CNN

Sen. Barack Obama at an event to honor the 60th anniversary of Israel's independence in Washington, D.C. Click the Play Button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say.(PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

"The fate of the world for the next four years... it's all going to boil down to a few old Jews in Century Village"… that's the assessment of the 2008 election campaign by Rabbi Ruvi New, according to the New York Times.

While the line is the kind that will get a laugh, the point he's making is very serious: Barack Obama could have a problem with some Jewish voters, especially in Florida.

Obama was in Boca Raton today speaking in a synagogue about foreign policy and his approach to Israel. Florida is critical, and Jews make up almost 4% of voters there. Many of them are elderly, and that's the group that has concerns about Obama.

He has received a lot of support from younger Jews – winning 45% of the Jewish vote in the primaries – if you don't include Florida and Michigan. But the latest Florida poll suggests Obama would lose to John McCain, while Hillary Clinton would win.

Obama didn't campaign in Florida and voters didn't get a chance to know him. It is a hotbed for rumors about him: people think he's Arab – he's not; that he's part of Chicago's Palestinian community – he's not; that al Qaeda is backing him – they aren't; that he'll fill his cabinet with supporters of Louis Farrakhan – he won't; and that the Reverend Jeremiah Wright is the godfather of his children – he isn't. It's amazing with all the access to accurate information that people could be so pathetically uninformed.

Others are worried about Obama's commitment to Israel or have reservations about his willingness to talk with Iran. And for some, it's a question of race.

Here’s my question to you: What does Barack Obama have to do to persuade Florida's Jewish population to support him?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

Read the rest of this entry »

Sen. Hillary Clinton delivered a speech on Iraq at George Washington University, Monday in Washington DC.

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Hillary Clinton is challenging Barack Obama to a rematch in Michigan and Florida.

Clinton made a last-minute trip to Michigan today to emphasize her support for a re-vote there, saying it's "wrong, and frankly un-American" not to have delegates from the two states seated at the convention. She also is suggesting that the outcome of the general election may be at stake if Democrats don't count these delegates. Of course, the DNC penalized both these states for moving up their primaries.

Obama, whose name wasn't on the ballot in Michigan, hasn't yet supported or opposed the plan, but his campaign has raised a number of questions about the proposal. They say that a revote wouldn't make such a big difference in the overall delegate count and that the Clinton campaign is trying to change the rules to suit itself.

As for Florida, plans fell apart over the weekend when the state's Democratic Party said there won't be any revote.

For Clinton, though, many see the revotes in the two states as a necessity. Big victories would help her close the gap with Obama when it comes to pledged delegates as well as the popular vote. Two more victories would also bolster her argument to superdelegates that she can deliver key states.

But the argument to seat Florida and Michigan's delegates based on results from January seems to lose some weight when you consider this: a new study by a Wharton professor suggests that about two million more people would have voted in Michigan and Florida if they thought their votes would have counted.

Here’s my question to you: If neither Florida nor Michigan holds revotes, where does that leave Hillary Clinton?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?

Read the rest of this entry »

Miami, Florida early voting site.

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

It looks like Florida's Democrats hit a roadblock when it comes to finding a way to re-do their primary election.

Democratic members of the state's congressional delegation say they unanimously oppose holding a vote by mail. Although they say they are committed to working with the DNC, the 2 candidates, and other party leaders, they are against "a mail-in campaign or any redo of any kind." Doesn't sound like there's too much wiggle room there.

At issue here is whether voters in Florida, as well as Michigan, will get another chance to weigh in on the race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The party stripped the two states of their delegates after they moved up their primaries.

Obama is also expressing concerns about a mail-in vote in terms of "making sure that whatever we do is fair and that votes are properly counted and the logistics make sense."

Clinton won both primaries, but that was after all the candidates agreed not to campaign in the contests. Obama's name did not appear on the ballot in Michigan.

Here’s my question to you: Should delegates from Florida and Michigan be seated without redoing the elections in those two states?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

Read the rest of this entry »