The Jews Lose

An exit poll released by CNN showed Kerry had outperformed Bush among American Jews 76-24 percent. . . .

Another smaller survey of just under 500 Jews in Ohio and Florida, two key battleground states that went for Bush, showed Kerry winning 72 per cent of the Jewish vote and Bush 25 percent.

Bush won Florida . . . this year by 5 percent. The increase for Bush among Jewish voters there, heavily concentrated in the southern portion of the state, was minimal. Frank Luntz, who did the Jewish polling in Ohio and Florida, said the small number of Jews who voted for Bush in Florida was a "contributing factor" to Bush's victory in the Sunshine State "but it was not a deciding factor" . . . .

[Overall among Jews] Bush achieved roughly a five point gain over the 19 per cent he won in 2000 but Republicans had anticipated far bigger gains because of Bush's support for Israel. (JPost)

So the Jews lose, not only because they hitched their wagon to a loser, but also because in doing so, they failed to show any gratitude for Bush's strong (and vastly unpopular) support for the Jewish state.

Now that "the people have spoken," the President has less than a significant mandate from the American Jewish community to continue his difficult and courageous support for Israel; it would make sense if he considers us a bunch of ingrates.

We can only hope he is more of a mentsh than we have shown ourselves to be.

And btw, did any of those Jews who voted for Kerry happen to notice the vultures circling above the polling place? Tony Blair, for one, has wasted no time:

British Prime Minister Tony Blair devoted much of a brief speech congratulating President George W. Bush on his reelection Wednesday night to a call for a new coordinated effort to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Describing the need for such a solution as the "single most pressing political challenge in our world today," Blair urged the president to seek peace "between Israel and Palestine" with the "same energy" that he has pursued his agenda in Iraq. Blair placed this quest in the context of "resolving the conditions and causes on which the terrorists prey."

I apologize in advance to Esther Sarah, who undoubtedly will accuse me of ascribing human malevolence to an innocent animal population . . .

UPDATE: Haaretz says the Jewish swing to Bush was only 3%, in spite of (and/or because of) the Jews of Boro Park, like Alex Steinberg:

. . . Steinberg, aged 90, does not want assistance and is eager to fulfill his civic duty. "I voted Bush," he says proudly, as he leaves a few minutes later. He straightens his back. "Four years ago, I voted for Al Gore. Then I was afraid George W. Bush would go in his father's footsteps and be bad for Israel." He switches to Yiddish. "Now everyone knows that he is a great friend of Israel."

Steinberg, a Holocaust survivor who came to America 60 years ago, has a son in Jerusalem. "I'm going to Israel soon," he says.

A choshever mentsh!