Road To The White House

COUN TING

TEE

3EWISEVO'IT

Sen. Joseph

JAMES D. BESSER
Washington Correspondent

Lieberman's

Washington
en. Joseph Lieberman's nomination as Al Gore's vice-presidential
running mate merely reinforced this year's political conventional
wisdom: Jews will vote overwhelmingly Democratic on Nov. 7.
And political experts say that if Jews turn out and vote in high
numbers, they could prove vitally important in a handful of key states
where the outcome may determine who goes to the White House next
January. Jewish influence also will be considerable, they say, in several key
House and Senate races as the Democrats and Republicans slug it out in a
too-close-to-call battle for control of the 107th Congress.
In any event, the Jewish community already has made its presence felt —
with money. Jewish contributors have helped shape both major party cam-
paigns and sensitized the candidates to the community's top issues.

S

vice-presidential

nomination

was the icing

on the cake to

get Jewish voters

firmly back into the

Restoring Tradition

Democratic ranks.

But Al Gore

was likely to

get those voters

anyway because

of his stands on

Israel and a variety

of social issues.

Democratic

strategists expect

to win nine of 10

Jewish votes

and they may come

in crucially

V get
10/6

2000

6

close states.

Top: Vice President Al Gore addresses the
United Jewish Communities General Assembly
in Atlanta on Nov. 17, 1999. Gore pledged to
the almost 5,000 Jewish leaders from 189
Jewish federations around the world that
America would always stand by Israel
"whenever she takes risks for peace."

Above: Republican presidential candidate
Texas Gov. George W Bush, wearing a
kippah, stands next to the Flame of Remembrance
during a lighting ceremony at the Simon
Wiesenthal Center and Museum
of Tolerance in Los Angeles on March 6

Overall, there isn't a shred of drama in the Jewish vote for president in
2000. Even Republicans concede that Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the
Republican candidate, is likely to do no better with Jews than his father
President George Bush did in 1992.
The traditional Jewish preference for the Democrats, shaky during the
1980s, may be stronger than ever. Sen. Joe Lieberman's status as the first Jew
on a major-party ticket is icing on the cake for the Democrats. They now
predict that Vice President Al Gore will win at least 90 percent of the Jewish
vote, bringing the Jewish-Democratic alliance back to New Deal levels.
Bush has made overtures to the Jewish community — speaking to the
B'nai B'rith annual convention, for example, and conspicuously donning a
kippah (skullcap) for his visit in the spring to the Simon Wiesenthal Center
in Los Angeles. But sustained GOP outreach efforts have been minimal.
Gore also has appeared before Jewish organizations, but he has been
doing that for decades. He needs little introduction to the secular issues
that concern Jewish voters. Lieberman's declarations about how his
Orthodoxy helps inform his policy decisions are a potent reminder of com-
mon purpose with those who stress the religious side of the community.
"It's hard to imagine what the Democrats could do at this point to lose a
significant number of Jewish votes," said American University historian
Allan J. Lichtman, author of several books on handicapping elections. "For
both parties, it makes more sense to focus most of their efforts on other
voter groups."
Two decades ago, analysts saw signs that the traditional Democratic lock
on the Jewish vote, going back to the Franklin D. Roosevelt era, was loos-
ening.
In 1980, Republican Gov. Ronald Reagan won 39 percent of the Jewish
vote in his victory over President Jimmy Carter, whose Mideast policies had
angered many Jews. The Reagan years infused Jewish Republicans with
hope, but those hopes were dashed by George H.W. Bush, who won 27
percent of the Jewish vote in 1988, but plunged to 11 percent in 1992.
That election came just after a bruising battle with Jewish groups over
loan guarantees for Israel.

Related editorial: page 41

