"Could Michelle Bachman Cost Romney the Presidency?" (the arab american vote in swing states)

[applegrove]

Could Michelle Bachman Cost Romney the Presidency?

by Juan Cole at Informed Comment

http://www.juancole.com/2012/07/could-michelle-bachmann-cost-romney-the-presidency.html

"SNIP...................................

Just as Arizona governor Jan Brewer’s campaign against Latinos has helped deprive GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney of support in that community, Bachmann’s targeting of Muslim-Americans and, implicitly, Arab-Americans, could hurt Romney in those communities.

One of Romney’s strategies for winning enough votes in the electoral college to become president is to target the big Midwestern states of Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Those three all have significant Arab-American and Muslim-American communities. The Arab-Americans in Michigan are often considered a swing vote, since the state is pretty evenly divided otherwise. They had tended to vote Republican in the 1990s, but George W. Bush’s wars in the Middle East and his alliance with the worst elements in the evangelical community and the right wing of the Israel lobby drove them into the arms of the Democrats. See this VOA report on how Arab-Americans (who include both Muslims and Christians) are trending Democrat

The Midwestern states could be close, and even small communities could turn the election to one side or another. Remember how Florida in 2000 hung on just a few hundred votes. Well, there are over 250,000 Arab-Americans in Florida. Probably at least half of them are Christians, but they can all tell when someone is prejudiced against their culture.

Florida has over 250,000 Arab-Americans now– enough to be a swing vote given how close Florida elections are:

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[BeyondGeography]

1. Just another group on the GOP's voter suppression radar

They have offended so many people they will have to recruit Hans Brinker by November.

[elleng]

2. Sounds like a good idea,

but somehow I think he can do it himself!

[TlalocW]

3. Pennsylvania is in the Midwest?

K.

TlalocW

[WeekendWarrior]

4. Romney doesn't HAVE a presidency and never will.

And Bachman has nothing to do with it.

[longship]

5. Maybe Rmoney should put her on the ticket.

Rmoney/Bachmann 2012!
Rmoney/Bachmann 2012!
Rmoney/Bachmann 2012!
Rmoney/Bachmann 2012!

[davidpdx]

6. Romney and his racist buds

Brewer and Bachmann. It's just too bad he can't nominate two VP picks.

[Arkana]

7. I wasn't aware Arab-Americans were a significant voting bloc.

[HopeHoops]

8. I'm just hoping Palin does another bus vacation campaign thingie for rMoney.