The Phoenix Jewish news., 1960-09-30
That Old Riddle

The question comes up so regularly and automatically
every presidential year that editorial fingers reach
for the old keys almost without conscious impulse
The question: Is there Jewish vote?
If it could be answered with quick, emphatic and
indignant "No!' quick, emphatic and defiant
"Yes! there would be no point in editorialzlng on it.
But it can't. There's yes and "No' on both
Sides AS if to vndicate in that altogether safe and
unchallengeable affirmation, there Dr. Emanuel
Neumann of the Zionist Organization of America to say
there is Jewish vote and Herbert B. Ehrmann of the
American Jewish Committee to say there is not And
have the spectacle of the candidates dutfuly dis
claiming that there is Jewish while their parties
energetcay go after with all manner of promises Wis
Wis Israeli immigration ct al.
Our guess, we've already indicated is that both
sides are right And we find sustenance for that admit
tedy ambvalent point of view piece written recent
y for the Jerusalem Post by its New York correspond
ent Jesse Eel Lurie Said he 1T can be easily proved
that Jews do not vote monolithc bloc but the fact
that Jews tend to react the way to specific issues
and men, He went then to make two or three inter-
esting and perceptive observations.
Jews he said usually vote for the liberal candi
date. But whether they will find Senator Kennedy
VICE PRESIDENT Nixon the more liberal hs year depends
two issues, both furtve McCarthyism and Catholic
lSm
AS for the first If there any safe political genera
lization to be made is that Jewish voters-wth very
few exceptions Sen. Joe Mccarthy and what he
stood for His ransgressions against civil liberties and
the focking to his banner of many of the Nations anti
Semtes caused the sensitive political antenna of most
Jews to twang like musical
When Mccarthy became liability to the Republican
party, Nixon turned against him and lobbed for the
Mccarthy resolution Nevertheless, as Mr.. Eel
Lure it up, the prior image of Nixon is we'll
not been erased by his recent liberal record"
Well it would seem then that most Jews would vote
for Kennedy. All, but it's not that simple Kennedy
the current idiom goes, is bit soft McCarthyism
too. He in hospital when the Mccarthy censure
up and neither voted (Which he couldnt) nor
announced how he would have voted (Which he could)
Kennedy had what he deemed compelling reasons for
doing what he did, rather for not doing what he
didn't They involved not only the Boston Irish Catholic
vote (Which of course, is monolthc though
sntD but the fact also that his brother Bob,
McCarthys staff and Kennedy thus felt hopelessy
compromised on the issue. Still Eleanor Roosevelt child
ed him for failing "to stand up and be counted and
many libras-Jewish and otherwise agreed with her
Then top of all that there's the Catholic question,
friend of the Jerusalem Post Kennedys stated
views the separation of church and state "be
yond reproach, he says. But (again quoting Mr.. Eel
Lurie) the Democratic nominee still has serious
drawback" in the eyes of Jewish voters because
of the policies of the Catholic hierarchy questions
such egalizng birth control liberalizing divorce
laws and support for the public school system
Well, it goes, and it's all annoyngly complicated
and un-clear-cut What the whole thing amounts to,
probably is this: There's Jewish vote. (Persh the
thought) But everybody wonders which candidate is
going to get it.