Posted on 02/17/2004 9:49:42 AM PST by lilylangtree
Wealthy Arab-Americans and foreign-born Muslims who strongly back President Bush's decision to invade Iraq are adding their names to the ranks of "Pioneers" and "Rangers," the elite Bush supporters who pledge to raise $100,000 or more for his re-election.
The new crop of fund-raisers comes as some opinion polls suggest that support for the president among Arab-Americans is sinking, and at a time when political strategists from both parties say Bush has lost ground among Arab-Americans.
The money-raising efforts are coming despite criticism of Bush by some Arab-Americans who feel they have been singled out in the fight against terrorism and who are uneasy over the administration's Israeli-Palestinian policies.
The 9-11 terrorism attacks and the war in Iraq have been a catalyst for some wealthy Arab-Americans to become more involved in politics. But some have a more practical reason for opening their checkbooks: access to a business-friendly White House. Already, their efforts have brought them visits with the president at his ranch in Crawford, as well as White House dinners and meetings with top administration officials in Washington.
The fund-raisers are people such as Mori Hosseini, the Iranian-born chief executive of ICI Homes, a home builder based in Daytona Beach, Fla. Hosseini is a Ranger, gaining the top designation after raising $200,000 from his family and acquaintances. The minimum level of money raising for a Ranger is $200,000, while it takes $100,000 to be a Pioneer.
Hosseini said Bush's "decisive" action, especially in Iraq, inspired his fund-raising work. His efforts led to an invitation to a White House Christmas party and a private meeting with the president and a handful of other donors at a recent fund-raiser at Disney World.
But in a recent release, the Arab American Institute, a nonprofit organization representing Arab-American interests in government and politics, said Bush's support has fallen sharply since the 2000 election.
A January poll conducted for the group by Zogby International, which is headed by John Zogby, a Lebanese-American, found that Bush's approval rating among Arab-Americans had fallen to 38 percent from as high as 83 percent in October 2001.
The poll said the biggest reason for the decline is concern over the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. To many Arab-Americans, the administration's actions are seen as more pro-Israel than evenhanded, especially its support of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
In addition, a program begun after 9-11 that required thousands of Arab and Muslim men to register with the immigration officials has sent chills through the Arab-American community, as has the anti-terrorism law known as the USA Patriot Act, which Arab-Americans say is a threat to their civil liberties.
I just wish Jews in America put their support behind their brothers in Israel like these arabs do for "Palestinians"
ML/NJ
No, he shouldn't. There IS a segment of the Muslim population which genuinely supports him and his foreign policy. It's their right as American citizens. We should be encouraging such people, not disparaging them.
I'm not interested in their rights. They remain uninterested in ours. They were on the wrong side of the 9/11 massacre and they remain on the wrong side. (It's too bad for the 10% who might be okay, but keep their mouths shut.) And most of the money he gets from these swine probably originates overseas.
ML/NJ
Are you a coin collector? Not many people know the 19th century spelling.
Or maybe you're a time traveler?! ;)
More broadly, they hail from over 20 countries of origin. They are above average in education and income. They are oriented toward business and the professions. They tend not to work in the public sector. There are lots of reasons they should be Republican.
A loud minority of jihadis notwithstanding.
I was wondering whether anyone would notice!
(I collected back when they still used silver.)
ML/NJ
I own a bag full of old silver dollars. Do you happen to know how much silver by weight is in each one?
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