There’s been a lot said about a “political realignment” recently. Specifically, the polls suggest that record numbers of Blacks and Hispanics could vote for Donald Trump. Further, Joe Biden’s poll numbers with younger voters are sagging.
These groups have traditionally voted in overwhelming numbers for Democrats. Time will tell if they will cast votes for Trump, let alone shift their allegiance to Republicans over multiple elections. If so, it would upset election calculus as pollsters and pundits have known them for the past 50+ years.
Meanwhile, another voting block receiving less attention is shifting. American Jews have been among the most reliable liberal and Democrat voices dating back even further, but that could change and for good reason.
Since the October 7 Hamas attacks, many members of the Democrat Party have abandoned or gone weak-kneed in their support of Israel. The Biden administration says it supports Israel but then wants to direct Israel’s prosecution against Hamas. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who worries about election interference in the United States, thinks nothing of calling for regime change in Israel.
Meanwhile, progressives are full-throated in support of Palestinians. They are willing to overlook Hamas’s atrocities and lies. Sympathizers believe the Palestinians in Gaza are victims rather than complicit in Hamas’s barbarism.
Hamas is a terrorist organization whose charter states its mission is the destruction of the State of Israel. The charter rejects peace or co-existence with Israel in favor of jihad. The October 7 attack was Israel’s 9/11 and the greatest slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust.
The savagery and brutality of October 7 forced Israel to adopt the policy of wiping out Hamas. Polling shows the majority of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank support the October 7 attacks.
According to the ADL, incidents of anti-Semitism in the United States rose by 337 percent in the months after October 7, particularly on college campuses.
It was shocking to hear UPenn, and Harvard’s presidents failing to unequivocally condemn anti-Semitism and tell Congress that context would determine whether calls for genocide of the Jewish people would violate the schools’ conduct policies.
Israel’s response to the October 7 attacks has been certain and determined. This time, Israel fully intends to eliminate Hamas, and nobody is going to stop them.
Instead of demanding the release of hostages, much of the liberal and Democrat establishment has turned their backs on the Jewish people and Israel.
Leftist organizations, including MoveOn and Amnesty International, have demanded a ceasefire in Gaza. Then, Democrat-supporting unions piled on. They include the United Auto Workers (UAW) and the NEA (National Education Association) – the nation’s largest teachers union. In fact, 200 unions and labor organizations have formed the National Labor Network for Ceasefire (NLNC).
These groups and their demands on Israel and not Hamas are representative of the new Democratic coalition. CNN reported on a Quinnipiac University Poll last November. Far more Democrats under 35 sympathize with the Palestinians (74 percent) versus 16 percent who sympathize more with the Israelis. The trend developed even before Israel began its current fight in Gaza. In March 2023, a Gallup poll found that among Democrats, 49 percent were more sympathetic to Palestinians (49 percent) than Israelis (38 percent).
Hamas hides in a labyrinth of tunnels beneath Gaza and its schools, playgrounds, and hospitals, the IDF estimates total from 350 to 500 miles. Further, Hamas uses civilians as human shields. These factors make it a challenge for Israel to prosecute the war against Hamas while minimizing civilian casualties.
After committing some of the most brutal crimes against humanity on October 7, Hamas continues to hold approximately 145 people, including women and children, hostage – at least five of whom are Americans.
Who are the Palestinian people for whom many Democrats and progressives have sympathy, and how do they view the October 7 massacre?
The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) is a non-profit independent think tank that surveys and polls Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. PSR just released the survey results from both areas in early March.
Over seven out of ten (71 percent) say that “Hamas’s decision to launch its offensive against Israel on 7 October,” was the correct decision. Only 19 percent say it was an “incorrect decision.”
Further, the survey finds that almost all Palestinians (94 percent) think Israel has committed war crimes. Only four percent think Israel has not. In comparison, 91% say that Hamas did not commit war crimes, while five percent think Hamas committed war crimes.
Eighty percent say they did not see videos showing acts committed by Hamas against Israeli civilians, such as the killing of women and children. But among those who say they did watch the videos, the percentage saying Hamas committed war crimes rises to 17 percent (with 81 percent still saying they did not) compared to two percent among those who did not watch the video (and 97 percent who said they did not).
