In Iowa today, the big question is whether a populist surge will leave Hillary Clinton third, behind Edwards and Obama, and thereby deal a blow to her candidacy. Can’t wait to find out.
What fascinates me about these trends is that Clinton seems the clear favorite of American Jews, and thus her support underscores the fact that Jews have mellowed politically– from being on the left in the 70s to being liberal/centrists today.
Consider the American Jewish Committee’s recent survey of American Jewish opinion. 58 percent of Jews say they are Democrats, only 15 percent Republican–still a strong tilt there. But compare them to other Dems. Overall, Democrats had a 53 percent favorable view of Hillary. Among Jewish Democrats, the feelings were a whopping 75 percent favorable. Obama and Edwards were both under 50 percent favorable feeling for American Jews (closer to the overall Dems’ feelings).
Then look at how Jews describe their politics. The results are remarkably balanced. 56 percent of Jews describe their political views as anywhere from "moderate" to "extremely conservative." Compared to 43 percent who say their views are anywhere from "slightly liberal" to "extremely liberal." OK, I’m lumping moderates with conservatives. But try it another way: add up all the centrists–moderates, slightly conservative, and slightly liberal–and you come up with 56 percent of American Jews who are centrists. Compared to 27 percent who identify as liberal and 16 percent identified as conservative. That’s pretty balanced.
As for the 70s and 80s, my data are ye olde reliable memory and anecdote. I’m sure the statistics are out there, demonstrating a more leftward skew among Jews. Why is this happening? Easy. The end of antisemitism, the growth of Jewish wealth, and the inclusion of Jews in the power structure. If you’re in the power structure, you’re a centrist. Ergo, Hillary.
