CNBC host stunned from a panel of Michigan voters

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:On Monday the Harris campaign kicked a local Muslim leader out of one of her rallies. They didn't offer an explanation for his removal. He had an invitation and was simply sitting in his seat when he was asked to leave:

https://www.metrotimes.com/news/detroit-muslim-leader-ejected-from-kamala-harris-rally-deepening-rift-between-democrats-and-arab-americans-37670193

Then they sent Richie Torres to Michigan to brag that the campaign hadn't made any compromises to Arabs in Michigan in order to get them to vote for Harris.

I am not sure that the Harris campaign understand how many Arab-Americans in Michigan have roots in southern Lebanon. As bad as things were because of Gaza, they have gotten exponentially worse. I have always thought that Harris would win this election and win it easily. But, if she loses, it will because of their treatment of Arab and Muslim Americans and that is completely self-inflicted.

SE Michigan resident here. Ahmed Ghanim, the man removed from Harris's rally, had an unsuccessful run during the Democratic primary and is a hardcore Jill Stein supporter. While it was a seriously bad move of the Harris campaign to eject him from the event, there is talk that Ghanim was not actually invited to the event and was using the invitation from someone else. Another rumor was that he was planning on creating a disruption. Not sure how true these are, but going with the narrative that Ghanim was a Harris supporter that was kicked out for being Muslim is not exactly true either.

As for the Arabic population in the Detroit metro, it's not completely surprising to hear this response from MSBNC however, the Arabic population has never been an ardent supporter of the Democratic party. What the media and most people aren't aware is that the Arabic population is vary diverse in Michigan and includes a significant population that is Catholic and traditionally been conservative and is very anti-abortion. In addition, Muslims have been aligning with republicans on social issues, such as book bans and is not very welcoming of LGBTQ+ people. See an example here: https://michiganadvance.com/2023/10/03/how-some-michigan-muslims-united-with-extremist-republicans-against-lgbtq-rights/

Moreover, there is a significant Jewish population throughout the state that is more aligned with Harris. The Harris campaign probably realizes that they will make more headway with these voters, their base in Detroit and Flint, and swing voters in areas like Grand Rapids.

This is so typical of the response from mainstream Democrats. There is a rumor of this and a rumor of that. Did they seriously kick this guy out because of rumors? Let's say he was going to stage a protest — something for which there is no evidence — can Harris seriously not handle that? In fact, a skilled politician could use that as an opportunity to speak to the issue.

It is simply not true that there have not been large numbers of ardent Democrats among the Arabs in Michigan. I used to do political organizing among Arab Americans and there was huge support among Muslims and Arabs from that area for Democrats. It's not a coincidence that is where Rashida Tlaib comes from.

At any rate, Democrats need to make up their mind. Either the Arabs don't matter, in which case there is no need or hang-wringing threads such as this. Or they do matter, in which cases someone should tell the Harris campaign. Either way, don't blame Arab Americans for not supporting Harris.

Hey, Jim. You're welcome to come up to West Bloomfield to witness how "progressive" the Arabic community is here and how well they get along with the large Jewish population here. I'm more than happy to show the houses of Arabs that have Trump signs in their yard. We can also stop by the local women's health clinic where Arabs picket there on a monthly basis.

Next, we can stop by Dearborn and Hamtramck and see how friendly they are to LBGTQ+ people, and you can ask the local residents why their support of Whitmer in the 2022 election was lower by 40 points compared to 2018.

As for Ghanim, a quick search through his social media page will show that he aligns himself with people like Cori Bush and Jill Stein and ran an unsuccessful campaign in an area that has the largest Jewish population in the state. I agree with you that booting him from the event was a stupid move from the Harris event. However, perhaps the Harris team felt like they wanted to avoid a situation like that with Layla Elabed. Where Harris met privately with Elabed, Rashida Tlaib's sister, who then proceeded to heckle Harris during a Detroit rally.

I do agree with you that Democrats need to make up their mind on if they want to continue to engage with the Arabic community. One could reasonably concede that they have started to distance themselves since this community has actively distanced themselves long before the events in Gaza unfolded.

