In Michigan, the Harris campaign sent surrogates to make the case for her with other constituencies who included the likes of Ritchie Torres, a congressman who might as well have been designed in an AIPAC laboratory; Liz Cheney, whose biggest qualms with Trump’s GOP might be his unwillingness to invade even more Middle Eastern nations; and Bill Clinton, who never misses an opportunity to blame Palestinians for their own suffering. If I had to pick three individuals who didn’t include Benjamin Netanyahu most likely to alienate Palestine voters, these three would be near the top of the list.
It seems the Harris campaign didn’t want Palestine voters and perhaps calculated that they could best grow their numbers by trying to bring Nikki Haley Republican primary voters into their camp. Polls do not suggest that is the smartest strategy, as party ID continues to be the most important determinant of voting choice. Banking the most important election in history on peeling Republicans away from Trump despite them being his most loyal voters is a strategy for sure but a very risky one. In doing this, Harris cedes the antiwar lane to Trump, which he has been happy to step into.
This op-ed was published by The New Republic on November 4, 2024. To read more click here
