It began as another of our bi-annual trips to visit my parents in northern Indiana, home of my family since 1977. What distinguished this trip from all previous ones was Barack Obama — or rather, my (usually Republican) mother’s fervent desire to see him elected.

I grew up in the small town of Valparaiso, a quiet, college town east of Chicago by one hour’s drive. At my mom’s urging, my husband and I canvassed acres of homes along various county roads in northern Indiana.

As we drove from acre lot to acre lot, serenaded by constant mooing from a local cattle farm, I realized why it is so important for leaders-to-be and presidents-to-be to spend time knocking on doors and listening to those of us who aren’t accessible by subway, freeway, or taxi. As folks shared their concerns about one or both candidates, I kicked myself for ever doubting that an Asian American now living in LA could feel at home talking politics with Hoosier retirees and homesteaders.

The word “canvassing” has always sounded technical to me, as if I were studying the lay of the land with objective, without sentiment. Pulling up poll after poll, it is easy to imagine our home states as black and white/red and blue (you get the idea), or as litmus tests of the various economic/military/international events that have recently caught our attention. In reality, some of those reds living in red country are awfully torn. Like the school bus driver we met who has voted Democrat all her life, but may not vote at all this time around, unless she is assured that one day soon, her life of scrimping from paycheck to paycheck, disability check to disability check, will change.

Back home again in Indiana, it certainly seems easy to see why this election is so important. Sure we all want our candidate to win. And Indiana may indeed stay mostly red as it has for many years. But I have learned that people can and do change. I never thought I’d find myself canvassing a town I’d spend years trying to leave. Heck, I never thought my mother would vote for a Democrat.

– Marybelle Ang-Dutta

Democratic Party, Grassroots Activism, Marybelle Ang, President 2008 | 1 Comment »

“Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God.”

- Republican VP Candidate Sarah Palin during her exclusive interview with ABC News’ Charlie Gibson

Regardless of whether one believes in her God or not, does she purport to be God’s spokesperson? Is her faith so superior that she puts God’s stamp of approval on the Iraq war? Do we want one who casually waves Jesus to get a vote as our President? If she was speaking only for herself, then I don’t want one to govern while shoving her personal beliefs down others’ throats. I wrote about shoving beliefs down others’ throats before and repeat that warning.

Her subsequent disclaimer about her phrase’s allegedly innocent roots are false. Her two-faced warning that we “would [should] never presume to know God’s will or to speak God’s words” is hypocritical. She speaks of a strong faith in God and consequential confidence then goes on to disclaim just that? Even worse is her distorting religion to fit her political needs. By abusing religion for worldly gain, she confuses both those of faith and of no faith.

The quote’s origin in her address to the Wasilla Assembly of God’s School of Ministry graduates in June 8, 2007 is equally worrisome. Her politically backing off the statement allows her to enjoy the political gain from the original statement while pandering to just the more politically savvy ones who read less publicized news. Her enjoying self-contradictory statements is the same endless political posturing of which so many citizenry are tired.

Palin’s series of such statements on behalf of God are worrisome as a private citizen, much less one seeking this land’s second highest office and given her partner’s health, this nation’s highest office.

- Richard Chen

President 2008, Religion, Richard Chen | 2 Comments »

After Wall Street’s chilling nosedive, Congress needs to pass a bill — and fast.  While not perfect, a bailout package is urgently needed (we can fix the rough edges once we have some time to breathe again).  Otherwise, there may be no bottom to this economic freefall.

This should not be a partisan issue.  However, the bailout bill failed because barely one-third of House Republicans signed onto a plan that President Bush had strongly endorsed.

Perhaps some GOP strategists hoped that the bill would pass without their support, so they could blame the Dems if anything goes sour.  But in the process, they left John “I Saved the Bailout” McCain in the lurch (not that he didn’t deserve it).

It’s time for our leaders to lead.

