Will the “Israel Button” Backfire?

Support for the Jewish state has taken center stage in every interaction Barack Obama and John McCain have had with the Jewish community. Obama spoke about it extensively in his primary campaign town hall meetings with Jewish voters in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida, and McCain’s chief surrogate to the Jewish community, Senator Joseph Lieberman, has also made the Israel issue a centerpiece of his stump speeches.

The common thread is clear: Politicians believe that the way to the heart of the Jewish voter goes through Jerusalem. The stronger your case is on issues relating to Israel, the more votes you get in Boca Raton, Cleveland and Philadelphia.

But this assumption is flawed and might even be dangerous.

Jewish voters—and political strategists might not be pleased to hear this—don’t fall into one category. They are not just another narrow demographic like soccer moms or NASCAR dads, and there is no one button that can be pressed to capture their vote. Moreover, if there was, it wouldn’t be the Israel button.

The polls are consistent. Ask Jewish voters what they care about when choosing their next president, and you’ll get a set of priorities that matches, more or less, that of any Democratic-leaning American. According to the 2007 survey of American Jewish opinion conducted by the American Jewish Committee, the economy was the most important issue when deciding whom to vote for. After that came health care, the war in Iraq and the threat of terrorism. The issue of Israel came in way behind on the priority list, tied with immigration and energy.

One thousand self-identifying Jewish Americans took part in the survey, which, according to the pollsters who conducted it, presented an accurate portrayal of American society. The American Jewish Committee has been conducting similar surveys annually for the past decade.

None of this should come as a big surprise. After all, when asked to define themselves politically, 58 percent of Jewish Americans say they are Democrats. Only 25 percent say they are either extremely or slightly conservative. Priorities of Jewish voters are much the same as priorities of the voter population segment they belong to. So why the focus on Israel as the main election pitch to Jewish voters?

Republicans believe they have an edge among Jewish voters this year by claiming that Obama is perceived as soft on issues relating to Israel. Democrats believe they need to make every effort to demonstrate it isn’t so.

A closer look reveals that any differences between the two candidates are minute: Both are staunch supporters of a secure Israel and each has the voting record to prove it; both oppose dealing with the Hamas terrorists, who are in control of the Gaza Strip, and both are for tough measures against Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. One of the few points of dispute is whether to negotiate with Iran’s leaders—McCain strongly opposes any talks with the regime in Tehran and Obama supports talks, though he has qualified this stance by stating that preparation will be needed before such negotiations can take place. McCain and his surrogates have made this nuance the center of the McCain-Obama Middle East debate.

Building a Jewish campaign strategy around this nuance is not only bad politics, but it insults Jewish voters who have long been at the forefront of American activism—fighting for equality, civil rights and social justice. It also ignores reality: Decades of strong bipartisan support for Israel both in Congress and the White House have made being pro-Israel a given for any candidate for president, regardless of party affiliation or personal background.

Playing the “Israel card” in the campaign could also hurt Israel. Turning the bipartisan support for the Jewish state into a partisan battleground could have a negative long-term effect on Israeli-American relations and could jeopardize Israel’s strongest strategic asset: its friendship with the United States.

Israel could and should be more outspoken in making this point clear (and anonymous grunts from Jerusalem about Obama don’t help the Israeli cause) but it is not up to Israel to call presidential candidates to order. It is, however, incumbent on the American Jewish community to send a loud and clear message to both candidates: “We will not take part in this divisive political game.”

If communal leaders tell candidates and surrogates coming to their synagogues and community centers that they would like to express support but not engage in political mud-slinging, the strategists will get the message and pull back. After all, if there is one thing any politician wants to do, it’s to please the voters.

Nathan Guttman is a reporter for The Forward.