L. A. Times Poll Shows Democrats Ready for Jewish President
Listed in: Other Domestic Policy, NJDC News, Press Releases
Washington, DC: A Los Angeles Times poll released February 5th reveals that 93 percent of registered Democrats say they could vote for a Jewish candidate for president, while a slightly smaller percentage of Republicans say that they are similarly ready. But when the respondents were asked if a Jewish president could "deal fairly" with Israel and Middle East foreign policy, 76 percent of Democrats said that they were confident a Jewish president could deal fairly, while only 58 percent of Republicans said the same.
"These numbers show that Democrats across America are clearly sympathetic with the aspirations of American Jews - and tremendously comfortable with the prospect of a Jewish president," said National Jewish Democratic Council Executive Director Ira N. Forman. "This scientific poll shows that Democrats are incrementally more receptive to voting for a Jew for president than Republicans. But perhaps even more telling, Democrats polled said that they are dramatically more confident in a future Jewish president's ability to deal fairly with Israel and the Middle East as a whole.
"The heart of many anti-Semitic attacks is a not-so-subtle suggestion that a Jew has dual loyalties, to Israel and to America - just as some unacceptably questioned whether a president John F. Kennedy could avoid being controlled by the Vatican. The bright spot of this poll is that a large majority of Americans reject these kinds of concerns about a Jewish president.
"But the simple truth is that the Jewish agenda in America looks a whole lot like the Democratic Party's agenda, and this poll reflects just how comfortable Democrats are with Jews in this country. Indeed, the confluence of interests between the American Jewish community and the Democratic Party may help to explain this poll's findings - just as it helps to explain the high levels of comfort and trust that Democrats would associate with a Jewish president."
