For years the Democratic Party has been favored by Jewish voters. That history goes back decades. It is no secret that Democratic candidates have traditionally drawn support from the Jewish community, but that is all changing now.
Hillary Clinton got 71 percent of the Jewish vote in her bid for president. Barack Obama picked up 78 percent and 69 percent of the Jewish vote, respectively, in his two presidential runs. Even John Kerry won 76 percent of the Jewish vote in 2004. Jewish organizations and fundraising efforts have been vital as fundraisers and campaign volunteers supporting the Democratic Party.
Now the “new” Democratic Party is losing that support. The Democrats with their new members espousing clear anti-Semitism are pushing those traditionally supportive members away and into the camp of the Republicans.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) tweeted she wanted to “draw attention to the apartheid Israeli regime.” She has kept her assault on the Jewish state by continuing a storm of tweets. Her claims of Jewish organizations such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) buying off politicians claimed harsh criticism from both sides of the aisle. Her “It’s all about the Benjamins” comment did not sit well, even with her party.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), released a statement imploring Rep. Omar to apologize, denounce anti-Semitism, and assure her support of Israel. Her apology of sorts was weak and partnered with even more anti-Semitic language.
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez has also jumped on the Israel-bashing bandwagon with her very open anti-Israel positions. She made false accusations that Israel was guilty of a “massacre” last summer as it battled Hamas-led terrorists trying to cross over the border with Gaza.
It doesn’t stop there either.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) joined Rep. Omar in her support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. This movement is an attempt to hurt Israel in the world markets and inflict maximum damage to the economy of the Jewish state.
In a recent interview, Rep. Tlaib said that she would “absolutely” cut military aid to Israel. She went on to say, “I will be using my position in Congress so that no country, not one, should be able to get aid from the U.S. when they still promote that kind of injustice.”
With the U.S. embassy opened in May of 2018 ushering in formal recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, President Donald Trump garnered some support from the Jewish community in the U.S. The move was widely condemned worldwide. Isreal itself embraced the decision by a vast majority.
As the anti-Semitic rhetoric continues, more and more traditionally Democrat Jewish voters may find they can no longer support the party and will move to the only place they can: The Republican Party.
