jewish voters.  Never mind the facts that Obama's most ardent supporters early in his career were Chicago Jews; that he has a 100% voting record on Israel; that AIPAC recently lavished praise upon Obama; that the pro-Israel New York Sun editorialized earlier this year that "Mr. Obama's commitment to Israel, as he has articulated it so far in his campaign, is quite moving and a tribute to the broad, bipartisan support that the Jewish state has in America;"  that Obama is campaigning aggressively in the Jewish community; that 300 Rabbis from across the spectrum of Jewish beliefs recently signed a petition in his support that his running mate, Joe Biden, recently visited South Florida and made jokes in Yiddish; and that Obama dialed into a "National Rabbis Conference Call" in honor of Rosh Hashanah."

This campaign of "smear and fear" in part is borne out of frustration by Republicans and Republican Jews who "cannot understand" why the overwhelming number of Jews vote Democratic.  In fact, since 1916, when records of Jewish voting began being kept, the majority of Jews have voted for the Democratic candidate in every election with the exception of 1920, when we split our vote with third-party candidate Eugene Debs. This voting record includes 90% for FDR, 80% for JFK, 80% for Bill Clinton (who remains Israel's most popular political figure), 80% for Al Gore, and most recently, 75% for John Kerry.  With this backdrop, I am often approached by conservatives who claim "shock" that more Jews don't vote for GOP candidates because of their tax policies (as if all Jews are wealthy or those that are are supposed to selfishly vote on one issue for greater tax cuts), or because of their "hawkish" foreign policy positions (as if we will blindly listen to rhetoric and simply overlook that the current administration has actually made Israel more vulnerable in the last 8 years).

While it may be difficult for some to comprehend the consistent Jewish voting record, I think the explanation of why Jews are Democrats is quite simple and can be illustrated in both a historical and theological perspective.

Historically speaking, the marriage of Jews and the Democratic Party can be traced to Jewish immigrants from eastern Europe who were laborers, many of which joined unions, which the GOP has long opposed.  Herbert Hoover's disastrous economic policies in the 1920s and the Great Depression only strengthened the Jews' desires for worker protection and regulation.  Building upon that, FDR's New Deal, whose goal was to give relief to the poor and reform the financial system, further aligned Jewish sentiments, and FDR's desire to enter World War II, which some in the GOP aggressively opposed cemented Jewish support for Democratic ideals.  (Lets also not forget the first half of the 20th Century when the establishment of the GOP often merged with the predominantly Christian elite that kept Jews from banks, country clubs, etc.).  Subsequently, over the decades, Democratic leaders, with the backing of the Jewish vote, have remained resolute in their support for Jewish causes, and in their support of Israel. 

However, while history explains why Jews began supporting Democrats, it certainly is not a complete explanation as to why that support has remained steadfast generations later, which brings us to the theological explanation.  In Judaism, the concept of tikkun olam is a Hebrew phrase that roughly means "repairing the world" or "perfecting the world."  It is a central tenet of Jewish Theology, as evidenced by its inclusion in the Aleinu, a Jewish prayer that is traditionally recited three times daily.  Performing mitzvots, or good deeds, is one means of tikkun olam, and the concept of good deeds and improving the world is inextricably linked in Jewish minds to social justice and equality – the hallmarks of democratic principles.  Given that backdrop, Jewish support for the Democratic Party is only natural.  We are the party that fought for and ushered in a women's right to vote, the Civil Rights movement, the Civil Rights Act, women's reproductive rights, and currently champion the cause of Gay Americans.  We also started valuable programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Peace Corp, Head Start, and the Environmental Protection Agency.  In fact, one could attribute almost every great social movement in our country's history to democratic ideals.

The teaching of tikkun olam began at an early age for me.  I remember vividly sitting as a small child in our tiny Synagogue in Sterling, Illinois.  Sterling, located in rural Northwest, Illinois has very few Jewish families, but has sustained a Temple and congregation for 100 years!  I can still hear one of our regular visiting Rabbis from Chicago, Robert Marx, talk of marching arm in arm with Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma, AL.  He spoke of the many Jews that joined him to fight for African-American equality, because based on the history of our people, for him, there was no choice but to join in the cause.  He constantly reiterated the core values of Judaism and how Jews should always strive to do tikkun olam, including striking out against injustice and helping the poor.  His messages and teachings were echoed by my parents in raising me and by the other members of our small Jewish community.  Those are the lessons that remained ingrained in me today.  They are why I am a Democrat.  They are why most Jews are Democrats.  They are why my wife and I took our 5 month-old daughter to the first Obama-Biden rally in Springfield, Illinois and waited several hours to hear the candidates speak, so one day as we teach her the importance of liberal ideas we could tell her that she was there at that historic moment.  And that is why the GOP fear tactics will not work.  As a Jew, being a Democrat was not so much a choice as a responsibility, and as a Jew, I could not be more thrilled with the Obama-Biden ticket.

Perhaps more important than in any election in history, the Jewish vote will be very key in swing states and now is the time for us to carry on the grand traditions of our parents and grandparents, who always fought for what was right in our country and for the Democratic party.

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