Opinion | Does Joe Biden realize how angry these Michigan voters are?

“I personally voted for Biden in the last election.” “I voted for Biden, and I encouraged other people to vote for Biden.” “I have been a lifelong Democrat.” “A dues-paying member of the Democratic Party.” “Being a Democrat means supporting democratic values, and first and foremost is the value of human life.” “I will not waste my vote on Biden in November.” “I will never vote for Biden.” “I certainly will not vote for Biden. And no one, as far as I know, will vote for Biden.” A handful of swing states will determine who is elected president. Michigan is crucial for Biden. He is in too much trouble in the other states. In 2016, Trump won Michigan by 10,000 votes. In 2020, Biden won the state by a clear 154,000 votes. Can he do it again? The answer to this fateful question may lie in one particular community. Michigan has more than 200,000 registered Muslim voters. That’s more than enough to sway the state. “Dearborn, Michigan, is the epicenter of Arab America.” “In the summer, you drive down Warren Street and smell the shawarma and coffee coming from home.” “It really is an enclave.” This enclave could elect America’s next president. In other words, age is not Biden’s only problem. “As long as Biden keeps supplying weapons to Israel, I cannot vote for him.” “If I signed the ballot for Joe Biden, the ink I would sign it with would be blood.” “Thousands of children being murdered. One, two, three — you want me to count them? You want me to tell you their names? You want me to mention their crimes, the one-year-old? What crime did they commit?” “Listen, Trump is a racist, a con man, a fraud, an idiot, but he could be the sharpest tool to beat Joe Biden.” “If the election is so close and it’s a dead-neck race, I’m going to break that neck-and-neck and vote for Trump to make sure Biden is held accountable.” “No American should vote for a president who supported genocide.” “Right now, we know that American bombs that you and I paid for are being dropped on children in Gaza.” “The United States is not a third party here. The United States is actively funding this.” “Imagine paying to murder your own family.” “Donald Trump didn’t do that. That was Joe Biden. An actual genocide is worse to me than a hypothetical genocide.” “I don’t know what Trump would do under those circumstances. I know the Democrats would oppose it if Trump did it.” “A second Trump presidency would have terrified me even before the genocide in Gaza. But with the genocide in Gaza, our worst nightmare has come true.” “I would rather see my community exiled than slaughtered.” “I stood proudly with our friend, the State of Israel. I will always stand with Israel. I am proud to be the greatest friend Israel has ever had.” “People say, ‘But he said this, but he said that.’” “As for Israel, you should let him go and let him finish his job.” “Well, Biden is already doing it.” “We are supplying Israel with all the weapons it needs, when it needs them.” “Nothing you can tell me about Donald Trump will ever make me say that I think he is a greater threat than Joe Biden. He is the one who has put democracy in danger.” “Brothers and sisters, I have been crying for Gaza for eight, nine months. But I feel like I have to cry for America too. We need a president who will stand for peace and justice, a president who will stop supporting ethnic cleansing. We pray for a better future for our country.” “The political process is a long-term strategy. If he wins, no one will ever listen to us again. If he loses, we will probably have more political power than ever before.” “The goal is not 2024. The goal is 2028 and beyond.” “And yes, we may have to swallow the bitter pill of Trump becoming president.” “I hope the Democratic Party will wake up. If they still think they are the party of decency, they still have a chance to put forward a better candidate than Biden.” “I very much doubt Biden will be taken off the ticket. I’ll believe it when I see it. And then, at that point, I might consider voting for the Democratic candidate. I would be happy if I was faced with the dilemma: Wow, Biden has called for an arms embargo. Biden is having talks about how to rebuild Gaza. Do I want to risk losing all this progress we’ve made and putting Trump in office? I would be happy if that dilemma happened, but that’s not the case.” “It’s your responsibility. Your vote is being turned into ammunition, so you can’t ignore that.” “I haven’t changed my policies, my views. Free healthcare, eliminating student debt – all of those things are still things that I love and value and want to see implemented. My conscience tells me that genocide outweighs every single domestic policy. So I’m voting my conscience in November.” (MUSIC)