Harris angers pro-Palestinian voters with Cheney appearance – Washington Examiner
**Summary**
Vice President Kamala Harris recently appeared alongside former Republican Representative Liz Cheney at a campaign rally in Wisconsin, promoting the theme “Country over Party.” Harris has been courting undecided conservative voters, especially those disenchanted with Donald Trump. Cheney, who has publicly opposed Trump, endorsed Harris, comparing her support to moments that transcend party affiliations.
However, Cheney’s past controversial positions have sparked backlash among pro-Palestinian groups, particularly from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). They criticized Harris for associating with Cheney, labeling her as a “torture advocate and anti-Muslim bigot.” CAIR’s Deputy Director condemned Cheney’s history and warned that these associations could alienate progressive voters who are advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza, especially in light of the Biden administration’s policies towards Israel.
As Harris aims to attract conservative voters disenchanted with Trump, she faces the risk of losing support among progressive constituencies who view Cheney negatively due to her past stances on various issues, including foreign policy. This delicate balancing act underscores the challenges Harris might encounter in the upcoming presidential campaign.
Harris angers pro-Palestinian voters with Cheney appearance
Vice President Kamala Harris has touted the endorsement of former Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney and appeared with her at a campaign rally in Wisconsin on Thursday.
But it appears that her association with the Harris campaign has angered at least one pro-Palestinian group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, because of Cheney’s past stances.
“No elected official who cares about justice or the rule of law or human rights should ever praise Liz Cheney, a torture advocate, anti-Muslim bigot and warmonger who once refused to condemn racists spreading the Obama birther conspiracy,” CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said in a statement shared with the Washington Examiner.
“Supporting President Trump’s impeachment does not wash away Rep. Cheney’s support for crimes like torture. The same is true of Dick Cheney, a war criminal and one of the most disastrous vice presidents in U.S. history,” Mitchell added, referencing Liz Cheney’s father, the former vice president, who has also endorsed Harris.
Harris has courted voters who have been in fierce opposition to the United States’s support of Israel, which has bombed Gaza, causing thousands of civilian deaths. The latest statement from CAIR, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, condemned her efforts to relate to Republicans dissatisfied with former President Donald Trump.
“If Liz Cheney had ever advocated for the torture of Ukrainians instead of Arabs, or if she had delivered a keynote speech to an anti-Semitic conference instead of an Islamophobic conference, she would not be embraced and rehabilitated today by any mainstream leader,” Mitchell added.
Cheney spoke alongside Harris at a rally labeled “Country over Party” on Friday, an endeavor aimed at converting Republicans to vote for the Democratic candidate. Harris has spent energy courting conservative voters and has the support of hundreds of them.
Yet, alienating voters aligned with CAIR could prove devastating to Harris. Many progressive voters aligned with the movement to see a ceasefire in Gaza have disavowed the current administration’s pro-Israel stance, and Harris has worked to add nuance to her stance.
Cheney’s endorsement may undermine that. She denounced the U.S.’s decision to withhold arms to Israel in May, saying in a social media post: “Withholding aid to Israel is wrong and dangerous. America must not abandon Israel. Doing so would mean victory for Iran and all its terrorist allies.”
While there’s little chance anti-Israel voters would convert to Trump’s cause, a lack of turnout among the Democratic constituency, or a turnout in favor of Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who has expressed her views opposing Israel, could be damaging, especially in Michigan.
Muslim Americans and Arab Americans are a crucial voting bloc for Harris in Michigan, which holds the largest Muslim population of any swing state and the largest population percentage of Arab Americans of any state at 2.11%.
Harris is set to meet with a group of Arab American and Muslim American leaders in Flint, Michigan, on Friday, according to CNN. Real Clear Politics’s polling average shows Harris with a slim 48.3% to 47.6% lead over Trump in the state.
The Washington Examiner contacted Harris’s campaign to ask for comment on the matter but did not receive a response.
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