People tend to get very testy when you suggest Pres. Obama’s losing Jewish voters, which is then followed by knowing comments about how the Democrats will never lose Jews to Republicans. That may be the case, but it simply cannot be denied that support for him among this group of faithful Democrats has sunk.
I gave that list to the people at The Pew Research Center, and they graciously combed through their data and provided me with Obama’s average approval rating among each group in 2009 and thus far in 2010. (Thanks Scott.)
Here are the results:
* Obama’s approval rating among Jews in 2010 averaged 58 percent.
* This percentage was the lowest of all those representing his enthusiastic supporter groups except one, the religious unaffiliated.
* The percentage change in Obama’s approval rating from 2009 to 2010 among Jews was greater than any of the other enthusiastic supporter groups, greater than Democrats and liberals in general and greater than the nation overall (or the goyim, if you prefer.)
The information above was solicited in response to Eric Alterman, who protested to Blow’s first column on Obama’s Jewish support.
What people don’t understand is that it doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll lose them in 2012, but it does point to a general lack of enthusiasm, at the very least, and reveals the rougher road ahead for Obama before the re-election season begins, meaning he’ll have to make his case again. This time to a much more skeptical electorate who won’t be wooed by words alone.
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