– Gautam Dutta

Campaign Update, Economy, Gautam Dutta, President 2008 | 1 Comment »

In all senses of the term. Her spot-on impression of Palin from the folksy accent to the dithering and lack of specificity is the highlight of Saturday Night Live for me. Between this week’s take on the Couric interview and last week’s message on sexism, aka a struggle for camera time between Palin and Hillary Clinton, the comedians have this campaign down. (Don’t forget Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s nightly “horrifying-if-it-wasn’t-hilarious” translation of the administration’s doublespeak and Dave Letterman’s evisceration of McCain ditching his scheduled appearance to show up on Couric in an attempt to ameliorate Palin’s poor showing.)

What I love is how Tiny Fey breaks character partway and almost starts cracking up – she knows how much she inhabits the character. Bonus tie-in: I’ve referred to Palin’s acceptance speech as being very Mean Girls — Tina Fey wrote the screenplay for the movie.

P.S. More along the alternately horrifying/hilarious line — some of these lines are taken directly from Couric’s transcript. Like our economic breakdown, these things would be depressing if they were real. Oh wait…

– Caroline

Caroline, Humor | No Comments »

While Obama and McCain both held their own on Friday’s debate, McCain probably lost some points — because he came off as a grouch. He refused to look at Obama, and often scowled when Obama was speaking.

Someone had better send the Surly Stuntman to charm school fast.

But we won’t mind if they don’t.

– Gautam Dutta

Campaign Update, Gautam Dutta, Media, President 2008 | 2 Comments »

One of this county’s founding principles is “certain unalienable Rights: Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” as enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and further realized in the Constitution.Conservatives, however, seek to have the government enforce their socially conservative ideas onto all citizens, regardless of individuals. They envision government as an arm of a local church, out to change the world to their way (with all others being the Devil’s works). The problem with the church-as-state idea isn’t whether a belief is right or wrong, but rather that one forces onto citizens, willingly or otherwise. The infringement of liberties is problem.

Conservatives claim political phrases such as baby-killers and socialists. Ensuring reproductive rights for all and ensuring material rights for the needy are more accurate terms. So-called anti-abortion conservatives cannot appreciate a government which doesn’t work for their personal beliefs, preferring to shove them down others’ throats or dismantle the government itself. So-called free market conservatives cannot appreciate a government which deregulates endlessly, ignoring the history of economics, until they need a bailout to protect private executives.

Conservatives seek to force their social views onto others. They simultaneously hypocritically wave patriotic words like freedom, independence and liberty. Such hypocrites must never gain political office.

I’ve written previously against extremism, religious and otherwise. An ultra-liberal society with no absolute standard of morality or judgment is likely unsustainable. Conversely, a government which is an extension of the local church is unlikely to find a homogeneously religious citizenry. Hardliner conservatives should appreciate rationally argued beliefs in a court of law or Congress, the hallmark of the American system of government, not their latest personal religious belief.

– Richard Chen

Religion, Richard Chen | No Comments »

Frustrated that “non-battleground” states like California, New York or Texas are being ignored by both Presidential candidates? Well, now you can do something about it.

If you live in California, please tell Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign SB 37 — the “National Popular Vote” bill that will make all 50 states count in Presidential elections.

As we know all too well, we do not directly elect our President. Instead, our votes only decide which candidate will receive our state’s Electoral College votes. Whoever wins a majority of the Electoral College receives a four-year lease to the White House.

In 2000, George W. Bush lost the national popular vote, but nevertheless seized Florida and the Electoral College. In 2004, if John Kerry had received 60,000 more votes in Ohio, he too would have won the Electoral College (despite losing the national popular vote).

Currently, Presidential nominees only campaign in a handful of hotly contested “battleground states” like Florida, Iowa, or Ohio — excluding 85 percent of Asian Americans, 79 percent of African Americans, and 72 percent of Latinos that live elsewhere.

Hardly any Asian Americans live in battleground states: most live in California, Texas, Hawaii, and New York. As a result, Presidential nominees have scant electoral incentive to court our community’s vote.

