Presidential Campaign Update
October 30, 2008
It is the last week before the election and Asian Pacific American supporters are sensing victory as they work hard to close the small gap between the candidates and bring victory to John McCain.
There is no dearth of activities to participate in as Chinese Americans work to produce early voters in Las Vegas’ Chinatown, Korean Americans phone bank their community from McCain’s National Headquarters, and Asian Americans all come together to rally with Sarah Palin in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. We even received an inquiry from a volunteer hoping to phone Bangladeshi Americans!
Why is John McCain the better candidate for Asian Americans?
Lower Taxes and Entrepreneurship: Redistribution of wealth? That is what our families moved away, and in many cases, escaped from.
Obama wants to raise small business, corporate and your taxes to help fund his $700 billion worth of new programs. In 2002, there were 1.1 million Asian American-owned small businesses. Entrepreneurs should not be taxed into submission.
Immigration Reform: McCain will clear the backlog of individuals who are waiting for their green card number to become available. The Asian American Justice Center estimated in 2006 that there were 1.5 million Asians waiting for family reunification visas.
— Stephen Fong
In just a few days, one of the longest, most vigorously contested presidential elections in history will be over. It’s a story that has unfolded dramatically in print and cyberspace, on screens big and small. Since Asian Americans for Obama was founded in 2006, however, we’ve learned that the real story isn’t found on newsstands or cable TV, but in the personal journeys of everyday Americans whose lives have been transformed by this historic grassroots movement.
It’s the story of the young Cambodian American man who had never done anything political before, but helped create one of the largest volunteer operations in the country. It’s the story of the Indian American grandmother talking to undecided voters who had never seen someone who looked like her. It’s the story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. It’s the story of America and it’s what’s at stake this year.
As Sen. Obama declared recently, “[On Election Day], we can choose hope over fear, unity over division, the promise of change over the power of the status quo.”
Join Asian Americans for Obama to fight for real change on Nov. 4. Visit AsianAmericansforObama.com for information on volunteer opportunities and travel to battleground states. And most importantly, vote!
— Ramey Ko
Comments
21 Responses to “Presidential Campaign Update”
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You are spreading information about Barak Obama’s tax plan to the detriment of your readership. 95% of taxpayers making $250,000 or less will receive tax CUTS, not increases under his plan.
McCain, on the contrary, will cut taxes for big business, but not for small businesses or individuals.
Officially less than $200,000 (unofficially under $150,000 like Biden said) will receive a tax cut in a form of a check. Businesses making more than that will have their taxes increased. The problem is for an individual, a $200K salary may be a lot, but anyone running a small business or a startup company knows that a $200,000 gross profit (or Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA)) is nothing. This will hurt more small businesses that are trying to stay afloat as is.
Asian-Americans will benefit from an Obama presidency. Simple as that.
Just take Stephen Fong’s own words: “In 2002, there were 1.1 million Asian American-owned small businesses.” Many of them cannot afford health insurance for themselves - in fact Korean-Americans rank among the highest without health coverage. A Democratic government will ensure that the hardest working folks will get the coverage they deserve.
Obama will invest America’s money back in the people, not just to bail out Wall Street. Obama is better on education and the sort of safety net that, frankly, many of our immigrant families took advantage off before we headed off to middle-class life. And education, too - Democrats are better on education. That is what our families came here for, not just to America but to the cities and suburbs with good public schools and public universities.
Finally I have to say, shame on you Stephen Fong. To invoke the “red herring” of Communism when the good people of this country are talking about and needing old fashioned fairness. At a time when more and more new American families are barely staying afloat, we need our democratic government to take a more active role in the economy.
You know what really drove many Asian and other immigrant families away from their home countries? Bad U.S. foreign policy, regime change, unilateralism abroad.
Wake up guys, Asians will get nothing but crumbs from Obama when his priority is to payback to the Black community for their block support. His second priority is to payback to the Hispanic community for their block support.
Asians are have much better fundamentals, better educated and higher incomes, so you will get hosed and get NOTHING !!! Wake up people, use your brain.
Nobama is inspirational and a minority, but he is the WRONG MINORITY for Asians.
Ism. Schism.
Communism per se is long dead. Perhaps never existed outside Karl’s text.
