Sunday, September 22, 2013

Dingell Connects with Constituents


This is the second week in a row that Rep. John Dingell (MI-12) has been mentions in an article from The Arab American News. Dingell had met with Islamic religious and community leaders in Dearborn Heights, MI to discuss their views on Obama’s Syria policy. Than this week he attended a memorial service for deceased Riad Shatila. Shatila owned a bakery and was community leader in Dearborn. “Shatila Bakery has drawn attention to Dearborn’s Arab American community on both national and international levels.”[1] Other government officials including some Michigan State Representatives and the mayor of Dearborn joined Rep. Dingell at the memorial service.

Both articles present Dingell in a positively, they show that he is actively engaging with his constituents. Dearborn has a large Arab American population and is the location for the Islamic Center of America, the largest mosque in North America. Part of any congressman’s success is being able to connect with constituents and have a presence in the community. Attending memorial services for prominent leaders is a smart PR move because it shows that he cares about what is going on in his district. Sitting down with leaders to discuss their views on an issue that affects them such as the Syrian Crisis on Arab Americans is another good PR move. It also shows that Dingell is interested in his constituent’s views and wants to represent their interest. “After listening to everyone's remarks, Congressman John Dingell said that he was glad he was able to hear the opinions of his constituents and that it was important for him to reach out to the community, in order to make a good sound decision over the conflict.”[2]  One of the most important jobs of a congressman is to represent the interest of his district. Dingell seems to be reaching out to the Arab American community in his district and if he keeps doing that than he will continue to have their support.


[1] "Officals, Community Pay Tribute to Shatila," The Arab American News, September 19, 2013, http://www.arabamericannews.com/news/index.php?mod=article&cat=Community&article=7466.
[2] "Congressman Dingell meets with community to discuss Syria crisis," The Arab American News, September 12, 2013, http://www.arabamericannews.com/news/index.php?mod=article&cat=Community&article=7429.

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