Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 64, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 15, 2010 Page: 4 of 28
twenty eight pages : ill.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
NEWS ANALYSIS
4 I April 15,2010
Poll: Obama struggling with Jews,
but not on Israel-related matters
By Ron Kampeas
WASHINGTON (JTA) — A new
survey shows President Obama
struggling with American Jews —
but not on Israel-related matters.
The American Jewish Com-
mittee poll of U.S. Jews found that
Obama's approval rating is at 57
percent, with 38 percent disap-
proving. That's down from the
stratospheric 79 percent approval
rating among Jews that Obama
enjoyed about a year ago, in May
2009. The AJCommittee poll was
conducted March 2-23 and sur-
veyed 800 self-identifying Jewish
respondents selected from a con-
sumer mail panel.
Obama's advantage among Jews
versus the rest of the population
appears to be eroding. The latest
Gallup polling shows Obama with
a national approval rating of 48,
nine points below Jewish polling.
Last May, general polling earned
him 63 percent approval, 16 points
below Jewish polling.
Despite the drop — and weeks
of tensions with the Netanyahu
government — Obama still polls
solidly on foreign policy, with a
steady majority backing his han-
dling of U.S.-Israel relations, ac-
cording to the AJCommittee poll.
It is on domestic issues that the
president appears to be facing more
unhappiness.
Jewish voters are statistically
split on how Obama has handled
Question 13
Disapprove
■ 42%
Approve
□ 47%
Not sure
□ 11%
Photo: American Jewish Committee
This question in the new AJCommittee survey asked: "Do you approve or disap-
prove of the Obama administration's handling of the Iran nuclear issue?"
health care reform, with 50 percent
approving and 48 disapproving.
On the economy he fares slightly
better. Jewish voters who favor his
policies stand at 55 percent, while
42 percent disapprove.
The last AJCommittee poll on
the views of American Jews, re-
leased last September, did not ad-
dress domestic issues, so there's
no measure to assess any change
in support on the specific issues of
health and the economy. Indeed,
this is the first poll in at least 10
years in which the AJCommit-
tee has attempted to assess views
on the economy and health care.
However, Jewish voters in solid
YOUR CHILD IS ALWAYS
WeCcome
bethtorah preschool & kindergarten
Year-round learning and fun in a nurturing Jewish environment.
Hear what parents and educators are saying about our program.
"It has befen our experience that the Beth Torah students are well prepared
for Kindergarten. They are prepared socially, emotionally and academically!
Thanks for all you are doing for our smallest Brentfield Bobcats/'
Brentfield Elementary Principal Steve Lemons
"I have watched my daughter grow spiritually, emotionally, and academically
at Beth Torah. She is exposed to so many opportunities, given much love-ana
patience, and is becoming a wonderfully well-rounded 4 year old. I can't wait
for my son to have the same meaningful experiences that nave shaped much of
my daughter's life."
Emily Blum, preschool parent and PISD 4th Grade Teacher
See for yourself...
Please call to schedule an appointment to visit our outstanding school.
Esther Cohen, Director • 972-234-1 S42i:56'xt. 222
pres.chooiWepngregationbethtorah.org
[IB9VR{TR^III "Little Feet, Big Steps"
majorities describe themselves as
Democrats and as liberal to mod-
erate in their views, and tradition-
ally list the economy and health
care as their two top concerns in
the voting booth.
Matt Brooks, who directs the
Republican Jewish Coalition, said
the relatively low score on domes-
tic issues underscored what he said
was a steady decline in Democratic
support among Jewish voters.
"This indicates a serious ero-
sion of support," he said. "It's a
huge drop. There's no silver lining"
for Democrats.
Ira Forman, the director of
the National Jewish Democratic
Council, countered that the poll
did not account for Jewish vot-
ers who might be disappointed
with Obama from a more liberal
perspective — for instance, over
his dropping from the reform bill
the so-called public option, which
would have allowed for govern-
ment-run health care.
Additionally, much of the AJ-
Committee polling took place be-
fore Obama's come-from-behind
victory on March 21, when the
U.S. House of Representatives
passed health care reform, Forman
said. Since then, Democrats have
said they see a turnaround in the
president's political fortunes. "The
narrative was, the president was in
the tank," Forman said. "This was
when it was thought his initiative
was dead."
