Even from the sidelines, where Arab Americans and American Muslims have been relegated by the current anti-Arab, anti-Muslim climate of fear perpetrated upon America, this has been an exciting election year.

History is being made, as the first African American nominated for president by a major political party seems closer to victory each day.

Perhaps more than any other ethnic group in America, the Arab community identifies closely with African Americans. Arab hearts stand with African Americans in their long struggle for equality. Since 9/11, Arab Americans and American Muslims have keenly felt what it is like to be looked upon with ignorance and fear and to be discriminated against as a result of that ignorance and fear and due to racism itself. Our communities share the dream of one day living in an America that is true to the ideals we espouse.

So it is with great excitement that The Arab American News endorses Senator Barack Obama for president in 2008.

We believe change is necessary. Change in our domestic policies and change in our foreign policies. Change in our economic policies, our healthcare system, our educational process and our environmental impact. Change in the way we interact with other peoples in the world. We believe Senator John McCain as president would bring more of the same kind of failure brought on by George W. Bush’s administration and the neoconservatives who seized control of the country as a result of his weakness.

We expect Senator Obama to become President Obama and to fulfill the dreams of millions of hearts and minds around the world by building a better America.

Our endorsement comes with caveats. Senator Obama has not disavowed the anti-Arab, anti-Muslim bigotry that has characterized this campaign. He needs to emulate Colin Powell’s rejection of that bigotry when Powell said on “Meet the Press” last Sunday that this kind of thinking is not what America is about. The Obama campaign faltered over American Muslim participation in their efforts whenever challenged by anyone. We don’t expect to see that in an Obama administration.

We don’t like Obama’s choice for vice-president. Senator Joe Biden, while bringing experience and stability to the ticket, is a committed Zionist — not what America needs in order to deal fairly and effectively in the Middle East. We hope President Obama is able to maintain a clear vision of justice for the Palestinians, and indeed, for all Arabs and for all people everywhere. Zionism is at odds with that vision, clearly identifying one group of people as superior to everyone else and giving them special rights.

And on the subject of the Middle East, the gravest mistake Senator Obama has made in his campaign rhetoric is verbally supporting Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the Jewish state of Israel.

Senator Obama did not seek endorsement from the Arab American community. But we are endorsing him all the same. We can see the dream coming alive and we are going to help make it a reality.

Here are our other endorsements for the 2008 election:

Judicial races

Voters should be sure to go beyond the partisan section of the November ballot and find the name of Diane Marie Hathaway in this race. Hathaway is the Democratic Party nominee and is attempting to unseat conservative incumbent Chief Justice Clifford Taylor, who many view as biased in favor of insurance companies and other corporations that finance his election campaigns. The race is seen by many as one of the most important on the Michigan ballot, as many decisions of the current Supreme Court are determined by a 4-3 vote. A University of Chicago Law School study ranks Michigan’s Supreme Court dead last among the 50 U.S. states when it comes to judicial independence. Independence is defined in the study as the judges’ tendencies to withstand partisan pressures. “I want to protect individual rights and not make rulings that take them away and I want to be fair and impartial in rendering decisions,” Hathaway has said. She is currently in her 16th year as a trial judge in Wayne County’s Third Circuit Court.

Voters can choose up to three out of six names in the Wayne County Circuit Court judicial race.

Lynn A. Pierce

Lynne Pierce has been a municipal judge in Grosse Pointe for 16 years. We endorse her as a candidate for the Wayne County 3rd Circuit Court. A former managing attorney at UAW-Ford Legal Services Plan, Pierce has an excellent reputation in the community for being a fair, honest, hardworking judge. She has been married to Raymond Andary, an attorney of Lebanese descent, for 28 years.
A graduate of the University of Michigan and Wayne State University Law School, Connie Marie Kelley has

Connie Marie Kelley

been fighting for her clients in courtrooms everyday for the past 27 years. We endorse her for the Wayne County 3rd Circuit Court.
We also endorse Daniel A. Hathaway for the Wayne County 3rd Circuit Court. Hathaway has been a practicing attorney for 29 years, specializing in all aspects of civil, criminal and probate litigation.

He has served as a member of the Wayne County Mediation Tribunal for the past 13 years.

Daniel A. Hathaway

For the hotly contested 19th District Court judicial seat in Dearborn, we believe that incumbent Judge Mark W. Somers is the best choice for the community. While his opponent has proven to be a worthy challenger, we see no concrete reasons as to why Somers should be removed from his job. Somers has held the spot of judge for six years thus far and presided over more than 30,000 cases and more jury trials than any other judge in Dearborn, with a strong track record for fairness. Three lawsuits for gender discrimination revolving around firings of employees have been filed against Somers, but nothing has been proven and we are satisfied with Somers’ explanation for the firings.
Here is how Somers responded to some of the allegations:

Mark W. Somers

“Here are the facts: I turned in another judge for ethical violations – and the Judicial Tenure Commission agreed with me. I complained about nepotism when the same judge tried to have his girlfriend promoted to court administrator – and the Supreme Court agreed with me. We need honest judges who follow the law. I am an honest judge and I follow the law.”
While there have also been allegations that Somers has injected his own personal religious views into cases, we found those claims to be exaggerated. Somers admitted to writing religious phrases on court stationary on two occasions but those incidents were minor and deemed to not be a reflection of Somers’ ability to be a fair judge to people of all religions.

Somers has also helped turn a deficit of nearly $770,000 to a surplus of $390,000 during his tenure. Under Somers, there are more Arab Americans working in the court than ever before. His practice of hiring a more diverse workforce in the court started with his first appointment of a magistrate, Hon. Charlene Elder, who is now a Circuit Court Judge, and has continued since then.

