Michigan: Be careful what you ask for -- you may get Huckabee

[Jayhawker Soule]

The Times of Israel has republished an article titled:

Voters in Arab-American strongholds helped tip Michigan in Trump's favor​

Fair enough.

More recently, an article in Middle East Eye carries the headline:

Trump nominates hardliner Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel​

It begins:

President-elect Donald Trump has picked Mike Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas, to be his ambassador to Israel, putting a figure who has rejected the existence of the Palestinian people at the centre of US diplomacy with Israel amid its wars on Gaza and Lebanon.​

​

Huckabee is a prominent leader in the pro-Israel evangelical Christian movement.​

​

He was governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007 and ran twice for the Republican presidential nomination, in 2008 and 2016.​

​

“Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years,” Trump said in a statement. “He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!”​

​

It’s unclear how Huckabee would advance Trump’s pledge to end the war in Gaza. "There’s no valid reason to have a cease-fire with Hamas," Huckabee said in June.​

​

Huckabee has also advocated for the forcible displacement of Palestinians during Israel’s war on Gaza.​

​

“If the so-called Palestinians are so loved by the muslim nations of the world, why wont any of those nations at least offer to give temporary refuge to their brothers and sisters in Gaza,” Huckabee said in October 2023.​

The subtext of many, if not most, of my comments leading up to the recent election has been this:

Refusal to vote for the lessor of two evils is to be complicit in enabling the greater of those two evils.​

Be careful what you ask for ...

 

[Viker]

Wow. Arab-Americans voted against Palestinians? Yup. World's going insane.

 

[Debater Slayer]

Wow. Arab-Americans voted against Palestinians? Yup. World's going insane.

For many Arabs, a vote against the Democratic candidate is seen as a vote against the continuation of the Biden administration's policies, although I'm not sure what the reasoning would be for voting for Trump (rather than abstaining or voting third party) aside from perhaps wanting to punish the Democratic Party (albeit in a self-destructive manner).

Antony Blinken ignored the findings of officials who had told him that Israel was not allowing enough aid into Gaza, for example, and he defended an IDF unit against sanctions even after its actions had resulted in the death of a Palestinian American:

Israel Deliberately Blocked Humanitarian Aid to Gaza, Two Government Bodies Concluded. Antony Blinken Rejected Them.

Blinken told Congress, “We do not currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting” aid, even though the U.S. Agency for International Development and others had determined that Israel had broken the law.

www.propublica.org

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/08/09/us-israel-military-aid-human-rights-abuse/

Palestinian American Died Handcuffed in Israeli Custody, Witnesses Say (Published 2022)

Omar Assad, 78, had hoped to see his children in the U.S. one more time. Instead he died after being detained by Israeli soldiers.

www.nytimes.com

Considering that Kamala Harris wasn't expected to deviate from the Biden administration's policies—which remained staunchly supportive of Israel's policies and kept military and financial aid to the country uninterrupted throughout the bombing and massacres—many people expected more of the same blatant disregard for Palestinian lives. A Trump administration will at least be equally horrible and most likely worse, but based on the analyses I have read, the abovementioned attitudes seem to be a large part of why many Arab American voters were fed up at that point and concluded that both parties were more similar than different on the issue of Palestinian rights and statehood.

I think the only potential upside to the Trump win is that it could drive a massive wedge between the US and many of its allies, reducing its global influence and accelerating a decline in its global geopolitical power. The US hasn't stopped supporting various Israeli governments' abuses for decades, whether under Democratic or Republican leadership, so it may well be that a decline in its influence would be the only way true change could occur. Whereas Democratic leaders, such as Obama and Biden, have paid lip service to Palestinian rights and statehood while maintaining almost the same policies overall as their Republican counterparts, Trump most likely won't even bother with the lip service. I believe that it has always been and continues to be a disgraceful, tragic situation all around.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

I think the only potential upside to the Trump win is that it could drive a massive wedge between the US and many of its allies, reducing its global influence and accelerating a decline in global geopolitical power. The US hasn't stopped supporting various Israeli governments' abuses for decades, whether under Democratic or Republican leadership, so it may well be that a decline in its influence would be the only way true change could occur.