Obama fares strongly with Jews
on homeland security, with 62
percent approving and 33 percent
disapproving — a sign that Re-
publican attempts to cast Obama
as weak on protecting the nation
have had little impact in the Jewish
community.
He also scores 55 percent ap-
proval on how he handles U.S.-
Israel relations, which is virtually
unchanged since last September,
when his handling of the relation-
ship scored 54 percent approval.
At that juncture, the tensions be-
tween Washington and Jerusalem
were kept at a low bubble and were
confined to U.S. insistence on a to-
tal freeze of Israeli settlement, and
the Netanyahu administration's
reluctance to concede.
The latest questions, however,
coincided almost exactly with
the period when U.S. officials ac-
cused the Netanyahu government
of "insulting" the United States by
announcing a new building start
in eastern Jerusalem while Vice
President Joe Biden was visiting,
and when the president refused to
make public gestures of friendship
during Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu's subsequent visit to
Washington.
A question on Obama's han-
dling of Iran's nuclear capability
showed a statistical dead heat on
see POLL, p. 18
TEXAS JEWISH POST & SINCE 1947
TUP
Have You Lost Money in Stocks, Bonds,
Auction Rate Securities, Mutual Funds,
Variable Annuities or Other Investments
Recommended by a Broker or
Investment Advisor?
Call to Discuss Your Rights
(972) 934-1313
Richard A. Lewins
LewinsLaw
7920 Belt Line Road, Suite 650
Dallas, Texas 75254
lewdnslaw@topher.net
www.lewinslaw.com
Not Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
TEXAS JEWISH POST#SINCE 1947
Jimmy Wisch
Publisher & Editor | 1947-2002
EDITOR & PUBLISHER
Rene Wisch
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Sharon Wisch-Ray
sharonw@texasjewishpost.com
VP SALES & MARKETING
Amy Doty
a myd@texasjewish post.com
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Phyllis LaVietes
phyllisl@texasjewishpost.com
STAFF WRITER
Rachel Gross rachelg@texasjewishpost.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Harriet P. Gross
harrietg@texasjewishpost.com
Laurie James, Deb Sil verthorn,
Steve Wisch
AD REPRESENTATIVES
Nancy Sadicarios
n a ncys@texa sje wish post.com
Judy Wisch, Linda Wisch Davidsohn
ART DIRECTOR
Delia Jalomo deliaj@texasjewishpost.com
AD DESIGN
Katie Stringer katiec@texasjewishpost.com
Views and opinions of columnists and contributors are their own
and not necessarily those of this newspaper. All rights reserved.
Photocopying,reproduction or quotation strictly prohibited with-
out permission from the publisher. Composition responsibility:
This newspaper will not be liable for errors appearing in advertise-
ments beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Adver-
tisers assume responsibility for errors in telephone orders. We are
not responsible for the Kashruth of any product or establishment
advertised in the Texas Jewish Post. Advertisers are responsible for
authenticity of any claims or statements made in their advertise-
ments a nd a re not endorsements by the Texas Jewish Post.
DALLAS
7920 Belt Line Rd.,Suite 680
Dallas,TX 75254
972-458-7283 | 972-458-7299 FAX
FORT WORTH
P.O. Box 12087, Fort Worth, TX 76110
817-927-2831 PHONE
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscription Rates: Texas: $35 per year, Other States in
U.S.:$45 per year. Foreign: $70 per year. Subscriptions
are payable in advance. Unless notified otherwise,it
is understood that all subscriptions are renewed au-
tomatically upon expiration.Please allow four
weeks from date received by the Texas Jt„,
Jewish Post for address changes to take
effect.
:aj>:
The Texas Jewish Post(ISSN 0040- ^ L—
439X) is published weekly, with an s
additional issue in the first quarter.
The Texas Jewish Post is published at 3120 South
Freeway,Fort Worth,Texas 76110-4334. Periodicals Post-
age Paid at Fort Worth, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send ad-
dress changes to the Texas Jewish Post, P.O. Box 12087,
Fort Worth, Texas 76110.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Wisch, Rene. Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 64, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 15, 2010, newspaper, April 15, 2010; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth188288/m1/4/: accessed May 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .