JustASC

Jonathan Tobin of the Exponent, and soon to be of Commentary, explains why the Jewish vote for Obama does not mean those Jews no longer care about Israel:

…[T]hroughout this year’s campaign Obama has wisely never allowed much daylight between his positions and that of the pro-Israel community. His goal was not to prove that he had a better record than McCain, but to show an inherently sympathetic audience of Jewish Democrats that his pro-Israel stance was plausible enough to allow them to vote for him, and against his opponent, on the basis of other issues.

In response, the RJC ad campaign has focused on branding Obama as a radical who is hostile to Israel. But, if it fails to move voters, as it appears to, it will not be due to the fact that Jews think Obama is weak on Israel and don’t care. Rather it will be because the majority of Jews who are Democrats believe the assertion to be false.

Growing assimilation is altering the demographics of the Jewish community, and most American Jews are still more afraid of Pat Robertson than they are of Hamas, Hezbollah or even Iran. But it would be dead wrong to think that most don’t care about Israel.

Republicans may question Obama’s sincerity, and point to his personal history and waffling on issues, such as Jerusalem, to back up their cynicism. But his consistent statements of support for Israel have effectively parried the claim that he is another Carter, which is all he really needed to do to hold on to the Jewish vote.