It appears a few more Palestinians have a conscience after viewing the videos of the atrocities Hamas committed, but still, over eight out of ten claiming to have seen the videos don’t think the actions represent war crimes. More Palestinians and their U.S. supporters need to see what Hamas did on October 7 that prompted Israel’s response.
PSR asked which of three methods respondents would be most effective to end Israeli occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state.
- Armed struggle – 46 percent
- Negotiations – 25 percent
- Non-violent resistance – 18 percent
These are the attitudes and beliefs of the Palestinians that many Democrats and progressives sympathize with.
Further, American leaders must stop accepting Hamas casualty figures presented by the Ministry of Health. They are from Hamas, a terrorist organization. Why is anybody in the U.S. government or media accepting a terrorist organization’s unverified numbers?
Our government didn’t rely on statements from Osama bin Laden after 9/11.
Recently, an excellent article by Abraham Wyner, “How the Gaza Ministry of Health Fakes Casualty Numbers,” was posted in Tablet.
Statistically, the odds of what the Ministry is pumping out are about as likely as any one person winning the Mega-Millions lottery last night.
I’m paraphrasing the article, but Wyner makes a solid statistical case.
He writes, “The evidence is in their own poorly fabricated figures.” The regularity of the casualties is too perfect. There should be variation from day to day, but there isn’t. He continues that the number of child deaths should track more closely with the number of deaths of women. When more residential buildings are struck, there should be more deaths of women and, subsequently, children, but not only is there no positive correlation, there is a strong negative correlation. He makes several additional arguments that require a more complicated statistical explanation but aren’t difficult to follow when reading the article.
The bottom line is Gaza’s Ministry of Health is making up casualty numbers that statistically almost certainly couldn’t happen. And why would our government and press believe a terrorist group that committed the acts they did on October 7 and continues to hold women and children hostage?
Historically, American Jews have been reliable liberals and Democrat voters. Even before October 7, progressives and the younger Democrats were abandoning Israel and adopting anti-Semitic tropes while supporting Palestinians who demonstrably support Hamas and what they did to Jewish people on October 7. A realignment of voting blocks that have traditionally been Democratic voters may very well occur in 2024. Jewish voters should lead the exodus out of the Democrats’ tent.
Andy Bloom is President of Andy Bloom Communications. He specializes in media training and political communications. He has programmed legendary stations including WIP, WPHT, WYSP/Philadelphia, KLSX, Los Angeles, and WCCO Minneapolis. He was Vice President of Programming for Emmis International, Greater Media Inc., and Coleman Research. Andy also served as communications director for Rep. Michael R. Turner (R-Ohio). He can be reached by email at andy@andybloom.com or you can follow him on Twitter at @AndyBloomCom.
The so-called “progressives” have been dipping their hands in the blood of innocents since the ridiculous BLM movement. Now their legions of appalling idiots in our nation’s streets (and elsewhere) are essentially endorsing the continuing mayhem in the Middle East, courtesy of the mullahs in Tehran and their puppets, Hamas and Hezbollah and a possible invasion of Israel by the legions of armed militants on its borders. My spouse and in-laws are Jewish and have always vigorously supported Israel but are dyed in the wool Democrats. I am an Independent. We all were appalled and sickened by the events of October 7th. But there is a hesitancy and emotion contortion to condemn recent actions by the Democratic Party to further align with the voices and activities of the leftist progressive flank. sister-In-law is addicted to CNN. I have railed against the political savvy and moral cowardness of Senator “Chuckie” Schumer’s recent speech calling for “regime” change in Israel on the floor of the Senate, but my spouse sits stone faced at that. It takes a lot to detox from the Democrat’s Kool-aid and free oneself from their position papers. I did. But it took 50 years.
When the leader of the republican party and current potus candidate said there were “very fine people” on both sides in Charlottesville, was he referring to the swastika flag waving, Hitler saluting Nazis or “just” the people who came from all over the country in order to, in their own words, “unite” with the Hitler saluting, goose stepping Nazis?
