FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Just what President Obama needs, another fire threatening to burn out of control.
The Democrats' loss in New York's special congressional election this week could signal serious trouble for Obama and the Jewish vote in 2012.
District 9, made up of parts of Brooklyn and Queens, is one of the most Jewish in the nation. And many believe that if the Democrats lost there, Obama could be in jeopardy in key states like Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. It's nearly impossible to win a presidential election without those states.
The problem is, a lot of American Jews feel neglected by this president and think he has been too tough on Israel.
In the New York race, former Mayor Ed Koch – a Jewish Democrat – endorsed the Republican. Koch cited Israel as the main reason why. He says he likes the president and helped get him elected, "but Obama threw Israel under the bus."
And it's not just Obama's policy toward Israel. A recent poll shows that other issues that trouble many voters – like the economy, Social Security and Medicare – are more important than Israel among Jewish voters.
Republicans smell blood in the water here and will no doubt make Israel a wedge issue in 2012.
In 1980, Jimmy Carter was the last Democratic candidate to not get an overwhelming majority of the Jewish vote. All Obama needs is another comparison to Carter.
Obama's approval rating is about 60% among Jews nationally. In 2008, exit polls showed nearly 80% of Jews voted for him.
This makes Jews just one more group to start deserting Obama. He's also lost support among other key voting blocs like blacks, women and independents.
Here’s my question to you: How can President Obama save the Jewish vote?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Dee in Houston, Texas:
Jack, In my opinion, Jewish people want Israel to be able to bully the other Middle Eastern countries and expect the U.S. to back them the entire time. I think that President Obama is calling them out on this behavior and now the Jewish people are upset. Therefore , I don't think that President Obama can save the Jewish vote.
Richard in Malvern, Pennsylvania:
Hey, Jack. Why are you only mentioning one specific group that has lost faith in Obama? Many of us Italians think he has dropped the ball once too often and does not deserve a second term.
Mike in Sacramento:
I don't know that he needs to really. Israel isn't a part of the U.S. other than strategic. With the Arab Spring and growing support for a Palestinian state, Israel could become more of a problem than a help. The GOP might be just a bit too conservative for the Jews anyway. Especially when you throw the Evangelical element into the mix.
D.:
Probably nothing short of building a house on the West Bank. Where has the "united" gone in the United States? Too many factions pushing agendas in this country. Apparently we can no longer please some of the people some of the time.
Scott in Oakland, California:
Send more money to Israel from our Social Security and Medicare accounts and continue to veto Palestinians' bid for independence in the U.N.
Joe on Facebook:
Create jobs, reduce the national debt and deficit, and reform entitlements: those are things he needs to do to save the "American" vote. If he does not save the American vote, it's really not going to matter what happens with the Jewish vote.
Dave in Nashville, Tennessee:
If he starts wearing a black wide-brimmed hat or yarmulke, I'm out of here.