The White House hears an opportunity to strike Jewish voters



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AAfter demonstrations of Democrats' alleged anti-Semitism and deep divisions within the party on the way forward, White House officials and their close political allies believe President Trump has a unique opportunity to win the support of Jewish voters in the 2020 elections, the group's long-standing loyalty to the Democratic Party.

"It is becoming increasingly uncomfortable and untenable for Democratic Legion voters to swallow loud enough to accept the rash, blatant, unrequited and unrepentant comments of a 37-year-old congresswoman, Kellyanne Conway, to the White House. Examiner from Washington.

Conway was Ilhan Omar, representative of the Democratic Republic of Minnesota, recently made numerous remarks about ancient antisemitic tropes, including suggestions that US Jews have "double loyalty" to Israel and that US politicians do not support Israel. only thanks to donations from American Israel. Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC.

In response to widespread outrage aroused by Omar's comments, the Democratic-controlled House has decided to pass a resolution condemning anti-Semitism. But when Progressive Democratic caucus members complained that such a move was not inclusive, House leaders gave in and passed a resolution on March 7 condemning many forms of fanaticism. The resolution was described as "diluted" for its inability to identify anti-Semitism, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi then criticized Omar's defense.

Trump is already trying to solve the problem with Jewish voters by declaring last week: "The Democrats have become an anti-Israel party and an anti-Jewish party."

The perceived leniency of Democrats against anti-Semitism will weigh on the longstanding allegiance of Jewish voters to the Democratic Party, according to Curtis Ellis, senior advisor to the nonprofit America First Policies.

"By not condemning Ilhanan Omar in clear and unequivocal terms, Nancy Pelosi and her crowd do the job of President Trump for him to expel the Jews from" Egypt "from the Democratic Party and bring them on the "promised land" of President Trump, "Ellis said. "Ilhan Omar is one of the wounds."

Alex Titus, member of PAC America First Action's pro-Trump Super Action, said Trump "has a unique opportunity to get away from a significant portion of Jewish voters in 2020 who have traditionally voted for Democrats. ".

"From the grassroots leadership, the Democrats have a problem of anti-Semitism, and it's not going to go away anytime soon," Titus said.

If Trump manages to get the vote of the Jews, it would be a massive break with tradition. Democratic presidential candidates have won the majority of Jewish voters in every presidential election since 1924. In 2016, Trump won only 24% of the votes of Jews, a slight decline from 2012, when Mitt Romney did not win. Had managed to capture only 30%.

The 2020 campaign "will determine whether American Jews continue to overwhelmingly support the Democratic presidential candidate, who has been in power for decades, or allow common sense and basic decency to affect their vote of anti-Semitism. occupies a prominent place in society. ranks of congressional Democrats, associated with the President's clearly pro-Israel policy, "said Conway.

Steve Guest, director of the Rapid Response National Republican Committee, said the "Democrats' refusal to act will not go unnoticed by Jewish voters".

In addition to the failure of Democrats to condemn antisemitism, White House and Trump campaigners say Trump's pro-Israel policy will influence the Jewish vote in 2020.

"There is no greater supporter of the Jewish people than President Trump, who withdrew from the disastrous Iranian agreement putting Israel at risk, defended Israel at the UN, unlike administrations previous, and has kept its promise to hand over the US Embassy to its proper place … at home in Jerusalem, "said Michael Glassner, COO of the Trump campaign.

The Jewish vote could be particularly critical in states such as Florida, where elections have always been extremely tight. Ellis said the Jewish vote is "the key to Democrats' ability to [win] that state in 2020. "In 2016, Trump won Florida with a margin of only 114,455 votes, or 1.2%, and 68 percent Florida Jews voted for Clinton while only 28% voted for Trump. The total Jewish population of the state is greater than 600,000 people.

Matthew Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, said his organization was already examining several very vibrant states with a large Jewish population, including Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Arizona and some states of the United States. rust belt, as possible areas where Jewish voters sway. to the GOP could have a "huge impact" in 2020.

But pollster Mark Mellman warned that it is "too early to say" how Jews will vote, as many variables could influence the outcome, such as the upcoming Israeli elections.

"I think the way America reacts to these elections, whether to support right-wing governments or not, could also affect the Jewish vote for Trump," said Mellman.

And while progressive Jews generally give priority to social benefits and joint responsibility, what Mellman said "are in fact Jewish values," orthodox Jews tend to vote with the conservative religious right, although Mellman thinks that it could change.

"What's interesting to me is the change in the right-wing Orthodox world, which often has a more progressive voice," said Mellman. He attributes this change to Trump's immigration policies, "to which Jews are extremely sensitive," as well as to social policies.

Brooks noted that many older Jewish voters had a "historical attachment" to the Democratic Party because of their own experiences of immigrating to the United States after the Second World War, as well as their memories of Franklin's presidency Roosevelt and the consequences of the Great Depression.

But Ellis, officials at America First Policies, have said that these same older Jewish voters could be a "poison" for Democrats in 2020 because they recognize that Omar's anti-Semitism has already been seen by some.

"They remember the virulent anti-Semitism that manifested in the Holocaust," Ellis said. "They remember the various forms and excuses and cover stories used for anti-Semitism and they recognize – they understand exactly what Ilhan Omar is doing."

According to Brooks, many young Jews voted Democrats because of a "bombardment" of progressive influences at the university and because of family tradition. However, according to Elizabeth Pipko of #Jexodus, a group that works to get Jews out of the Democratic Party, some Jewish millennials are tired of it. She said that the anti-Semitism of the Democrats "is terrifying".

"Even before the beginning of #Jexodus, we could see it all over the social media, what the Democrats have done in recent weeks really scared a lot of people," Pipko said. She claimed that there was a "gap" among young Jewish voters.

Brooks noted that the trend line of Jewish support to Republicans is "rising", from 11% in 1992 to former President George H.W. Bush to nearly 25% in 2016 for Trump.

"I am confident that we will continue to make long-term progress with Jewish voters," Brooks said.

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