Causes Analysis Of American Jews’ Consistent Support For Democrats

American Jews, though occupy only 2-3 percent of the total American population, pose a considerably huge influence on American society. Many of the business tycoons are Jewish, such as Adolph Ochs of the New York Times and Michael Eisner of the Disney. However, as one of the most wealthy groups in the United States, American Jewish people express their political affiliation to Democratic Party, which is abnormal for their fortune and status. The reasons of their awkward political behavior are hidden in their shared values with the American Democratic Party.Chapter One will mainly analyze the voting data of American Jews from 1944 to 2012. Through the comparison of Jewish votes for Democratic and Republican candidates, and the comparison of American Jewish votes and the general American votes during the Presidential elections, it will reveal the Jewish consistent support for the Democratic Party. Chapter Two and Chapter Three mainly focus on the similarities between the ideology of modern American Democratic Party and values of American Jews. Universalism and liberalism are two typical American Jewish values. Universalism pursues a fair treatment for everyone, regardless of genders, races and religions. Liberalism advocates a society filled with justice and equality. Policies carried out by Democrats embody those two values of American Jewry. Therefore, it is the shared values between American Jews and Democrats that enable Jews to vote for Democratic candidates during the Election. Chapter Four will be a case study and will focus on the influence of Israel issue to American Jews’ votes. Surveys and data show that the U.S. government Israeli policy has never been a determining factor for American Jewish votes. In this chapter, three reasons are illustrated to prove that it is not the Israeli policy, but their similar values compare with Democrats that influence American Jewish political affiliation.