Campaigning with Imperialist Royalty: Dr El-Sayed Turns his back on Palestinians by Teaming up with the Drone King and a Genocide-enabler

The political trajectory of modern social democracy and progressive politics in the United States continues to demonstrate its absolute capitulation to the machinery of the capitalist state and American imperialism. Nowhere is this tragic betrayal more starkly illustrated than in the recent political maneuverings and public alliances of Dr. Abdul El-Sayed in his Michigan Senate campaign. By rolling out the red carpet for the principal architects, defenders, and administrators of imperialist slaughter—aligning himself explicitly with former President Barack Obama and current ruling figures like Kamala Harris—Dr. El-Sayed has laid bare the bankruptcy of a "progressive" politics that refuses to break decisively with the Democratic Party apparatus.

From the perspective of consistent anti-imperialist analysis, as championed by publications like the World Socialist Web Site and the Black Agenda Report, this alignment is not merely a tactical miscalculation or an unfortunate compromise; it is a profound ideological exposure. Working-class people, anti-war activists, and particularly the Palestinian community who expected a principled stand against militarism can no longer look to figures like Dr. El-Sayed for genuine opposition.

The Height of Disgrace: Bringing Genocide Enablers to Michigan

On September 22, 2026, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed held a high-profile press conference following joint campaign events with Kamala Harris, bringing into sharp relief the moral compromises defining his run. To bring a high-ranking member of an administration that presided over the inception and escalation of the ongoing genocide in Gaza directly into Michigan is an act of breathtaking cynicism.

Michigan holds a unique, sensitive, and painful place in this political tragedy. Home to one of the largest, most vibrant, and politically conscious Arab and Palestinian-American populations in the United States, the state has been a crucible of grief, outrage, and fierce grassroots resistance against American complicity in the destruction of Gaza. Tens of thousands of voters in Michigan mobilized under the historic "Uncommitted" banner in 2024 to register their absolute disgust with the Biden-Harris administration's underwriting of mass murder. For Dr. El-Sayed—who previously endorsed that very "Uncommitted" vote to project solidarity—to turn around and welcome the architects and executors of that exact violence into his campaign fold in Michigan is experienced by the community as a deliberate, calculated slap in the face. It is the height of disrespect to Palestinian lives, an insult to the international anti-genocide movement, and an abandonment of basic human morality.

When challenged on this glaring political flip-flop by reporters during his public appearances, Dr. El-Sayed resorted to evasive, lawyerly semantics that disgusted observers across the political spectrum. As covered by various independent and mainstream outlets including Due Dissidence, PBS NewsHour, CNN, Fox News, and Newsmax, local commentators noted how the candidate attempted to dodge accountability. During the post-press conference exchange, a journalist confronted him directly:

REPORTER: “We know that you endorsed the uncommitted vote in 2024, and people might say that you’re now flip-flopping by having Kamala Harris come into your camp. Do you see this as a possibility that it might backfire for you among the Arab American vote?" EL-SAYED: "Can you explain what uncommitted was? What was it about?” REPORTER: “It was about the war in Gaza.” EL-SAYED: “And who was the president we were uncommitted to?" REPORTER: "President Biden and Vice President..." EL-SAYED: "Is Vice President Harris the same as President Biden? Was Vice President Harris running for president at the time we were uncommitted? Answer the question.” REPORTER: "The war in Gaza happened under the Biden administration, was it not?” EL-SAYED: “No, no, but who were we uncommitted to? Who was the actual leader of the presidential ticket? Who was that?” REPORTER: “President Biden.” EL-SAYED: “Yes, so we were uncommitted to President Biden. And then he did what? What did he do? What did he do? You’re asking a question based on false premises, so I’m just getting you to clarify your premise. What did he do?” REPORTER: “He dropped out of the race.” EL-SAYED: “Correct. And then there was a new person running for president, right? So, factually, is the premise you’re basing this question on actually a real premise? Thank you. Next question.”

This absurd defense—pretending that Kamala Harris, as sitting Vice President, bore no structural, moral, or political responsibility for the policies of the administration in which she served at the right hand of Joe Biden—exposes the intellectual dishonesty required to validate a career within the capitalist political establishment. As mainstream networks track the horse-race dynamics of the region, the working-class populace recognizes that rebranding a co-architect of state violence under a fresh campaign banner changes nothing about the blood staining their hands.

