Some Arab-Americans, like Osama Abu Irshaid, the Executive Director for Americans for Justice in Palestine Action, are making noises in the media claiming they will not vote for Biden, nor Trump. No wonder Biden is still sending Israel tens of billions of dollars because Biden neutralizing voters beats the point, and the purpose of their votes. If you don’t vote for Trump either, then he is OK by that decision. He neutralized that voter, which renders that voter’s threats and existence worthless.
If Arab-Americans want results, they should start claiming they will vote for Donald Trump. Every vote Biden loses puts him closer to losing to Trump, while every vote Biden neutralizes puts him closer to winning.
Only the threat to vote for Donald Trump is going to make Biden act.
Biden has to believe all Arab and Muslim Americans are voting for Trump if you want him to change policy on Gaza.
UNITY OF MESSAGING AND UNITY OF PURPOSE
Arab American and Muslim American organizations, like those who started the “uncommitted” campaigns in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, and those who engage the voters directly, must come to gather to agree on the unity of their messaging for maximum impact. Even if that message may not come to be realized, its unity and its open and effective threat is what matters.
For individuals, here and there, to make random claims, or random messages that are ineffective, beats the whole purpose of the political activism they are all pursuing. “Not voting for Biden or Trump” is just the kind that emboldens Biden to support Israel. Yes, Arab Americans may not vote for Trump, but they must exercise that right to use their votes for Trump as an amplification of their threats.
Biden has to believe all Arab and Muslim Americans are voting for Trump if you want him to change policy on Gaza. Not voting for either works to his advantage.
With Israel threatening to invade Rafah, time is running out for those who want to see Biden change course. Nothing short of a collective statement committing they will cast a vote for Trump in November will move Biden’s needle.
If you really want to see Biden panic and make a U-turn. Otherwise, the President is happy to neutralize the votes of his detractors all day long. He simply could not bother to count them.
We know this could be hard to swallow for some, but there is no mercy in politics because either you eat your opponent, or he eats you first.