Obama’s speech last month seems to have crystallized the doubts many pro-Israel Democrats had about Obama in 2008 in a way that could, on the margins, cost the president votes and money in 2012 and will not be easy to repair.
Most of those interviewed were center-left American Jews and Obama supporters — and many of them Democratic donors.
Some of these traditional Democrats now say, to their own astonishment, that they’ll consider voting for a Republican in 2012. And many of those who continue to support Obama said they find themselves constantly on the defensive in conversations with friends.
[T]op Democrats say the storm will pass.
[Politico]
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4 comments:
We have debated the extent that Obama could hurt Israel, meaning to do so or through misguided intentions. I do not see a Republican candidate better for Israel. And I have made it very clear how I believe that George W. Bush, who seemed to have the best intentions for Israel, ultimately empowered Iran and destabilized the region and made things much worse for Israel while not contributing anything positive to the Palestinian situation. The answer to the Middle East may be supported by America but so far, I do not see that it will be derived there.
Bush was good in terms of his Israel support during his first term. His second term was not at all consistent and problematic.
The fight to pull the Dem party back from the precipice that Obama has pushed them to, is a good fight. It must include the threat of voter abandonment, as that's all politicians understand.
Voter abandonment is a prickly pear. I do not see Bachmann or Gingrich would be any good for Israel, and have no reason yet to believe Romney would be any better. In fact, based on their lives and what they hold dear, I think they would actually be much worse for Israel. I do not think they will try to engage the Muslim world as Obama as sometimes tried, but I do not think they will consider Israel worth the cost and political capital. The new attitudes of the Republican Party will not sit well for this country or the world. It is a very ethnocentric and egocentric set of beliefs that while I hope it will not be embraced for even a short time by a disgruntled electorate, will no doubt be damaging to the middle class and impoverished while isolating America and further empowering China and Iran. (I have some more detailed dialogs on this with my friend from down under that will hopefully be published by Yahoo soon...to continue this very discussion, by the way.)
I look forward to reading it.
Without the threat of voter abandonment, there are few other ways to put pressure on Obama. Even the clear rebukes from his own party leaders [Reid & Hoyer] had no palpable effect. Obama will be even more stubborn if he is re-elected. No need to face the electorate ever again.
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