With Al Franken Victory, No Republican Jews in the Senate
By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country
One little-noticed effect of Al Franken's official installation in the Senate: Republicans now lack a Jewish senator for the first time in more than 50 years. Norm Coleman, whom Franken defeated, is Jewish, as is Sen. Arlen Specter, who recently left the GOP to run for re-election as a Democrat.
The sole Jewish Republican in Congress is now House Minority Whip Eric Cantor.
With Franken's arrival and Specter's switch, the Democrats now have 13 Jewish senators and 31 Jewish House members.
What's so remarkable about the falloff of Republican Jews in Congress is that it coincides with the decade-long trend of Republicans making support for Israel a central issue for their party. That's been fueled largely by the growing numbers of conservative evangelicals who are identifying as Christian Zionists.
Could it be that Christian Zionism, seen largely as a Christian-right phenomenon, is scaring off more Jews—who tend to be very wary of religious conservatives—than it's drawing in? Or are these overlapping trends a mere coincidence?
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Tags: Congress | Republicans | religion
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Reader Comments
Secratary baker said F the jews
They don't vote for us anyway. The far right in Jersey who calls Obama the anti christ had signs next to that that the jews killed jesus and God hates the jews. Yea and we are supposed to join forces with a party that has these people in it. Even though there are good republicans I don't want to be around people like that.
LIberal Jews-Democrats-Educated and Stupid
First-jews are better educated. Second-this makes their support of those whose policies (the democrats and Obama) would result in the destruction of Israel even more pathetic.
Get any book of congressional info and you'll see
Actually, this info is printed in every single book of Congressional information ever printed. You can find out your local congressman/woman, senator, and find out everything from their office location and number, to their religious orientation. It's perfectly normal - allows you to have an idea of something of their habits, as well as lets you in on pertinent information that might affect meeting times and dates.
It's not that big a deal.
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