Fortunately, we can change our system so that our votes will finally matter — by adopting the National Popular Vote. In a nutshell, each state promises to award all of its electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote. But this promise will only kick in on one condition: that states adding up to an Electoral College majority have also made the same promise. (Roughly, that amounts to about 20 to 25 states.) Thus, the winner of the National Popular Vote will automatically win the Electoral College — and the keys to the White House.

AAA-Fund is proud to have been the first Asian American organization to endorse the National Popular Vote. To date, Maryland, Hawaii, Illinois, and New Jersey have signed on to the National Popular Vote. With your help, California may soon follow in their farsighted footsteps.

Please call Gov. Schwarzenegger and tell him to sign SB 37 (the National Popular Vote bill):

Governor’s office phone: (916) 445-2841
You must call between 9am and 5pm. When you call you’ll get an automated system:
> Press 1 for English
> Press 2 to “Voice your opinion on legislation”
> Press 0 to “Speak to an operator” and tell them you support SB 37.

Asian Americans can play a critical role in making our Presidential elections truly democratic.

All it takes is a phone call (info above) or an email (via California Common Cause’s web portal).

Update (Oct. 5):  Unfortunately, the Governator vetoed the National Popular Vote bill last week.  We may now have to wait till 2011, when a new California Governor takes office.

– Gautam Dutta

AAA Fund, California, Gautam Dutta, Grassroots Activism, President 2008 | No Comments »

Earlier this month AAA-Fund Blog caught up with Kansas Rep. Raj Goyle, the first Asian American elected from the Jayhawk State (where Barack Obama’s grandparents grew up). Enjoy our exclusive interview:

– Gautam Dutta

AAA Fund, Democratic Party, Gautam Dutta, Interview, Running for Office | No Comments »

Following her disastrous interview with Katie Couric, it’s do-or-die time for Sarah Palin. If she can’t hold her own against Joe Biden on Oct. 2, McCain may be forced to dump her. Remarkably, some key Republicans have begun to call for her head, including conservative columnist Kathleen Parker:

No one hates saying that more than I do. Like so many women, I’ve been pulling for Palin, wishing her the best, hoping she will perform brilliantly. I’ve also noticed that I watch her interviews with the held breath of an anxious parent, my finger poised over the mute button in case it gets too painful. Unfortunately, it often does. My cringe reflex is exhausted. Palin filibusters. She repeats words, filling space with deadwood. Cut the verbiage and there’s not much content there.

If Palin falls short in the Vice Presidential debate, will McCain risk enraging his base by dropping her from the ticket? The plot thickens.

Update:   Is Palin pimping out her family? Now we hear she might “schedule” her daughter’s shotgun wedding very soon: Bristol Palin turns 18 on Oct. 18:

Inside John McCain’s campaign the expectation is growing that there will be a popularity boosting pre-election wedding in Alaska between Bristol Palin, 17, and Levi Johnston, 18, her schoolmate and father of her baby. “It would be fantastic,” said a McCain insider. “You would have every TV camera there. The entire country would be watching. It would shut down the race for a week.”

– Gautam Dutta

Campaign Update, Gautam Dutta, President 2008 | 2 Comments »

Thoughtful folks on the right have not been impressed by Sarah Palin’s “babbling” (via ABC):

Rod Dreher, a well-respected conservative blogger, weighs in on what he calls the “Palin debacle on CBS Evening News.”

“Couric’s questions are straightforward and responsible,” Dreher writes. “Palin is mediocre, again, regurgitating talking points mechanically, not thinking. Palin’s just babbling. She makes George W. Bush sound like Cicero.“

The waning days of the Roman Republic were punctuated with eloquence and violence. I personally would prefer the former without the latter.

– Gautam Dutta

Campaign Update, Gautam Dutta, Media, President 2008 | 1 Comment »

After helping torpedo the $700B bailout deal, John “Stuntman” McCain just announced he’ll take part in tonight’s Presidential debate after all.

He’s already impressed everyone (including David Letterman) with his “leadership”.

