As November Elections Approach, Arab Americans Poised to Exert Their Influence

By Shirl McArthur

With the presidential candidates already determined (barring some surprise), Arab Americans are turning their attention from the primary campaigns to the fall elections, and to having an influence over the parties’ platforms to be established this summer. In the meantime, there has been some congressional movement on other issues affecting the Middle East.

“Campaign 2000” Provides Focal Point for Participation

Immediately after the 1998 elections, Arab American Institute (AAI) president James Zogby announced the formation of “Campaign 2000” to mobilize Arab American participation in the 2000 presidential and congressional elections. Throughout 1999 the campaign concentrated on the four basic goals of voter registration, issue development, engaging the presidential campaigns, and mobilizing the Arab-American community. For 2000, these goals have not changed, but the focus is changing from the primaries to the party conventions and the November elections. Zogby says, “The key to any election campaign is getting out the vote and education.” And education works both ways—educating the Arab-American community about the candidates’ positions on issues of importance, and making sure the candidates understand the priorities of the community.

To determine the issue priorities, the AAI polled the community and developed an “Arab American Action Platform,” consisting of four civil rights issues and four Middle East issues. The civil rights issues are promoting and protecting full inclusion of Arab Americans in U.S. politics; ending discriminatory practices such as airport passenger profiling; ending the use of secret evidence by the INS; and calling for a just U.S. immigration policy. In the Middle East, the action platform calls for greater balance by the U.S. in the peace process and calls for a comprehensive peace with justice between Israel and Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine; recognizes the claim of both Palestinians and Israelis to a shared Jerusalem; urges the delinking of economic from military sanctions and ending the economic sanctions against the Iraqi people; and urges the encouragement and strengthening of U.S. ties with allies in the Arab world.

Clearly, the centerpiece of the campaign has been a series of “town meetings” to meet the presidential and congressional candidates or their representatives, discuss the issues, and mobilize the community to participate as delegates to the conventions and to vote in November. So far, 10 town meetings have been held, three in California, two in Michigan, and one each in Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Virginia, and Illinois. Four more are being planned, in Virginia again, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New York. Zogby was enthusiastic about the response from the presidential campaigns to the meetings, saying that all four of the major campaigns had “a significant debate” on the issues of interest to Arab Americans. Furthermore, he is confident that there will be between 80 and 100 Arab-American delegates to the Democratic and Republican conventions.

Polling shows that “Arab Americans are highly motivated swing voters—not locked into any party, but vote according to their issues and concerns,” according to Zogby. In a January poll conducted by the nationally known polling firm of John Zogby International (James Zogby’s brother), almost 90 percent of Arab-American registered voters indicated a readiness to vote this year, second only to American Jews (at 95 percent) among the six groups polled. Furthermore, while slightly more Arab Americans classified themselves as Democrats than Republicans (38 percent to 35.5 percent), in the same poll they favored George Bush over Al Gore by 46.5 percent to 33.5 percent. Among the groups polled, only Arab Americans and Italian Americans showed such a strong swing-vote tendency.

Issa Nominated in California

However, Zogby is quick to point out that the Campaign 2000 effort is about more than just the presidential election. All six of the incumbent Arab-American representatives, John Baldacci (D-ME), Pat Danner (D-MO), Chris John (D-LA), Ray LaHood (R-IL), Nick Rahall (D-WV) and John Sununu (R-NH), will be running for re-election, and they will be joined by a seventh, Darrell Issa, who won the Republican nomination in California’s 48th district to replace retiring Republican Ron Packard.

In addition, the only Arab American in the Senate, Spencer Abraham (R-MI), is also running for re-election in a very closely contested race. This is perhaps the most important contest for Arab and Muslim Americans because, currently, there is no one else in the Senate willing to deal with their concerns and issues.

Issa’s victory in the California Republican primary was both impressive and significant. It was impressive because he beat out nine other Republican challengers with 46 percent of the vote, compared with 30 percent for his nearest rival. It was important because his district includes the conservative suburbs of San Diego and Los Angeles, where Republicans outnumber Democrats by about two to one. So Issa is regarded as almost certain to win in the general election, unless he stumbles badly between now and November. Full profiles of Issa and all the other Arab-American candidates will be included in a future issue of the Washington Report.

Israeli Bombing of Lebanon Prompts Strong Letters

Israel’s February bombing of civilian targets in Lebanon prompted letters of outrage from five of the six Arab-American members of the House and from Rep. John Dingell (D-MI). Dingell’s Feb. 16 letter to President Bill Clinton was clearly the strongest. He said he was “both alarmed and outraged,” and accused Israel of “seriously jeopardizing the prospects of negotiating a peace agreement between Israel and Syria.” He acknowledged Israel’s right to retaliate against Hezbollah guerrillas, but said that to include civilian targets “is both indefensible and in violation of the Grapes of Wrath understanding” of April 1996.

Rahall also initiated a Feb. 16 letter to Clinton, co-signed by Baldacci, Danner, LaHood and Sununu, saying that, as Arab-American members of Congress they were concerned about “the escalation of violence at the Lebanese-Israeli border and Israel’s targeting of Lebanese civilians and infrastructure,” which “further undermines an already derailed peace process.” Then, on March 3, Rahall sent an even stronger letter to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, expressing his “deep concern” and urging her to “call upon the parties to the conflict to abide strictly by the April 1996 understanding and to refrain from future violations.”

New Letter Urges Clinton to Keep Iraq Sanctions

The previous issue of the Washington Report reported that 71 House members signed a letter to Clinton urging that he remove the economic sanctions against Iraq. Now, a counter-effort is under way by some of Israel’s congressional friends. Reps. Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Tom Lantos (D-CA), and John Sweeney (R-NY) circulated for signatures a letter to Clinton urging that he “stand firm in continuing to support the U.N. sanctions regime until Iraq abides by all relevant Security Council resolutions.”

Watered-down Iran Nonproliferation Bill Passed

The Senate finally took up, and passed unanimously, the Iran Nonproliferation bill, which would apply sanctions on persons or countries found to have transferred nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons goods, services or technology to Iran, and which the House passed last September. The bill’s main effect would be on U.S.-Russian relations, especially cooperation in the International Space Station. The Senate version, after an amendment by Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS), provides much more presidential flexibility in imposing sanctions than the House bill. Surprisingly, rather than calling for a conference to reconcile the two versions, the House simply accepted the Senate amendment and on March 1 sent the amended bill to Clinton for his signature.

Abraham Requests Increases for Lebanon, Seeds of Peace

In last year’s appropriations battles, Sen. Spencer Abraham was instrumental in getting earmarked aid for Lebanon increased from $12 million to $15 million, and getting $860,000 specified for the “Seeds of Peace” program. This year he has again asked Appropriations foreign aid subcommittee chairman Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to increase the amount for Lebanon to $15 million (the administration again requested $12 million) and to increase the amount designated for Seeds of Peace to $1 million.

Rahall Bill Would Grant Immigration Waivers to Kuwait Refugees

On Feb. 10 Nick Rahall introduced a bill (H.R. 3646) to grant immigration waivers to 150 named refugees from the Gulf war. The refugees, most of whom are Palestinians expelled from Kuwait, have been living in the U.S. since 1990. During the first years of their stay they were granted immigration waivers by the INS, but the Clinton White House decided that it would no longer do so. This is the third time that Rahall has introduced this bill and this year, for the first time, it appears to be making progress. It has been cleared by the Judiciary Committee and now awaits action by the full House.

Shirl McArthur, a retired foreign service officer, is a consultant in the Washington, DC area.