As President Joe Biden heads into the Super Tuesday primaries, critics of his Middle East policy are promising to send him a message.
Last week, more than 100,000 Michigan Democrats voted “uncommitted” as a protest against Biden’s support of Israel in its almost five-month-long war with the terrorist group Hamas in response to the Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7.
Now, voters in Washington, Colorado and Minnesota are promising to use the Michigan tactic to signal their demand for a change in American policy, according to the U.K. Daily Mail.
The Colorado Palestine Coalition has created the “Noncommitted Colorado” effort in partnership with the Democratic Socialists of America.
With over 100k people voting “Uncommitted” in last Tuesday’s MI primary to demand a permanent ceasefire, Biden is on track to lose the election to Trump unless he chooses to listen to the working class of this country and change course. Defeat is certain if he fails to do so. 2/
— DSA (@DemSocialists) March 3, 2024
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Minnesota state Sen. Omar Fateh wrote in a post on X he is backing the “uncommitted” movement “as a warning to the Biden administration that, unless they are to take immediate and dramatic action to stop Israel from continuing the genocide, they cannot expect support of progressives.”
Some of Biden’s Republican critics have said political fence-mending to appease pro-Palestinian voters was at the root of Biden’s decision to drop food into Gaza last week.
Biden is “basing his foreign policy on a Michigan election that he’s going to lose,” Republican Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana said, according to Axios.
Political tables are turning in the Upcoming US elections. They want now to save a face. Biden is loosing votes in the Muslim community. Playing politics with Palestinians lives.
— SheddyZolani (@BULEMLES) March 4, 2024
Despite the opposition, Biden took about 80 percent of the vote in Michigan, according to The Hill, which noted “uncommitted” came in second at 13 percent.
Activists are hoping the message will resound louder this week.
“We are going to be talking to other states that are looking for a unifying vehicle to send the same message to Joe Biden,” said Layla Elabed, campaign manager for Listen to Michigan, according to The Hill.
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“This issue of Gaza is not just a Michigan issue, it is an issue across the United States. So our plan is to work with other coalitions like Listen to Michigan,” she said.
“The Biden campaign needs to understand that if they don’t change course on Gaza, it is going to be difficult for progressive groups like Our Revolution to get out the vote,” Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of the progressive group Our Revolution said, according to The Hill.
But Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, predicted the protests will not impact the November election, according to USA Today columnist Chris Brennan.
“I don’t think it’s going to matter a whole lot,” Sabato said, according to Brennan. “And it’s a long time until November and we will have loads of things that happen that change people’s minds one way or the other.”
However, according to Politico, a Democrat close to Biden said the president’s campaign sees it differently.
“They are freaking out about the uncommitted vote,” the source said.