The GOP needs to take a long hard look at their embrace of christian nationalism and their love of a man whose initial response to October 7 was to say Netanyahu “let us down” and that Hezbollah is “very smart” (so odd that schumer’s quote is in the article but the author “forgot” this one). And let’s not forget that this is a guy who wants the us to let Iran “do whatever they want” at Israel’s door step in Syria. And ho boy, if you were triggered by Hillary saying that a small subset of trump supporters are “deplorable”, (read the FULL quote) how about Trump insulting us by saying that jews who don’t vote for him (the majority of us) are “ignorant”, “disloyal”, and hate our religion?
And it’s not just his rhetoric. This is a man who LEAKED ISAELI INTEL (link below) while in office and then who refused to return classified documents that put our allies like Israel at risk and instead hoarded them in his bathroom.
https://apnews.com/general-news-4f410d7dd36d410d8fd55dcdb9fb0470
Maybe as an American Jew with family and friends in the IDF and who lost family friends to Hamas on 10/7 I can shed some light on why the vast majority of American Jews will always vote against the radical Republican agenda. First, not a single one of us will ever forget Trump’s recent dinner with Nick Fuentes or his response to the lawlessness and murder in Charlottesville. Maybe you can clarify something for me: were the “very fine people” he referred to on the Right the swastika wearing, Hitler saluting Nazis or was he “merely” referring to the other people who came from all over in order to, in their own words “unite” with the goose stepping murdering Nazis? Second, even for single issue Israel voters, why would any Israel supporter vote for a party led by a man who leaked Israeli intelligence while in office (did msm like fox news forget this story?) and put allies like them at risk by hoarding classified Intel in his bathroom? This is the same guy who responded to 10/7 with nothing but spite for Israeli leaders (netanyahu “let us down”) and praise for their enemies (Hezbollah is “very smart”) and said that Iran can do ” whatever they want” at Israel’s door step in Syria. The Right needs to think long and hard about why wing nuts like the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter love Trump yet the extreme left hates Biden and, largely because of his support for Israel will vote for Cornell west instead. BTW, Cato the elder, are you aware that, like myself, your namesake detested populist authoritarians who wanted to strip power from the senatorial class and consolidate it under one person (like the unitary theory of executive power espoused by the GOP)? In your case it was Scipio africanus, in my case Julius Caesar and augustus, now a days it’s the self described wannabe dictator.
So I should turn to the party of Trump instead. A man who hosted White Supremacists at the White House, who claimed that there good people on both sides at Charlottesville, states that American Jews are disloyal if the vote for Democrats, and told the Proud Boys to stand by and stand back instead of disavowing them. Trump had the blind support of Fox News, the same network that promoted Pizzagate. Which is nothing more than a modern variation of the Blood Libel myth.
Well, I certainly see your point. Why would you trust the president who finally moved the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – even though every major Party candidate since 1992 promised to do so, and it’s been official U.S. policy since 1994 when Congress voted to do so? But every president since Clinton wrote themselves a waiver putting it off until Trump did it during the first year he was in office. Of course, then there are the Abraham Accords signed at the White House under Trump, where the UAE and Bahrain formally recognized Israel. Then there are the incidents you mention, such as Charlottesville, which I’ll bet you only saw the clip that the mainstream media showed you. It’s the same thing the media tried to get away with when he said bloodbath. I challenge you to watch Trump’s entire speech and then tell me what he actually said about the people who were there. Then again, facts don’t matter to somebody who already knows what they believe.
You only mention Trump, not the rest of the Republican Party. So let’s look at Joe Biden’s Party. In addition to the fact that Joe can’t throw Israel under the bus fast enough to save himself in Michigan, you have the Democrat’s leader in the Senate, Chucky Schumer, who frets about foreign election interference in the U.S. but has no qualms about interfering in Israel’s elections, calling for regime change there. And what about the Squad in the House of Representatives? There we have such stars as Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, who wouldn’t vote for a resolution condemning Hamas, and Jamaal Bowman, who calls the sexual mutilation and gang rape of Israeli women “propaganda.”
So, I can absolutely see your point. People deserve the government they get. I can see why you would vote for the side defending people who danced in the streets on October 7, and still believe those “fighters” behaved correctly. If you are Jewish, “Disloyal” isn’t a strong enough word for you.