Adam Brodsky

Adam Brodsky

Opinion

Biden’s loss of Jewish support could cost Dems the presidency — and more

It takes a lot to get Jews to shun Democratic candidates, but Joe Biden might’ve managed it.

And not only because Jews, like everyone else, worry about Biden’s fitness for office for another four years.

The ducks were already lined up for a shift long before his disastrous debate debacle.

Back in February, a Siena poll found Biden trailing Donald Trump among New York Jews, 53% to 44%.

Yes, New York Jews supported Trump over Biden — a shocking turnaround for this reliably Dem demographic.

Biden was behind again in May, too: 48% to 44%.

Siena’s June poll put the prez back on top, 52% to 46%, but that’s the best he’s done over the past half year.

And remember: For the past century, Jews have generally given Democrats running for president 70% of their votes or more.

Lyndon Johnson and Franklin Roosevelt got 90%.

Indeed, not since Jimmy Carter have Jewish voters lent less than 57% support to the Dem wannabe.

In 2020, Biden himself won over 68% of Jewish voters so even a drop to 50% or 55% in November would be telling.

And potentially consequential: Despite Jews’ small numbers overall, Commentary’s John Podhoretz estimates their votes could throw swing-state Pennsylvania to Trump.

True, Siena’s small sample size means a large margin of error, and the poll only looked at New York’s Jews; other polls suggest Biden may do better nationally.

But Siena’s results can’t be dismissed: New York is home to more than a quarter of America’s Jewish population, and the fall-off here is nothing short of stunning. It can’t all be sampling error.

Already Jews have come out to eliminate one antisemitic Democrat, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (NY), and are targeting another, Rep. Cori Bush (Mo.), who trails the challenger in her upcoming Democratic primary by 23 percentage points.

What’s sparking the change?

Oct. 7 — and its aftermath.

That was the worst day for Jews since the Holocaust.

But what happened since then has opened their eyes to the left’s alarming antisemitism and hatred of Israel, which has been growing — and increasingly tolerated — among Dems.

At the 2012 Democratic convention, delegates booed at having their platform include language recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Then came the rise of the left’s DEI, anti-racism and settler colonialism ideologies, which paint Jews as oppressors and colonizers.

Today, just 35% of Democrats sympathize more with Israelis than Palestinians, Gallup reported in March.

That compares to a whopping 80% of Republicans who side with Israelis.

For the first time in their lives, many Jews feel nervous about America as a refuge.

A new survey by New York Solidarity Network found 40% of Empire State Jews believe the United States is no longer a safe haven for them.

They’ve been alarmed by the endless anti-Israel protests that feature barbs and even violence aimed at Jews — and by Biden saying protesters “have a point.”

They see college administrators not just refusing to condemn antisemitism but at times even engaging in it.

And they see elite schools — along with Dems like Biden — pushing the DEI agenda that turns students into antisemites.

Jews have also watched as Democratic prosecutors, like Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, refuse to bring charges against protesters who intimidate and physically attack them.

They see Democratic members of The Squad absurdly accusing Israel of genocide and demanding Biden stop it from pursuing the perpetrators of Oct. 7.

And they see their president doing little to counter it all, knowing he’d raise holy hell if, say, blacks or the trans community were targeted.

On top of all that, Jews fret over Biden’s hostility toward Israel.

Yes, his rhetoric immediately after Oct. 7 — when he vowed to stand with the Jewish state and give it everything it needed — couldn’t have been more encouraging.

Yet he soon began blasting Israel for what he (falsely) called “indiscriminate bombing” and “over-the-top” military action in Gaza.

He demands a cease-fire there and has withheld weapons for Israel.

He seeks to reward Hamas’ atrocities with the creation of a Palestinian state that can be used as staging ground for more terror attacks.

Biden also reportedly blocked Israel from taking out Hezbollah at the war’s start, and instructed it not to respond to Iran’s massive missile-and-drone attack.

He may truly see those actions as the right course, or he might just be seeking to pander to his anti-Israel base.

But it’s only more reason for Jews to sour on him and his party.

If Biden remains the Democratic nominee in November, we’ll find out just how steep a price Jews will make him pay for all that.

Email: abrodsky@nypost.com