Endorsement
and Alliances
By Hazem Kira
Newark, CA
More than 80 percent of the
candidates endorsed by the American Muslim Alliance
(AMA) have won seats in the 2004 general elections
and are to report to their new positions in December.
Endorsements made by the AMA - a civic education
and leadership training organization - connected
the American Muslim vote with an overarching set
of goals focused primarily on the restoration
of civil liberties. The move paid off. An AMA
analysis reports that in the November elections
endorsed candidates won 86 percent at the State
Senate level, 75 percent at the Assembly level
and 78 percent at the Congressional level.
These figures are significant because they put
Muslim voters on the local and state political
maps. Through their interactions they will be
able to communicate the interests and concerns
of the community even as they build alliances
with other groups and individuals, political observers
say.
A few candidates endorsed by the AMA did not win:
14 percent lost in State Senate races, 28 percent
in the State Assembly, and 20 percent in the Congressional
races. Only two per cent of the candidates opposed
by the AMA were elected.
Under its affiliated Political Action Committee,
the AMA actively led the endorsement effort within
the American Muslim community by educating voters
and encouraging them to speak out on their choices.
It also adopted a decentralized policy prompting
citizens living in specific city, state or congressional
districts to choose whom to endorse. Federal level
choices, such as president and vice-president,
were made by equal participation of AMA chapters
and members in consultation with major Muslim
organizations.
The process was exhaustive but efficient. AMA’s
101 chapters examined hundreds of federal, state,
and local candidates. Each was evaluated on positions
adopted, performance record, and evidence of policies
that reflect inclusion of all citizens in a multicultural
society.
AMA members agreed on a measuring tool for their
recommendations. The organization adopted a ‘Civil
Rights Plus’ agenda, which effectively placed
the restoration of civil liberties as a priority,
while also considering other issues such as education,
taxes, and social welfare reforms. Many other
civil libertarian groups adopted similar criteria.
AMA is committed to encouraging and empowering
American Muslims to participate in government
on all levels and as such the multi-level endorsements
are relevant to its mission.
MULTI-LEVEL ENDORSEMENT STRATEGY
Politics operates on money and votes, political
scientists say. At the end of the day only the
votes count. Endorsements at all levels are crucial
to the voting process.
For example, local officials are far more willing
to take a clear and decisive stand on civil liberties
than most members of the US Congress. This difference
is rooted in the federal structure of the United
States.
In Federalist 10, James Madison, one of the main
protagonists of the American political system,
has argued that a genuinely federal system consists
of various combinations of majority and minority
at different levels.
A contemporary example of his theory: African
Americans constitute only 7% of the California
population but they constitute 36 % of the population
in Oakland. Being the single largest ethnic group
in Oakland, they can easily accomplish many things
at the city level, which they cannot accomplish
at the State level.
This situation encourages alliances at city and
state levels, and can produce more public interest
outcomes that eventually affect federal level
policies.
CROSS-PARTY ENDORSEMENT STRATEGY
While passive citizenship is based on the belief
that most immigrants have little chance in affecting
change, active citizenship believes in establishing
creative compatibility of ideas and alliances.
AMA promotes active citizenship and a multiparty
endorsements strategy that enables Muslims to
work with all political parties without leaving
the mainstream.
Consequently, candidates across all political
ideologies and affiliations were endorsed. Among
them: Democratic candidates such as Barbara Lee
(Oakland Congressional Candidate) and Gloria Romero
(CA State Senate) for their strong voting record,
Green Candidates such as Ross Mirkarimi who won
the District 5 seat for the San Francisco Board
of Supervisors, Libertarian candidate James Grey
for the California US Senate for his vocal position
on protecting civil liberties, and California
Assembly member Ray Haynes (Republican) for his
principled stand and action SJR 22- the Pro-Civil
Rights Resolution.
AMA’s multiparty strategy is based on the
belief that dynamic change can happen when new
political networks are created for a common good.
Thus:
1) alliances are crucial in bringing
different interest groups together.
2) Changing the number of players
and the alliances among those players can alter
the outcome of any political contest.
3) Ideas are pivotal in defining
and shaping public perceptions, group affinities
and possibilities of conflict resolution.
AMA’s strategy to work at all levels of
government extended to recommendations on propositions
and initiatives. Like the process used to endorsed
candidate, this too was based on community feedback.
Half of the 16 propositions on the California
ballot were passed. The rest failed. Half of the
AMA’s recommendations were affirmed.
Endorsement and alliances formed in the process
have increased the potential opportunities for
reintroducing in the California state legislature
a resolution to repeal unconstitutional sections
of the USA PATRIOT Act.
The California Civil Rights Alliance (CCRA), a
national coalition of 23 groups including the
AMA, Council on American Islamic Relations, the
Catholic and Episcopalian churches, along with
the Green and Libertarian Party of California,
are working with state legislators to reintroduce
the civil rights resolution in the next few weeks.
Many of these
groups participated in the bloc vote strategy
at the election booths on November 2, 2004, on
the premise that civil liberties is a concern
of all Americans, not just American Muslims. Thus,
the alliances built over the past election cycle
will increase the likelihood for success on this
and other actions.
“The bloc vote has proven effective not
only for the national races, but also for state
and local ones,” said AMA chair Dr. Agha
Saeed. “It is important to remember that
bloc votes should be used to create bridges, not
islands.”
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