My name is not Jim and that is only the first of your errors in this message. I am not sure why you are presenting a false impression of Arabs and Muslims. Yes, there are conservative Muslims. Just like there are conservative Blacks, conservative Hispanics, and conservative Jews, yet those communities overwhelmingly vote for the Democratic party. The Arab American community has similarly overwhelmingly supported Democrats in the past.

But, sure go ahead, and make it sound like Arab Americans are nothing more than anti-LGBTQ misogynists who are anti-Semitic to boot. That will do a lot to convince them to vote for Harris.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The right wing is pretty desperate to shape this narrative

CNBC is right wing? Interesting!

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:On Monday the Harris campaign kicked a local Muslim leader out of one of her rallies. They didn't offer an explanation for his removal. He had an invitation and was simply sitting in his seat when he was asked to leave:

https://www.metrotimes.com/news/detroit-muslim-leader-ejected-from-kamala-harris-rally-deepening-rift-between-democrats-and-arab-americans-37670193

Then they sent Richie Torres to Michigan to brag that the campaign hadn't made any compromises to Arabs in Michigan in order to get them to vote for Harris.

I am not sure that the Harris campaign understand how many Arab-Americans in Michigan have roots in southern Lebanon. As bad as things were because of Gaza, they have gotten exponentially worse. I have always thought that Harris would win this election and win it easily. But, if she loses, it will because of their treatment of Arab and Muslim Americans and that is completely self-inflicted.

SE Michigan resident here. Ahmed Ghanim, the man removed from Harris's rally, had an unsuccessful run during the Democratic primary and is a hardcore Jill Stein supporter. While it was a seriously bad move of the Harris campaign to eject him from the event, there is talk that Ghanim was not actually invited to the event and was using the invitation from someone else. Another rumor was that he was planning on creating a disruption. Not sure how true these are, but going with the narrative that Ghanim was a Harris supporter that was kicked out for being Muslim is not exactly true either.

As for the Arabic population in the Detroit metro, it's not completely surprising to hear this response from MSBNC however, the Arabic population has never been an ardent supporter of the Democratic party. What the media and most people aren't aware is that the Arabic population is vary diverse in Michigan and includes a significant population that is Catholic and traditionally been conservative and is very anti-abortion. In addition, Muslims have been aligning with republicans on social issues, such as book bans and is not very welcoming of LGBTQ+ people. See an example here: https://michiganadvance.com/2023/10/03/how-some-michigan-muslims-united-with-extremist-republicans-against-lgbtq-rights/

Moreover, there is a significant Jewish population throughout the state that is more aligned with Harris. The Harris campaign probably realizes that they will make more headway with these voters, their base in Detroit and Flint, and swing voters in areas like Grand Rapids.

This is so typical of the response from mainstream Democrats. There is a rumor of this and a rumor of that. Did they seriously kick this guy out because of rumors? Let's say he was going to stage a protest — something for which there is no evidence — can Harris seriously not handle that? In fact, a skilled politician could use that as an opportunity to speak to the issue.

It is simply not true that there have not been large numbers of ardent Democrats among the Arabs in Michigan. I used to do political organizing among Arab Americans and there was huge support among Muslims and Arabs from that area for Democrats. It's not a coincidence that is where Rashida Tlaib comes from.

At any rate, Democrats need to make up their mind. Either the Arabs don't matter, in which case there is no need or hang-wringing threads such as this. Or they do matter, in which cases someone should tell the Harris campaign. Either way, don't blame Arab Americans for not supporting Harris.

Hey, Jim. You're welcome to come up to West Bloomfield to witness how "progressive" the Arabic community is here and how well they get along with the large Jewish population here. I'm more than happy to show the houses of Arabs that have Trump signs in their yard. We can also stop by the local women's health clinic where Arabs picket there on a monthly basis.

Next, we can stop by Dearborn and Hamtramck and see how friendly they are to LBGTQ+ people, and you can ask the local residents why their support of Whitmer in the 2022 election was lower by 40 points compared to 2018.

