Obama doesn't have a "Jewish problem," he has a people problem

President Obama has more support today among Jews than Hispanics, youth, college graduates, Easterners, moderates and secular voters, according to Gallup data. Yet the polar storyline endures in major media outlets. New York Times front-page headline: “Seeing Ripple in Jewish Vote.” CNN headline: “How can President Obama save the Jewish vote?” Politico headline: “Obama slips with Jews.” And that was only on Thursday…

Buddhists are the only religious group who have a larger share of liberals than Jews, according to the Pew Research Center. Pew has found that Jews supported abortion rights and believed “homosexuality is a way of life that should be accepted by society” more than any other religious group.

A few years ago, there was a debate within the chattering class over why Jews are staunch Democrats. One answer is the unusual prevalence of social issues in American politics. Jews also have a tradition of identifying with the minority and emphasizing social justice. A critical third factor for American Jews is Israel.

But American Jews don’t vote on Israel. A majority of Jews, like Americans overall, said the economy was their top issue, according to two polls by Gerstein in 2010. Israel ranked near the bottom.