podhoretz-why jews remain liberal

8/9/2019 Podhoretz-Why Jews Remain Liberal

1/31

* * * * * * * More

o BigCharts o Virtual Stock Exchange

o FiLife.com o WSJ Asia o WSJ Europe o WSJ Portuguese o WSJ Spanish o WSJ Chinese o WSJ Japanese

o WSJ Radio o Financial News

SEARCH

* Thursday, September 10, 2009 As of 5:37 AM EDT Opinion Journal

o Welcome, Logouto

+ My Account

+ My Journal

+ Help + Message Center *( new)*

*

U.S. Edition

WSJ.com is available in the following editions and languages:

o U.S.

o Asia

+ India

+ China / / + Japan / /

o Europe


2/31

o Americas+ en Espaol + em Portugus

o Login/Registerto set your edition

o Set my edition

o Today's Paper

o Video o Columns

o Blogs o Topics

o Journal Community

Register for FREE

Register for FREE

Thank you for registering.

We sent an email to:

Please click on the link inside the email to complete yourregistration

Please register to gain free access to WSJ tools.

An account already exists for the email address entered.

Forgot your username or password?

This service is temporary unavailable due to system maintenance.Please try again later.

The username entered is already associated withanother account. Please enter a different username

The email address you have entered is already in use.Please re-enter the email address.

oFirst Name

oLast Name

oEmail (your email address will be your login)

oConfirm Email

oCreate a Password


3/31


4/31

* Real Estate

* Small Business

* Leisure & Arts * Letters to the Editor * Political Diary * Columns

*

*

Dow Jones Reprints: This copy is for your personal, non-commercialuse only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution toyour colleagues, clients or customers, use the Order Reprints toolat the bottom of any article or visit www.djreprints.com

See a sample reprint in PDF format.Order a reprint of this article now

* The Wall Street Journal

* OPINION* SEPTEMBER 10, 2009, 5:37 A.M. ET

Why Are Jews Liberals?

I'm hoping buyer's remorse on Obama will finally cause a Jewishshift to the right.

* Article * Comments (386)

more in Opinion

* Email * Print *

Save This More

*o

facebook

facebook o

Twitter

Twitter


5/31

o

Digg

Digg o

StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon o + More

close o Yahoo! Buzz

o MySpace o del.icio.us o Reddit

o LinkedIn o Fark o Viadeo o Orkut

* larger Text smaller

By NORMAN PODHORETZ

One of the most extraordinary features of Barack Obama's victory overJohn McCain was his capture of 78% of the Jewish vote. To be sure, therewas nothing extraordinary about the number itself. Since 1928, theaverage Jewish vote for the Democrat in presidential elections has beenan amazing 75%far higher than that of any other ethno-religious group.

Yet there were reasons to think that it would be different in 2008. Themain one was Israel. Despite some slippage in concern for Israel amongAmerican Jews, most of them were still telling pollsters that theirvotes would be strongly influenced by the positions of the twocandidates on the Jewish state. This being the case, Mr. McCain's longhistory of sympathy with Israel should have given him a distinctadvantage over Mr. Obama, whose own history consisted of associatingwith outright enemies of the Jewish state like the Rev. Jeremiah Wrightand the historian Rashid Khalidi.

View Full Image

PodhoretzAssociated Press

Hebrew campaign buttons for Barack Obama.

PodhoretzPodhoretz

Nevertheless, Mr. Obama beat Mr. McCain among Jewish voters by astaggering 57 points. Except for African Americans, who gave him 95% oftheir vote, Mr. Obama did far better with Jews than with any other


6/31

ethnic or religious group. Thus the Jewish vote for him was 25 pointshigher than the 53% he scored with the electorate as a whole; 35 pointshigher than the 43% he scored with whites; 11 points higher than the 67%he scored with Hispanics; 33 points higher than the 45% he scored withProtestants; and 24 points higher than the 54% he scored with Catholics.

These numbers remind us of the extent to which the continued Jewishcommitment to the Democratic Party has become an anomaly. All the otherethno-religious groups that, like the Jews, formed part of the coalitionforged by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1930s have followed the rulethat increasing prosperity generally leads to an increasingidentification with the Republican Party. But not the Jews. As the lateJewish scholar Milton Himmelfarb said in the 1950s: "Jews earn likeEpiscopalians"then the most prosperous minority group in America"andvote like Puerto Ricans," who were then the poorest.

