Sept 2008: NPR Get My Vote (http://getmyvote.npr.org) 
Editor’s Picks:
An Asian American on the presidential election 
    As an Asian American I vote for candidates who fight discrimination and 
who favor immigration reform. 
    Therefore I support John McCain. 
    One would think that as an Asian American, I would support Barack 
Obama. After all, Obama’s step-father was Indonesian , his half-sister is 
Asian American, and he grew up in Indonesia, Hawaii and Los Angeles,
where many Asians or Asian Americans live. Electing an African American 
could pave the way for Asian Americans to win higher elective office, such 
as governor of California. And being a Columbia University alumnus, I really
would like a fellow Columbian to become president. Unfortunately, Obama’s
policies are bad for Asian Americans and America. 
    McCain would help Asian Americans. Liberals control universities and 
use affirmative action to discriminate against Asian American applicants.
McCain opposes racial quotas, a stand which would help Asian American
applicants, while Obama would continue affirmative action. On immigration,
Democrats have a good record, but McCain had the courage to push for 
immigration reform. 
    But most important, the Republicans’ policies are better for America and
poor people, while the Democrats, contrary to Obama’s slogans, defend the
status quo. 
    McCain would increase the supply of energy. Environmentalists oppose 
burning coal, nuclear reactors, drilling for oil, construction of refineries, etc. 
Environmentalists want poor people in northern states this winter to freeze
on dark buses. 
    McCain supports school vouchers, which the majority of African Americans
want. Meanwhile, the Clintons, Gores, Kerrys and Obamas send their 
children to private schools which poor people can’t afford. The teachers 
unions’ attitude is: “The Olympics are on TV but we don’t believe in 
competition. We will fight to keep our government monopoly and force you 
to pay higher taxes for a shoddy product. We also don’t want extensive 
testing to reveal your children can’t read, write, add or subtract.” 
    McCain is opposed to racial quotas. Rather than using race based 
affirmative action, universities should give preference to students who 
come from poor families. 
    McCain wants healthcare reform. Every policy wonk inside the Beltway
knows healthcare costs are increasing at an unsustainable rate. By 2030
Medicare will consume 50% of the federal budget. Evidently Democrats
want to eliminate the Pentagon, the FBI and national parks to pay for 
Medicare. McCain’s policies would help to reduce healthcare costs and 
make healthcare plans more portable. The Democrats’ healthcare plans
want to expand and build on a bridge which is about to collapse. 
    Why do I support McCain? Because his policies are good for Asian
Americans and best for America. 
Don W. Joe
Asian American Politics
www.asianam.org 


2008 University of Michigan Law School Michigan Journal of Race & Law: 
"Affirmative Action & Negative Action: How Jian Li's Case Can Benefit 
Asian Americans.  Spring, 2008, 13 Mich. J. Race & L. 391, Author
Adrian Liu


