America's Jewish liberals or should I say American liberals who happen to be Jewish

I have 2 personal observations.

1. I thought that Jews had a more extensive economics education. It appears I have been mistaken since “economic justice” and maximizing national wealth seem to run in opposite directions. Apparently, these Jews would want everybody poor together.

2. Based on this poll Israel should probably tell the liberal  American Jewish establishment “you've made it damn clear that you don't care about us or our survival--why should we give a damn about what you think concerning issues that involve our survival?

John

Poll: US Jews favor Obama, don't consider Israel when voting

New national poll conducted for the Workmen's Circle, a Jewish activist organization, finds that Obama out-polls Romney by 59% to 27% among Jews • Survey also shows that economic justice is main driver of Jewish vote, whereas attachment to Israel is not a strong factor in presidential voting decision.

Israel Hayom Staff

New poll shows many more Jews believe that Obama rather than Romney shares their values.  |  Photo credit: AP

Jewish voters in the U.S. favor President Barack Obama to presumptive Republican candidate Mitt Romney two to one and Israel is not a strong factor in their voting decisions, according to a new national poll conducted for the Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring, a Jewish activist organization.

The poll did show a difference in attitude on Israel between Jewish voters who prefer Obama versus those who prefer Romney. Romney supporters show more attachment to Israel and more confidence in its commitment to peace. However, these differences are explained by other factors such as religiosity and political ideology.

The survey was conducted for the Workmen's Circle by a team led by Professor Steven M. Cohen of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.

It questioned 1,000 American Jews, via the Internet, between April 19 and May 3, 2012.

The findings, published Thursday on the Workmen's Circle website, shows that Obama out-polls Romney by 59 percent to 27% among Jews, with 14% undecided. The issues most important to Jewish voters according to the poll are economic justice, including the regulation of financial institutions, support for progressive taxation, and more governmental assistance for the needy.

Among the Jews polled, many more also believe that Obama shares their values than does Romney.

“These are extremely significant polling numbers. They offer a snapshot of the American Jewish community regarding the values and issues that are the highest priorities, though these are not the issues that are front-and-center in our communal debate,” Madelon Braun, president of the Workmen’s Circle, said.

According to the poll, U.S. Jews today are more liberal than the overall population, especially in terms of economic issues related to social justice concerns.

Asked in the poll "how fair do you think our present federal tax system is," only 2% of Jews answered "very fair," while 46% answered "not too fair" and 30% said "not fair at all." Additionally, 65% of U.S. Jews support raising federal income taxes for people who earn more than $200,000 annually.

A notable finding in the poll was that 62% of respondents believe the power of financial institutions in the U.S. poses a "major threat" to the country's economic well being.

Jews also take a more liberal stance than other U.S. citizens on several social issues, according to the poll. They are pointedly more supportive of gay marriage and abortion, with about twice as many Jewish voters as other voters believing that abortion should be legal in all situations.

“Sentiments about the economy are still pivotal in how Jews self-identify politically, as illustrated in ranking to these questions, where traditional liberal sentiments are clearly delineated,” Cohen said about the poll's findings.

Another significant finding was that attachment to Israel is not a strong factor in Jews' voting decisions for president. Neither was "confidence in Israelis vs. Palestinians as peace seeking."