Jews also remain far more heavily committed to the liberal agenda thanany of their old ethno-religious New Deal partners. As the eminentsociologist Nathan Glazer has put it, "whatever the promptings of their

economic interests," Jews have consistently supported "increasedgovernment spending, expanded benefits to the poor and lower classes,greater regulations on business, and the power of organized labor."

As with these old political and economic questions, so with the newerissues being fought out in the culture wars today. On abortion, gayrights, school prayer, gun control and assisted suicide, the survey datashow that Jews are by far the most liberal of any group in America.

Most American Jews sincerely believe that their liberalism, togetherwith their commitment to the Democratic Party as its main politicalvehicle, stems from the teachings of Judaism and reflects the heritageof "Jewish values." But if this theory were valid, the Orthodox would bethe most liberal sector of the Jewish community. After all, it is theywho are most familiar with the Jewish religious tradition and who shapetheir lives around its commandments.

Yet the Orthodox enclaves are the only Jewish neighborhoods whereRepublican candidates get any votes to speak of. Even more telling isthat on every single cultural issue, the Orthodox oppose the politicallycorrect liberal positions taken by most other American Jews preciselybecause these positions conflict with Jewish law. To cite just a fewexamples: Jewish law permits abortion only to protect the life of themother; it forbids sex between men; and it prohibits suicide (exceptwhen the only alternatives are forced conversion or incest).

The upshot is that in virtually every instance of a clash between Jewishlaw and contemporary liberalism, it is the liberal creed that prevailsfor most American Jews. Which is to say that for them, liberalism hasbecome more than a political outlook. It has for all practical purposessuperseded Judaism and become a religion in its own right. And to thedogmas and commandments of this religion they give the kind of steadfastdevotion their forefathers gave to the religion of the Hebrew Bible. Formany, moving to the right is invested with much the same horror theirforefathers felt about conversion to Christianity.

All this applies most fully to Jews who are Jewish only in an ethnicsense. Indeed, many such secular Jews, when asked how they would define"a good Jew," reply that it is equivalent to being a good liberal.

But avowed secularists are not the only Jews who confuse Judaism with


7/31

liberalism; so do many non-Orthodox Jews who practice this or thattraditional observance. It is not for nothing that a cruel wag hasdescribed the Reform movementthe largest of the religious denominationswithin the American Jewish communityas "the Democratic Party withholidays thrown in," and the services in a Reform temple as "theDemocratic Party at prayer."

As a Jew who moved from left to right more than four decades ago, I havebeen hoping for many years that my fellow Jews would come to see that incontrast to what was the case in the past, our true friends are nowlocated not among liberals, but among conservatives.

Of course in speaking of the difference between left and right, orbetween liberals and conservatives, I have in mind a divide wider thanthe conflict between Democrats and Republicans and deeper than electoralpolitics. The great issue between the two political communities is howthey feel about the nature of American society. With all exceptions dulynoted, I think it fair to say that what liberals mainly see when theylook at this country is injustice and oppression of every kindeconomic,

social and political. By sharp contrast, conservatives see a nationshaped by a complex of traditions, principles and institutions that hasafforded more freedom and, even factoring in periodic economicdownturns, more prosperity to more of its citizens than in any societyin human history. It follows that what liberals believe needs to bechanged or discardedand apologized for to other nationsis preciselywhat conservatives are dedicated to preserving, reinvigorating andproudly defending against attack.

In this realm, too, American Jewry surely belongs with the conservativesrather than the liberals. For the social, political and moral systemthat liberals wish to transform is the very system in and through whichJews found a home such as they had never discovered in all their forcedwanderings throughout the centuries over the face of the earth.

The Jewish immigrants who began coming here from Eastern Europe in the1880s were right to call America "the golden land." They soon learnedthat there was no gold in the streets, as some of them may haveimagined, which meant that they had to struggle, and struggle hard. Butthere was another, more precious kind of gold in America. There wasfreedom and there was opportunity. Blessed with these conditions, wechildren and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of these immigrantsflourishedand not just in material termsto an extent unmatched in thehistory of our people.

What I am saying is that if anything bears eloquent testimony to theinfinitely precious virtues of the traditional American system, it isthe Jewish experience in this country. Surely, then, we Jews ought to bejoining with its defenders against those who are blind or indifferent orantagonistic to the philosophical principles, the moral values, and thesocioeconomic institutions on whose health and vitality the traditionalAmerican system depends.

