ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the 1984 elections in terms of coalition politics in the Democratic party. It considers Jewish attachments to the Democratic party in the context of a realigning electorate. Since 1932 the Democratic party has had the greatest number of individuals claiming allegiance to it compared to the other parties. Blacks have been regarded as solidly Democratic in their voting behavior since the New Deal. In some ways the presence of the Jewish citizen in the Democratic party may appear to be an anomaly. Additional evidence can be marshalled to demonstrate the commitment of the Jewish voter to the Democratic party. Highlighted by a 1984 Supreme Court decision, the issue of affirmative action resurfaced as a point of contention between blacks and Jews. Lawrence Fuchs accounts for the Jewish affinity with the Democractic Party in terms of Jews' liberalism and internationalism.
