Jews Love Obama. Lieberman? Eh, Not So Much

As an American Jew, the things I heard from my fellow Jewish Dems who were Hillary supporters were unbelievable (actually in politics, I believe anything that comes out of the gutter). As far as the cultural/religious items that came up, the #1 complaint was that Obama wouldn't support Israel and following that, many Jewish Dems would jump ship to McCain. At some of them I laughed, others that were in my family got a more toned down response. I knew that they had no idea of what they were talking about and now I have my proof....and a bonus cookie to go with it.

From The Huffington Post:

Among the most high-profile Jews in Congress, Lieberman is viewed far more unfavorably than the presumptive Democratic nominee, according to a new poll. Only 37 percent of Jews view the Connecticut Independent in a favorable light compared to 48 percent who have a negative perception. As for Obama, 60 percent of Jews view him favorably while 34 percent view him unfavorably.

The findings were released as part of a recent survey of American Jews by the new progressive pro-Israel group J Street. They seem to upturn some of this year's conventional political wisdom.

Obama, who is set to travel to Israel this week, is often described in the press as facing significant obstacles to winning Jewish support, in part because of false claims that he is a Muslim. Lieberman, meanwhile, is regularly quoted disparaging Obama's credentials on topics considered dear to the Jewish voter's heart: toughness on Iran and support for the Jewish state. Asked recently whether he should be questioning Obama's commitment to Israel, the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee responded, "why wouldn't I do that?"

Lieberman "does that" because he'll try anything to keep the war machine humming. The majority of American Jews do not like war for many obvious reasons and they see the Democratic party as a conduit to end the occupation in Iraq. So while Lieberman is an Orthodox Jew and Obama is a Christian, the Jewish segment of the population is smart enough to see the big picture and identify with the politician that best fits their views, both foreign and domestic.