JustASC

Two views of Obama’s chances among Florida’s elderly Jews, via JTA.

First, this report on two state legislators:

Florida state Sen. Nan Rich told JTA that Obama surrogates have been “shocked” by the hostility they have encountered at condominiums in her area aimed at their candidate.

Steve Geller, who serves as the Democratic minority leader in the Florida state Senate and represents parts of Broward County, said he was nearly chased out of the “condos” — shorthand for retirement communities — when he said he backed Obama.

“I’ve noticed almost a mob mentality,” Geller said. “I can change people’s minds in a group of five or 10. When there’s 300 people in the room, they feed off each other and don’t want really to listen to us.”

And then there’s this, from a press op for Jewish lawmakers:

Asked twice about reports from two Florida state legislators of having encountered hostility toward the Democratic candidate from Jewish seniors in South Florida, Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) offered a conflicting view. He reiterated that Obama’s support among Jews in South Florida was “substantial and growing” and that this week’s convention – and Hillary Clinton’s Tuesday night speech – would change the mind of any holdouts.

Both Wexler and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) also asserted that Obama would do as well as any Democrat has done among Jewish voters – a stunning prediction considering that Obama is currently garnering 61-62 percent, almost 20 points lower than the high-water mark of Bill Clinton’s 80 percent in 1992 and significantly lower than John Kerry’s 75 percent four years ago. 

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