Sestak and the Jewish Vote

Jewish groups in Pennsylvania are starting to get antsy about Joe Sestak's seeming lack of support for Israel's security.

The Daily Caller reports:

On the ground in Pennsylvania, Jewish voters find themselves caught between the two candidates. While the Jewish community is generally socially liberal, many Jews are also fiercely concerned about Israel’s security.

Rabbi Greg Marx of Congregation Beth Or in Maple Glen typifies this dichotomy. “When it comes to social issues I am a Democrat…When it comes to foreign policy I am quite conservative,” he told The Daily Caller. “I do get very concerned when Sestak does things like condemn the flotilla without even a mention of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held captive for years by Hamas.”

Marx continued, “Right now I am very much between the two parties and quite frankly I don’t know how I am going to vote.”

If the Jewish vote, which went 80 percent for Obama in Pa., is in play, Sestak is in trouble. They don't have to vote for Pat Toomey all they have to do is stay home and not vote for Joe Sestak. My own sense though is that the vast majority of these social liberals will stay in the fold.

I have to say, I do enjoy Sestak Press secretary Jonathan Dworkin's efforts to stay on offense and paint Pat Toomey as the Gordon Gekko of race.

“As a former three-star Admiral who directly participated in the defense of Israel, Joe Sestak’s commitment to Israel’s security is beyond question,” Dworkin emailed The Daily Caller. “In fact, top Israeli military officials have come to Admiral Sestak, who also headed the Navy’s anti-terrorism unit after 9/11, to discuss their security issues. He has always voted in the interest of Israel’s security. Given Congressman Toomey’s radical Wall Street-first agenda and his votes against aid to Israel, it is no wonder that Joe’s political opponents have no choice but to attempt to distort his record.”

Beyond question? No, Joe has brought these questions on himself by joining left-wing elements in his own party and signing a letter condemning Israel for it's blockade of Gaza to prevent rockets from being imported by Hamas and Hezbollah to fire into Israeli neighborhoods. (It's worked by the way.) Rocket attacks are way down since the blockade. If a terrorist group was launching rockets into, say, El Paso from Mexico would Joe condemn whatever action was taken by the U.S. government to protect the citizens of Texas?

Also, his earlier glad-handing of the Muslim radicals who make up CAIR didn't warm the hearts of many Jewish voters either.

But you've got to hand it to Dworkin. He never misses an opportunity to mention Joe's military career, while trashing Toomey, who hasn't been a Wall Streeter for 25 years. He is pro business and pro free market. Joe, not so much. He's a government man. Has been his entire life. Was in Congress. Will be in the Senate.

UPDATE: I failed to mention that the Sestak Campaign attempted to stifle the free expression of the Emergency Committee for Israel by demanding its ad be pulled by Comcast. Noah Pollack's response to this attempt at censorship by an elected official can be found here.