The obvious question becomes: "reducing its global influence and accelerating a decline in global geopolitical power" at whose expense and for whose gain?

I have a two loosely related questions:

1. Between Trump and Harris, which could be reasonably expected to be more responsive to questions from the left:
2. Would you abstain if faced with a hypothetical election between a 2024 Donald Trump and a late 1970s Jimmy Carter?

 

[Revoltingest]

The Times of Israel has republished an article titled:

Voters in Arab-American strongholds helped tip Michigan in Trump's favor​

Fair enough.

More recently, an article in Middle East Eye carries the headline:

Trump nominates hardliner Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel​

It begins:

President-elect Donald Trump has picked Mike Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas, to be his ambassador to Israel, putting a figure who has rejected the existence of the Palestinian people at the centre of US diplomacy with Israel amid its wars on Gaza and Lebanon.​

​

Huckabee is a prominent leader in the pro-Israel evangelical Christian movement.​

​

He was governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007 and ran twice for the Republican presidential nomination, in 2008 and 2016.​

​

“Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years,” Trump said in a statement. “He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!”​

​

It’s unclear how Huckabee would advance Trump’s pledge to end the war in Gaza. "There’s no valid reason to have a cease-fire with Hamas," Huckabee said in June.​

​

Huckabee has also advocated for the forcible displacement of Palestinians during Israel’s war on Gaza.​

​

“If the so-called Palestinians are so loved by the muslim nations of the world, why wont any of those nations at least offer to give temporary refuge to their brothers and sisters in Gaza,” Huckabee said in October 2023.​

The subtext of many, if not most, of my comments leading up to the recent election has been this:

Refusal to vote for the lessor of two evils is to be complicit in enabling the greater of those two evils.​

Be careful what you ask for ...

Do you believe that Huckabee wields real power,
rather than being merely Trump's avatar in Israel?

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Do you believe that Huckabee wields real power,
rather than being merely Trump's avatar in Israel?

Not answering for @Jayhawker Soule to whom you asked the question -- but for myself, I believe that Huckabee is convinced that this world will end when Jesus comes back to Israel, and the Jews are all either killed or converted to Christianity.

If I were an Israeli Jew, I don't think I'd be particularly thrilled with his appointment.

 

[Revoltingest]

Not answering for @Jayhawker Soule to whom you asked the question -- but for myself, I believe that Huckabee is convinced that this world will end when Jesus comes back to Israel, and the Jews are all either killed or converted to Christianity.

If I were an Israeli Jew, I don't think I'd be particularly thrilled with his appointment.

Thrilling Israelis is low on my list of concerns.

 

[F1fan]

Considering that Kamala Harris wasn't expected to deviate from the Biden administration's policies—which remained staunchly supportive of Israel's policies and kept military and financial aid to the country uninterrupted throughout the bombing and massacres—many people expected more of the same blatant disregard for Palestinian lives. A Trump administration will at least be equally horrible and most likely worse, but based on the analyses I have read, the abovementioned attitudes seem to be a large part of why many Arab American voters were fed up at that point and concluded that both parties were more similar than different on the issue of Palestinian rights and statehood.

Biden had basic support for Israel as a long term ally in the Middle East, but Biden was clear that he did not support the attacks on Gaza that was killing more civilans than Hamas. Biden worked to help get aid into Gaza, only to face attacks on convoys by Israeli forces. Most of these where claimed to have been mistakes, but the accuracy of these attacks suggests deliberate targeting. Biden held back many weapons that could be used in Gaza, yet the public perception was that Biden was helping Israel attack Gaza.

