January 4, 2012

The Chasm Between American Jews and the GOP Has Never Been Wider

Listed in: Other Domestic Policy, Other Foreign Policy, NJDC News, Opinions

Originally published in Politico’s Arena

By David A. Harris, President and CEO of the National Jewish Democratic Council 

From my parochial perspective - viewing the results through the prism of the American Jewish vote - Tuesday’s results out of Iowa only serve to showcase the dramatic gap separating the top tier of the Republican presidential field from the vast majority of American Jews.

Mitt Romney has adopted positions on key issues far away from the Jewish mainstream,  including courting controversial televangelist Pat Robertson and committing to vote for Ron Paul if Paul becomes the GOP nominee; Rick Santorum is the most anti-choice, socially-conservative candidate of the field  - one who would even ban homosexual activity; and Texas Rep. Ron Paul is a provocatively anti-Israel candidate who unfortunately, for pro-Israel Americans, represents a growing segment of the conservative movement. In the coming months, this trio of top-tier GOP candidates coming out of Iowa will help to remind the American Jewish community why they overwhelmingly remain firm supporters of the Democratic Party. Frankly, the wide chasm between American Jews and today’s GOP has never been more clearly illuminated.