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Can Obama help Deliver Michigan for Harris?
In an act of pure self-sabotage, Arab Americans might opt to vote for Trump or even Jill Stein.
In his characteristic style, former President Obama took to the campaign stage in Michigan, a key battleground state. As always, expectations were high; Obama, after all, has long proven himself a magnetic presence, even when he’s not on the ballot.
With his charisma on full display, Obama brought his signature energy, even rapping along to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”—a move that whipped the crowd into a fervor. But for all the fanfare, one question looms: can Obama’s star power secure Michigan for Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz? The answer is far from a simple yes in this fraught 2024 election cycle.
The Biden-Harris administration is haunted by key missteps, not least their stance on Gaza. Since the brutal Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, Israel’s response has unleashed a crisis in Gaza that has drawn global criticism. Despite the growing humanitarian toll, the Biden administration has resisted calls for a ceasefire, even approving further U.S. arms shipments to Israel. To date, estimates suggest civilian casualties over 43,000, with countless women and children among them.
Journalists, too, have paid a heavy price; as of October 23, 2024, the Committee to Protect Journalists confirmed 128 journalists and media workers had lost their lives, including two Israelis and three Lebanese. These alarming numbers amplify a troubling question: how much longer can America keep financing foreign conflicts while struggling with crises at home?
Americans are increasingly weary of endless wars funded by taxpayer dollars. Meanwhile, inflation remains stubbornly high, and veterans find themselves abandoned by the very system they served. Yet, even as Americans grapple with economic strain, the administration continues sending billions to fund conflicts abroad.
The situation in Gaza has particularly galvanized Michigan’s substantial Arab American and Muslim communities, many of whom have watched the Gaza crisis with growing dismay. Their voices were resounding last year when a significant number chose to vote “uncommitted” in the Democratic primaries—a direct rebuke of Biden’s approach to Gaza. With lives shattered and families displaced, these voters are unlikely to rally behind Harris and Walz, no matter how dazzling Obama’s presence might be.
Obama, for all his appeal, is hardly a convincing figure for those looking to the Democrats for a stance on Palestine. His presidency offers little for Arab Americans to cling to. Despite eight years in the White House, Obama largely left the Palestinian question unresolved. In his final year, he normalized relations with Cuba, opening an embassy in Havana—a landmark achievement. He even broke a long-standing diplomatic barrier by phoning former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in 2013, paving the way for the Iran Nuclear Deal.
However, for Palestinians, such breakthroughs remained a distant hope. Despite broad global support, the two-state solution, long backed by international law and a majority at the United Nations, never gained traction under Obama’s watch. His tenure ended without concrete progress on Palestinian recognition, leaving little excuse for his inaction.
This year, the stakes are clear: Arab American voters in Michigan are unlikely to align with a Democratic Party perceived as complicit in Gaza’s suffering. Obama’s Eminem moment may have made for memorable optics, but it is unlikely to erase the Biden administration’s track record in Gaza. If anything, many Arab Americans are now considering the Green Party’s Jill Stein, whose running mate hails from the Arab American community and who has long been an advocate for Palestinian rights.
In the end, Obama may well have to accept that Michigan cannot be won by charisma alone—and that his time on the campaign trail might better be spent enjoying his retirement.
Aaron Ng'ambi is a global affairs analyst and commentator focused on the African continent. Aaron is also an independent political consultant, newspaper columnist, keynote speaker, thought leader, and social entrepreneur.