11/11/06 Wall Street Journal: "Is Admissions Bar Higher for Asians At Elite 
Schools?  School Standards Are Probed Even as Enrollment Increases; 
A Bias Claim at Princeton,"
by Daniel Golden
    Though Asian-Americans constitute only about 4.5% of the U.S. population, they 
typically account for anywhere from 10% to 30% of students at many of the nation's 
elite colleges.
    Even so, based on their outstanding grades and test scores, Asian-Americans 
increasingly say their enrollment should be much higher -- a contention backed by a 
growing body of evidence.
    Whether elite colleges give Asian-American students a fair shake is becoming a big 
concern in college-admissions offices. Federal civil-rights officials are investigating 
charges by a top Chinese-American student that he was rejected by Princeton University 
last spring because of his race and national origin.
    Meanwhile, voter attacks on admissions preferences for other minority groups -- as 
well as research indicating colleges give less weight to high test scores of Asian-American 
applicants -- may push schools to boost Asian enrollment. Tuesday, Michigan voters 
approved a ballot measure striking down admissions preferences for African-Americans 
and Hispanics. The move is expected to benefit Asian applicants to state universities 
there -- as similar initiatives have done in California and Washington.
    If the same measure is passed in coming years in Illinois, Missouri and Oregon -- where 
opponents of such preferences say they plan to introduce it -- Asian-American enrollment 
likely would climb at selective public universities in those states as well.
    During the Michigan campaign, a group that opposes affirmative action released a study 
bolstering claims that Asian students are held to a higher standard. The study, by the Center 
for Equal Opportunity, in Virginia, found that Asian applicants admitted to the University of 
Michigan in 2005 had a median SAT score of 1400 on the 400-1600 scale then in use. That 
was 50 points higher than the median score of white students who were accepted, 140 points 
higher than that of Hispanics and 240 points higher than that of blacks.
    Roger Clegg, president and general counsel of the Center for Equal Opportunity, said 
universities are "legally vulnerable" to challenges from rejected Asian-American applicants.
    Princeton, where Asian-Americans constitute about 13% of the student body, faces such a 
challenge. A spokesman for the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights said it is 
investigating a complaint filed by Jian Li, now a 17-year-old freshman at Yale University. 
Despite racking up the maximum 2400 score on the SAT and 2390 -- 10 points below the 
ceiling -- on SAT2 subject tests in physics, chemistry and calculus, Mr. Li was spurned by three 
Ivy League universities, Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
    The Office for Civil Rights initially rejected Mr. Li's complaint due to "insufficient" evidence. 
Mr. Li appealed, citing a white high-school classmate admitted to Princeton despite lower 
test scores and grades. The office notified him late last month that it would look into the case.
    His complaint seeks to suspend federal financial assistance to Princeton until the university 
"discontinues discrimination against Asian-Americans in all forms by eliminating race 
preferences, legacy preferences, and athlete preferences." Legacy preference is the edge 
most elite colleges, including Princeton, give to alumni children. The Office for Civil Rights has 
the power to terminate such financial aid but usually works with colleges to resolve cases 
rather than taking enforcement action.
    Mr. Li, who emigrated to the U.S. from China as a 4-year-old and graduated from a public 
high school in Livingston, N.J., said he hopes his action will set a precedent for other Asian-
American students. He wants to "send a message to the admissions committee to be more 
cognizant of possible bias, and that the way they're conducting admissions is not really 
equitable," he said.
    Princeton spokeswoman Cass Cliatt said the university is aware of the complaint and will 
provide the Office for Civil Rights with information it has requested.
    Princeton has said in the past that it considers applicants as individuals and doesn't 
discriminate against Asian-Americans.
    When elite colleges began practicing affirmative action in the late 1960s and 1970s, they 
gave an admissions boost to Asian-American applicants as well as blacks and Hispanics. As 
the percentage of Asian-Americans in elite schools quickly overtook their slice of the U.S. 
population, many colleges stopped giving them preference -- and in some cases may have 
leaned the other way.
    In 1990, a federal investigation concluded that Harvard University admitted Asian-American 
applicants at a lower rate than white students despite the Asians' slightly stronger test scores 
and grades.