And Capitalism has just signed its own epitaph with its “innovative financial products,” apologies to Fareed Zakaria of NewsWeek.
As for M.T., who is even longer-winded than I, and
Stephen Fong and Sasha Gong and Jessica Vu, and all those who subscribe to voodoo isms, the truth is that in these talk-past-eaxh-other dialogs, what you are really saying is that you value “money” and your own perceived “interests” to the exclusion of anyone else’s claims.
In short, simple greed and selfishness.
Read Obama’s interview responses in these columns today, and understand that even you may be included rather than excluded as you blithely propose for others.
And, finally, beyond the matter of our individual survivals, what about that of the rest of the world?
The past eight years have demonstrated that the way of me-me-me leads to what the next President faces on his first day in office.
Methinks your likes may well go, one hopes, the way that CEO back in the Great Depression was carried out of HIS office by national guardsmen?
And as Huang Fong and others, I think Phil Nash for one, points out, a continuation or worsening of today’s recession will unleash civil disorder to make the Watts Riots look like a picnic.
I so excited and can’t wait until Obama is president.
* your customers will come into your liquor store, buffet restaurant, laundromat, gas station and NOT PAY after they shop because their President told them that You Asian shop owners are too rich and you should take care of them. Spread it around! Have you forgotten the L.A. riot?
* April 15, you noticed your tax rates went up. Too late to ask him where is my tax cut? It went to your customers. Remember, he said he would repeal the 2001 tax cut, that is a tax raise on YOU!
* you call up the Small Biz Administration in Washington DC to ask about the small business loan/benefit that Obama promised, but you are shocked by the customer-service when the official tells you ” you ain’t qualify and I ain’t understand your Korean — click!”
Don’t be fooled my Asian brothers and sisters. It is historical for Asian votes to be sought after in this election, but he is the wrong guy for us.
I agree Jim.
To vote for the Republican party as a minority is like a slap to fellow minorities. Never forget the struggles of asian americans, Vincent Chu, etc. Why the need to align oneself with a party that is anti-immigrants, pro-white supremacy, etc , etc
It boggles me that Asians are so narrow minded. For them, it’s all about money. Do you guys know the history of outsiders in America? Do you guys know the discriminations hurled against your forebearers? If so, voting for a minority is a milestone. A MILESTONE. It’s been 200 years and you will finally be regarded as a full person and not half.
…reading some of these comments, i can’t help but liken them to images of beedy-eyed fearful vultures, viciously tearing at one another over scraps. so scared they won’t get their fill of corpse. not all the comments, just a select few.
…some people just can’t see past their own stomachs…
…so afraid…
we’re better than this guys. let’s start realizing it. there is enough for everyone, no need to fight over scraps. and even if there isn’t…=] so what? many of you self-proclaimed Christians and whatnot may do well to ask yourselves…what would Jesus do now?
share the wealth. there is enough for all
-a better tomorrow for everybody!-
btw good post Frank
Folks, hate to take off your blinders, but the poor and underprivileged in this country live extremely very well in comparison to the poor in other parts of the world. This is called life, evolution, survival of the fittest. People should just be content with what they have. Should those with high IQs succumb to mediocrity? Should those more attractive feel bad they are? People should have a choice with what they have and how they use it. After all, isn’t this a democratic society? Also, Obama is hardly OUR savior. His ideology is great in a vacuum, but this is the real world. If you look into history, whatever the blacks fought for or given were never extended to benefit the Asians. Asians ALWAYs had to fend for themselves.
Linda:
Please speak for yourself and allow the rest of us “Asians” to speak for ourselves.
And, by the way, just exactly what IS it that you think “our” underprivileged and poor have that Third World variants have not?
The good will?, never mind respect, of their peers? Like you?
If you work for a big oil company then you should vote for McCain. Otherwise, Obama is a better candidate. Obama was endorsed by Warren Buffet (one of the richest men in the world). Buffet knows more about finance, taxes and the economy than McCain supporters. The CEO of Google also supports Obama as does the co-founder of Facebook. These are solid people who have built successful companies.
Former Republican owners of small businesses and executives are also voting for Obama. One business owner said, “I would rather pay a little higher tax on a higher profit than a lower tax rate on lower profits.”
