Why the Republican Party struggles with securing the Jewish vote

Why the Republican Party struggles with securing the Jewish vote


About a month ago, I had a conversation on Facebook with an individual whom I had met at an election night party I attended at my county’s Republican headquarters. This was not the first conversation I had with him, but it was the most contentious. He was visiting his sick, dying father back home in Vermont. He asked for me to pray for his father, which I was more than happy to oblige. The tide of the conversation turned significantly, however, when he said he needed me to help Jesus do his will onto his father. As I may or may not have mentioned in the past, I am Jewish. I politely told this man that that was something I could not do, but that I wished him and his family all the best. Unfortunately, it didn’t end there; he proceeded to quote bible verses in an attempt to convince me to abandon a lifetime of counter beliefs (in a brief flashback, for added context, let me add in that at the Hernando County First Republican Club meeting in November, I revealed to the chairman of the Hernando County Republican Executive Committee that I am Jewish, and this man was within earshot). I asked him on several occasions to cease, to which he neglected to renege. I eventually was forced to delete him from my page, and came very close to having to block him. I was told that he became a Republican because the Democrats “say you can believe whatever you want”, and the Republicans “believe in Jesus as our savior”.

Recently, I have found myself having more and more battles with Christian conservatives. It seems less and less likely to have a political discussion in any social network, without religion being injected into the conversation. A now former friend of mine on Facebook posted a link to a story detailing that 51% of registered voters polled (the name of the polling firm escapes me, at the moment) say they are now worse off than they were before Obama was inaugurated, compared to 35% who say their lives have improved. The dialogue was non-abrasive for the first portion, but turned when someone started quoting bible verses to explain our current state of affairs. As is typical of me, I chimed in with my thoughts, which led to, as usual, a controversy. I was asked what my religious beliefs were, and I revealed them. What ensued got me to really thinking deeply about the schism between the Jewish community, and the Republican party.

Prominent conservatives who I have had the pleasure of meeting, and who are aware of my religious affiliation, always ask me “Jason, why are almost all Jews Democrats?”. All I have been able to do, up until now, is stand there, look them straight in the face, and say “I don’t know”. The realities are quite evident - the Republican party has always stood for a strong national defense, a tough stance against terrorism, and a strong defense of Israel. Conversely, the Democrats have long stood for appeasement, tolerance, and strong criticism against Israel for it’s treatment of the Palestinian people. So naturally, one would think that Jewish Americans would be, by nature, supportive of the Republican party. But for generations, the Jewish vote has ALWAYS been a reliable base for the Democrats. My maternal grandparents voted Democrat all their lives, and my paternal grandmother was a bleeding heart liberal for as long as I knew her. Several other members of my family share these beliefs, and with nary an exception, my friends of the Jewish faith are no different. So, the question remains - WHY does the GOP struggle so greatly to appeal to the Jewish community?

As long as I have struggled to understand, I think it’s finally starting to dawn on me what the real answer is; Christian conservatives are all too happy to proselytize. Not one single time in my 26 years have I ever uttered the following words to a non-Jew “the only way to heaven is to accept the Torah, and to live a Jewish life”. Yet the older I get, and the more people I meet, the more I’m being subject to the opposite “the only way to heaven, the only way to be saved, is to accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior”. This is not a blanket statement, and surely I don’t have this problem with every single non-Jew I meet. In fact, the chairman of the Hernando County Republican Executive Committee finds it equally as deplorable as I do; and he’s of the same brand of Christianity as the man I mentioned in the 1st part of this blog. The 1st amendment tends to be warped and twisted into being what individuals want it to be, with some who say it provides freedom OF religion, and other who believe it provides freedom FROM religion. I believe in the former, but I DON’T believe that freedom OF religion can ever be equal to “freedom to practice the religion I do”. And therein lies the true problem - allowing religious tolerance for each person, based on what he/she views G-d as, whom/what is G-d’s embodiment, and whom is the one true Messiah. The Republican party was founded in 1854, to be the party of rights and freedom; freedom to own property, vote, be successful, and perhaps most importantly, practice whatever religion suits you. Yet here we are, over 150 years after the founding of this grand party, and such a significant segment of the party believes that if you don’t accept Jesus, then you’ll be damned. Is this any way to treat non-Christians? Is this the most efficient way to increase your base, and convince others to join your cause? I am absolutely certain that there are many, many “blue dog” Democrats of the Jewish faith, who would be registered as Republicans if not for this persecution. Why would a group of people, who have discrimination and intolerance ingrained into their souls by centuries of hate spewed at them, find appeal in a political party which shows such favoritism for Christianity? There is no sense in faulting anyone for their religious beliefs, or their political beliefs; but there IS plenty of reason to fault those who condemn those beliefs, and shun anyone that doesn’t follow suit.

The dilemma, who’s solution has eluded many a Republican for decades, including myself, seems relatively simple to solve, if you use your experiences to guide you - Jews frown upon the Republican party not because of it’s support for fiscal conservatism, not because of it’s superiority on issues of national defense, and not for it’s support of Israel (though lesser religious Jews aren’t as pro-Zionism as more religious Jews are). The reality is, with the business savvy that Jews have adopted over the course of history, it’s theoretically counterintuitive to support a party who’s views are aligned with demand-side economics. All of this must lead one to draw the only logical, reasonable causation for the knee jerk Republican condemnation by the Jewish community - intolerance and bigotry.

By the way….wasn’t Jesus a Jew? :)