I keep hearing about people switching from McCain to Obama b/c of Palin. We just got off the phone with a friend from New York who is an independent who said he was going to vote for McCain until McCain picked Palin. He just doesn't trust her to lead this country.Now he's in NY and at this point, his vote either way won't change things.
But I also just read this article where now the Florida Jewish population is growing exteremly cold to McCain b/c of Palin. Again, they just don't feel as if they can trust her.
From the article:
Her selection was a calculated risk by the Republicans, who badly needed to shore up support among the Christian right in battleground states like Florida. But it carried a special risk in Florida, one of the swing states with a significant Jewish population. "Kissing the Jewish vote goodbye," headlined England's Guardian newspaper after McCain announced his running mate. "Small Town Palin Big Problem for Jews," New York Jewish Week warned.
"She was obviously selected to galvanize the conservative base, and she's done that," Gelber notes. "But for people with other issues, well, elderly Jewish voters are really not comfortable with that level of religious conservatism. They're generally pro-choice, don't believe creationism should be taught in schools, and they support stem cell research."
Among those Salon spoke to at the Hamptons Plaza mall -- outside the Bagel Tree Diner, the Boca Kosher market, and the Beltone Hearing Center -- "she stinks" was a common refrain. Palin's anti-choice stance chafed the retirees, as did her fundamentalist Christianity. No one mentioned having seen a videotape of the blessing she received in the Wasilla Assembly of God church prior to her run for governor, in which the pastor who blessed her against "witchcraft" also noted in passing that "the Israelites" run the nation's economy.
And here is the link for the full article:
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/10/06/florida/index.html
I always thought it was a bad sign that the Rep presidential candidate needed to shore up his base...his base should be shored up already. The Palin pick means he entered the race with a deficit. Instead of picking a VP that could bring in new voters, like South Floridian Jewish folks, he picked someone whose connections to the party he should have had solidly in his side.
Re: Anecdote: More McCain voters turned off by McCain's VP
And I've got Jewish family members who don't trust Obama.