The "Drone King" and the Legacy of Imperialist Terror

The political rot runs even deeper with Dr. El-Sayed’s enthusiastic, uncritical embrace of former President Barack Obama. On October 6, 2026, Dr. El-Sayed proudly broadcasted this alliance to the world via X.com (formerly Twitter):

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) — October 6, 2026: "It is my honor and privilege to announce that President Barack Obama @BarackObama is joining us on the trail in Detroit on Saturday, October 24. Get. Ready."

To platform Barack Obama—widely critiqued by anti-war journalists, Al Jazeera reports, and socialist analysts as the "Drone King"—is a glaring red sign that Dr. El-Sayed has been entirely co-opted by the apparatus of the U.S. Empire. Working-class people can no longer harbor illusions that this brand of pseudo-left reformism offers any structural challenge to militarism.

Barack Obama’s historical record is steeped in the blood of the Global South. During his two terms in office, and notoriously culminating in a massive expansion of remote-controlled slaughter, Obama institutionalized the extralegal "Kill List," expanding drone warfare across Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and Afghanistan. In 2016 alone—his final full year in office—the United States dropped 26,171 bombs on seven predominantly Muslim countries, a chilling testament to an expansive, unyielding imperialist foreign policy. Internal administration admissions revealed that an overwhelming majority of those killed by these drone strikes were innocent civilians. Furthermore, Obama directly enabled Israeli aggression, backing the brutal summer 2014 assault on Gaza that slaughtered hundreds of children and laying the structural groundwork for subsequent multi-billion dollar military aid packages.

When a candidate claiming the mantle of progressivism willingly links arms with such a figure, it demonstrates that the candidate views imperialist war criminals not as pariahs to be condemned, but as valuable royal patrons whose endorsement is necessary for bourgeois political survival.

The Outrage on Social Media

The public backlash to Dr. El-Sayed’s announcement on X.com was swift, ferocious, and entirely justified. Activists, scholars, and community leaders immediately called out the moral bankruptcy of laundering war criminals for electoral gain.

Ali Abunimah, Director of Electronic Intifada, captured the historic outrage in his reply:

Ali Abunimah (@AliAbunimah) — October 6, 2026: "Baby butcher, Barack Obama (@BarackObama), directly helped “Israel” slaughter 551 kids in Gaza in summer 2014. He provided “Israel” with the biggest aid package in history, arming and prepping it for this ongoing genocide which he has remained silent about. Obama launched the genocidal war on Yemen in 2015 and the CIA’s Operation Timber Sycamore in Syria. This monster had a literal Kill List, droning people all over the world. Few American leaders have as much blood on their hands. Vote Dr Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) to whitewash more psychopathic war criminals!"

Professor Anthony Zenkus added precise historical condemnation regarding the sheer scale of Obama's lethal legacy:

Professor Anthony Zenkus (@anthonyzenkus) — October 6, 2026: "Barack Obama dropped 26,171 bombs on mostly poor black and brown people in the Middle East and Africa in 2016 alone. His own administration admitted that 90% of ppl killed with his drones were civilians. Wtf is wrong with you?"

Nerdeen Kiswani cut straight to the core of political complicity and accountability:

Nerdeen Kiswani (@NerdeenKiswani) — October 6, 2026: "Fuck you and your war criminal friends. Every person that launders war criminals is complicit. Muslim and Palestinian orgs in particular that elevate these people must be held accountable."

The Dead End of Lesser-Evilism

As networks like Due Dissidence and independent anti-war platforms have continuously emphasized, working people cannot fight imperialism by partnering with its chief managers. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s calculated alignment with Barack Obama and Kamala Harris proves that reformist politicians operating within the capitalist-imperialist structure will always capitulate when given the opportunity to cozy up to ruling-class royalty.

The working class, Arab Americans, and all principled opponents of genocide must draw a hard line: those who rehabilitate war criminals forfeit any claim to progressive leadership. True liberation will never be won by marching behind the "Drone King" and his ideological heirs.