The Quinnipiac poll confirms a phenomenon we saw in Gallup and American Jewish Committee polls earlier in the year: American Jews remain among the most Obama-devoted voters. Yet even among this mostly pro-Obama group, support has slipped significantly. Overall, this poll has Obama with an approval rating of 46 and a disapproval of 44, his lowest to date. But there is a wide difference based on voters’ religion: “Obama gets a thumbs up from 32 percent of white Protestants, 42 percent of white Roman Catholics and 52 percent of Jews.” Interestingly Jews’ approval rating is almost identical to all women voters (51 percent) but still well below Hispanics (65 percent) and African Americans (89 percent).

On individual issues, Jews’ ardor has cooled but again remains more positive than that of the population as a whole. Forty-nine percent of Jews approve of Obama’s handling of health care, while only 38 percent of all voters do.

All this suggests that Jews remain among the most loyal of the Democratic party’s constituencies, even as the Obama administration has taken a hostile stance toward Israel, displayed a lack of seriousness toward the existential threat to Israel posed by a Islamic fundamentalist state bent on acquiring nuclear weapons, and made zero progress on the Middle East “peace process.” But he’s a liberal Democrat, and most Jews are, too, so they have shown great patience with Obama. And, of course, a segment of American Jewry may place a lower priority on (or have little interest in) Obama’s Israel policy.

Nevertheless, Jews are much less enthusiastic than a year ago, when 78 percent of them gave Obama their vote. They are perhaps not entirely impervious to experience. Obama’s presidency has given them, and all Americans, little to cheer about. Their support may continue to wane unless Obama shows he can achieve something more than an election victory.

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