McCain is winning — in Israel

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"While the European leg of Barack Obama’s much-touted overseas trip will take him to nations where he’s vastly more popular than John McCain, Obama is not nearly as well-liked in Israel. Polls there show Israelis prefer John McCain by as much as 20 percentage points.

Obama’s Middle Eastern swing will also take him to Jordan and possibly to Iraq, but the electoral stakes may be highest in Israel, which has long played a prominent role in American foreign policy and domestic politics.

Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor downplayed the electoral significance of the senator’s Israel visit, saying the purpose is “to convey to Israeli leaders and the Israeli people his commitment to the special U.S.-Israel relationship and his strong personal feelings of friendship. He is deeply committed to Israel's security.”

If Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, impresses in his visit, it could help him close the international affairs experience gap with his Republican rival, and also solidify his support among Jews and evangelicals skeptical of Obama’s expressed commitment to Israel.

Israelis appear to share those concerns. In the past month, one poll found 36 percent of Israelis preferred McCain, versus 27 percent for Obama, while in another, 46 percent of respondents said a McCain presidency “would be better for Israel,” compared to 20 percent who said the same about Obama.

Those results stand in stark contrast to public surveys conducted in most other nations. A spring Pew Global Attitudes Project poll of 23 foreign nations — not including Israel — on six continents found respondents in all but two countries had more confidence in Obama than McCain to do the right thing in world affairs, often by wide margins. (In the two outlying countries, Jordan and Pakistan, few people expressed confidence in either candidate.)"

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[LeftishBrit]

1. And losing in Britain...

But neither country has an actual vote!

[liberalhistorian]

2. And we give a shit what Israel thinks

because??????????????????????????????

Of course Obama's not as popular. He won't automatically be gung-ho to do their warmongering dirty work for them.

[azurnoir]

3. LOL so it isn't just me or my imagination

I hear Israel might have a "job opening" for PM perhaps McCain should consider giving it go, he might have a better chance:sarcasm:

edited to add smiley, just in case

[HawkerHurricane]

4. How many electoral votes does Isreal have?

More than all of Europe, I'll bet!

[LeftishBrit]

7. Huh?

How do Israel OR Europe have any electoral votes at all? Even though we're (the UK) sometimes called 'the 51st state' - but we still don't get a vote!

[Doubting Thomas]

9. Israel

owns a lot of congress persons and electoral delegates. Dunno about Europe.

(Signed) Hawker's dad

[HawkerHurricane]

10. While this is somewhat true...

my comment was more in the nature of a "Who Cares?". Isreal, and Pakistan, prefer McCain. Which nets him zero electoral votes. Europe prefers Obama. Which nets him the same.

"How many divisions does the Pope have?" - Joseph Stalin

[Middle finga]

5. I don't think BO will lose any sleep over it.... at least I hope not

[number6]

6. can we send him to Israel, he can stay and

not come back ...

[LeftishBrit]

8. I bet Israel will send him back by airmail once they find out close-up what he's really like.

In fact, they'll probably FAX him back!

Hope he doesn't come to the UK again; we've had enough of him.

[Scurrilous]

11. New Poll: Israelis Prefer Obama

<snip>

"Even more positive news from Barack Obama's trip to the Middle East: a new poll by Israel Radio shows, for perhaps the first time, Israelis preferring Obama to John McCain.

When asked "who would you rather see elected as the next president of the United States," Obama bested John McCain by a 37-28 margin. While far from a decisive advantage -- 35 percent of Israelis chose "no preference" or some other answer -- the poll reflects a notably different state of affairs from previous surveys, which generally showed McCain with a large advantage over Obama.

Obama's competitiveness spanned the political spectrum across Israel's top three parties. The Illinois Democrat trounced McCain among Israel's most liberal voters, who belong to the Labor Party (44-6), tied among more right-wing Likud voters (28-28), and held a slight edge among sympathizers of the Kadima Party, which is led by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (40-32).

The survey of 600 respondents taken this week, likely before Obama landed in Israel, also found that more Israelis believe Obama would be a better president for the Jewish state, 31-27. (Forty-two percent registered other responses.)

These latest numbers contrast sharply with other recent polls, one of which gave McCain a 36-27 edge, while another showed 46 percent of Israelis believed that McCain would be a better president for Israel."

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[The Magistrate]

12. To Know Him Is To Love Him, Sir....

[Scurrilous]

14. Indeed.

:thumbsup:

[Vegasaurus]

13. Thank you for posting this

Most people have a knee jerk reaction and assume that Jews and Israelis prefer the conservative candidate.

The fact is that Jews have been the most loyal group to Democratic candidates throughout history.

[Scurrilous]

15. You're welcome.

:thumbsup: