AsianWeek » Presidential Candidates on Asian American Issues

Presidential Candidates on Asian American Issues

By: Lisa Wong Macabasco, Feb 01, 2008

Tags: National |

Where They Stand:

DEMOCRATS

Hillary Clinton

On Asian American Issues: Last year, introduced legislation that would reunite families who have been separated by the immigration system. Sponsored the Legal Immigrant Children’s Health Improvement Act to restore access to Medicaid and SCHIP benefits for legal immigrant pregnant women and children. Introduced the Access to Employment and English-Language Acquisition Act toprovide more job training funds for individuals with limited English-language skills. On education: more money for Head Start and universal preschool. Expressed support for legislation for Filipino World War II veterans to receive compensation from the U.S. government.

Quote: “I am thrilled to have the support of so many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and, in particular, leaders like Doris Matsui. We’re not taking any vote for granted, and I want the AAPI community to know that I hope to earn their vote.”

“The Asian Pacific Islander community is important to me personally,” Clinton said after a February. 2007 incident in San Francisco, where several Chinese media reporters were denied access to a fund-raiser and told that it was not open to “foreign press.”

Asian American outreach: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for Hillary; Iowa and Nevada Asian American Pacific Islander Leadership Councils for Hillary; AAPI Women for Hillary; Chinese Americans, Vietnamese Americans, Korean Americans, South Asians and Filipino Americans for Hillary

Notable Asian American supporters: Rep. Doris Matsui of Sacramento (Clinton’s national Asian American voter outreach campaign chairwoman); Hawai‘i Senator Daniel Inouye; former Washington Governor Gary Locke; New York Assemblywoman Ellen Young; New York City Councilman John Liu; California Assemblywoman/Majority Whip Fiona Ma; California state Assemblyman Michael Eng; California state Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi; State Board of Equalization member Judy Chu; California Democratic Committee Vice Chair Alicia Wang; Mayor of Sunnyvale, Otto Lee; Alice Bulos, chair emeritus of the Filipino American Democratic Caucus; S.F. Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting; Julie D. Soo, chair of the California Democratic Party’s Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus; 80-20 Initiative

. . . . . . . . . .

Barack Obama

On Asian American issues: On education: more money for Head Start, wants to make teachers accountable, likes merit pay and charter schools; reform and fund No Child Left Behind; give more high schoolers access to college courses; increase Federal college aid; free up money for student aid; invest in small businesses; build framework for East Asian cooperation; reform H-1B Visas.

Quote: “As the child of a black man and a white woman, someone who was born in the racial melting pot of Hawai‘i, with a sister who’s half Indonesian but who’s usually mistaken for Mexican or Puerto Rican, and a brother-in-law and niece of Chinese descent … I’ve never had the option of restricting my loyalties on the basis of race, or measuring my worth on the basis of tribe. Moreover, I believe that part of America’s genius has always been its ability to absorb newcomers, to forge a national identity out of the disparate lot that arrived on our shores.” — The Audacity of Hope

Asian American outreach: Asian Americans for Obama, South Asians for Obama, AAPI National Leadership Council

Notable Asian American supporters: Assemblyman Ted Lieu, chair of the California AAPI Legislative Caucus; Jun Choi, mayor of Edison, N.J.; Angela Oh, former member of President Clinton’s Initiative on Race; Eddie Wong, former executive director of the Center for Asian American Media; former Assemblywoman Wilma Chan; Russell Leong, editor of UCLA’s Amerasia Journal; Hydra Mendoza, San Francisco Board of Education commissioner ; actors Cary Tagawa, Kelly Hu and Kal Penn (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle); Janet Yang, producer of The Joy Luck Club; Martin Wong, co-editor of Giant Robot magazine; rapper Jin tha MC

Family ties: Half-sister Maya Soetoro-Ng and brother-in-law Konrad Ng

. . . . . . . . . .

REPUBLICANS

John McCain

On Asian American issues: Opposes racial preferences; supports a “path to citizenship” for illegals; pledged to “do everything I can” to help all immigrants learn English; on education: more testing for teachers. As a senator, McCain voted against funding redress for Japanese Americans in 1989. In 2000, promised a convention of minority journalists that if he became president, he would absolutely and unequivocally name an Asian American to his Cabinet.

Quote: McCain told the U.S. India Political Action Committee in advance of the Florida primary on Jan. 29: “I value the Indian American community’s contributions to our great nation and thank those who have supported me here in Florida.”

Asian American outreach: None<>Notable Asian American supporters: California Assemblyman Van Tran, R-Costa Mesa; Optima Consultants President Lily Kuo; Midway City (Calif.) Sanitary District Board member Truong Diep; New Hampshire state Representative Saggy Tahir

Family ties: Has an 15-year-old adopted daughter from Bangladesh

. . . . . . . . . .

Mitt Romney

On Asian American issues: Wants more charter schools and “public-private partnerships”; supports English immersion in schools. As governor of Massachusetts, allowed the state’s Asian American Commission, a governor-appointed statewide commission, to become inactive by declining to fill vacancies until the last year of his term.

Quote: Called Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch’s addition to his campaign “another indication of the strong Asian Pacific American coalition that is forming around our message of change in Washington.”

Asian American outreach: Asian Pacific Americans for Mitt (national chair: Ambassador Sichan Siv, U.S. representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council; national co-chair: Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch, president of the U.S.-China Education Trust)

Notable Asian American supporters: Lanhee J. Chen, domestic policy director for Romney for President

Sources: hillaryclinton.com, barackobama.com, johnmccain.com, mittromney.com, apaforobama.com, asianam.org, ontheissues.org, diversityinc.com, sfgate.com, washingtonpost.com, motherjones.com,
newamericamedia.org, ocgop.org, sajaforum.org, usasianbusiness.org

Comments

Your list of Obama’s support on Asian American issues omits many things, including:
Obama supports Equity for Filipino Veterans–and voted for the Filipino Veterans Equity Act in the first ever historic vote of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Obama is a strong proponent of family-based reunification in immigration and speaks forcefully on this issue. Obama is a longtime supporter of educational opportunities for all immigrants, regardless of documented status–spearheading support for Illinois’ DREAM Act, co-sponsoring the federal version, and even urging Schwarzenegger to sign California’s DREAM Act. Obama has also expressed support for drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants as a public safety matter. Obama will raise the minimum wage and index it to inflation and provide tax breaks for working class families. His immigration plan includes additional assistance for English-language acquisition. In Illinois, he expanded healthcare to over 150,000 children and adults and also pushed for Asian American history to be taught in public schools. Learn more here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/aapiissues
and view Barack Obama’s 7-page discussion of policies that will benefit the AAPI community http://obama.3cdn.net/28468d0018051e5b22_32k1mv6hg.pdf

–Angelica on Feb 01, 2008
Your list of Asian American endorsers also forgest to note that influential Asian American groups Asian Pacific Americans for Progress and the Asian American Action Fund of Greater Chicago have both endorsed Obama.

–Jenn on Feb 01, 2008
As Asian American, I realize the important of giving and taking part responsible for this country’s well being. Whether you are joining the Army, volunteering, donating or making noteable cause, it rise the bar for recognization for all of us.

Although many Asian Pacific American are very well successful and made progress in this country. However, we are still not balancing the population of giving back. Not many of us are accustomed to volunteering, giving, or making social movement for the cause of our community and community worldwide.

I think it is time to encourage more of us to step up as leader, responsible citizen, and to do more to integrate in this country. To be embraced, we got to take accountable for a cause.

I, as Asian American, share my opinon w/ our brothers and sisters, to integrate in the dreams, accountabilities, and priviledges of this country, as Asian American.

–Eastern_leader on Feb 03, 2008
As an asian american researching potential presidential candidates to vote for in the upcoming 2008 election I find it disturbing that John McCain has in the past made racial references i.e. “gooks” in the past. I understand that he suffered much hardship during his imprisonment during the Vietnam war however, he should keep racially charged disparaging remarks to himself.

–F on Feb 04, 2008
F raises an excellent point. Regardless of our own ethnicities, all of us should vociferously denounce McCain’s usage of racial epithets. While McCain no doubt suffered as a POW, millions of Vietnamese (and Cambodians and Laotians) died at the hands of his fellow U.S. soldiers, who committed countless atrocities during the war. McCain’s characterization of the Vietnamese as “gooks” is deeply offensive, as are his bellicose threats to bomb Iran. What’s even more puzzling is the fact that many ultra right-wing Vietnamese Americans rushed to defend him after he made his loathsome comments. Talk about internalized racism!

–Christian on Feb 04, 2008
Obama did not sign the 80-20 initiative nor did any of the Republicans. McCain is racist and cannot help it due to the scars of war. I excuse that more than a “fake” like Obama who wants to gain the liberal white vote, “guilty for past sins white vote” while not offending the certain majority African-American vote. He really did not spend much of his childhood in Hawaii yet sill paints his background as coming from the most diverse, multicultural state. This is the truth. Hillary gets the support of Asian-Americans. Most recently, Obama’s campaign “agreed” to sign the 80-20 initiative. Since when do we as Asian Americans need to negotiate for our own rights? BTW research the 80-20 intiative. If you are a young Asian-American in college or just out, perhaps you live in a bubble where you think there is no glass ceiling and Asian-Americans are not faced with undue hardships in a so call meriticourous ennviroment. 80-20 is not to be negotiatied. Only Hillary agreed and embraced the intiative.

–Jeff on Feb 08, 2008
FYI, ignore Angelica’s post. Comes from the Obama campaign party as a reaction to media disclosure on his failure to support Asian-American causes. His “Hawaii roots” is a political rouse too. NOBAMA. Vote Hillary Clinton.

–Jeff on Feb 08, 2008
Next column coming up on Asian(s) for McCain. The guy wasn’t any more racist than the next American serviceman who used the words “jap” or “kraut”. As I noted, it’s not saying much that his Asian outreach consists pretty much of promising in the 2000 campaign not to use “gook”, but he did apologize, and the Vietnamese community is indebted to all the serviceman like him who took a bullet or SAM missle to defend their freedom. If you want a government that panders to minority interests, and you’re happy to fight for your fair share with all the people of other colors, by all means go democratic. If you want a man who believes the job of president is to look out for our national interests instead of promoting “diversity” as the most important goal of government, I’d take a good look at McCain.

–Arthur HU on Feb 08, 2008

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