    Federal investigators also found that Harvard admissions staff had stereotyped Asian-American candidates as quiet, shy and oriented toward math and science. The government didn't bring charges because it concluded it was Harvard's preferences for athletes and alumni children -- few of whom were Asian -- that accounted for the admissions gap.
    The University of California came under similar scrutiny at about the same time. In 1989, as the federal government was investigating alleged Asian-American quotas at UC's Berkeley campus, Berkeley's chancellor apologized for a drop in Asian enrollment. The next year, federal investigators found that the mathematics department at UCLA had discriminated against Asian-American graduate school applicants. In 1992, Berkeley's law school agreed under federal pressure to drop a policy that limited Asian enrollment by comparing Asian applicants against each other rather than the entire applicant pool.
    Asian-American enrollment at Berkeley has increased since California voters banned affirmative action in college admissions. Berkeley accepted 4,122 Asian-American applicants for this fall's freshman class -- nearly 42% of the total admitted. That is up from 2,925 in 1997, or 34.6%, the last year before the ban took effect. Similarly, Asian-American undergraduate enrollment at the University of Washington rose to 25.4% in 2004 from 22.1% in 1998, when voters in that state prohibited affirmative action in college admissions.
    The University of Michigan may be poised for a similar leap in Asian-American enrollment, now that voters in that state have banned affirmative action. The Center for Equal Opportunity study found that, among applicants with a 1240 SAT score and 3.2 grade point average in 2005, the university admitted 10% of Asian-Americans, 14% of whites, 88% of Hispanics and 92% of blacks. Asian applicants to the university's medical school also faced a higher admissions bar than any other group.
    Julie Peterson, spokeswoman for the University of Michigan, said the study was flawed because many applicants take the ACT test instead of the SAT, and standardized test scores are only one of various tools used to evaluate candidates. "I utterly reject the conclusion" that the university discriminates against Asian-Americans, she said. Asian-Americans constitute 12.6% of the university's undergraduates.
    Jonathan Reider, director of college counseling at San Francisco University High School, said most elite colleges' handling of Asian applicants has become fairer in recent years. Mr. Reider, a former Stanford admissions official, said Stanford staffers were dismayed 20 years ago when an internal study showed they were less likely to admit Asian applicants than comparable whites. As a result, he said, Stanford strived to eliminate unconscious bias and repeated the study every year until Asians no longer faced a disadvantage.
    Last month, Mr. Reider participated in a panel discussion at a college-admissions conference. It was titled, "Too Asian?" and explored whether colleges treat Asian applicants differently.
    Precise figures of Asian-American representation at the nation's top schools are hard to come by.  Don Joe, an attorney and activist who runs Asian-American Politics, an Internet site that tracks enrollment, puts the average proportion of Asian-Americans at 25 top colleges at 15.9% in 2005, up from 10% in 1992.
    Still, he said, he is hearing more complaints "from Asian-American parents about how their 
children have excellent grades and scores but are being rejected by the most selective colleges. It appears to be an open secret."
    Mr. Li, who said he was in the top 1% of his high-school class and took five advanced placement courses in his senior year, left blank the questions on college applications about his ethnicity and place of birth. "It seemed very irrelevant to me, if not offensive," he said. Mr. Li, who has permanent resident status in the U.S., did note that his citizenship, first language and language spoken at home were Chinese.
    Along with Yale, he won admission to the California Institute of Technology, Rutgers University and the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.
    He said four schools -- Princeton, Harvard, Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania -- placed him on their waiting lists before rejecting him. "I was very close to being accepted at these schools," he said. "I was thinking, had my ethnicity been different, it would have put me over the top. Even if race had just a marginal effect, it may have disadvantaged me."
    He ultimately focused his complaint against Princeton after reading a 2004 study by three Princeton researchers concluding that an Asian-American applicant needed to score 50 points higher on the SAT than other applicants to have the same change of admission to an elite university.
    "As an Asian-American and a native of China, my chances of admission were drastically reduced," Mr. Li claims in his complaint.


