Jews Like Obama Better Than Lieberman, McCain

Who knew?

A recent poll of Jewish voters shows that, not only do American Jews like Obama more than Senator Joseph Lieberman, they like him a lot more. From HuffPo:

Only 37 percent of Jews view the Connecticut Independent in a favorable light compared to 48 percent who have a negative perception. As for Obama, 60 percent of Jews view him favorably while 34 percent view him unfavorably.

Obama, who is set to travel to Israel this week, is often described in the press as facing significant obstacles to winning Jewish support, in part because of false claims that he is a Muslim. Lieberman, meanwhile, is regularly quoted disparaging Obama's credentials on topics considered dear to the Jewish voter's heart: toughness on Iran and support for the Jewish state. Asked recently whether he should be questioning Obama's commitment to Israel, the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee responded, "why wouldn't I do that?"

This poll is a great example of what happens when you ignore the bigmouths and actually talk to the people.This poll is a great example of what happens when you ignore the bigmouths and actually talk to the people. Why wouldn't American Jews favor a candidate with a more even-handed, less belligerent Israeil policy?

Something else I've learned is the number 1 rule of polling data: Always read the whole report. Obama is beating McCain in favorability among Jews by an even greater margin, with McCain viewed favorably by 34%, and unfavorably by 57%.

In fact, Obama had a higher favorability rating than every person or organization on the list, except one: "your local Jewish Federation."

Turns out, American Jews really, really like Obama. They plan to vote for Obama 62-32. Maybe it's because 86% of the survey's respondents answered affirmatively to this question:

Would you support or oppose the United States playing an active role in helping the parties to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict if it meant the United States publicly stating its disagreements with both the Israelis and the Arabs?

This poll is very good news for Obama, since his world tour takes him to Israel today, focusing attention on what many thought was a weakness. As has been the case all week, this turns it into another strength