Throughout the 2016 primary, the GOP will take aim at Obama on Israel, and, therefore, at Clinton. She wishes she could wait until the general election to address the issue, but the controversy is raging now. Obama has seen to that. Even critics of Netanyahu in Israel are circling the wagons as a result of Obama’s rhetoric about rethinking Israel policy.
Clinton could see a shift in American Jewish public opinion during the next two years. The number crunchers on Team Clinton trying to preserve the Obama coalition should take note of the uptick in Jewish Republican voters since Obama took office in recent Gallup polling. A Democrat is still likely to win the Jewish vote again in 2016, but Obama has upset many Jews in Israel as well as in America. It’s an opening for the next GOP nominee, particularly because Clinton will struggle to turn out as many young voters, African-American voters and new voters as Obama did twice.
Republicans have already sunk their teeth in to this opportunity. And they won’t let go.
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