As for Ghanim, a quick search through his social media page will show that he aligns himself with people like Cori Bush and Jill Stein and ran an unsuccessful campaign in an area that has the largest Jewish population in the state. I agree with you that booting him from the event was a stupid move from the Harris event. However, perhaps the Harris team felt like they wanted to avoid a situation like that with Layla Elabed. Where Harris met privately with Elabed, Rashida Tlaib's sister, who then proceeded to heckle Harris during a Detroit rally.

I do agree with you that Democrats need to make up their mind on if they want to continue to engage with the Arabic community. One could reasonably concede that they have started to distance themselves since this community has actively distanced themselves long before the events in Gaza unfolded.

My name is not Jim and that is only the first of your errors in this message. I am not sure why you are presenting a false impression of Arabs and Muslims. Yes, there are conservative Muslims. Just like there are conservative Blacks, conservative Hispanics, and conservative Jews, yet those communities overwhelmingly vote for the Democratic party. The Arab American community has similarly overwhelmingly supported Democrats in the past.

But, sure go ahead, and make it sound like Arab Americans are nothing more than anti-LGBTQ misogynists who are anti-Semitic to boot. That will do a lot to convince them to vote for Harris.

I don't understand why you keep referencing Arabs and Muslims. There are Arab Muslims, Arab Christians, Arab Jews, Arab Atheists, etc. and non-Arab Muslims, Christians...

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:On Monday the Harris campaign kicked a local Muslim leader out of one of her rallies. They didn't offer an explanation for his removal. He had an invitation and was simply sitting in his seat when he was asked to leave:

https://www.metrotimes.com/news/detroit-muslim-leader-ejected-from-kamala-harris-rally-deepening-rift-between-democrats-and-arab-americans-37670193

Then they sent Richie Torres to Michigan to brag that the campaign hadn't made any compromises to Arabs in Michigan in order to get them to vote for Harris.

I am not sure that the Harris campaign understand how many Arab-Americans in Michigan have roots in southern Lebanon. As bad as things were because of Gaza, they have gotten exponentially worse. I have always thought that Harris would win this election and win it easily. But, if she loses, it will because of their treatment of Arab and Muslim Americans and that is completely self-inflicted.

SE Michigan resident here. Ahmed Ghanim, the man removed from Harris's rally, had an unsuccessful run during the Democratic primary and is a hardcore Jill Stein supporter. While it was a seriously bad move of the Harris campaign to eject him from the event, there is talk that Ghanim was not actually invited to the event and was using the invitation from someone else. Another rumor was that he was planning on creating a disruption. Not sure how true these are, but going with the narrative that Ghanim was a Harris supporter that was kicked out for being Muslim is not exactly true either.

As for the Arabic population in the Detroit metro, it's not completely surprising to hear this response from MSBNC however, the Arabic population has never been an ardent supporter of the Democratic party. What the media and most people aren't aware is that the Arabic population is vary diverse in Michigan and includes a significant population that is Catholic and traditionally been conservative and is very anti-abortion. In addition, Muslims have been aligning with republicans on social issues, such as book bans and is not very welcoming of LGBTQ+ people. See an example here: https://michiganadvance.com/2023/10/03/how-some-michigan-muslims-united-with-extremist-republicans-against-lgbtq-rights/

Moreover, there is a significant Jewish population throughout the state that is more aligned with Harris. The Harris campaign probably realizes that they will make more headway with these voters, their base in Detroit and Flint, and swing voters in areas like Grand Rapids.

This is so typical of the response from mainstream Democrats. There is a rumor of this and a rumor of that. Did they seriously kick this guy out because of rumors? Let's say he was going to stage a protest — something for which there is no evidence — can Harris seriously not handle that? In fact, a skilled politician could use that as an opportunity to speak to the issue.

It is simply not true that there have not been large numbers of ardent Democrats among the Arabs in Michigan. I used to do political organizing among Arab Americans and there was huge support among Muslims and Arabs from that area for Democrats. It's not a coincidence that is where Rashida Tlaib comes from.

At any rate, Democrats need to make up their mind. Either the Arabs don't matter, in which case there is no need or hang-wringing threads such as this. Or they do matter, in which cases someone should tell the Harris campaign. Either way, don't blame Arab Americans for not supporting Harris.