38 U.C. Davis L. Rev. 545 (2004-2005) 
Perpetuating the Exclusion of Asian Americans from the Affirmative Action Debate: An Oversight of the Diversity Rationale in Grutter v. Bollinger; by Victoria Choy

2/12/05 Alexa.com traffic rank of:
Committee of 100 (committee100.org): 597,756
Organization of Chinese Americans (ocanatl.org): 948,757
Asian American Politics (asianam.org): 1,127,533
Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (apaics.org): 1,377,103
National Asian Pacific American Bar Assn. (napaba.org): 1,682,217
80-20initiative.net: 1,720,412
National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium (napalc.org): 1,726,322
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (aaldef.org): 1,949,825 
Japanese American Citizens League (jacl.org): 2,168,698
Asian Pacific American Legal Center (apalc.org): 2,883,045
Asian American Action Fund (aaa-fund.org): 5,410,463


"Ruling on race policy draws mixed reaction," by Esther Wu
7/3/03 Dallas Morning News
    On June 24, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that colleges could use
race as a factor when it comes to admissions policies. The court
handed down its decision after two white students challenged the
admissions policies at the University of Michigan and the University
of Michigan Law School. They claimed that the use of race in the
schools' admissions was unconstitutional.
   There were two cases before the court, one involving admissions
to the law school, and the other challenging the schools' complex
undergraduate admissions process.
    In the first case, the court ruled 5-4 that the school could use race
as a factor in enrollment in law school. However, the courts also ruled
6-3 that the school could not continue its current affirmative action
plan for its undergraduate program because it involved a point system.
    In the 5-4 ruling, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote, "In a society
like our own ... race unfortunately still matters."
    Sounds like a slam-dunk, doesn't it? But last week's ruling has left
mixed feelings among many Asian-Americans.
    It's a complicated issue compounded by the fact that the new ruling
supersedes a court decision that barred the use of race in admissions
in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. That case revolved around a
woman named Cheryl Hopwood, who in 1992 said less-qualified
students were admitted to the University of Texas Law School
because of their race.
    Some education groups have reported that the percentage of Asian-
American applicants granted admission at the University of Texas at
Austin rose from 68 percent to 81 percent after the Hopwood decision.
    'Level playing field'
    However, last week, Malcolm Gillis, president at Rice University in
Houston, said, "As the only highly selective university bound by the 5th
Circuit's 1996 Hopwood ruling, Rice and the state of Texas have
experienced a significant 'brain drain' of highly qualified minority students
taken by universities able to take race into consideration. We particularly 
welcome the return to a level playing field this decision appears to provide."
    They aren't the only ones happy to see race used as a factor in school 
admissions.
    "The Supreme Court's decision reaffirms the need for affirmative action 
initiatives in America today. Asian Pacific American students will now be 
ensured that the student body will be representative of American society
and that the Supreme Court recognizes that discrimination is still a factor
that affects all minorities," said Karen K. Narasaki, president and executive 
director of the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium.
    But Fort Worth attorney Don Joe said the Supreme Court's decision
would allow universities to revert to or continue policies that hurt Asian-
Americans, for the most part, because most Asian-Americans fall
into a higher economic bracket.
    "In California, Washington and Texas, universities were forbidden from 
considering race in admissions and financial aid decisions. After the
prohibitions went into effect, the number of Asian-Americans admitted by 
universities in those states increased," said Mr. Joe, who has been
tracking this trend on his Web site, www.asianam.org.
    "I favor affirmative action based on income: A poor kid who has the
same qualifications as a rich kid should receive a preference in university 
admissions," he said. "There is no reason the children of wealthy
minorities should benefit from affirmative action based on race."
    A real victory?
    Syndicated columnist and television reporter Michelle Malkin agrees
with Mr. Joe. The conservative columnist recently wrote: "Clueless Asian-
American students and leaders are proclaiming 'victory' with other
minority groups in the wake of the Michigan decisions. But as Peter
Kirsanow, one of the rare voices of sanity on the U.S. Civil Rights
Commission notes, 'Were Asian-American students not discriminated
against in the college admissions process, they would constitute the
largest minority group, if not an outright majority, at many schools.' "
    She may be right. But it will be hard to convince Angie Chen Button.
Her son, Dane Chen Button, was denied admission to Harvard despite
scoring 1500 on his SAT and being elected president of his student body
at Berkner High School in Richardson. Instead, he will be attending an
honors program at UT's School of Business.
    Ms. Button knows that not everyone who applies gets accepted. "But
we feel strongly that this was a case of reverse discrimination," she said.
    As Americans - hyphenated or not - we are all equal. But until
everyone understands this, we'll need affirmative action programs.

