Arab Americans only, please: how are you planning to vote for President in the upcoming election?
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Evan Prodromoureplied to Evan Prodromou last edited by
This election cycle has been a game of chicken between the campaign and the Arab American community and the wider peace movement.
Neither one wants Trump to win; both have been betting that the other side will swerve.
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Evan Prodromoureplied to Evan Prodromou last edited by
It is probably too late for the Harris-Walz campaign to swerve. Early voting already started. A last-minute announcement of a different policy, unless it were truly radical, would probably not be enough to convince anyone.
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Evan Prodromoureplied to Evan Prodromou last edited by
So, the question becomes, should the Arab American and peace faction swerve?
On one side, there's the realpolitik of voting. If you say you're not going to vote for a candidate unless they change a policy, and they don't change it, you are weakening future negotiating positions if you vote for them anyway. Candidates will know that you don't stick with your threats.
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Evan Prodromoureplied to Evan Prodromou last edited by
On the other hand, a second Trump presidency would be disastrous for everyone, including the Arab American community and all people in the Middle East.
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Evan Prodromoureplied to Evan Prodromou last edited by
I think there is a small but non-zero chance that the killing of Yahya Sinwar might open a window for a ceasefire before election day.
I don't think it's wise for the Harris campaign to count on that.
The Netanyahu government has been back channelling with the Trump campaign for months, and right wing Israeli politicians have been saying publicly that a Democratic victory is bad for Israel.
I doubt that Netanyahu will bend over backwards to save her campaign.
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@evan unfortunately the bargain you correctly describe here is more than a catch 22; itβs a fait accompli. the other candidate is openly threatening to jail leftists (βthe enemy withinβ) if elected and displays Israeli flags at his rallies.
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Evan Prodromoureplied to Evan Prodromou last edited by
In terms of leadership in the Arab American community, the Uncommitted Movement has refused to endorse Harris. Rashida Tlaib has said that defeating Trump is important, but still has not endorsed Harris.
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Jan Wildeboer π·:krulorange:replied to Jonathan T last edited by
@JonnyT @evan Every metaphor always invites the opposite
But hoping for an ideal candidate/party that ticks all the marks is equally impossible. What has changed radically in the past 10-15 years (yes, I blame centralised βsocialβ networks) is that we have been trained to NOT discuss nuances, searching for compromise, we are stuck on binary positions with zero wiggle room. Especially in two party systems. -
Evan Prodromoureplied to Evan Prodromou last edited by
I think the rough strategy of the Harris campaign is to pick up whichever votes they can from Arab Americans, and then make up the rest of the gap in other ways.
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Evan Prodromoureplied to Evan Prodromou last edited by
Thanks for reading all the way through.
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Evan Prodromoureplied to πͺππππ πΊπππππ π last edited by
@coreysnipes thanks for the link!
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Jan Wildeboer π·:krulorange:replied to Evan Prodromou last edited by
@evan Every campaign will give a nod to minority groups, when they think itβll help them cross the line. But they will never be the main focus. IMHO. And in this case the vote is not about the war in middle-east but about fascism in the US. Again, IMHO.
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@gam3 I wrote a long response here:
Evan Prodromou (@[email protected])
I'm still not sure. I vote in California, where Harris leads something like 57% to 35% in the most recent polls. Unless something goes wildly amiss, a vote for a third party candidate who supports ending the war in Gaza and Lebanon would be a safe vote that would not throw the election to Trump.
CoSocial (cosocial.ca)
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Evan Prodromou (@[email protected])
I do not consent to instruction via Socratic method.
CoSocial (cosocial.ca)
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@evan Not my intent. I didn't want to make assumptions about who you would be considering. Maybe you're planning a write-in. I think the democrats are lucky to not be facing any anti-war / anti-imperialism candidates in the presidential race, nor any candidates who are qualified for the position.
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@weyoun6 I think you are mistaken; many third party candidates are pro-peace.
Cornell West's platform includes ending military support for Israel:
GPUSA supports an arms embargo and a one-state solution:
Claudia de la Cruz opposes all aid to Israel:
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@evan West, Stein, and De la Cruz all oppose support (military, financial) for Ukraine. I suppose it depends on one's definition of "peace" but I don't consider failing to oppose imperialism to be in the cause of peace.
In other words, there is no candidate supporting both Ukrainian and Palestinian liberation.
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@evan yeah, i wrote about this last week (and none of it makes me happy)
https://messydesk.social/@robey/113313280433776883 -
Ryan Lounsbury VOTEDreplied to Evan Prodromou last edited by
@evan Unfortunately this is the end game. I understand people not wanting to vote for ideological reasons and Arab Americans have every reason to do this. But this election is much bigger than that and Trump will absolutely come after you if you aren't a straight white person.
At least with Harris you have someone that will *listen*. Trump will just embolden the atrocities happening in the middle east today.