Hey, Jim. You're welcome to come up to West Bloomfield to witness how "progressive" the Arabic community is here and how well they get along with the large Jewish population here. I'm more than happy to show the houses of Arabs that have Trump signs in their yard. We can also stop by the local women's health clinic where Arabs picket there on a monthly basis.

Next, we can stop by Dearborn and Hamtramck and see how friendly they are to LBGTQ+ people, and you can ask the local residents why their support of Whitmer in the 2022 election was lower by 40 points compared to 2018.

As for Ghanim, a quick search through his social media page will show that he aligns himself with people like Cori Bush and Jill Stein and ran an unsuccessful campaign in an area that has the largest Jewish population in the state. I agree with you that booting him from the event was a stupid move from the Harris event. However, perhaps the Harris team felt like they wanted to avoid a situation like that with Layla Elabed. Where Harris met privately with Elabed, Rashida Tlaib's sister, who then proceeded to heckle Harris during a Detroit rally.

I do agree with you that Democrats need to make up their mind on if they want to continue to engage with the Arabic community. One could reasonably concede that they have started to distance themselves since this community has actively distanced themselves long before the events in Gaza unfolded.

My name is not Jim and that is only the first of your errors in this message. I am not sure why you are presenting a false impression of Arabs and Muslims. Yes, there are conservative Muslims. Just like there are conservative Blacks, conservative Hispanics, and conservative Jews, yet those communities overwhelmingly vote for the Democratic party. The Arab American community has similarly overwhelmingly supported Democrats in the past.

But, sure go ahead, and make it sound like Arab Americans are nothing more than anti-LGBTQ misogynists who are anti-Semitic to boot. That will do a lot to convince them to vote for Harris.

I don't understand why you keep referencing Arabs and Muslims. There are Arab Muslims, Arab Christians, Arab Jews, Arab Atheists, etc. and non-Arab Muslims, Christians...

The two groups that are important to this conversation are Arab-Americans which include Arabs of all religions and Muslim Americans which includes Muslims of all ethnicities. All the groups that you mentioned are Arabs. But you are leaving out those from Pakistan or Indonesia or Senegal or wherever who are not Arab but are Muslim and might also be concerned about Gaza and Lebanon.

[Anonymous]

Former Michigander here. PLEASE do not confuse Chaldeans with Arabs. They are not Arabs, but they speak Arabic as one of their languages. The Muslim and Chaldean communities in SE MI generally distrust each other. There will be an interesting theme at hand over the next few weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Resulting in a Trump victory, which will only further empower the Israeli right. Very effective.

Seriously. If you feel dehumanized now, just wait until Trump is in office.

[jsteele]

Here is an article that is very relevant to this discussion:

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/23/harris-arab-americans-michigan-00184035

“People are really right now in a dilemma. They really don’t know where to go. It’s like somebody hit them with a two by four, right on their head,” said Osama Siblani, the publisher of an Arab American newspaper based in Dearborn, Michigan. “So now they’re in total disarray. They may vote for Donald Trump, just to punish Biden and Harris, just to say, ‘Look what you’ve done.’”

Arab Americans have leaned Democratic for decades, according to James Zogby, president of the Institute, which has polled Arab Americans since the 1990s. The shift, he said, was purely Harris’ fault.

The Arab American PAC, a Dearborn-based PAC with which Siblani is involved that typically endorses Democrats, declined to endorse either Harris or Trump on Monday, writing: “This year, we face a choice of two candidates who are harming our communities here and our families and friends in our homelands.”

Siblani, who was in the room as the Arab American PAC decided on its non-endorsement, called Trump “a very dangerous man.” But, he said, the war in the Middle East has affected many residents in Michigan so deeply that encouraging them to vote for Harris “is a crime that cannot be accepted right now.”

[Anonymous]

[img]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Resulting in a Trump victory, which will only further empower the Israeli right. Very effective.

Yea, Arabs and Muslims who don't vote for Harris are following a "cut of my nose to spite my face" strategy.

