Chuck Schumer: NY-9 is just too darn Jewish for Democrats now
posted at 6:50 pm on September 14, 2011 by Jazz Shaw
Earlier today, Ed Morrissey pointed out what could have been a record breaking attempt at spinning a loss in New York’s 9th congressional district by DNC chair Debby Wasserman Schultz. It was an heroic effort, I’ll admit, and one for the ages. But never to be outdone, former holder of the 9th district seat and current Empire State Senator Chuck Schumer may have managed to top her.
Why did the Democrats lose this race in a part of town where they hold a 3-1 registration advantage? Well, at least in part, because the district has just become too darned Jewish.
After canceling his own conference call (on getting federal disaster aid for flood-ravaged NY farmers), Sen. Chuck Schumer teamed up with DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz to push back against the GOP spin that Congressman-elect Bob Turner’s upset win in NY-9 spells bad news at the national level for Democrats, and President Obama in particular.
Schumer, who represented NY-9 for 18 years, insisted the district is about 75 percent the same today, geographically speaking, as it was when he was in office, but drastically different when it comes to demographics. There are more Orthodox Jews, he said, and also more immigrants, making the district skew even more conservative than it had been back in his day…
Wasserman-Schultz, a Florida Jew, also predicted Obama – and the Democrats in general – “have consistently received the Jewish vote and will again” due to the president’s “strong record” on Israel and other issues Jewish voters care about.
Apparently, she hasn’t spoken with former NYC Mayor Ed Koch lately.
I understand full well, having done this for a while, that trying to map out why voters do what they do is often fairly close to reading a Rorschach test. But in this case, I have some direct experience in the subject matter. In the 2010 cycle I helped run the campaign for a conservative, pro-life, pro-Israel Republican in New York’s 22nd district. (And yes, I understand full well the demographic differences between upstate and the Brooklyn – Queens area.) We also received the endorsement of former Mayor Ed Koch on the basis of the Democrat’s anti-Israel policies. Want to know how much of a difference it made?
We still lost the New York Jewish vote massively. It just didn’t turn that many people around from that community.
Yes, there are many immigrants in NY-9. And yes, they have a disproportionately larger Jewish population than many other parts of the nation. (Anywhere from 25% to 40% depending on which pollster you ask.) But they have traditionally been, and continue to be, fairly reliable Democratic voters because of a complex tableau of competing issues. For Schumer and Wasserman-Schultz (also a Jew) to try to spin this as some sort of negative for their candidate, and then turn around and predict that these same “turncoat Jews” will still back Obama next fall is…
I’m sorry. My dictionary just broke down. I’ll get back to you later.
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So… what Schumer is saying is that the Democrats were (wait for it) stabbed in the back?
J.E. Dyer on September 14, 2011 at 10:28 PM
Schumer’s got to be kidding. Let’s see how the GOP does in Miami beach. Maybe very orthodox Jews might, for social reasons, vote GOP, but certainly not the rank and file secular Jews.
Anyone see that Curb Your Enthusiasm episode where Larry and Cheryl are trying to get into a Republican golf club? What does Funkhauser say when asked if he’s ever golfed there? “Larry, I’m Jewish.”
keep the change on September 14, 2011 at 10:47 PM
Apparently all Jewish voters are created equal, but in this election some Jewish voters were more equal than others? In other elections? Even Orwell’s pigs couldn’t make heads or tails of this spin. In response to the President’s tailspin, they’re making our heads spin.
brambo_42 on September 14, 2011 at 11:25 PM
If the Jews stopped voting like blacks
Israel would be safe, the radical muzzies would be getting their asses waxed and there would be an economy
Sonosam on September 14, 2011 at 11:58 PM
Didn’t he also just blame it on immigrants?
Racists.
ironmonger69 on September 15, 2011 at 7:42 AM
There were three major issues that impacted this election, two of which will matter in 2012. (Full disclosure, I am an Orthodox Jew and live in NY-9).
1) Social Issues – This will not impact 2012. Jews, whether observant or not, don’t really care and have a “whatever” attitude. For example, while Orthodox Jews personally disagree with gay marriage, we’re never going to do that anyway so the issue is not applicable to us. It’s just another sign of the moral degradation the country is heading down. For this election specifically, the key issue was David Weprin’s vote in favor of gay marriage in NY. He’s an Orthodox Jew. The community felt that was a betrayal and a misrepresentation of the core values of Orthodox Judaism and the community needed to respond vociferously.
2) Israel – Will impact 2012. People are very concerned with Obama’s anti-Israel stance and treatment of Netanyahu. This is true for both Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews. More importantly, it’s the chastising Israel but not the Palestinians, or drawing moral equivalency between building houses and dropping rockets on children that have Jews of all stripes incensed. Turner played up this angle and suggested that Weprin will vote arm-in-arm with the Democratic machine, despite his being Jewish. The community repsonded. The GOP nominee will be smart to campaign on this issue as well.
3) Economic Issues – Will impact 2012. People are scared. Just like everyone else, Orthodox Jews are doctors, lawyers, accountants, plumbers, teachers, run small businesses, etc. We understand the economic crisis this country is facing. We are getting hit just like everyone else and people are fed up.
Last point: Weprin is an Orthodox Jew. Bob Turner is a Roman Catholic. It’s important to note that as a community, we did not blindly vote for our own. We voted for the best candidate, regardless of personal affiliation. Can the same be said for other ethnic groups in the country?
bigdubs on September 15, 2011 at 10:10 AM
Maybe the fact that Obama wants Israel to restrict itself to its indefensible ’67 borders enabling her enemies to more easily destroy her might have alerted Jewish New Yorkers that Obama’s not really a friend of the Jews.
Chessplayer on September 15, 2011 at 12:14 PM
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