In 2008, we were faced with a candidate who ran to an unprecedenteddegree on the premise that the American system was seriously flawed andin desperate need of radical changenot to mention a record powerfullyindicating that he would pursue policies dangerous to the security ofIsrael. Because of all this, I hoped that my fellow Jews would finallybreak free of the liberalism to which they have remained in thrall longpast the point where it has served either their interests or their ideals.


8/31

That possibility having been resoundingly dashed, I now grasp for someencouragement from the signs that buyer's remorse is beginning to set inamong Jews, as it also seems to be doing among independents. Which iswhy I am hoping against hope that the exposure of Mr. Obama as a falsemessiah will at last open the eyes of my fellow Jews to the correlativefalsity of the political creed he so perfectly personifies and to whichthey have for so long been so misguidedly loyal.

*Mr. Podhoretz was the editor of Commentary from 1960 to 1995. Hislatest book, "Why Are Jews Liberals?" is just out from Doubleday.*

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distributionand use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and bycopyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, pleasecontact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit

www.djreprints.com More In Opinion

* Email * Printer Friendly * Order Reprints **

Share:o

facebook

facebook o

Twitter

Twitter o

Digg

Digg o

StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon o

Viadeo

Viadeo o

Orkut

Orkut o


9/31

Yahoo! Buzz

Yahoo Buzz

o

Fark

Fark o

Reddit

Reddit o

LinkedIn

LinkedIn o

del.icio.us

del.icio.us o

MySpace

MySpace *

* Journal Community

Add a Comment

We welcome your thoughtful comments. Please comply with our Communityrules . All comments willdisplay your real name.

Want to participate in the discussion?

* Register for Free

Or log in or become a subscriber now for complete Journalaccess.

Track replies to my comment

* Go to Comments tab

* Clear* Post


10/31

*

Back To

* Back To* *

MSN Money Homepage

*

MSN Money Investing

marketplace* Need a Job? Get a Resume

* Search only $100K+ jobs

* Job Interview Coaching

* Free Resume Critique * Find a Great Job Now

* 200K+ Jobs

* Online Degrees * Rewarding Executive Careers

* Master the LSAT

* Jobs * Keylogger Software * GMAT 101

* SmartBrief Job Search * Insurance Leads * The Hidden Job Market

* Search $100K+ Jobs Now


11/31

* Own an Energy Conservation Biz * Finance & Accounting Jobs

* Advertise Locally on WSJ.com * Career Counseling

People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...

* On WSJ.com * In My Network

* Henninger: It's Still the Economy, Stupid27624240This could be America's greatest failed presidency.

* Rove: Obama's Big Political Gamble27624000

Red-state Democrats are being asked to risk their seats.* A Real Education Outrage

27623992

Protesting parents ignored by the media.* Obama Doubles Down

27628848

Counting on the sheer inertia of Democratic and health industryself-interest in Washingto...

* Free Speech, Take Two27623996

The Supreme Court hears a landmark case on campaign finance.

NEW! *Are you on Facebook?*See what content on this site is popular with your friends!Learn more Your Facebook Friends Are Reading

* Paging Rapunzel31340808

A look at homes in Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts thatcome with a turret or two...Seen by /6 friends/ /Day Traders/

/MIT/* Shanghai's Nightlife Echoes Former Reputation


12/31

31095548

While Shanghai doesn't offer visitors a sight like the ForbiddenCity, a night out in the ...Seen by /9 friends/ /Investment Banking/

/Chicago/* The 'Trophy Kids' Go to Work

19259830

In this adaptation from "The Trophy Kids Grow Up," Ron Alsopdescribes the workplace attit...Seen by /2 friends/ /3 groups/ Popular with people in the groups:

1. /Finance Club/

2. /Day Traders/3. /Facebook for UNICEF/

/New York/

Provided by SeenThis?*What's This?*[x] close

You're seeing a preview of /SeenThis?/ a Facebook application thathelps you discover the latest news, videos and more by showing youwhat's popular with your friends both on Facebook, and on sites likethis one.

*Have a Facebook account?* Get recommendations for content popular withyour friends by adding the /SeenThis?/ app.

Once you've added it, look for the "Your Facebook Friends Are Reading"section in the sidebar.

*Click to add /SeenThis?/ now *

About SeenThis? Privacy Feedback

Video

* previous ** next

*


13/31

Daniel Henninger: Bring Back the Robber Barons

2:49*

Mexican-Cuban Relations

3:42*

Obama's Business Buyout

2:30

More in Opinion

*

California's College Dreamers

*

Rasmussen and Schoen: Why Obama Can't Move the Health-CareNumbers

*

Andy Kessler: Lessons of a Dow Decade

*

Athens and the 'Speculators'


14/31

*

The Buy Boeing Provision

Most Popular

* Read * Emailed * Video * Commented

*

Subscriber Content /Read Preview/

1.