Do they really think Trump will be good for Arabs and Muslims in the ME?

Yes, he’s pro oil and anti war. Bringing Liz Cheney to Michigan was probably the dumbest thing Kamala could do short of bringing Netanyahu to Dearborn.

I’m not even sure Liz Cheney would even move the needle with white Michigan residents.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Resulting in a Trump victory, which will only further empower the Israeli right. Very effective.

Seriously. If you feel dehumanized now, just wait until Trump is in office.

I strongly believe that Trump would be a disaster both for the U.S. and for the Middle East. I desperately want Harris to win. But, here is the argument for Trump:

Everyone says that Trump will give a blank check to Netanyahu. Biden has already done that. So what's the difference? For months Biden said that Rafa was a red line and that he would cut off weapons to Israel if Rafah was attacked. Now Rafah has been destroyed and weapons are still flowing to Israel. Biden is a paper tiger.

Trump has previously been at odds with Netanyahu and he is far more likely to ignore pressure in Washington and take a hard line against Netanyahu if he believes it is in his interest. Trump has a strong financial relationship with Saudi Arabia. Jared has received millions of dollars from the Gulf and Trump's golf league is financed by the Saudis. Who knows what other money has passed between them? Saudi Arabia appears to be feeling some pressure due to the wars in Gaza and Lebanon and could lean on Trump to, in turn, pressure Israel to wrap them up. When Trump says that Israel needs to finish quickly, he doesn't necessarily mean that Israel needs to achieve all its goals.

The one redeeming value that Trump seems to have is that he is very cautious about war. While he authorized the assassination of Soleimani, he put the brakes on several other more aggressive attacks on Iran. He didn't respond to the Iranian retaliation attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq.

Trump may restrict immigration or visits and may increase deportations. Nobody wants those, but they are preferable to more dead in their ancestral homes.

[Anonymous]

Trump’s biggest strength is his ability to use flattery to get autocrats to bend to his will. This is clearly his angle with Netanyahu and it worked with Kim Jung Un. This is why I didn’t understand Kamala blasting Trump’s “thank you” tweet to Xi.

Trump knows how to work over guys like that because he is similar to them. America will have more soft power under Trump. I never thought I’d say “Art of the Deal” has merit as a foreign policy doctrine but it is telling of just how much the Democrat or at least Biden Doctrine has failed

[Anonymous]

If Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to Israel this week to call for a ceasefire is anything like his other ten visits in the past year, it might look something like this. Halfway through a fruitless two-hour negotiation with the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an alarm signalling a rocket attack will ring. They will descend six floors to a bunker, where Blinken might catch a word with the Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, who will restate his view that Israel is fighting “human animals and we are acting accordingly”.

Meanwhile, Blinken’s adviser will wander off into the bunker’s garage to find a phone signal so he can update the national security adviser Jake Sullivan on the Israelis’ intransigence. Back above ground, Netanyahu might say “not a drop” of aid will get into Gaza, or refuse requests for a ceasefire by passing notes to the Americans during a cabinet meeting. On the plane home Blinken will call President Joe Biden who might once again rail against “that son of a (female dog), Bibi Netanyahu, he’s a bad guy. He’s a bad (badword) guy!”

https://www.newstatesman.com/world/americas/north-america/us/2024/10/inside-joe-bidens-failing-israel-policy

You do not even have to be a Michigan Palestinians voter to be upset with Biden(and Harris) handling of this. Israel militarily can not do anything without the direct support of the US. Yet we waste our time on our knees begging Israel to stop. Really makes one question why?

If winning this election is so important why can’t the democrats leadership change course on Israel

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:On Monday the Harris campaign kicked a local Muslim leader out of one of her rallies. They didn't offer an explanation for his removal. He had an invitation and was simply sitting in his seat when he was asked to leave:

https://www.metrotimes.com/news/detroit-muslim-leader-ejected-from-kamala-harris-rally-deepening-rift-between-democrats-and-arab-americans-37670193

Then they sent Richie Torres to Michigan to brag that the campaign hadn't made any compromises to Arabs in Michigan in order to get them to vote for Harris.

