Like most other Americans, the top five issues of importance to Arab American voters are jobs and the economy, education, health care policy, Medicare and Social Security, and civil rights. In almost every area, Arab Americans agree more with President Barack Obama’s ideas and policies than with those of Governor Mitt Romney. 

President Barack Obama gestures at a campaign event at Lima Senior High School in Lima, Ohio, November 2, 2012. REUTERS

However, Arab Americans care more about foreign policy than most other American voters. U.S. strategy in the Greater Middle East, which has dominated foreign policy-making since the 9/11 attacks more than 11 years ago, similarly dominated the third and last debate between President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney last Monday night, eight short days before the 2012 Presidential elections. 

The biggest surprise of the debate, which was supposed to be devoted exclusively to foreign policy and national security, was how much Romney agreed with Obama’s approach to the region.

His apparent embrace of the president’s policies appeared consistent with his recent efforts to reassure centrist voters that he is not as far right in his views as his primary campaign or his choice for vice president, Rep. Paul Ryan, would suggest.

The focus on the Greater Middle East, which took up roughly two-thirds of the 90-minute debate, reflected a number of factors in addition to the perception that the region is the main source of threats to U.S. security, a notion that Romney tried hard to foster during the debate.

“It’s partly because all candidates have to pander to Israel’s supporters here in the United States, but also four decades of misconduct have made the U.S. deeply unpopular in much of the Arab and Islamic world,” Stephen Walt, a Harvard international relations professor who blogs on foreignpolicy.com, said.

“Add to that the mess Obama inherited from (George W.) Bush, and you can see why both candidates had to keep talking about the region,” he added.

The other areas of greater concern to Arab American voters – to all ethnic voters we would guess – are the issues of immigration and civil rights abuses. The most egregious example was the widespread spying on Muslim students, shopkeepers, schools, and mosques by the New York Police Department in cooperation with the CIA, this under Obama’s watch. In theory and rhetoric, there is not as much difference between the two candidates as we had hoped there would be.

Certainly in practice, Obama has failed on all three fronts to be the change he promised. We presume there will be precious few victory parties going on this election night. 

But there is no doubt who Arab American voters need to support in 2012. Barack Obama is the only viable candidate who can offer with any credibility a future that may include no war with Iran, that may include progress on peace and justice for the Palestinians, that may see immigration reform that comes close to the promise made to “your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…”  Barack Obama may get us out of Aghanistan, he may stop the trampling of civil rights and immigration reform, he may take care of the other 99% of Americans with healthcare and promised social security. Barack Obama may be able to continue the slow but steady economic recovery that will restore our middle class, the backbone of this country.

There is no chance of any of that happening with Mitt Romney. 

We call on the Republican Party (excepting former candidate Ron Paul, who was barred from the mainstream) to re-examine its policies of exclusion and to mend fences with this community that once boasted many strong supporters, and we hope that their candidate will be worthy of consideration the next time around. 

One more thing. There are a lot of disgusted, disillusioned, people in this country who are less motivated to vote than ever before. Low voter turnout can give a great deal of power to small voting blocs. If you live in a swing state, that power grows. Michigan is growing into a swing state. So are Florida, Ohio and Virginia, all home to large numbers of Arab Americans. 

So Arab Americans need to come out swinging this Tuesday, November 6, propelling Barack Obama back into his second term, where we hope the greater leverage inherent in second terms might give us all a chance to see again some of the promise that made us put him in the Oval Office the first time around. We also must come out in droves to support the the local candidates who have our best interests at heart and are willing to defend us, whether they’re running for the school board, local judge positions, or the Supreme Court. 

We’ll see you at the polls on Tuesday, November 6. Remember, your vote counts. 

The Arab American News also issued the following endorsements for the Nov. 6 general election: 

PRESIDENTIAL

ELECTORS OF PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

Barack Obama

Joe Biden

Democratic

CONGRESSIONAL

UNITED STATES SENATOR

Debbie Stabenow

Democratic

REPRESENTATIVE 

IN CONGRESS

John Conyers, Jr. 

– 13th District, Democratic

John Dingell

– 12th District, Democratic

Syed Taj 

– 11th District, Democratic

LEGISLATIVE

REPRESENTATIVE 

IN STATE LEGISLATURE

Rashida Tlaib 

– 6th District, Democratic

David Knezek 

– 11th District, Democratic

Phil Cavanagh 

– 17th District, Democratic

Rose Mary C. Robinson 

– 4th District, Democratic

STATE BOARD

TRUSTEES OF MICHIGAN 

STATE UNIVERSITY

Brian Mosallam – Democratic

COUNTY

PROSECUTING ATTORNEY

Kym L. Worthy

Democratic

SHERIFF 

Benny N. Napoleon

Democratic

CLERK 

Cathy M. Garrett

Democratic

TREASURER 

Raymond J. Wojtowicz

Democratic

REGISTER OF DEEDS

Bernard J. Youngblood

Democratic

County Commissioner

Gary Woronchak 

-13th District, Democratic

Diane Webb 

– 9th District, Democratic

Martha G. Scott 

– 3rd District, Democratic

NONPARTISAN SECTION

JUDICIAL

JUSTICE OF SUPREME COURT

Bridget Mary McCormack

Connie Marie Kelly

(Full Term)

Brian Zahra (Partial Term)

JUDGE OF CIRCUIT COURT

3rd CIRCUIT

INCUMBENT POSITION

Wendy Marie Baxter

Gregory Dean Bill 

Edward Ewell, Jr

Richard Halloran

Linda V. Parker

Kathleen M. McCarthy

Maria L. Oxholm

Deborah A. Thomas

Annette J. Berry

Deborah Ross Adams

JUDGE OF CIRCUIT COURT

3rd CIRCUIT

NON- INCUMBENT POSITION

Kevin Cox

Brian L. Morrow

Dana Margaret Hathaway

JUDGE OF CIRCUIT COURT

3rd CIRCUIT

INCUMBENT POSITION 

– Partial Term

Lawrence S. Talon

Margaret M. Van Houten

JUDGE OF DISTRICT COURT

19th DISTRICT

INCUMBENT POSITION

Sam Salamey

JUDGE OF DISTRICT COURT

20th DISTRICT

INCUMBENT POSITION

David Turfe

JUDGE OF DISTRICT COURT

36th DISTRICT

Alicia Jones-Coleman

Wanda Evans

JUDGE OF DISTRICT COURT

22nd DISTRICT (INKSTER)

Sabrina Johnson

LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

BOARD MEMBER

DEARBORN PUBLIC SCHOOL

Aimee Blackburn

Mary Lane

LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

BOARD MEMBER

CRESTWOOD SCHOOL BOARD

DEARBORN HEIGHTS

Zaineb Hussein

Hamid Soueiden 

PROPOSAL SECTION – STATE

PROPOSAL 12-1- Vote NO

PROPOSAL 12-2 – Vote YES

PROPOSAL 12-3 – Vote NO

PROPOSAL 12-4 – Vote YES

PROPOSAL 12-5 – Vote NO

PROPOSAL 12-6 – Vote NO

WASHTENAW COUNTY

JUDGE OF CIRCUIT COURT

22nd CIRCUIT

Michael Woodyard

Ingham COUNTY

JUDGE OF CIRCUIT COURT

30th CIRCUIT

Ken Ross

OAKLAND COUNTY

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Kevin Howley  -Democratic

Clerk/Register of Deeds

Lisa Brown – Democratic

Macomb COUNTY

Commissioner

Robert Mijac – Democratic