KOSHER SCOOP JACKSONS, CONT'D: The new political buzzword is "Norm Coleman Republicans"- as described in a recent Forward article, NCRs are youngish Jews who run for political office as GOPers on a socially moderate, strong-national security, and staunchly pro-Israel platform. Examples given include Coleman himself, defeated Philadelphia mayoral candidate Sam Katz, Virginia Congressman Eric Cantor, and various candidates for state legislative and city council offices throughout the country.
I've been saying for a long time that a sizable new constituency has recently come together among young Jewish Americans who maintain their long-held liberal social views yet have become increasingly hawkish on national security matters. This has been the result of several events- September 11, the Iraq war, terrorism in Israel, and the rise of anti-Semitism on the American left, on campus and elsewhere. The new constituency- "Kosher Scoop Jacksons," I call it- describes myself and the majority of my Jewish friends; while like Scoop himself most of us have remained Democrats and expect to stay that way, it's undeniable that the phenomenon of Jews in my generation moving rightward is a very real one.
The party affiliation is one difference among many between Kosher Scoops and Coleman Republicans; according to the article, the NCR label describes actual candidates as opposed to a civilian voting bloc. And besides, it's sort of absurd to see Norm Coleman described as the quintessential "Republican Jew," when he's been a Republican for about half a decade and, since he was once photographed with a Christmas tree in his living room, his Jewish credentials aren't exactly stellar either.