Prius Tale Prompts New Probe

* 2.

Opinion: 'They Need to Be Liberated From Their God'

* 3.

Opinion: Rasmussen and Schoen: Why Obama Can't Move theHealth-Care Numbers

* 4.

10 Best Places for Second Homes

* 5.

ID Card Center of Immigration Plan

* 1.


15/31

Opinion: California's College Dreamers

* 2.

10 Best Places for Second Homes

* 3.

Opinion: 'They Need to Be Liberated From Their God'

* 4.

Want to See 85? Get a Move On

* 5.

Opinion: Rasmussen and Schoen: Why Obama Can't Move theHealth-Care Numbers

* 1.

Gabourey's Audition for 'Precious'

* 2.

Police Rescue Man From Runaway Prius

* 3.

Who Killed Caravaggio?

* 4.

PM Report: Toyota Works to Fix Prius


16/31

8E3-68D8-4FCA-8263-068BB24CF8C6.html>

* 5.

Coda Helps Define Future of Electric Cars

* 1.

Obama Makes Health-Care Pitch352comments

* 2.

Runaway Prius Tale Prompts New Probe339comments

* 3.

ID Card for Workers Is at Center of Immigration Plan309comments

* 4.

Opinion: Health Reform Passes the Cost Test301comments

* 5.

Opinion: Why I Changed My Mind About School Reform294comments

* Most Read Articles Feed * Most Emailed Feed * Most Popular Video Feed * Most Commented Feed

Latest Headlines

*


17/31

In This Afghanistan, the Blood Is Fake

*

Obama Meets With Haiti's President

*

National Education Standards Drafted

*

New York to Keep 'Tavern' Name

*

U.S. Minority Births to Outnumber White Births

*

House Democrats Ban Earmarks to Companies

*

Loglisci Pleads Guilty in N.Y. Probe

*

Woman Charged for Terror Recruiting

*

Jobs Bill Clears Senate Hurdle


18/31

*

Businesses Buy Ads vs. Health Overhaul

*

More Headlines

Editors' Picks

* previous ** next

*Subscriber Content /Read Preview/

[ireland0309]

In Ireland, a Blueprint for Euro Zone

* [gardenJ1]

Attack of the Rotten Tomatoes

* [ORPHAN02]

Push to Cure Rare Diseases

* [LUBRANI]

Israeli Faith in Iran's Opposition Rises

* [AFAKE]


19/31


* [EYESROAD1]

Can This Car Dent the Prius?

* [workfamJ2]

Summer Jobs for Teens

* [REMEM_GRAHAM]

Architect Left Mark on Chicago Skyline

*


[GREENJET]

Airlines Find Ways to Trim Fuel

* [300data]

Tech Start-ups Cope With Data Flood

*



20/31

[TRADE]

Mexico Tops Obama's Trade Agenda

* [lariver]

L.A. River Runs Through It

*Subscriber Content /Read Preview/

[helmsley]

Helmsley Estate Sells Manhattan Hotel

* [SP_MILLER1]

Can a Goalie Be a Superstar?

* [VCRANK]

Sizing Up Promising Young Firms

* [ORCA1]

Marine Park Operator Faces Dilemma

*


21/31


[OSCARRATE]

Oscars Lock in Bigger TV Audience

* [PRINEVILLE]

Where Clouds Displace Forests*


[NYGOP2]

New York GOP Courts Levy

*


[COVE]

Win Clears Way for 'Cove' in Japan

Email Newsletters and alerts null

Email Newsletters and Alerts

The latest news and analysis delivered to your in-box. Check the boxesbelow to sign up.

WSJ.com Email FeaturesOn the Editorial PageBest of the Web Today


22/31

Submit

The email address *null* is already associated with another account.Please enter a different email address:

Enter Your Email

Sign Up SIGN UP

* *New! *To sign up for Keyword or Symbol Alerts click here. * To view or change all of your email settings, visit the Email

Setup Center .

Thank you **!You will receive in your inbox.

* To view or change all of your email settings, visit the Email

Setup Center .null

Email Newsletters and Alerts

The latest news and analysis delivered to your in-box. Check the boxesbelow to sign up.