This endorsement comes with the hope that Somers can maintain a reputation of toughness, but while showing a little more compassion in the courtroom.

Dearborn Board of Education

Aimee Blackburn

We endorse Aimee Blackburn, who has served on the Board for eight years, during which she worked for the best interests of Dearborn citizens and their children. She has never shied away from difficult decisions facing our district in challenging economic times and has always used a no-nonsense approach, taking into account the interests of all stakeholders: residents, parents and students. She has always made herself available to anyone who wanted to express a concern or make a suggestion to improve education or save money. She firmly believes in the importance of our community’s input in our schools. When asked what her top priorities would be if re-elected, she said, “Fiscal responsibility, quality education and parental and community involvement.” She has served the entire Dearborn community very well and deserves our support for re-election.

Mary Lane

We also endorse Mary Lane, who served on the board from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2007. She could not run for re-election in November, 2007, because of a family medical emergency. As a board member, Lane served in all officer positions, including president and treasurer, and all committees, including the Finance and Building and Site committees. Lane sees major future issues as maintaining strict budget discipline, until the nation’s credit crisis and global economy are stabilized, and improving student achievement.

Carl Levin

U.S. Senate

Democrat Carl Levin, Michigan’s long time senior U.S. Senator, continues to do an admirable, principle-based job in the U.S. Senate. We endorse his re-election.

Congress

Democratic Congressmen John Conyers, Jr. and John Dingell

John Conyers

John Dingell

have been longtime friends of our community. They serve us in the 14th and 15th Districts, which cover Dearborn, Downriver and parts of Detroit. Both congressmen have been there whenever we have needed them and are firmly committed to American principles of justice and liberty. We endorse their re-election.
 

Gary Peters

We endorse Democrat Gary Peters for U.S. Representative in the 9th district over incumbent Joe Knollenberg, an eight-term Republican. The district’s changing demographics have given Peters a real chance in the Oakland County district that was once a safe Republican stronghold. Knollenberg, of Bloomfield, has been one of the strongest supporters of the policies of President George W. Bush in Congress. Peters, a former state senator, state lottery commissioner and Rochester Hills city councilman, is known as a moderate. The race is Michigan’s most expensive and hard fought congressional campaign.

Rashida Tlaib

State House
Democrat Rashida Tlaib is running for the state House in the 12th District, which includes southwest Detroit. She has a long-time record of service to the community and is diversity-aware. We endorse her election.

Democrat Gino H. Polidori is running for re-election to the

Gino H. Polidori

state House in the 15th District, which includes Dearborn. Polidori has a long history of service and commitment

Andy Dillon

and is a good friend of the community. We endorse his re-election to the state House.

We endorse the re-election of Andy Dillon to the 17th District in the state House. Dillon has done a good job as Speaker of the House, doing what he had to do to maintain fiscal viability.

Kym L. Worthy

Wayne County races
The Arab American News endorses Kym L. Worthy for re-election as Wayne County Prosecutor. Worthy’s list of accomplishments is lengthy. Most recently she has performed admirably in her handling of the mayoral crisis

Warren C. Evans

in Detroit.

We endorse Warren C. Evans for re-election as Wayne County Sheriff. Sheriff Evans is a real cop with real-world experience to get the job done.

Cathy M. Garrett

Cathy M. Garrett serves as the Clerk of Wayne County, the most populous county in the State of Michigan and the eighth largest county in the US. She is a good friend of our community and a competent clerk. We endorse her re-election.

Bernard Youngblood

 Bernard Youngblood is currently the Register of Deeds of Wayne County and is running for re-election. He performs well and has expressed a commitment to diversity in hiring future staff, especially when it comes to having qualified Arab Americans working for his office.

Gary Woronchak

Gary Woronchak should be re-elected to a seat on the Wayne County Commission. He has been a loyal friend to the Arab American community and will continue being a leading advocate for the community in District 13.

Democratic candidate for the 9th District

Diane Webb

Wayne County Commission seat, Diane Webb, with heavy Arab American support, convincingly won a primary race in August that many expected to be closer. Webb, 43, has experience in both the corporate world and in local government to make a difference in the struggling county.
University board race

If another 100 residents of Dearborn’s 1st and 2nd precincts — made up almost entirely of Arab Americans — would have voted in the August primary election, Democrat Gary Pollard would probably be up for the 11th District seat in the state House. But he was edged out of that race, despite winning overwhelmingly among Dearborn

Gary Pollard

voters. Pollard, chief of staff to state Sen. Irma Clark-Coleman, is now running for a spot on Wayne State University’s Board of Governors. We endorse him for that position. State university boards review budgets, set policies and represent the schools off campus. Pollard wants to advocate for getting university research out of labs and into real-life applications, boosting community relations and job creation.
Oakland county races

Michael Bouchard

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, 52, a Republican, is seeking his third term. He is up against a former deputy who makes no real case for replacing a well-known leader with a solid record of cost-cutting, while modernizing his department at the same time. Bouchard is a former state senator and also happens to be an Arab American. He has never shied away from claiming his ethnic background and the community is proud of him.

Andy Meisner

For Oakland County Treasurer, challenging Democrat Andy Meisner is our choice over incumbent Republican Patrick Dohany. Meisner’s vigor and creative ideas for solving one of the biggest problems facing Oakland County and America today, the foreclosure crisis, make him The Arab American News’ choice for the spot. Meisner has also connected with the Arab American community, both inside the county and out. As a state House representative, his energy and enthusiasm for repairing the economy can be seen in his successful legislation that helped bring the movie industry to Michigan to create jobs and income.