I am not sure that the Harris campaign understand how many Arab-Americans in Michigan have roots in southern Lebanon. As bad as things were because of Gaza, they have gotten exponentially worse. I have always thought that Harris would win this election and win it easily. But, if she loses, it will because of their treatment of Arab and Muslim Americans and that is completely self-inflicted.

SE Michigan resident here. Ahmed Ghanim, the man removed from Harris's rally, had an unsuccessful run during the Democratic primary and is a hardcore Jill Stein supporter. While it was a seriously bad move of the Harris campaign to eject him from the event, there is talk that Ghanim was not actually invited to the event and was using the invitation from someone else. Another rumor was that he was planning on creating a disruption. Not sure how true these are, but going with the narrative that Ghanim was a Harris supporter that was kicked out for being Muslim is not exactly true either.

As for the Arabic population in the Detroit metro, it's not completely surprising to hear this response from MSBNC however, the Arabic population has never been an ardent supporter of the Democratic party. What the media and most people aren't aware is that the Arabic population is vary diverse in Michigan and includes a significant population that is Catholic and traditionally been conservative and is very anti-abortion. In addition, Muslims have been aligning with republicans on social issues, such as book bans and is not very welcoming of LGBTQ+ people. See an example here: https://michiganadvance.com/2023/10/03/how-some-michigan-muslims-united-with-extremist-republicans-against-lgbtq-rights/

Moreover, there is a significant Jewish population throughout the state that is more aligned with Harris. The Harris campaign probably realizes that they will make more headway with these voters, their base in Detroit and Flint, and swing voters in areas like Grand Rapids.

This is so typical of the response from mainstream Democrats. There is a rumor of this and a rumor of that. Did they seriously kick this guy out because of rumors? Let's say he was going to stage a protest — something for which there is no evidence — can Harris seriously not handle that? In fact, a skilled politician could use that as an opportunity to speak to the issue.

It is simply not true that there have not been large numbers of ardent Democrats among the Arabs in Michigan. I used to do political organizing among Arab Americans and there was huge support among Muslims and Arabs from that area for Democrats. It's not a coincidence that is where Rashida Tlaib comes from.

At any rate, Democrats need to make up their mind. Either the Arabs don't matter, in which case there is no need or hang-wringing threads such as this. Or they do matter, in which cases someone should tell the Harris campaign. Either way, don't blame Arab Americans for not supporting Harris.

Hey, Jim. You're welcome to come up to West Bloomfield to witness how "progressive" the Arabic community is here and how well they get along with the large Jewish population here. I'm more than happy to show the houses of Arabs that have Trump signs in their yard. We can also stop by the local women's health clinic where Arabs picket there on a monthly basis.

Next, we can stop by Dearborn and Hamtramck and see how friendly they are to LBGTQ+ people, and you can ask the local residents why their support of Whitmer in the 2022 election was lower by 40 points compared to 2018.

As for Ghanim, a quick search through his social media page will show that he aligns himself with people like Cori Bush and Jill Stein and ran an unsuccessful campaign in an area that has the largest Jewish population in the state. I agree with you that booting him from the event was a stupid move from the Harris event. However, perhaps the Harris team felt like they wanted to avoid a situation like that with Layla Elabed. Where Harris met privately with Elabed, Rashida Tlaib's sister, who then proceeded to heckle Harris during a Detroit rally.

I do agree with you that Democrats need to make up their mind on if they want to continue to engage with the Arabic community. One could reasonably concede that they have started to distance themselves since this community has actively distanced themselves long before the events in Gaza unfolded.

My name is not Jim and that is only the first of your errors in this message. I am not sure why you are presenting a false impression of Arabs and Muslims. Yes, there are conservative Muslims. Just like there are conservative Blacks, conservative Hispanics, and conservative Jews, yet those communities overwhelmingly vote for the Democratic party. The Arab American community has similarly overwhelmingly supported Democrats in the past.

But, sure go ahead, and make it sound like Arab Americans are nothing more than anti-LGBTQ misogynists who are anti-Semitic to boot. That will do a lot to convince them to vote for Harris.

