Ron
2004-08-28 04:31:19 UTC
Arab-Americans shift their loyalty to Kerry
Bryan Bender The Boston Globe
Friday, August 13, 2004
Polls show civil liberties as a big issue
WASHINGTON Arab-American voters, disenchanted with President George W. Bushs policies on
the Middle East and what they consider assaults on their civil liberties around the
country, are abandoning the Republican president and throwing their support behind his
Democratic opponent, John Kerry, according to new polls and community leaders.
The 3.5 million Arab-Americans constitute a voting bloc that perhaps more than any other
has shifted its party loyalties since the 2000 election, when nearly half voted for Bush.
Polls conducted this summer showed Kerry leading Bush by a margin of more than 2 to 1.
Their votes could prove crucial this year, analysts say, especially in battleground states
like Michigan, Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, each with more than 100,000 voters of Arab
descent. But their support for Kerry appears soft, some say, in part because he and Bush
have taken strong pro-Israel positions.
As a result, the ultimate allegiance of Arab-Americans remains volatile, with a
significant number considering the independent candidacy of Ralph Nader, a
Lebanese-American who has called for the United States to pull out of Iraq and for the
repeal of legislation, known as the Patriot Act, that many Arab-Americans say has been
used to infringe on their rights.
Kerry has tried to limit Bushs inroads with Jewish voters by backing Israel over the
Palestinian Authority, and this week said he would have still voted for the war in Iraq
even if he had known at the time that Saddam Hussein had no unconventional weapons or ties
to the Sept. 11 attacks.
And while Kerry supports amending the counterterrorism measure widely condemned by
Arab-Americans, he was among a majority of lawmakers who voted for it in October 2001.
Its a dilemma, said Taleb Salhab, coordinator of the Florida Arab American Leadership
Council. We have worked diligently with the Kerry cam paign to get them to address some
of these concerns, but the Nader factor remains an issue in our community.
Peter Camejo, Naders running-mate, said in an interview, The Muslim Arab community is
very anti-Bush and is going to Kerry, but its also one area where Nader is getting a lot
of support.
There are an estimated 270,000 Arab-Americans in Florida, 400,000 in Michigan, 160,000 in
Ohio, and 150,000 in Pennsylvania. About 70 percent of Arab-Americans are Christians.
A high voter turnout is expected this fall. People are really, really fired up about
this election, said Salhab, a Kerry supporter. I think Florida will play a critical
role as it did the last time. I am confident our community will turn out to vote in record
numbers.
So far Kerry is clearly benefiting from the growing anti-Bush feelings over the Iraq war,
a growing chasm between the West and the Islamic world, and what Arab-American leaders see
as ethnic profiling and the White House's disregard for their concerns.
In community centers, mosques and churches the disdain for Bush is evident.
It seems that the only time this administration wants to meet with us is for photo
opportunities, not to hear our concerns about policies here at home and abroad, Mahdi
Bray, executive director of the Muslim American Societys Freedom Foundation, wrote
recently on the group's Web site.
Bushs approval rating among Arab-Americans is 24 percent, according to Zogby
International, an independent polling firm.
Even though only one-third were registered Republicans in 2000, 47 percent voted for Bush.
Yet, according to several recent polls in states with large numbers of Arab-Americans,
they are leaning much more toward Kerry.
A recent Zogby poll showed that 54 percent supported Kerry, while 24 percent favored Bush.
Of the rest, 21 percent said they were undecided or backing Nader.
The July poll in Florida, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania found that 30 percent who
described themselves as Republicans agreed that it was time for someone new.
Its a complete 180-degree turn, John Zogby, the pollster, said of the apparent
reversal from four years ago.
Still, some Arab-American leaders say the Democratic Party could be squandering a chance
for even more support from Americans of Arab descent and new immigrants from the Middle
East. They say stronger stances against certain aspects of the counterterrorism
legislation, like sneak and peek searches without notice, would sway more of the
voters.
Another area of significant contention is Kerrys stance on the Middle East peace process.
Kerry, in a recent policy paper, struck a harder position in support for Israels
construction of security fencing.
Our community has more confidence in Kerry, but half of them are not confident with
either, said James Zogby, president of the Arab-American In stitute, who is a Kerry
supporter and the pollsters brother.
At an event held during the Democratic Convention last month in Boston, James Zogby warned
that Kerrys appeals to Jewish voters could cost him more Arab-American votes in large
swing states than he might gain. He predicted that while Bush might gain more Jewish votes
than he did in 2000 because of his pro-Israel policies and muscular stance against Muslim
terrorists, at the most he would get 30 percent.
Kerry, like Democratic presidential nominees in the past, will still get an overwhelming
majority. So while Kerry may win some additional Jewish votes by being staunchly
pro-Israel, those gains may be undercut by disapproval of Arab-Americans in Michigan,
Florida or other states, Zogby warned.
A sense that Arab-Americans are backing Kerry because they oppose Bush, not because they
are enamored of Kerry, gives Nader some hope.
If they shift from Bush to Kerry, all they are getting is a new suit of clothes, Nader
said in a recent interview. They have the same policies on Iraq, Israel-Palestine, and
the Patriot Act, which are near and dear to them.
The only other thing they are getting different is a new attorney general. But there is
no guarantee. Profiling Arab-Americans and Muslim Americans and using secret evidence in
immigration cases they did a lot of those things before 9/11.
But Marwan Burgan, a Democratic delegate from Virginia, said that ending John Ashcrofts
tenure as attorney general would be a significant change to Arab-Americans.
I cant get everything I want, but people have to be realistic in politics, Burgan
said. There is great difference between Kerry and Bush policies. Kerry wants to
dismantle the Ashcroft Justice Department.
