YALLA VOTE ‘08 Our Voice. Our Future.

*Our Yalla Vote Field Organizers are hitting the ground running. For information about these amazing young men and women, and how to contact them, please visit the Field Organizers page here at Yalla Vote. Without further ado, we bring you Matt, our Field Organizer in New York:

Well, I’ve heard that any time you start a new job, the first few days are the hardest, but I have a feeling the most challenging tasks are yet to come. That being said, the first few have been no joke. I’ve been spending this week just trying to get my bearings and set up a solid game plan. I’ve gotten my calendar all set up, brainstormed some great event ideas, and spent the last couple days scouring the streets for grocery stores, shisha lounges, and arab-owned businesses. I’ve also just begun to build my spreadsheet of contacts. I had a mixup today where I was supposed to meet with Rami Nuseir, who heads the Mideast Leadership Network, but essentially dropped the ball and spent the morning trying to get recruits instead.

Let’s call it early in the game jitters- needless to day it won’t happen again. Kinda like Joba’s first start on the mound for the Yankees yesterday- a rocky start for a rising star. Okay that’s enough of that.

In the news today I was dismayed by the extent to which both democratic candidates, specifically the presumptive democratic nominee, pandered shamelessly to AIPAC. I understand completely how influential AIPAC is in campaign success, and don’t quite hold it against any candidate who does what they have to do. HOWEVER- I did think that vowing the permanence of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital was above and beyond the typical rhetoric. Needless to say, both Republicans and Democrats have very similar stances towards Israel, but as an Arab American of either party- it gets frustrating. I suppose the most productive thing I can do is work to strengthen groups like AAI, so that someday there can be a little more parity in domestic representation of foreign policy interests.

Tomorrow I will be meeting with Rami Nuseir, and getting a solid introduction to some of the important people and places in Queens. Since I am a Brooklyn boy, it will be of great use to me. He mentioned introducing me to some media outlets, which will undoubtedly come in handy. That’s all for now. Til’ next time…

-Matt