Obama's struggle to secure the Jewish vote

Some Jewish Republicans are trying to make the case against Obama, suggesting he has called for a summit of Muslim nations and is aligned with advisers who placed blame on Jews for the breakdown of the Middle East peace process.

The Republican Jewish Coalition ran ads in several Florida newspapers Thursday, saying Obama’s “dangerously naïve policies and lack of experience raise real concerns for all Americans, especially those who care about Israel and the future of the Jewish people.”

“I’m not saying he supports Hamas, or Louis Farrakhan or Jimmy Carter,” said Matt Brooks, the RJC’s executive director. “But it begs the question: Why are all these people so comfortable supporting him?”

Reaching out
Obama has countered thus far by holding interviews with prominent Jewish journalists and speeches to Jewish audiences. Already, several rabbis said they receive frequent updates from the Obama campaign. He is expected to address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee next month.

Obama has also been answering questions about his ties to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who has called Judaism a "gutter religion."

Video Help Obama doesn’t need Feb. 25: A Tucker panel discusses Louis Farrakhan’s decision to endorse Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for president. Tucker

"I have some of the strongest support from the Jewish community in my hometown of Chicago and in this presidential campaign," Obama said at an NBC debate in February. "And the reason is because I have been a stalwart friend of Israel's. I think they are one of our most important allies in the region, and I think that their security is sacrosanct, and that the United States is in a special relationship with them, as is true with my relationship with the Jewish community."

The Obama campaign aide said he believes a vast majority of American Jews are not believing what they hear from their neighbors or learn on the Internet.

“We’re not finding it a challenge, when presented with the facts, to get people to feel comfortable with what his position is,” the aide said. “The challenge is every day the opposition sends out a new attack, and anything that isn’t challenged has the potential to be believed.”

Dorf said the questions about Obama’s Middle East views have not been fully explained yet because he is still largely focused on the primary campaign, and has been competing mostly in states without sizeable Jewish communities. Thursday marked his first campaign appearance in Florida, a state that was punished and stripped of delegates for moving its primary date forward.

Video Todd's First Read May 23: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd gives his first read on the possibility of an Obama and Clinton "dream ticket" and the release of McCain's medical records. MSNBC

“I’m not sure the genie is out of the bottle,” Dorf said. “He has been attacked, he’s answered it in a timely way, and the more people get to know him and he has the full efforts of a general campaign, people will see he is the person he is.”

A recent Gallup analysis of tracking polls found Obama would garner 61 percent of American Jewish support in a race against Sen. John McCain, while Sen. Hillary Clinton would win 66 percent in a similar match-up.

Where his rivals stand
McCain has a strong track record on Israel and has been a leading supporter of the Iraq war, which originally garnered strong support among Israel advocates. Clinton also has won plaudits from the Jewish community, but was criticized for embracing the wife of the late Palestinian Authority president Yasser Arafat when she was first lady.

Both Clinton and Obama fare worse than previous Democratic candidates because McCain is seen as strong on Israel and more moderate on social issues than other Republican candidates. Democrats said an important part of their plan will be to characterize McCain as a social conservative and as an extension of the Bush presidency.

But, Forman said, it will be nearly impossible to win over all of those who say they would support Clinton but choose McCain over Obama.

"I think some of that is gone,” he said. “It's not because we can't make a good argument. I just think that these attacks appeal to emotions and not facts.”

NBC News and National Journal reporter Adam Aigner-Treworgy contributed to this report.

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