Delegates from the 80-20 Initiative, a non-partisan political action committee representing Asian Americans, have delayed issuing an endorsement in the presidential race until at least the end of September.
About three-dozen delegates met in San Mateo, Calif. with representatives from the presidential campaigns of Sen. John Kerry and environmentalist Ralph Nader at an 80-20 convention last Sunday. The delegates postponed any decision in issuing an endorsement.
80-20 president S.B. Woo explained, “They are not satisfied with what they have heard so far from the candidates regarding their commitment to advancing the rightful concerns of the Asian American community.”
Although the Nader campaign sent a representative to the conference and Congressman Mike Honda spoke on behalf of Kerry, the Bush/Cheney camp refused to participate. The impact of a threatened lawsuit by 80-20 against Labor Secretary Elaine Chao may have influenced the absence of the Bush/Cheney camp.
Woo has focused criticisms of the Bush administration on Chao.
“Chao has a responsibility to the Asian American community,” Woo said. “We continue to hit the glass ceiling and she can’t explain her inaction during her tenure as the secretary. We have irrefutable evidence against Chao which we have shared with her for a long time.”
Although Woo has yet to follow through with his threat of legal action, he said attorneys have already signed on for the task. Woo was expected to meet about glass ceiling issues with a representative from the Labor Department this week.
The group says the candidate it endorses will receive the benefit of 80-20 events in the battleground states, TV, radio and newspaper advertising, fundraising and voter turnout efforts.
80-20 claims a membership of about 2,500 and the ability to reach 1.1 million Asian Americans via e-mail.