Arab voters need to change America's morally broken Two-Party political system

America's "Two Party System" of Republicans and Democrats is broken and needs to be changed. Arab, Muslim and other disenfranchised American voters can change it with a long range strategy of choice

By Ray Hanania

FREE/Elections Politics Arab Americans/Wednesday Oct. 30, 2024

The power of the Arab American vote has never been more significant than it is today as the candidates for both major parties, Democrats and Republicans, find themselves at a near statistical tie in the final stretch to the Nov. 5, 2024 presidential election.

Both Republican former President Donald Trump and Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris are appealing to Arab American voters, especially in critical swing states like Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, Georgia, New Jersey and Minnesota.

A recent YouGov poll by Arab News, shows how tight the race is with Arab America voters.

Both tout themselves as supporters of Israel, but their approaches to the community are strikingly different.

Trump is working through his son-in-law's father Dr. Massoud Boulos to rally Arab and Muslim voters through the organization "Arab Americans for Trump" (AAFT). Boulos's son Michael is married to Trump's daughter, Tiffany.

They have been very effective, although Trump doesn’t make it easy.

AAFT has won some support securing endorsements of two Arab Mayors for Trump and other Muslim leaders. Last month, Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib, a Muslim immigrant from Yemen elected in 2021, endorsed Trump. This week, Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bassi, a Lebanese immigrant elected in 2021, also endorsed Trump.

Harris has taken a different approach, mainly because the Biden support group "Arab Americans for Biden" disbanded when the White House approved tens of billions of dollars to fund Israel's genocide in the Gaza Strip and the expansion of its brutality into Lebanon. They changed their name to “Abandon Harris.”

Harris held a series of unsuccessful meetings to win back Arab voters in several states, including Michigan. But this week, several Arab Americans announced their support for Harris.

Her efforts stumbled when aides expelled a prominent Arab American Muslim from a meeting this week in Royal Oaks, Michigan. Dr. Ahmed Ghanim, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in the 11th District, was invited to attend the meeting. After passing security and sitting down, he was embarrassingly escorted out of with no explanation.

Some surmised Harris aides mistook "Ghanim" for Hamtramck Mayor "Ghalib."

Trump's advocates tout the Abraham "peace accords" he secured between Israel and several Arab countries as an example of what he can do for Palestine.  And, while Trump was president, there were no mass killings of Arabs as there are in Gaza under Biden-Harris.

When Israel responded violently to the Hamas violence on Oct. 7, 2023, Biden-Harris provided the billions in funds for the invasion and the weaponry. The majority of those killed are civilians as a result of American-provided bombs and missiles.

The Gaza "genocide" has pushed many Arab Americans to turn to Third Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein, who happens to be Jewish.

One motivation is pride. Many Arab voters believe Biden abandoned his promise of a "Partnership" he made after his election.

Biden appointed more than two dozen Arab and Muslims to various positions in the White House and in the State Department, but it became quickly apparent they were just window dressing and could not speak publicly about the contentious Middle East issues.

Worse, Biden-Harris calls for a "ceasefire" have been perceived as weak, especially as the United States continues to provide billions in funds and arms which has prolonged the Gaza "genocide."

In reality, for many Arab voters, the Democrats have turned out to be no different than the Republicans, making the Green Party, once the base of Lebanese American consumer advocate Ralph Nader, their only natural alternative. Credit for flexing Arab voter muscle goes to the Abandon Biden Movement (now Abandon Harris Movement) and the Uncommitted Movements which racked up large anti-Biden (Harris) votes in state primaries across the country.

Now headed by Stein, the Green Party offers Arab voters an achievable alternative to break from the "Two Party" system. If Stein can win 5 percent of the 160 million votes, or 8 million votes, the Green Party would receive Federal resources and funding reserved for the major parties.

Arab and Muslim voters are only a small part of the Green Party base and surpassing the 5 percent vote threshold is doable, especially with a surge of Middle East American voter support.

Four years from now, the Green Party with Federal funding could become a formidable challenger to Democrats and Republicans that could draw more than just 5 percent of the vote. 

One Arab American told me that even if the Green Party falls short, the Democrats have to be taught a lesson that Arab and Muslim American voters can't be taken for granted. Arabs will never have "vote value" until they show how much impact they can have in an election. If Harris loses the election, that message will have been made loud and clear.

It's already loud and clear, however.

Democrats in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Pennsylvania have placed huge billboards that read "Jill Stein Helped Trump Once. Don't let Her Do It Again" with a picture of Stein wearing a red MAGA (Make American Great Again) cap.

Rather than pushing Arab and Muslim voters to abandon Stein, the offensive signs are strengthening Arab and Muslim resolve in support of Stein.

If Trump wins the presidency, it won't be because Arabs and Muslims stood up for principle, demanding an immediate end to the genocide in Gaza, but because Democrats were weak and failed to stand up to one of the most extremist governments in Israel.

Why won't Democrats or Republicans stand up to Netanyahu, who has been indicted of three separate charges of corruption? He is an extremist who has included in his cabinet two of the most racist, anti-Arab members from Israel far right. They are National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Both Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have openly engaged in racist and violent anti-Arab rhetoric.

In American politics, power doesn't come to those who wait or beg for it. It comes from those who use the system to fight for it. And, it doesn’t start at the top, as many believe but rather at the grass roots level, as noted by Illinois State Rep. Candidate Suzanne Akhras during an interview with me recently.

The only way to change America's morally corrupt foreign policy in the Levant is to break the Two-Party system, and elect people to grass roots level public offices at the municipal and state level.

It may take time, but it is the only way to measurably change America's immoral foreign policy which hypocritically views Israeli Jews as being more important than Arab Christians or Muslims.