BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 23. It's that time again – the year of the presidential and congressional elections in the United States. The race for votes is heating up, but let's shift our focus away from the candidates for a moment. The Armenian lobby is actively making its mark on the election process in a rather unconventional manner. Enter the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) and their freshly revealed Armenian-American Swing State Project.
So, what is ANCA's deal? The organization maps out the number of Armenians living in each state on an interactive map, throwing in whether it is a red or a blue state. They even mark those swing states. Essentially, ANCA is putting the votes of the Armenian community up for grabs. While California, the primary Armenian hub in the US, is a no-brainer, in states like Michigan or Arizona – the swing states - ANCA gives both Democrats and Republicans a shot, saying, "Let's cast our votes, as long as there's demand".
They've even come up with a slogan – "The coin of the American realm - above and beyond all else: VOTES". It seems like playing with votes has become a well-established strategy for the Armenian lobby - at least for this year. Just recently, a bunch of congressmen from states with a predominantly Armenian population signed another anti-Azerbaijani document. It's all falling into place.
But is this strategy actually paying off? Vivek Ramaswamy, a heavily pro-Armenian presidential candidate, has already dropped out of the race, for example. Armenians might be overplaying their hand with these compromised politicians. And California, for instance, will stay a Democratic state even without Armenian votes. Is all this effort really worth it?
Certainly, politicians will stop at nothing for those sought-after positions. A new Vivek will emerge for the Armenians, belting out the same old tune about the persecution of Armenians worldwide. All that's left to do is sit back and watch.