– Gautam Dutta

Campaign Update, Economy, Gautam Dutta, President 2008 | 1 Comment »

In the September primary, community activist and former school teacher Sonia Chang-Diaz finally upset 15 year incumbent Senator Dianne Wilkerson of Massachusetts by a mere 228 votes (51-49%.) Chang-Diaz, the daughter of the nation’s first Latino astronaut , had previously run a sticker campaign against Wilkerson in 2006 and lost narrowly. Wilkerson’s district covers Chinatown, Dorchester (which has a large Vietnamese population) and liberal outpost Jamaica Plain, where Chang-Diaz has agreed to a recount. The Massachusetts Democratic Party, Governor Deval Patrick and Senate President Therese Murray have stated that they will back the winner of the Democratic primary. Because the district is overwhelmingly Democratic leaning, it is possible that Massachusetts will have its first APA state legislator come November.

Strikingly, Mayor Thomas Menino, who backed Wilkerson, has not agreed to the Democratic party’s terms and has remained mum about which candidate he would support.

In other Boston news, Councilor Sam Yoon, whose first city council race was backed by the Asian American Action Fund and whom we interviewed at the DNC convention and also back in January when our blog was a wee baby, was spotted holding a fundraiser in the Bay area to become the city’s first Asian American mayor. This has kicked up some controversy, as no one has publicly come out yet to run against Menino, who has held office since 1993.

–Caroline

Caroline, Democratic Party, Running for Office, Sam Yoon | No Comments »

While at the Denver Convention, your humble correspondent caught up with Jay Chen, Governing Board member of the Hacienda La Puente School Board District.  Jay, who serves an area about 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, represented California as an Obama delegate. Enjoy our exclusive interview.

– Gautam Dutta

2008 Convention, AAA Fund, California, Democratic Party, Gautam Dutta, Grassroots Activism, Interview, President 2008 | No Comments »

John McCain just stood up David Letterman — so that he could sneak in an interview with Katie Couric:

The GOP presidential candidate canceled his appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman on short notice, because he apparently told the TV host he was “racing back to Washington” to attend to the current economic crisis.

Letterman was not pleased. But watch what happens when the host and his replacement guest, Keith Olbermann (who teased this bit on his MSNBC show Countdown), learn that Sen. McCain was at that very moment not racing to the airport.

He was being interviewed by Letterman’s CBS colleague Katie Couric. Letterman then proceeds to broadcast the live feed of the interview on his show.

McCain’s going to have a lot of trouble living this one down.

– Gautam Dutta

Campaign Update, Gautam Dutta, President 2008 | No Comments »

####################################
Asian American Action Fund Online Newsletter
Volume 8, Number 21, September 24, 2008
www.aaa-fund.org and www.aaa-fund.com
Subscribe/unsubscribe info at the end
***********************************
CONTENTS:
1.  Virginia Campaign Needs You This Week!
2.  House Should Vote for Filipino Vets
3.  CA, You’ve Been Propositioned
4.  Interview with MALDEF President John Trasvina
5.  McCain Bails Out
6.  McCain-Palin Socialism
7.  AAA-Fund Looking for Business Manager
8.  Take Our Survey, Help AAA-Fund Expand
9.  Facebook Us!
10. Advertise with AAA-Fund
***********************************
1.  Virginia Campaign Needs You This Week

Volunteer with your friends and family
for the Obama-Biden Campaign this
week in a series of phone banking,
canvassing, and voter registration events
throughout Virginia.

What:  Vietnamese in-language phone banking
When:  Tuesday, September 23, 6-9 pm
Where: Falls Church Office
350 S. Washington Street
Falls Church, VA 22046
(20 minute walk from East Falls Church metro)

What:  Canvassing
When:  Sat, Sept 27, 10 am and 2 pm,
Sun, Sept 28, 12 noon
Where: Falls Church Office and other locations throughout NOVA
Contact:  Betsy Kim, bkim@barackobama.com

What:  Voter Registration – Mid-Autumn Festival
When:  Sat, Sept 27, 2 – 9 pm
Where: Eden Center
6795 Wilson Blvd.
Falls Church, VA 22044
Contact:  Anh Thu Lu, atlu59@yahoo.com