The Boston Globe
Copyright © 2004 The International Herald Tribune | www.iht.com
Bryan Bender The Boston Globe
Friday, August 13, 2004
Polls show civil liberties as a big issue
WASHINGTON Arab-American voters, disenchanted with President George W. Bushs policies on
the Middle East and what they consider assaults on their civil liberties around the
country, are abandoning the Republican president and throwing their support behind his
Democratic opponent, John Kerry, according to new polls and community leaders.
The 3.5 million Arab-Americans constitute a voting bloc that perhaps more than any other
has shifted its party loyalties since the 2000 election, when nearly half voted for Bush.
Polls conducted this summer showed Kerry leading Bush by a margin of more than 2 to 1.
Their votes could prove crucial this year, analysts say, especially in battleground states
like Michigan, Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, each with more than 100,000 voters of Arab
descent. But their support for Kerry appears soft, some say, in part because he and Bush
have taken strong pro-Israel positions.
As a result, the ultimate allegiance of Arab-Americans remains volatile, with a
significant number considering the independent candidacy of Ralph Nader, a
Lebanese-American who has called for the United States to pull out of Iraq and for the
repeal of legislation, known as the Patriot Act, that many Arab-Americans say has been
used to infringe on their rights.
Kerry has tried to limit Bushs inroads with Jewish voters by backing Israel over the
Palestinian Authority, and this week said he would have still voted for the war in Iraq
even if he had known at the time that Saddam Hussein had no unconventional weapons or ties
to the Sept. 11 attacks.
And while Kerry supports amending the counterterrorism measure widely condemned by
Arab-Americans, he was among a majority of lawmakers who voted for it in October 2001.
Its a dilemma, said Taleb Salhab, coordinator of the Florida Arab American Leadership
Council. We have worked diligently with the Kerry cam paign to get them to address some
of these concerns, but the Nader factor remains an issue in our community.
Peter Camejo, Naders running-mate, said in an interview, The Muslim Arab community is
very anti-Bush and is going to Kerry, but its also one area where Nader is getting a lot
of support.
There are an estimated 270,000 Arab-Americans in Florida, 400,000 in Michigan, 160,000 in
Ohio, and 150,000 in Pennsylvania. About 70 percent of Arab-Americans are Christians.
A high voter turnout is expected this fall. People are really, really fired up about
this election, said Salhab, a Kerry supporter. I think Florida will play a critical
role as it did the last time. I am confident our community will turn out to vote in record
numbers.
So far Kerry is clearly benefiting from the growing anti-Bush feelings over the Iraq war,
a growing chasm between the West and the Islamic world, and what Arab-American leaders see
as ethnic profiling and the White House's disregard for their concerns.
In community centers, mosques and churches the disdain for Bush is evident.
It seems that the only time this administration wants to meet with us is for photo
opportunities, not to hear our concerns about policies here at home and abroad, Mahdi
Bray, executive director of the Muslim American Societys Freedom Foundation, wrote
recently on the group's Web site.
Bushs approval rating among Arab-Americans is 24 percent, according to Zogby
International, an independent polling firm.
Even though only one-third were registered Republicans in 2000, 47 percent voted for Bush.
Yet, according to several recent polls in states with large numbers of Arab-Americans,
they are leaning much more toward Kerry.
A recent Zogby poll showed that 54 percent supported Kerry, while 24 percent favored Bush.
Of the rest, 21 percent said they were undecided or backing Nader.
The July poll in Florida, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania found that 30 percent who
described themselves as Republicans agreed that it was time for someone new.
Its a complete 180-degree turn, John Zogby, the pollster, said of the apparent
reversal from four years ago.
Still, some Arab-American leaders say the Democratic Party could be squandering a chance
for even more support from Americans of Arab descent and new immigrants from the Middle
East. They say stronger stances against certain aspects of the counterterrorism
legislation, like sneak and peek searches without notice, would sway more of the
voters.
Another area of significant contention is Kerrys stance on the Middle East peace process.
Kerry, in a recent policy paper, struck a harder position in support for Israels
construction of security fencing.
Our community has more confidence in Kerry, but half of them are not confident with
either, said James Zogby, president of the Arab-American In stitute, who is a Kerry
supporter and the pollsters brother.
At an event held during the Democratic Convention last month in Boston, James Zogby warned
that Kerrys appeals to Jewish voters could cost him more Arab-American votes in large
swing states than he might gain. He predicted that while Bush might gain more Jewish votes
than he did in 2000 because of his pro-Israel policies and muscular stance against Muslim
terrorists, at the most he would get 30 percent.
Kerry, like Democratic presidential nominees in the past, will still get an overwhelming
majority. So while Kerry may win some additional Jewish votes by being staunchly
pro-Israel, those gains may be undercut by disapproval of Arab-Americans in Michigan,
Florida or other states, Zogby warned.
A sense that Arab-Americans are backing Kerry because they oppose Bush, not because they
are enamored of Kerry, gives Nader some hope.
If they shift from Bush to Kerry, all they are getting is a new suit of clothes, Nader
said in a recent interview. They have the same policies on Iraq, Israel-Palestine, and
the Patriot Act, which are near and dear to them.
The only other thing they are getting different is a new attorney general. But there is
no guarantee. Profiling Arab-Americans and Muslim Americans and using secret evidence in
immigration cases they did a lot of those things before 9/11.
But Marwan Burgan, a Democratic delegate from Virginia, said that ending John Ashcrofts
tenure as attorney general would be a significant change to Arab-Americans.
I cant get everything I want, but people have to be realistic in politics, Burgan
said. There is great difference between Kerry and Bush policies. Kerry wants to
dismantle the Ashcroft Justice Department.
The Boston Globe
Copyright © 2004 The International Herald Tribune | www.iht.com