Michigan becomes focal point as Biden shifts towards left on Israel
The focus is on President Biden’s strategy in Michigan and the impact of U.S. policy on Israel and Gaza. The state plays a pivotal role in the upcoming election, with Biden showing a shift in stance regarding Israel. Political implications are significant as Michigan voters express concerns over Biden’s support for Israel amidst pro-Palestinian sentiments. President Biden’s approach in Michigan regarding U.S. policy on Israel and Gaza is crucial for the upcoming election. His evolving stance on Israel is attracting attention as Michigan voters raise concerns amidst growing pro-Palestinian sentiments. The political landscape in Michigan signifies a pivotal point in Biden’s strategy and reflects broader implications for his electoral prospects.
President Joe Biden knows Michigan will be crucial if he’s going to win a second term in the White House, and it is ground zero for the domestic political implications of U.S. policy on Israel and Gaza.
A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll finds the race between Biden and Donald Trump tied after the former president had been ahead in the swing state for weeks.
Michigan made headlines following its Democratic primary for the more than 100,000 voters who wrote in “uncommitted” as a protest vote against Biden’s strong support for Israel. The president has been more equivocal in recent weeks when speaking about the Israel-Hamas war.
“They have a point,” Biden said Tuesday when pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted him during a speech in North Carolina. “We need to get a lot more care into Gaza.”
Biden initially outlined a strongly pro-Israel stance following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks, recalling his first trip to the country in 1973 and flying in to meet with Israeli leaders the next week.
But pro-Palestinian protests have followed the president at nearly every stop in the months since, and the “uncommitted” campaign in Michigan threatens his stance in a critical “blue wall” state this November.
The United States chose to abstain from a recent United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza that it had previously blocked, which caused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to scrap plans to send a delegation to Washington to discuss the war.
While National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the resolution “does not represent a shift in our policy,” it may be perceived that way by voters.
Biden risks alienating some voters regardless of how he handles the situation. Some Democrats, notably Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), have said the U.S. must be stronger in condemning Hamas.
“Some members of Congress won’t condemn this. Some dismissed this as ‘propaganda.’ The UN won’t even condemn Hamas. Hamas is not a group of ‘militants’ or engaging in ‘insurgency’ — just rapists and cowards hiding behind innocent civilians,” Fetterman wrote on social media. “Israel absolutely has the right to pursue and dismantle Hamas to surrender or neutralization. True peace is possible through this imperative.”
Some members of Congress won’t condemn this. Some dismissed this as ‘propaganda’. The UN won’t even condemn Hamas.
Hamas is not a group of ‘militants’ or engaging in ‘insurgency’—just rapists and cowards hiding behind innocent civilians. pic.twitter.com/5OE423uEAQ
— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) March 27, 2024
Emeritus professor at Harvard Law School Alan Dershowitz said Biden’s handling of the war may cause him to not vote for a Democrat for the first time since 1960.
“Biden is thinking very hard now about the two-state solution,” Dershowitz said on Israel’s Channel 12 News. “The two states, however, are Michigan and Pennsylvania, or Michigan and Nevada, or Michigan and Arizona.”
But the presumptive Republican presidential nominee made his own criticisms of Israel’s handling of the conflict this week.
“And I think Israel made a very big mistake,” Trump told Israel Hayom during an interview at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. “I wanted to call [Israel] and say don’t do it. These photos and shots, I mean, moving shots of bombs being dropped into buildings in Gaza. And I said, ‘Oh, that’s a terrible portrait. It’s a very bad picture for the world.’
“You have to finish up your war — to finish it up,” Trump warned. He also took shots at Biden, saying the president caused the Oct. 7 attacks because Hamas has “no respect for him.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Michigan is one of the northern “blue wall” states that voted for the Democratic candidate in every presidential election from 1992 to 2020 with one exception.
Trump won Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania en route to his upset win in 2016, and Biden took them back four years ago to knock The Donald out of office. Both candidates are intensely focused on winning the trio of states this year.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