WSJ.com Email FeaturesOn the Editorial PageBest of the Web Today

Submit

The email address *null* is already associated with another account.Please enter a different email address:

Enter Your Email

Sign Up SIGN UP

** Manage Email Preferences

Thank you **!You will receive in your inbox.

* Manage Email Preferences

Video

* previous ** next

*


23/31

Daniel Henninger: Bring Back the Robber Barons

2:49*

Mexican-Cuban Relations

3:42*

Obama's Business Buyout

2:30

Editors' Picks

* previous ** next

*


[ireland0309]

In Ireland, a Blueprint for Euro Zone

* [gardenJ1]


24/31

Attack of the Rotten Tomatoes

* [ORPHAN02]

Push to Cure Rare Diseases

* [LUBRANI]

Israeli Faith in Iran's Opposition Rises

* [AFAKE]


* [EYESROAD1]

Can This Car Dent the Prius?

* [workfamJ2]

Summer Jobs for Teens

* [REMEM_GRAHAM]

Architect Left Mark on Chicago Skyline

*


25/31


[GREENJET]

Airlines Find Ways to Trim Fuel

* [300data]

Tech Start-ups Cope With Data Flood*


[TRADE]

Mexico Tops Obama's Trade Agenda

* [lariver]

L.A. River Runs Through It

*


[helmsley]

Helmsley Estate Sells Manhattan Hotel

* [SP_MILLER1]


26/31

Can a Goalie Be a Superstar?

* [VCRANK]

Sizing Up Promising Young Firms

* [ORCA1]

Marine Park Operator Faces Dilemma

*


[OSCARRATE]

Oscars Lock in Bigger TV Audience

* [PRINEVILLE]

Where Clouds Displace Forests

*


[NYGOP2]

New York GOP Courts Levy

*


27/31


[COVE]

Win Clears Way for 'Cove' in Japan

Journal Community

* close window

Hello

Your question to the Journal Community Your comments on articles willshow your real name and not a username.Why?

*Why use your real name?* The Journal Community encourages thoughtfuldialogue and meaningful connections between real people. We require theuse of your full name to authenticate your identity. The quality ofconversations can deteriorate when real identities are not provided.

Please enter your first and last nameFirst name:Last name:

*Create a Journal Community profile to avoid this message in thefuture.* (As a member you agree to use your *real name* whenparticipating in the Journal Community)

* Post * Cancel

* Privacy Policy * Community Rules

Notice:

Your participation access with Journal Community has been disabled dueto violation of Journal Community Guidelines.

If you feel you have reached this status change in error, please [email protected]

* back to top *

WSJ.com Account:

o My Account

o Subscriber Billing Info


28/31

Create an Account:

o Register for Freeo Subscribe Now

Help & Information Center:

o Help o Customer Service

o Contact Us o New on WSJ.com

o Tour the new Journal *

About:

o News Licensing o Advertising o Advertise Locally o Conferences o About Dow Jones o Privacy Policy - Updated

o Subscriber Agreement & Terms of Use - Updatedo Copyright Policy

o Jobs at WSJ.com

o Future Leadership Program

*

WSJ.com:

o Site Mapo Home o World

o U.S.o Business


29/31

ter>o Markets

o Market Datao Tech

o Personal Financeo Life & Style

o Opinion

o Autos

o Careerso Real Estate

o Small Businesso Corrections

*

Tools & Formats:

o Today's Papero Video Center o Graphics

o Columns

o Blogs o Topics o Guides

o Alerts o Newsletters o Mobile

o Podcasts

o RSS Feeds o Journal Community


30/31


31/31

Save to

* + New Collection * Go to Save & Share

Name your new Collection and click save.

* Save * Cancel

* Go to Save & Share

* Go to Save & Share

Journal Community

* close window

Hello,

Your comments on articles will show your real name and not a username.Why?

*Why use your real name?* The Journal Community encourages thoughtfuldialogue and meaningful connections between real people. We require theuse of your full name to authenticate your identity. The quality ofconversations can deteriorate when real identities are not provided.

*Create a Journal Community profile to avoid this messagein the future.* (As a member you agree to use your *real name* whenparticipating in the Journal Community)

* Post * Cancel


This feature requires membership in the Journal Community.

Become a member to get the most from your Wall Street Journalexperience. It's free and easy to join.

As a member, you agree to use your full name when participating.

* BECOME A MEMBER * JOIN LATER


podhoretz-why jews remain liberal

Documents