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-10-27-prez-money_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
McCain has no idea about the economy. “The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should,” McCain said. “I’ve got Greenspan’s book.” (Boston Globe, 12/18/07)
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2007/12/mccain_its_abou.html
I think Philip Huang lays out excellent reasons to vote for Obama. But Ray and Wow’s reasons are particularly important to Asians because McCain/Palin are creating an atmosphere of divisiveness. When they talk of “real Americans” they are not including Asians or anyone of color.
Frank: People should be content with what they have. And I sincerely think everyone should count their blessings. Everyone has to do the best they can with the cards they are dealt with. Do you know many poor and underprivileged people? I’ve worked with battered Asian women and children, taught inner city black and hispanic students, taught special needs students, and friends and relatives who live in public housing. I had a great grandfather who worked for the railroad and other relatives who held local civic positions. My husband provides healthcare to the residents of the most dangerous and underpriviledged city in America. My sister is a social worker for the Chinese elderly and troubled teens. During China’s 1930’s famine my father, the 6th of 7 children, was the only one sold because his parents (father dedicated his life to philosophy and martial arts) couldn’t afford to raise him. He survived and turned out well for an uneducated, unloved, unfunded individual. They all have their issues just like the rest of the people in the bell curve. It’s these hardships which mold us to the unique individuals that we are. All I’m saying is money isn’t the solution. Money helps, but the REAL issues go much deeper. And it would be specious to think that Obama is going to make everything all better for everyone.
McCain is also not an acceptable choice. Is this all America can come up with?
i’m in denial , linda
america is in a war
who is more qualified to lead
a country in a state of war than a warrior?
I think one way to help John McCain win the election is to let the Asian-American voters know about this fact: black people often dislike Asians (& Mexicans too perhaps?) due to jealousy/disrespect etc… (just do a search about “black racism” then you will see) so if Obama becomes president there will be more black people in power for instance and Asian-Americans will have a harder time in school, at work, at the stores…
It’s so depressing to see Yahoo displaying everyday bad polls, bad outlook… for John McCain. I hope you know a good way to spread that information to the Asian voters (many of them are so naive to believe in Obama!) and I hope you can get other people to find more ways and do their best to help John McCain to win. Too bad he did not give more priority to winning the independent/undecided voters (I think a republican would vote for him anyway so why bother trying to be really conservative to win a republican vote and scare the other voters away).
Kwaninator:
No, not a warrior.
Rather, a statesman, a leader and a visionary.
Warriors are, usually, trained to kill, not to lead.
Frank
P.S.: And too many of them, warriors that is, are, in a word, stupid.
Dear Linda:
I am impressed by your credentials.
AND those of your family.
But, all of us should be “content” with our lot?
I don’t think so.
Should I be content that I am perceived as a cipher in a math that excudes my cipherdom?
Should I servilely accept second-class citizenship?
Should I ignore the contumely, no, make that DISrespect, of those who know me not?
As for “money,” I actually concur.
What the poor, the oppressed, the diss’d all need are opportunity, the wherewithal, the venue in which to climb out of their estate.
In the interim, the hungry child of the homeless family deserves better than society’s survival-of-the=fittest mantra.
And, yes, Linda, I have known people who were disadvantaged and dismissed.
And, yes, I have personally lived the life of someone who recalls, not at all bitterly, a childhood of relative minimal creature comforts, but these allied with totally loving and caring family “security.”
I worked my way through college, supported my family every way I could, and, even today, at 89, AM indeed “grateful for what I have.”
But, unlike you, I atill insist that rugged individualism must mature into the recognition that the “I” cannot truly be meaningful withou the “thou.”
Which last includes EVERYone else.
Frank
P.S.: I count my blessings every day, for sure. And, voting for Obama, I have no illusions about what he can or cannot “deliver.” Actually, all I care about therein is that he should NOT repeat the idiocies of the current administration, especially in the Mideast AND Afghanistan.
By the bye, I am in total and hearty accord with today’s Info Clearing House open letter from Ralph Nader to Obama, in which he cites every single point I personally concur in. That said, I voted for Obama. There was no alternative.
And I still can’t quite follow your reasoning here.
went my polling place today
it brought a tear to my eye
was more like walmart at christmastime
than the bucolic, complascent elections of the past
it’s too bad it took the economy to s__t in the bed
for this to happen!