If Barack Obama only gets 67% of the Jewish vote in a state like New Jersey, where the Jewish vote can be as much as 10% of the total voter universe, John Kerry received 76% of the Jewish vote, and only won the state by seven percentage points, he will most likely lose the state and possibly the entire election to John McCain, who does not have the same negatives as George W. Bush.
To win in November, Obama must win at least 75% of the Jewish vote. To do this, he must show that his approach towards Israel is neither the Bush/ZOA way nor the Carter/Tikkun way and pressure from either the left or the right does not help.
With regards to Israel, the policies that either McCain or Obama will pursue will not be dramatically different. However, where Obama can be better than McCain or Bush or even Clinton is by being an advocate for Israel whose words will resonate with the American left and end the linkage between anti-war and anti-Israel rhetoric that has become too common. |
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