All too often, generation after generation of disaffected voters in the U.S. feel forced to make a choice between the “lesser of two evils” in the November general election, unimpressed by the candidates that the establishment produces.
That’s likely to be the case among many in the unlikely coalition that united to send Joe Biden to the White House in 2020 — including progressives, liberals, centrists, moderate Republicans, and independents — considering the President’s low approval rating, which hovers around 39%. That’s not that far off from his predecessor Donald Trump’s ratings, which averaged 41% while in office.
But Michigan’s Tuesday, Feb. 27 primary election isn’t about choosing between the lesser of two evils — it’s about choosing the candidate for the November election. That’s why Metro Times is endorsing “uncommitted” for the Democratic primary election.
The “Listen to Michigan” campaign is urging voters who disapprove of the Biden administration’s backing of Israel’s war in Gaza to select “uncommitted” on the ballot. Launched by local Democratic party leaders, including a number of members of Dearborn’s Arab American community who helped elect Biden in 2020, the campaign aims to use the primary to call for a ceasefire and end funding of the attacks on Gaza, which have killed more than 28,000 Palestinians, injured nearly 70,000, and displaced nearly 2 million, including many women and children.
“Our numerous attempts to engage in meaningful dialogue with President Biden have been disregarded, showing a clear indifference to our concerns and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” Listen to Michigan’s Layla Elabed said in a statement. “By voting uncommitted, Democrats can send a powerful message that we cannot back policies that perpetuate violence and injustice. President Biden needs to realign his policies with the values of peace and humanity to earn our votes.”
A December poll by Data for Progress and We the People — Michigan found a majority of metro Detroit voters, or 53%, supported a ceasefire in Gaza, including 80% of Democrats, 66% of independents, and 49% of Republicans.
So far, Biden has merely paid lip service to the plight of the Palestinians. “I’m of the view, as you know, that the conduct of the response in the Gaza Strip has been over the top,” Biden told reporters at the White House during a recent press conference. What a euphemism. The United Nations International Court of Justice is currently investigating credible claims that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people under the cover of retaliation to the Oct. 7 attack from Hamas.
We condemn that brutal attack, which resulted in more than 1,000 deaths in Israel and about 250 hostages being taken into Gaza, as we condemn all violence. This is why we demand that Biden join us in calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Israel has argued that it must eliminate Hamas as a matter of self-defense, no matter the cost. We believe violence will only beget more violence, and that diplomacy and negotiations are not being prioritized.
As U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib — the only Palestinian American in Congress — has pointed out, the conflict did not start on Oct. 7. For nearly two decades, Gaza has been under a crushing Israeli blockade resulting in high levels of poverty, malnutrition, and humiliating security checkpoints. Israel’s military campaign does nothing to address any of the issues driving people to join the ranks of Hamas.
Biden occasionally speaking up for Palestine while continuing to send money and weapons to Israel is especially offensive considering the way he charmed many Arab Americans by using the phrase “inshallah,” or “god willing,” during a 2020 debate in response to Trump’s promise to release his tax returns. Many said they felt seen by the witty comment, with some calling it a “historic moment in America” given the prejudice people of Middle Eastern cultures have faced, especially after the 9/11 attacks.
But now, Arab Americans are justified in feeling once again unseen by the U.S. government.
Biden cannot afford to lose their votes in Michigan, which is once again shaping up to be a swing state in 2024. In 2020, he won by more than 150,000 votes here, home to some 300,000 people of Middle Eastern ancestry. That doesn’t even cover the many more people who disapprove of the war in Gaza, especially young people.
The stakes are especially high because there is no doubt in our minds that Trump would be far worse for global stability, vowing to ban refugees from Gaza from entering the U.S. and suggesting that the war must be allowed to “play out.” Biden needs to change course on Gaza or else he runs the risk of losing to Trump.
Other candidates have called for peace, including third-party candidate Cornel West and the best-selling author and former Macomb County megachurch leader Marianne Williamson, who ended her Democratic primary campaign earlier this month. But the Listen to Michigan campaign is aimed squarely at the current President. (If you already voted by absent voter ballot and want to change your vote to “uncommitted,” you must contact your local clerk’s office to spoil your ballot by 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 16. You can find your local clerk at michigan.gov/vote.)
Once voters send a message to Biden that they disapprove of the job he is doing by choosing “uncommitted” in Michigan’s primary election, Biden must then do everything in his power to stop further devastation in Gaza and help mediate what must become a lasting peace in the Middle East.
@metrotimes Why we endorse “uncommitted” in the Michigan’s Feb. 27 Democratic primary election.
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