When Morning Joe concludes its run sooner or later, a brand new profession alternative looms for Joe Scarborough: Democratic marketing campaign guide.
Joe’s been at it for a while now in a volunteer [we presume!] capability. Final month, for instance, we caught him suggesting a bumper sticker slogan for Angie Nixon, the democratic socialist Florida senatorial candidate.
Scarborough was again at it on Tuesday’s present. This time, his “consumer” was Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic senatorial candidate from Michigan. When Scarborough heard from Elise Jordan that El-Sayed is having a troublesome time with Jewish Democrats in Michigan, Scarborough had an excellent suggestion: go on a synagogue tour!
Elise Jordan had sat down with two teams of conflicted Michigan Democrats. Her takeaway was that black Democrats in Wayne County are persuadable, and {that a} marketing campaign look by President Obama alongside El-Sayed must be large.
The Oakland County Jewish Democrats, she mentioned, are a unique case. “There’s little or no that may make them budge at this level.”
A clip was performed of a Jewish Democrat in Michigan saying that her daughter, who attends regulation faculty in Detroit, has to cover being Jewish. The girl mentioned she may vote for Republican Mike Rogers, and apologized to her fellow Democrats: “Sorry, guys.” One other member of the group informed her to not apologize. “You should vote and be comfy.”
Jordan mentioned the road that saved developing within the group was El-Sayed’s personal video after the March assault on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, when a person rammed a pickup into the synagogue whereas a faculty was in session.
“[El-Sayed] had in it the road, ‘harm individuals harm individuals.’ That got here up repeatedly. They worry that he’s not the ally that they want for Israel coverage, but in addition they’re actually involved about antisemitism and really feel threatened proper now, particularly within the aftermath of that assault.”
However to not fear, Abdul! Guide Scarborough has the answer!
“Simply the politician in me, I hear individuals speaking about me that approach, ‘I’ll spend the subsequent couple of weeks in synagogues. I’ll go round. I’ll let individuals see me nose to nose, allow them to perceive who I’m. Job one will probably be making your daughter really feel protected at regulation faculty, making your youngsters really feel protected after they go to fifth grade, making your grandmother and grandfather really feel protected strolling down the streets of Detroit or elsewhere in Michigan. That is what I might do.'”
Downside: the very first thing El-Sayed did after condemning the Temple Israel assault was to really feel the ache of the person who carried it out: “harm individuals harm individuals.”
Scarborough then half-withdrew the recommendation. Jordan had been within the room, he mentioned, and it sounded as if she have been saying do not hassle with the synagogue tour: “even that will not make a distinction.”
Jordan did not fairly say that. She mentioned a spherical of synagogue visits may nonetheless create “some headway.” What these voters need to hear, she mentioned, is easier than a listening tour, and El-Sayed has not been prepared to say it straight: that Israel has a proper to exist.
Scarborough’s plan is 2 weeks in synagogues and a promise that security comes first. Jordan’s report is that the candidate nonetheless solutions the fundamental query as to Israel’s proper to exist with a “sure, however.” The mom whose daughter is compelled to cover her Judaism at a Detroit regulation faculty is unlikely to be reassured if El-Sayed adopts Scarborough’s synagogue shtick.
Oddly, one factor that wasn’t talked about within the clip of the Jewish focus group, or in Jordan’s description of it, was El-Sayed’s shut affiliation with Hasan Piker, somebody who has known as for the elimination of the state of Israel.
This is the transcript.
MS NOW
Morning Joe
10/6/26
6:31 am EDTMICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC JEWISH FOCUS GROUP MEMBER: My daughter goes to College of Detroit-Mercy. She’s in her second yr of regulation faculty, and she or he has to cover being Jewish. And it is a arduous factor to say. When October seventh got here, horrible for her, a number of tears. I could go to Mike Rogers. Sorry, guys.
SECOND MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC JEWISH FOCUS GROUP MEMBER: It is okay. You shouldn’t apologize. No, you shouldn’t apologize. You should vote and be comfy.
ELISE JORDAN: So these have been two of probably the most conflicted group of voters that I’ve ever sat down with. Now, I feel the Wayne County Democrats, I feel they may come alongside. And I feel that President Obama coming and campaigning with Abdul El-Sayed goes to be large. And I do assume on the finish of the day, that group of voters, they’re nonetheless persuadable, and so they simply must be launched.
Now, the Oakland County Jewish Democrats, there’s little or no that may make them budge at this level. The aftermath of the Temple Israel assault again in West Bloomfield in March. After which Abdul El-Sayed made, he had did a video, and he had in it the road, “harm individuals will harm individuals.” That got here up repeatedly. They worry that he’s not the ally that they want for Israel coverage, but in addition they’re actually involved about antisemitism and really feel threatened proper now, particularly within the aftermath of that assault.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: You already know, Elise, you already know, simply the politician in me, I hear individuals speaking about me that approach, I’ll spend the subsequent couple of weeks in synagogues.
I’ll go round. I’ll let individuals see me nose to nose, allow them to perceive who I’m. We perceive that, you already know, job one will probably be making your daughter really feel protected at regulation faculty, making your youngsters really feel protected after they go to fifth grade, making your grandmother and grandfather really feel protected strolling down the streets of Detroit or elsewhere in Michigan. That is what I might do.
However, my gosh, you have been within the room and it truly sounds such as you’re principally saying, do not hassle, even that will not make a distinction.
JORDAN: I feel he might make some headway, nonetheless. These voters actually need to hear simply unequivocally that Israel has a proper to exist. And the query has been posed to El-Sayed on quite a few events. And he does give a model of claiming, sure, however, and he goes into democracy, and that each one residents want to have the ability to vote.
And he offers a solution that’s not as easy as these voters count on and, frankly, want to listen to to really feel protected nowadays.
