13
Sep
2008
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Tough choices face Arab American voters this Fall in presidential contest

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Arab American voters face the same challenges they always face in elections: candidates who climb all over themselves to show how pro-Israel they are. There’s nothing wrong with being pro-Israel, but oftentimes the candidates embrace the most extremist views supporting Israel that reject principle and fairness needed to resolve the Middle East conflict peacefully.

It comes down to this question: Who do you want to be disappointed by, someone you know is going to disappoint you, or someone you hope deeply won’t disappoint you?

This election, it is Barack Obama and John McCain, and their running mates, pro-Israel activists Sarah Palin and Joe Biden.

Arab American voters (who are Muslim and Christian) are not asking Americans to be pro-Arab. They are just asking that Americans stop being stupid, use their brains, pretend they really believe that stuff about being the leader of the free world, and be fair. For many pro-Israel activists, that’s too much to permit. Better to keep the Americans dazed and confused — although there are many supporters of Israel who do support peace and fairness. Just just are not talking these days.

It’s not even close when it comes to who will be fair on Middle East issues. The presidential candidates are all sucking up to the pro-Israel lobby because the pro-Israel lobby is the ONLY game in town. The Arab lobby doesn’t exist. In fact, the Arab American activists are being overshadowed by the new movement taking over our issues, the Islamicists. The Muslim American movement is made up mostly of non-Arab Muslims. To those non-Arab Muslims, Palestine is just a stepping-stone to a larger agenda. It’s not the priority — even though that’s what they allege.

So here we are again. Screwed in an election. No real choices at all, when it comes to someone who just might do the right thing when it comes to the Middle East. So, what do we do? Well, it’s called the lessor or two (or more) evils.

Biden has set a new record, a Christian declaring himself as “Zionist.” Usually, American politicians pandering to prejudice and hatred don’t have to go so far to attract votes and money from the powerful pro-Israel lobby, Biden doesn’t have to do this, but maybe being anti-Arab is something he aspires too.

All he has to do is do what McCain and Obama have already done. Appear before AIPAC. Tell the pro-Israel crowd what it wants to hear, and hope that’s enough to pull the wool over Jewish voters, too.

Oh yes. It’s not just Arabs who are getting screwed. It’s Jewish American voters, too. Every presidential candidate claims they will move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Israeli occupied Jerusalem. But they don’t because Jerusalem is a disputed city, half occupied in 1947 and the remaining half occupied in 1967. Jerusalem is a city for Christians, Muslims and Jews and should not be the sole possession of one group. It should be shared. Pro-Israel supporters don’t like that notion — the notion of sharing, just and doing what is right because it undermines their power.

Arab Americans were hopeful with Obama because Obama comes from an oppressed South Side Chicago African American community, although he is an elitist who has always been above the suffering of African Americans. Nevertheless, Obama was close to Arab activists — most extremists — who he needed when he was running before to help raise funds and generate votes.

Now, those “friendships” have become liabilities. In today’s mainstream American media, hate and bias are often disguised as objective journalism. Just read the Chicago Tribune once-in-awhile where pro-Israel journalists constantly slam Arab rights and cleverly fuel hatemongering. The Chicago Sun-Times has a recent solid history of anti-Arab bashing and despite some changes in their editorial board, the haters still hold important positions where they routinely bash Arabs and Palestinian rights.

With a news media that promotes anti-Arab hate, why would one think the politiciansw would try to be fair on the Middle East issues?

But there is one hope for Arab Americans. It is a theory based on the contrarian view that the best way to help a cause is not to constantly seek the best candidate and always be disappointed. It is the view that the best way to bring change is to keep the environment hostile. That is, don’t support Obama — just because he has a middle name that is Muslim (Hussein is not an Arab name, it is a Muslim name. I don’t know one Aran Christian named Hussein, unlike Abdullah, which is an Arab named shared by Christians and Muslims). The theory goes that instead of supporting Obama, who can’t do the right thing because his hands are tied by the reality of American politics, support John McCain who everyone presumes is more pro-Israel than Obama. The truth is, McCain, with his support of Israel, could do more to force Israel’s government to be more objective and do the right thing.

McCain, by virtue of the fact that he is viewed as being more supportive of Israel, could have the strength to do the right thing.

Palin also is popular but naive. She doesn’t understand the fundamentals of the Middle East conflict and will continue to pander to pro-Israel views as she has been doing.

But at least Palin and McCain don’t have to declare themselves “Zionists” to win pro-Israel votes, the way Biden has. Biden will be under constant pressure to prove that he is pro-Israel and he will most likely spearhead the move to advance the extremist agendas in Israel’s government, rather than try to contain those Israeli extremists.

We all know that what the Middle East needs is someone courageous enough to make the Palestinians and the Israelis do what needs to be done. But that courageous person is not out there. In the face of that continuing reality, the best option is not to support someone who “looks” like they can be fair and is more likely to be a bigger disappointment. The real option is support the person who is unfair and won’t disappoint, but who could just change.

Obama won’t change. If Palestine and the Middle East were really important, he would have given signals to that affect already. But he won’t. McCain and Palin could actually bring more change.

And, for those who see things in Republican and Democratic colors, the other reality is this. Even if McCain wins, both houses of the congress will be controlled by Democrats. So, what’s the difference if Obama wins or loses.

I always think disappointment is better when it is not so disappointing and the person who lets you down is not someone you expect to help you, like McCain. The worst scenario is to support someone who you think mightr understand you, but despite that understanding still easily changes his views in order to pander for votes and money, like Obama.

Obama will let the Arab American community down not because he wants to but because that is the inherent nature of an American political system where the Arab activism is at an extremist and dysfunctional minimal. If Obama lets us down, as he is certain to do, that would be far more traumatic for Arab Americans. Because the worst kind of disappointment come from friends, not enemies.

– Ray Hanania
www.TheMediaOasis.com