US voters’ attitudes towards the Palestinian-Israeli conflict have changed, but media commentators and political consultants haven’t figured that out. They are stuck in the past with outdated assumptions about the electorate and, as a result, continue to operate from an old playbook.
A feature article in The Washington Post last week – “Ones to watch as the 2026 midterm races kick into gear” – provides the best evidence of just how out of touch the analysts are. The piece featured six races that the newspaper’s writers deemed worth watching next year.
One of the highlighted races was Arab American Dr Abdul El-Sayed’s bid for the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat from Michigan.
After describing Mr El-Sayed’s “unapologetic progressivism” – that is, he supports Medicare-for-all and raising taxes on billionaires, and has been endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders – the author delivers this blow: “His views on foreign policy are perhaps his most controversial. He has called Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide and favours cutting off military aid to the Jewish state.”
What indicts the author as “out of touch” with today’s political realities is the assertion that accusing Israel of genocide
Continue Reading on The National UAE
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.