Anonymous wrote:If this was a group of women advocating for Stein over Harris, they would be roundly dismissed and mocked. Because some of these Arabs are men, of course, it's somehow Harris' fault and not their's. And Jeff, you really need to check your male entitlement.

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.

Anonymous wrote:NBC host Yasmin Vossoughian asked a group of Michigan voter if any will vote for Kamala, none raised their hands.

The genocide in Gaza and Lebanon was their key issue. They felt marganlized and demunized by Biden adminstration.

Many of the panelists said they will vote for Jill Stein. Her support is bigger than polls indicate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The entitlement of democrats is astounding. Racial politics at its finest.

Republicans feel entitled to control women’s bodies- that is much much worse.

Anonymous wrote:Interesting, so Lebanese voters will become a Republican voting bloc like the Cubans while the Democrats get saddled with the Gaza drama and no extra votes from it.

Anonymous wrote:Interesting, so Lebanese voters will become a Republican voting bloc like the Cubans while the Democrats get saddled with the Gaza drama and no extra votes from it.

Anonymous wrote:The entitlement of democrats is astounding. Racial politics at its finest.

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.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NBC host Yasmin Vossoughian asked a group of Michigan voter if any will vote for Kamala, none raised their hands.

The genocide in Gaza and Lebanon was their key issue. They felt marganlized and demunized by Biden adminstration.

Many of the panelists said they will vote for Jill Stein. Her support is bigger than polls indicate.

This presentation of the panel is odd. The host isn't "stunned"; she reacts exactly like she does when one person says they're voting for Trump. I have no idea how representative these voters are, but the "HOST IS STUNNED" framing is silly.

https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/lebanese-american-voters-in-michigan-say-they-feel-neglected-by-biden-and-harris-222143557582

During Trump's presidency, the Israel-Palestine and Israel-Lebanon conflicts were more controlled, with fewer large-scale escalations. His strong pro-Israel stance, like moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, sparked tensions but didn’t lead to the massive violence seen under Biden. Trump brokered the Abraham Accords, normalizing relations between Israel and Arab nations, and consistently vowed to end "endless wars."

Under Biden-Harris, the conflict has intensified, most notably with the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in over 1,400 Israeli deaths and a devastating military response in Gaza. This followed the May 2021 conflict, highlighting the growing instability.

Interestingly, while many Middle Eastern communities in the U.S. may not like Trump personally, they do appreciate his stance on ending wars—something Biden-Harris hasn’t committed to as strongly, especially as violence escalates in the region.

You didn't mention the Palestinian deaths.

Sad if anyone here believes Trump gives two shits about Palestinian deaths. Let's be clear, Stein isn't about getting Stein elected. The Stein campaign knows she is unelectable. The whole point of her campaign is to get Trump elected.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NBC host Yasmin Vossoughian asked a group of Michigan voter if any will vote for Kamala, none raised their hands.

The genocide in Gaza and Lebanon was their key issue. They felt marganlized and demunized by Biden adminstration.

Many of the panelists said they will vote for Jill Stein. Her support is bigger than polls indicate.

This presentation of the panel is odd. The host isn't "stunned"; she reacts exactly like she does when one person says they're voting for Trump. I have no idea how representative these voters are, but the "HOST IS STUNNED" framing is silly.

https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/lebanese-american-voters-in-michigan-say-they-feel-neglected-by-biden-and-harris-222143557582

During Trump's presidency, the Israel-Palestine and Israel-Lebanon conflicts were more controlled, with fewer large-scale escalations. His strong pro-Israel stance, like moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, sparked tensions but didn’t lead to the massive violence seen under Biden. Trump brokered the Abraham Accords, normalizing relations between Israel and Arab nations, and consistently vowed to end "endless wars."

Under Biden-Harris, the conflict has intensified, most notably with the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in over 1,400 Israeli deaths and a devastating military response in Gaza. This followed the May 2021 conflict, highlighting the growing instability.

Interestingly, while many Middle Eastern communities in the U.S. may not like Trump personally, they do appreciate his stance on ending wars—something Biden-Harris hasn’t committed to as strongly, especially as violence escalates in the region.

How will Trump solve the Israel-Palestine war or the Russian-Ukrainian war? What's his plans?

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.