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'Gloom' Factor Sinks Obama's Standing With Jewish Voters
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Sinking poll numbers based more on the economy than Israel
New AJC poll says it's the economy, not Israel, driving down Democratic numbers.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
James D. Besser
Washington Correspondent
President Barack Obama's approval rating among Jewish voters has fallen six points in just seven months, and a surprisingly strong 33 percent of those surveyed say the nation would be better off with a Republican-led Congress, according to a just-released poll of Jewish voters by the American Jewish Committee.
That suggests one of the strongest pillars of the Democratic base is weakening just weeks before critical congressional midterm elections that are expected to result in strong GOP gains.
"A 51 percent positive rating for a Democratic president among Jews is, frankly, terrible," said University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato. "That is barely higher than Obama's national approval rating of 42 to 48 percent, depending on the poll.
"This is Obama's low point so far, no question," Sabato continued. "It is coming at just the wrong moment, given the Nov. 2 midterm elections."



The Jewish figures on the congressional election, too, tell a broader story, Sabato said.
"If 33 percent of Jewish voters say they prefer a GOP Congress, that tells me that the argument for 'checks and balances' has taken hold broadly, and that we are likely headed for divided government in some form," he said.
While Obama's performance on Israel-related issues was one factor in his drop, the biggest decline came on the question of his handling of the economy, mirroring national concerns that have boosted Republican candidates and triggered the Tea Party surge.
In fact, only 45 percent of Jewish respondents now say they approve of his handling of the economy - a 10-point drop from an AJC survey in March.
The AJC's executive director, David Harris, who has been overseeing the annual - and sometimes twice a year - surveys since they began in 1990, confessed to being surprised by many findings.
"What they show, more than anything else, is that the apprehension index is rising among American Jews," he said. "The gloom that has descended on the American public in general is also now revealed among American Jews. We didn't do well in Iraq and are doing worse in Afghanistan, we've lost Turkey as an ally, our current strategy is not likely to convince Iran to change its course, on health care and the economy there are growing concerns - the anxiety pops out on almost every question."
In other findings, Jewish Democratic affiliation fell below 50 percent for the first time since the AJC surveys began, standing at 48 percent. But the Republicans seemed to gain little, increasing to 17 percent - from 15 percent earlier in the year and 16 percent in 2009.