Despite his official reception, it’s a tough sell. Watch the CBS Report below. The Israeli commentator who pointedly insisted on using Obama’s middle name sounds like he’s been listening to too many webcasts of conservative talkers Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity…
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times reports that Obama is working to shore up his support among Jewish voters in the United States:
Though Sen. Barack Obama drew a warm reception from Israeli leaders Wednesday, the likely Democratic presidential nominee has yet to fire up many Jews back home.
Obama is comfortably ahead of Republican John McCain in polls among Jewish voters. But he is running more than 10 points behind where Democratic nominee John F. Kerry was in 2004, according to several recent polls. He is nearly 20 points behind where Bill Clinton finished in 1992.
Not good stats…
His supporters are hoping the photo ops in Jerusalem and elsewhere can help garner more support from a group that, although it represents just 4% of the electorate, could be critical this fall in close states such as Florida.
“Let’s face it, there’s been some skepticism to overcome,” said Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky, an Obama ally helping his outreach in the Jewish community. “But we’re certainly not going to leave any stone unturned.”
Obama’s critics have sought for months to raise doubts about his support for Israel.
And they will continue to do so. I’m in the middle a massive, 8 week car trip into America’s heartland, and I listen to lots of talk radio on long drives. It’s notable how many conservative talk show hosts and callers talk about Obama’s middle name and pointedly say his full name.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.