Imagine what it would be like if someone you hardly knew suddenly acted like your best friend the day after you inherited millions of dollars. Well, that’s kind of what it’s like in Michigan, where newly minted far-left Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is welcoming a parade of 2028 Democratic presidential hopefuls to the Wolverine State. They are all lining up to kiss his ring and sing his praises after refusing to endorse him in his primary battle against establishment favorite Rep. Haley Stevens. But now he’s apparently the cat’s meow.
It seemed like only a matter of hours after El-Sayed’s narrow victory that former Vice President Kamala Harris showed up in Michigan and employed two of the most trite and vacuous political slogans in the political lexicon, saying, “Dr. Abdul El-Sayed understands that the power is with the people, and that the stakes couldn’t be higher in this election.” Those mantras have been used ad nauseum over the years by politicians like Harris who have nothing of substance to bring to the table.
But she continued, staying true to form in identifying problems while offering no tangible solutions. “While Michiganders struggle to afford everyday essentials — housing, gas, groceries, health care, and childcare — Trump and Republicans in Congress are giving away $1 trillion in tax breaks to the wealthy and powerful. Abdul knows that we need bold solutions to the crises facing America’s working families, and he is ready to take on this fight.” Does that mean Harris supports Medicare for All, the nationalized healthcare scheme at the heart of El-Sayed’s campaign? She will soon be asked.
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El-Sayed and Hasan Piker
Of particular concern is El-Sayed’s close relationship with Hasan Piker, the radical left-wing streamer who believes America “deserved 9/11,” calls the fall of the Soviet Union a "catastrophe," dismisses claims that Hamas used rape and sexual violence against Israelis on October 7, and calls for murdering capitalists, according to Town Hall. Still, the ever-malleable former VP issued her endorsement in a transparent attempt to ingratiate herself with the Bernie Sanders crowd, which has never particularly cared for her, by simply ignoring El-Sayed’s many controversial stances.
This is what you do when you plan to run for president. You show up, talk up a colleague, or perhaps help raise money, building IOUs for future use in your own campaign. The question here is what value the former VP brings to the table. Or put another way, there may well be several Democratic candidates across the land that would prefer Harris to, shall we say, support them silently in her heart from a safe distance. The memories of her shellacking in 2024, not to mention her face plant in 2020, are still fresh, and yet she continues to behave as if she merits a third look. Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Bob Dole, Al Gore, and many other presidential candidates over the years reached for the brass ring twice but knew better than to try a third time.
Waiting in Line to Kiss the Ring
Next in the parade is California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who arrived in Michigan over the weekend, making himself useful by trying to tamp down the image of El-Sayed as an extremist, accusing Republicans of trying to “flood the zone with this narrative.” Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is set to stump for El-Sayed on Aug. 13, and many other presidential aspirants are undoubtedly set to follow suit in the coming weeks.
By rushing to Michigan, Democratic presidential hopefuls who had been hedging their bets are essentially admitting that the establishment has become so unpopular that they would rather make their bed with progressives and socialists, no matter how extreme they may be. It is a sign of just how desperate the party is to somehow reconcile its traditional liberalism with the socialism sweeping across the party.
El-Sayed attacked the Democratic establishment with relish throughout his primary campaign, declaring that he is “damn dangerous.” But then, the moment he won the nomination, presidential hopefuls representing that very establishment began pouring in to Michigan and bowing before him. It brings to life a famous line from the iconic film Animal House when a pledge is being hazed, paddled repeatedly on the backside by the fraternity brothers, and is forced to say over and over, “Thank you sir, may I have another.”
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