The Undecided Arab American Voter that Nobody Wants

posted on: Jul 29, 2016

BY: Nisreen Eadeh/Staff Writer

The people who will decide the presidential election this year are the undecided, exceedingly informed voters. We know every bit of the candidates’ histories, policy proposals, statements and gaffes, but we’re still not swayed either way.

No two presidential candidates have ever been more disliked by their opponents, as well as their own party members, in modern history. The undecided voter is stuck in Dante’s purgatory, tortured by the decision to: vote for “the lesser of two evils”; or “throw away the vote” with a third-party candidate.

What We’re Working With

The first candidate, Donald Trump, has spewed so many lies and insults about Arab Americans, Arab refugees and American Muslims that voting for him would be a betrayal of personal identity.

The second candidate, Hillary Clinton, works harder to make sure that Israelis – people who can’t vote in the election– love her, instead of taking the time to dialogue with the four million Arab Americans who could actually vote for her.

The third choice, Jill Stein of the Green Party, is gaining attention, but only offers marginal hope to the Bernie Sanders supporters who believed in his progressive revolution.

Both major party candidates are so arrogant that they don’t realize they could lose to the undecided Arab American voters. Evidence of their arrogance is seen in the fact that neither Trump nor Clinton has campaigned for the Arab American vote at all.

Trump didn’t even bother to open up local offices across the country because he prefers to speak for himself with the media outlets he bashes so much. And Clinton, “the seasoned pro”, who already had so many die-hard supporters on the ground, she didn’t even bother to reach out to new groups like Arab Americans. She arrogantly assumed everyone already knew and loved her.

Aside from their policies, neither major party candidate is relatable on a personal level. Both are so wealthy that they would never be caught shopping in a mom and pops grocery store similar to many of those run by Arab Americans from Brooklyn to Anaheim. Trump owns his own helicopter and airplane, while Clinton wears jackets that cost more than $12,000. Meanwhile, Syrian, Iraqi, Palestinian, and Yemeni Americans are sending every extra dollar they earn to families back home who are recovering from American bombings in the region.

We Are Worthy

So how do we sympathize with a candidate who doesn’t even try to earn our votes?

If the candidates can’t sway informed, undecided voters with their policy proposals, then they need to appeal to our identity and community. Trump and Clinton need to realize the strengths and qualities of Arab Americans. We should be viewed as a voting bloc, rather than an easy target Trump can use to induce fear or a spec on the diversity spectrum in a Clinton photo-op.

Arab Americans are worthy of receiving the charms and petitions of Clinton and Trump. We are one of the most educated ethnic groups in the country with higher-than-average household incomes. Arab Americans are mostly professionals and business owners who hold the power to persuade other members of our tight-knit community. And finally, Arabs are migrating to the U.S. at rates higher than any other ethnic group right now, making them more sensitive to the election process than the jaded voters who were born here.

The well informed, but undecided Arab American voter can make or break this election, but only if we realize our true power.

For an entire year, undecided voters have evolved into a metaphorical child whose parents are on the brink of divorce, being forced to watch them fight over petty problems. This marriage is going nowhere, and the child’s needs are being ignored. The only way to get out of this rut is to stand up, demand an end to the nonsense, and put Americans’ needs first.

Feeling Empowered

We need a president who is willing to reform an obviously broken political system that cares more about donor money and winning reelections than actually solving the problems.

We need a president who appeals to the tech-savvy, Internet ad blocking, Netflix binging voter who only reads alternative news sources.

We need a president who recognizes the mere existence of the Arab American community, and cares enough to appeal to us as voters who matter.

Finally, we need a country that takes third-party candidates seriously; that doesn’t laugh at the dream of living in a country that’s not run by establishment politicians.

This is what it takes to persuade the 11% of Americans who can’t decide. But will the candidates care to listen?

If we come together as a community, the well informed, but undecided Arab American voters, along with other marginalized communities, can make or break this election, but only if we realize our true power.

If the candidates don’t want to come to us, then we must go to them.

We need to realize that “in numbers there is strength!” Only then will we feel empowered as a community.