cover of episode Could the War in Gaza Cost Kamala Harris the Election?

Could the War in Gaza Cost Kamala Harris the Election?

2024/10/1
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The Uncommitted Movement, initially formed during the primaries to protest U.S. policy on Israel, encouraged Democrats to abstain from voting for Biden. Now, with the general election approaching, this movement poses a significant challenge for Kamala Harris in Michigan, a crucial swing state. Many voters, especially Arab American and Muslim voters, remain deeply upset by the Biden administration's support for the Israeli military, and Harris hasn't offered a substantial policy shift.
  • Uncommitted Movement began during primaries as a protest against US policy on Israel.
  • Movement encouraged voters to choose "Uncommitted" instead of Biden.
  • Harris's unwavering support for Israel, similar to Biden's, has alienated some voters.
  • No Palestinian-American speakers were allowed at the Democratic convention.
  • Jill Stein is polling well with Muslim voters in Michigan, potentially impacting Harris's chances.

Shownotes Transcript

In Michigan, many voters—particularly Arab American and Muslim voters—remain deeply upset by the Biden Administration’s support for the Israeli military, in the face of the enormous death toll in Gaza. In her Presidential campaign, Kamala Harris has not articulated any major shift in policy. Earlier in the year, during the primary elections, activists urged Democrats to check the box for “Uncommitted,” as a rebuke to Biden. But now, just weeks away from the general election, these disaffected Democrats could cost Harris the election. Andrew Marantz, who has reported on the Uncommitted Movement), talks with one of the its founders, Abbas Alawieh, about the difficult moral calculus facing Muslim Democrats, and why the Party spurned overtures from pro-Palestinian groups. The antiwar candidate Jill Stein, of the Green Party, is now polling very well with Muslim voters, and Donald Trump’s campaign is claiming that he can stop the war; however, Uncommitted leaders feel they cannot endorse Harris. In conversation with David Remnick, Marantz recalls that Hillary Clinton lost Michigan by around ten thousand votes; more than one hundred thousand people checked “Uncommitted.”