Jewish Democrats Split with Obama Over Israel: An Interview with Jim Lafferty of the TVC
Jewish Democrats strongly agree with the Israeli position and disagree with President Obama’s on issues such as a Palestinian state, settlement construction and trading land for peace. Does the president realize he’s at risk of a break with an important part of his base?
A phone survey (sponsored by TVC and conducted by Global Marketing Research Services on July 22-24) of 500 American Jews who self-identified as Democrats exposes broad disagreement with Obama’s Middle East policies.
The TVC basic finding of a break between likely American Jewish Democratic voters and Obama over his Middle East policies towards Israel resonated in Israel, as well. A
According to the Jerusalem Post report on the Smith poll further revealed:
The percentage of Jewish Israelis who consider Obama as pro-Israel was down to four percent from six percent in the June 19 poll. By comparison, 88 percent of those interviewed for the June survey thought former US president George W. Bush was pro-Israel.
There have been indications that President Obama may be unveiling a
The TVC poll has come under criticism from the liberal Jewish press in the US, as well as alleged “pro-Peace, pro-Israel” left liberal groups like
J Street has
A TVC meeting is just about the last place you’d go if you were looking to find Jewish Democrats. So why is TVC doing a poll of 500 self-identified Jewish Democrats? The organization’s spokesman, Jim Lafferty, said his group has been “active in the evangelical-Jewish coalition” and “strongly supports Israel” and was curious to see whether the Jewish electorate “sides with Mr. Obama or Mr. Netanyahu.”
Yet there are results which also reveal that Obama is extremely popular, and that American Jews are generally positive about the peace push. Morris writes that Jewish Dems give Obama a 92 percent approval rating; and that by a 58-16 margin they believe that “Obama is doing a good job of promoting peace in the Middle East.”
So depending on the question, the poll seems to back up both Obama supporters and critics. More to come after the results and methodology are released.
In a follow up article on August 19th,
“Support among Jewish Americans is a mile wide, but when specific issues about Israel’s defense are raised it is about halved and looks ‘an inch deep,’ ” the coalition’s founder and chairman, the Rev. Louis Sheldon, said in a statement titled “TVC Poll Finds American Jews Conflicted Over Israel and Obama.”
“Based on the phraseology of the questions, they are misrepresenting the position of the Israeli government and the Obama administration,” said David Harris, president of the National Jewish Democratic Council, in an interview with The Jerusalem Post.
“Whenever anyone shows me a poll from any interested party, from one side or another, I have questions about the veracity of that poll,” he said.
I have spoken with Jim and Andrea Lafferty about possible collaboration with a new pro-Israel group,
Jim Lafferty noted what motivated the commission of the poll and the sentiments of Morris:
Several months ago I took part in a panel discussion on “The Threat of Radical Islam” and discovered that in a very crowded synagogue in Maryland I (an Irish Catholic) was the only Zionist.
We see the Evangelical/Jewish coalition as absolutely essential in the war against radical Islam. We wanted to take a long look at Jewish American attitudes and then begin an initiative to strengthen and expand the coalition.
We talked with Dick Morris (a key player in this poll) and others who recognize the political utility of a strong coalition like this.
With this background, we asked Jim Lafferty’s consent for this interview.
Lafferty: The TVC was founded by Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, an ordained Presbyterian minister and Andrea’s father, in the early 80’s. It is a coalition of about 43,000 Evangelical churches across America and in Puerto Rico. It has been concerned with the issues which have dominated the “cultural war.” The Coalition has also been involved in foreign policy matters as a strong supporter of Israel and Zionism. Rev. Sheldon headed a delegation of American clergy who attempted to conduct peace talks between the government and rebel forces in the African nation, Cote d’Ivoire. Andrea is currently the Executive Director and Legislative Director for TVC, a post she assumed after serving in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush Administrations. I serve as communications consultant to TVC.
Gordon: What is the background and experience that you and your wife Andrea Lafferty brought to the organization of TVC?
Andrea worked as a Special Assistant to the Director of OPM which is where we first met.
She was appointed by President Reagan as Special Assistant for Congressional Affairs at the Small Business Administration and she served as Special Assistant for Congressional Affairs for the G-7 Economic Summit in 1990.
Gordon: What is the composition and size of the TVC membership network across America?
Lafferty: TVC has over 43,000 member-churches across America and Puerto Rico.
Gordon: Why did TVC sponsor the recent poll of Most Likely Democratic Jewish Voters?
Gordon: How did you select the polling organization?
Gordon: Had you worked with this group before and on what kinds of projects?
Lafferty: We had not worked with that particular polling firm before but we were aware of their good reputation.
Gordon: Who assisted TVC in developing the survey script and selecting the sample of most likely Jewish democratic voters?
Gordon: To what do you attribute the high response rate in the TVC poll?
Gordon: What have been the reactions of American Jewish NGOs to the TVC poll findings?
Gordon: Eric Fingerhut of the JTA and others have written critically about the TVC poll, what comments do you have in response?
Gordon: TVC and an affiliated organization, VAST, have been involved in protests against Islamization and adoption of Sharia in America. Could you briefly describe why you deem this important and what grass roots actions you have undertaken on this issue?
Fairfax County, Virginia is a prime example of the systematic establishment of a Shariah enclave. From the police department to the Board of County Supervisors, Shariah extremists have intimidated and dominated county government agencies and elected officials through large political donations or carefully targeted pressure. There are allegations that a County agency uses tax funds to proselytize for this radical form of Islam.
Gordon: Are there any connections between TVC anti-Sharia efforts and the findings of the recent poll?
Gordon: What are the implications of the TVC poll results for American Zionists?
Gordon: What issues do you see as divisive in the discussion about US Policies towards Israel under the Obama Administration?
Lafferty: We do this regularly in our initiatives on Capitol Hill and we see opportunities expanding for this Jewish/Christian coalition.
Gordon: Do you see any emerging Jewish Zionist groups in America that TVC might ally itself with?
Gordon: What kind of follow up is TVC considering in the wake of this pioneering poll of most likely American Jewish voters?
Jim Lafferty thank you for this interview on the TVC poll and its implications for the future of Zionism in America and US relations with Israel.
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