What:  Voter Registration-Korean American KORUS Festival
When:  Fri, Sept 26, 7-10 pm,
Sat & Sun, Sept 27-28, 10 am – 9 pm
Where: KMart parking lot on John Marr Drive
between Columbia Pike and Little River
Turnpike in Annandale
Contact:  Rose Chu, rccmason@gmail.com

More details.
***********************************
2.  House Should Vote for Filipino Vets

Democratic Congressman Mike Honda and
Republican Darrell Issa collaborate on
a letter to House members to urge support
for Filipino Veterans Equity.
***********************************
3.  CA, You’ve Been Propositioned

On November 4, California will have
12 propositions on its ballot,
decisions affecting our state’s prisons,
abortion rights, and same-sex marriage.
Learn about the issues and AAA-Fund of
Southern California’s recommendations.
***********************************
4.  Interview with MALDEF President John Trasvina

AAA-Fund Blog Co-Editor in Chief
catches the Mexican American Legal
Defense and Education Fund President for a
chat on immigration, voting rights,
and what might happen in a new
administration.
***********************************
5.  McCain Bails Out

America’s middle class will face its
largest tax increase if the financial
and securities industry is given its
$700 billion bailout.  In today’s
spiraling economy, one blogger decides
his pick for President based on each
candidate’s economic policies and
political pandering.

Read here.
***********************************
6.  McCain-Palin Socialism

One blogger looks at Obama’s presidency
as the bifurcation point in American
political activism.  Struggling in its
last days is the Reagan narrative,
which once supported a country’s
conservatism that no longer reflects
the people’s diversity.  Now times are
changing.
***********************************
7.  AAA-Fund Looking for Business Manager

AAA-Fund is looking for a Business Manager
to market ads for AAA-Fund’s dynamic
Homepage and cutting-edge Blog.

Our Business Manager will be paid on
a commission basis.

Apply by emailing resume and cover
letter to info@aaa-fund.org.

More details.
***********************************
8.  Take Our Survey, Help AAA-Fund Expand

Are you represented in this survey?
So far, results indicate an overwhelming majority
of Texan readers.  Where are our DC, SoCal,
NorCal, and Chicago folks?  AAA-Fund would
like to gather as accurate a sample as possible
for our organization’s development.
Please take 1 minute to complete our survey –
only 9 short questions and a chance to
win a fun prize!

Complete our short survey.
***********************************
9.  Facebook Us!

Join AAA-Fund on Facebook!  Find
APIA politicians, organizers,and
events in your area!  Advertise
your events and campaigns on our
group page.  Expand AAA-Fund’s national
network by helping us recruit more
supporters and strengthen our
connections.  We’re just one click away.

Official Facebook group name:
“Asian American Action Fund”

Already joined our group?  Please help
us expand by inviting 10 of your
Facebook friends to join our group.
Thanks!
***********************************
10.  Advertise with AAA-Fund

AAA-Fund is now sharing blog and
website space with sponsors.

The Asian American community has
some of the fastest growing, highest
income, and highest educated populations.
Since April, AAA-Fund Blog’s readership
has doubled this summer alongside
increasing visitors on AAA-Fund Website.
As the AAA-Fund Blogteam heads to the
Democratic National Convention this
August with its credentialed pass for
live coverage, we expect our Blog
readership to explode at an
unprecedented rate.

Advertise on AAA-Fund Blog or
Main Website and target a
large political and Asian American audience.

Click here for more information on
advertising with AAA-Fund.
#####################################
To subscribe to the AAA-Fund Newsletter,
send an email to info@aaa-fund.org and
type “subscribe” in the message line.
To stop receiving the AAA-Fund Newsletter,
send an email to info@aaa-fund.org and
type “remove” in the message line.
AAA-Fund
707 H Street, NW, Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20001
info@aaa-fund.org
#####################################

AAA Fund, The Editors | No Comments »