I think the only potential upside to the Trump win is that it could drive a massive wedge between the US and many of its allies, reducing its global influence and accelerating a decline in its global geopolitical power. The US hasn't stopped supporting various Israeli governments' abuses for decades, whether under Democratic or Republican leadership, so it may well be that a decline in its influence would be the only way true change could occur. Whereas Democratic leaders, such as Obama and Biden, have paid lip service to Palestinian rights and statehood while maintaining almost the same policies overall as their Republican counterparts, Trump most likely won't even bother with the lip service. I believe that it has always been and continues to be a disgraceful, tragic situation all around.

I fully expect Trump to help Netanyahu completely, and that means whatever weapons they want. Huckabee doesn't recognize Gaza, or palastinians as a people. That's a huge clue what Trump intends. No doubt his interest is the real estate that was formerly Gaza and perhaps the West Bank. If this happens we will see what the Arabs of Michigan think of their support for a criminal.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Not answering for @Jayhawker Soule to whom you asked the question -- but for myself, I believe that Huckabee is convinced that this world will end when Jesus comes back to Israel, and the Jews are all either killed or converted to Christianity.

If I were an Israeli Jew, I don't think I'd be particularly thrilled with his appointment.

While I cannot answer some question from my modest 5-person ignore list, I can assure you that my attitude towards Huckabee has nothing to do with his messianic expectations and everything to do with his sociopolitical views. It is why I consider him disgusting and dangerous while folks such as Netanyahu, Smotrich, BenGvir, and Yossi Dagan, who heads the Samaria Regional Council in the northern West Bank, embrace him as a godsend.

 

[Revoltingest]

Biden had basic support for Israel as a long term ally in the Middle East, but Biden was clear that he did not support the attacks on Gaza that was killing more civilans than Hamas. Biden worked to help get aid into Gaza, only to face attacks on convoys by Israeli forces. Most of these where claimed to have been mistakes, but the accuracy of these attacks suggests deliberate targeting. Biden held back many weapons that could be used in Gaza, yet the public perception was that Biden was helping Israel attack Gaza.

I fully expect Trump to help Netanyahu completely, and that means whatever weapons they want. Huckabee doesn't recognize Gaza, or palastinians as a people. That's a huge clue what Trump intends. No doubt his interest is the real estate that was formerly Gaza and perhaps the West Bank. If this happens we will see what the Arabs of Michigan think of their support for a criminal.

MI's Muslims didn't put Trump in office.
Their vote didn't put him over the top.
But they sent a useful message to Dems, who
silenced their congressional representative, who
support Israel's genocide of Muslims while
pretending they care. It will cost them greatly
needed votes. This is a long term investment
in Democrats' re-thinking their agendas while
licking their wounds.

 

[muhammad_isa]

..the public perception was that Biden was helping Israel attack Gaza..

Well, Biden OR Trump, the result will be the same .. the political institutions of
the US have been hijacked.

The UK is also affected..

Jeremy Corbyn served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. Corbyn identifies ideologically as a socialist on the political left.
...
After asserting that the scale of antisemitism had been overstated for political reasons, Corbyn was suspended from the party in 2020. In May 2024, after the 2024 general election had been called, Corbyn was not allowed to stand as a Labour candidate for his constituency, and subsequently announced he would stand as an independent candidate for Islington North; he was then expelled from Labour. He won re-election with a majority of 7,247.
Jeremy_Corbyn - Wikipedia

..so Trump talks about "interference in elections" .. it's a reversal of reality. We see that all the time in
mainstream media these days. Many people are being hoodwinked by those who control the global
financial system. It's time people wake up!

 

[Wirey]

While I cannot answer some question from my modest 5-person ignore list, I can assure you that my attitude towards Huckabee has nothing to do with his messianic expectations and everything to do with his sociopolitical views. It is why I consider him disgusting and dangerous while folks such as Netanyahu, Smotrich, BenGvir, and Yossi Dagan, who heads the Samaria Regional Council in the northern West Bank, embrace him as a godsend.

5? I only have 1. It's not you.

 

[Revoltingest]

While I cannot answer some question from my modest 5-person ignore list....

Are you saying that I'm "modest"?
I take great offense at that!

BTW, is my sock puppet on <ignore> too?