I don't understand why you keep referencing Arabs and Muslims. There are Arab Muslims, Arab Christians, Arab Jews, Arab Atheists, etc. and non-Arab Muslims, Christians...

The two groups that are important to this conversation are Arab-Americans which include Arabs of all religions and Muslim Americans which includes Muslims of all ethnicities. All the groups that you mentioned are Arabs. But you are leaving out those from Pakistan or Indonesia or Senegal or wherever who are not Arab but are Muslim and might also be concerned about Gaza and Lebanon.

I didn't leave them out. I've worked in all those places, so definitely wouldn't leave out non-Arab Muslims. When you write Arabs and Muslims, it's confusing because of the overlap between the two groups. Anyway, just a point of confusion.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Trump’s biggest strength is his ability to use flattery to get autocrats to bend to his will. This is clearly his angle with Netanyahu and it worked with Kim Jung Un. This is why I didn’t understand Kamala blasting Trump’s “thank you” tweet to Xi.

Trump knows how to work over guys like that because he is similar to them. America will have more soft power under Trump. I never thought I’d say “Art of the Deal” has merit as a foreign policy doctrine but it is telling of just how much the Democrat or at least Biden Doctrine has failed

I disagree with this analysis. If anything, the use of flattery goes the other way. Dictators flatter Trump and is completely smitten.

Trump's strength is that he does not rely on the establishment. To the extent that the Republican establishment even exists anymore, Trump has bullied it into submission. His support rests on his cult following. If Biden tried to change course with Israel, he would immediately be pressured by Democratic bigwigs telling him how terrible of an idea it is and important fundraisers threatening to stop the flow of money. If Trump does it, he only has to worry about Miriam Adelson and he seems to know how to handle her.

[Anonymous]

So to be fair, I just asked my neighborhood convenience store clerk (from Pakistan) what he was thinking about the election- specifically if it would be close or not. I normally exchange pleasantries with him, ask about businesses talk about my side hustle’s and family etc…nothing too personal. I noticed he wouldn’t look at me in the eyes and just shook his head and said “it will be tight.” I told him I didn’t think so- but was interrupted with the question, “are you a democrat or republican.” I told him neither. He started to beat around the bush saying the country is in a bad place, he’s been a faithful voter in the past, but he didn’t want a democrat in power. I jumped in and said Trump is going to win in a landslide. And I’m so excited. He suddenly was engaged in conversation and excited to explain how he cannot believe he is voting for Trump- and it will be his first time voting R in his life. His business is in MD but resides in Virginia. We have a new bond between us now lol!

He said Trump is what the country needs, but he needs to learn how to speak. He said “democrats just talk bullshit.”

It’s going to be a wonderful Inauguration Day and I’ve already requested the day off. LETS GO!

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Trump’s biggest strength is his ability to use flattery to get autocrats to bend to his will. This is clearly his angle with Netanyahu and it worked with Kim Jung Un. This is why I didn’t understand Kamala blasting Trump’s “thank you” tweet to Xi.

Trump knows how to work over guys like that because he is similar to them. America will have more soft power under Trump. I never thought I’d say “Art of the Deal” has merit as a foreign policy doctrine but it is telling of just how much the Democrat or at least Biden Doctrine has failed

I disagree with this analysis. If anything, the use of flattery goes the other way. Dictators flatter Trump and is completely smitten.

Trump's strength is that he does not rely on the establishment. To the extent that the Republican establishment even exists anymore, Trump has bullied it into submission. His support rests on his cult following. If Biden tried to change course with Israel, he would immediately be pressured by Democratic bigwigs telling him how terrible of an idea it is and important fundraisers threatening to stop the flow of money. If Trump does it, he only has to worry about Miriam Adelson and he seems to know how to handle her.

Great points. One thing I'll add is that the influence of money from donors with a primary interest in supporting Israel extends well beyond the POTUS candidates to congressional candidates and leaders on both sides of the aisle. If Trump were to win, his approach to the current ME conflicts would undoubtedly be different for better or worse but most Congressional Republicans and Democrats are likely to remain supportive of Israel in a manner similar to how they are now regardless of who is our next POTUS.