By: The Commentator Editorial Board  | 

Nixon — The Next Four (Vol. 39, Issue 3)

The election is over. The promises and charges presented to the American electorate are already being forgotten and, as a country, we are going back to the job of getting from day today.

But for the Jewish electorate the case is not so routine. As a group, we were in the forefront of this campaign as never before. The results of this exposure and the impact of the final tally of the Jewish vote — early estimates give Nixon 39%, or about two and one-half times the percentage he got against Humphrey — will not be fully ascertainable for years.

One thing, though, can and must begin in earnest today. Those Jewish leaders — self-appointed or not — who worked for the President must now. turn around and demand their due. Most basic is that channels into the White House guaranteeing a strong input of Jewish viewpoints be established in a manner that, cannot later be easily sabotaged. Once this is accomplished, every Jew with newly-found political pull must use every lever at his disposal to ensure that his voice is heard where it counts. 

In short, our Jewish political sophisticates must squeeze the sponge dry: every ounce of influence must be effectively and untiringly directed toward our concerns, domestic and foreign.