Thank you very much Steve I feel a bit caught up now.

I lived in Metro Detroit as a kid and what a combination - - vis a vis Democracy. Still a few dear friends there.

The funny part is that Trump scared away some of the Muslim vote he was truly starting to make inroads in -- - in Michigan.

Decades ago W did the same --he was making inroads amongst Muslims in Michigan. Then came 9-11--- and that all changed.

Back in those days Muslims wanted to partially carve out their own political identity and they saw Jewish folks voting Democratic---that was part of it. Also as you know, many Arab-Americans in Michigan didn't succeed with piddly-shit 401K college degree'd jobs, they crushed it in small business.

Many of them still own the small businesses and the traditional Republican message does indeed appeal to them but solely from that angle.

Flipside --the Chaldean Community (Catholics - from Iraq) usually go Republican for many of the same reasons.

In the mid 2000s ---I spent a bit of time, helping 1st generation immigrant business owners - reduce their taxes to zero. It was just a personal thing I wanted to do, and I did. Made some nice ---even generational bonds with a few families. What I'm seeing is the 1st generation Arab folks were comfortably Republican vis a vis Chaldeans, and were Republican-Adjacent vis a vis Muslims. The 9-11 and Trump stuff weakened that more than a bit. The Chaldeans are still GOP.

BUT.... the young generation. They see themselves as too good to run the family diner, or run a convenience store (party stores they used to call them) in the city and deal with the ...uh, certain demographics that the Arab-Americans have their own terms for . They are getting their little degrees, prancing around as Doctors or pharmacists or accountants---not making asm much money as Daddy did but nevertheless---- they came thru college----- they are decidedly Democrat compared to parents. I guess sorta like Cubans in Florida.

Either way they'll be fine. These people aren't having babies out of wedlock. They're still believing in nuclear families. Some degree of thrift.

Much of that "old American spirit"---they have it and as I used to say on TMF -- they will eventually mature and find some political and economic synergies in Europe, and especially America.