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New York, Oct 20 : Heard about the black guy and the Jewish grandma? Or the strange contents of John McCain’s fridge?
Jewish Democrats fear Barack Obama is losing ground in the Jewish community to Republican McCain, especially in the key state of Florida, and they’re fighting back—with jokes.
Shock comic Sarah Silverman is urging young Jews to make a “Great Schlep” to their conservative grandparents in Florida and persuade them to vote Obama, the first African-American with a serious chance to become president.
In a skit on www.greatschlep.com, seen by seven million Internet viewers, Silverman lists similarities between a young black man and a Jewish retiree: love of tracksuits, Cadillacs, jewelry.
“They both say ‘yo’ all the time, or Jews go right to left and say ‘yo,’” Silverman quips. Oh, and “all their friends are dying.”
The jokey appeal, littered with swear words, has a serious message. Jews traditionally vote overwhelmingly Democratic, but Obama’s share has slipped.
Opinion polls show him with only about 60% of Jewish support nationwide, well below Democrat John Kerry’s approximately 75% in the 2004 election that he lost to George W Bush.
That shift could make a difference in a tight contest—particularly in the ultra-tight finish predicted in Florida, a state crucial to McCain’s strategy and where about 5% of the vote is Jewish.
Analysts say conservative Jews—who are just as likely to be young as old—dislike Obama because of his race and his relatively doveish foreign policy platform.
—AFP
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