10/30/02 KERA 90.1 (NPR): North Texas Asian Americans take to polls, 
by Suzanne Sprague
    Dallas , TX : Public service announcements on Dallas Chinese radio urge 
voters to turn out at the polls. 700 Vietnamese attend a candidates' forum 
in Houston . And for the first time, statewide nominees in Texas hire Asian-
outreach specialists.  It's a far cry from how politicians addressed the 
Asian communities eight years ago, when Jennifer Kim started organizing 
voters.
    Jennifer Kim, Asian Outreach Coordinator, Tony Sanchez Campaign: It 
seemed that they would come to speak to us when we had political events,
but they didn't seem to take as much time to go to our community events 
or to print literature in our language, to do anything that incurred any 
additional expense.
    Sprague: This year, Kim is working for the Democrats' choice for Texas  
governor, Tony Sanchez. Although behind in the polls, Democrats are 
actively courting the Asian vote with a large, glossy, multi-lingual brochure,
courtesy of the Democratic National Committee. It's a big investment for 
a group that makes up less than 3% of the state's population. But Parag 
Mehta, deputy director for the Ron Kirk for Senate campaign, says there's
the bigger picture to consider.
    Parag Mehta, Deputy Director for Field, Ron Kirk Campaign: We see the
long-term demographic trends in Texas . Asian Americans are a rapidly 
growing population. We were the fastest growing population in the 2000 
Census. Our numbers are increasing in leaps and bounds. So, if you're 
looking in bringing this population over to the Democratic Party side 
and making them loyal Democratic Party followers, now is the time to 
do it.
    Sprague: But many Asian Americans in Texas claim to be fiercely 
independent voters. Kim Nicks, a Vietnamese activist in Houston , voted 
for a Democrat in the recent mayoral race. Now, she's a strong supporter
of Senate Republican nominee, John Cornyn.
    Kim Nicks, Houston Vietnamese Activist: The leadership of Republican 
Party is better prepared to handle the war situation and that's why I support
John Cornyn for the Senate seat.
    Sprague: Attorney Don Joe of Fort Worth agrees. Joe runs the website 
www.asianam.org, which details where candidates stand on issues 
important to Asians. He usually votes Republican, and supports John 
Cornyn, too.
    Don Joe, Fort Worth Attorney: In his biography, he mentions his father 
served in the Air Force and that he graduated from high school in Japan
and I think that would indicate he's open to Asian Americans and 
appreciates Asian American culture.
    Sprague: But Joe adds he hasn't received any mailings from Republicans 
targeting Asian voters. And Angie Chen Button, who is the president of the
Dallas Fort Worth Asian American Citizens Council, sees a disconnect 
with the GOP.
    Angie Chen Button, President, DFWAACC: Well, I personally got an 
invitation to some fundraising events, but I have not seen something down
to the grassroots, but maybe my expectations are too high.
    Sprague: Although Button's group is non-partisan, she voted for Ron Kirk.
And so did many of these Chinese senior citizens who came in a community
van to an early polling location in Richardson . But for many organizers like
Angie Chen Button, for whom Asians vote is less important. They're mainly
excited to see record numbers of first-time voters take to the polls.
    Chinese American Voter: This is my happy day. 
    Sprague: This is your happiest day?
    Chinese American Voter: Yes. Happy day. I have the right to vote. [laughs]
    Sprague: For KERA 90.1, I'm Suzanne Sprague.

10/02: Webmaster interviewed for story "Asian American Political Influence 
in Texas" which aired on NPR radio station 90.1 KERA in Dallas- Fort Worth 
Oct. 29, 2002 and on "Pacific Time," NPR radio station 88.5 KQED 
in San Francisco October 31, 2002.  Listen to an audio archive.  
If above link does not work, go to www.kqed.org/radio, click on "radio 
programs," click on "Pacific Time," click on "audio archive" then look for 
October 31 and "Asian American Political Influence in Texas". 


1/15/01
Don,
I was plowing throw the web, looking for something else, when I found your
website. What a delight! As you've probably noticed, most of the other sites
are very partisan. It was refreshing to find a balanced perspective.
Keep up the good work!
~~ Joel Szabat
Bush spokesman at the 80-20 Initiative endorsement committee

"Asian-Americans unhappy with parties" 11/3/00 Singapore Strait-Times  
by Zuraidah  Ibrahaim (Palo Alto)
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/html/webspecial/uselect2000/uselect2000_asia1103b.html 
    A campaign to get Asian-Americans to increase their political clout by voting 
as a bloc is facing strong resistance from those who say they have little affection 
for either of the main political parties. 
    The so-called 80-20 Initiative has been working vigorously over the past two 
months to rally at least 80 per cent of the Asian-American vote behind the 
Democratic candidate Al Gore. But some prominent members of the community 
say they are interested in neither party. 
    The reason: the Lee Wen Ho case. 
    Businessman George Koo, a director of the Committee of 100, a respected 
Asian- American forum, told The Straits Times that although he is a Democrat, 
he was considering going with Mr. Ralph Nader to make a political statement.
    Both Mr. Gore and Republican candidate George W. Bush, he said, had 
disappointed him in not taking a firm stance in condemning the treatment of 
Dr Lee and the broader issue of racial profiling.
    Dr Lee, 60, a naturalised American citizen who migrated from Taiwan in 
the 1970s, was imprisoned for nine months without bail after he was charged 
in a 59-count federalindictment with stealing nuclear secrets. 
    "Bush has spoken about it in such a lame way that suggests he has not 
followed the case with any interest or understanding and Gore's statement on 
it was not as forceful as I would have liked," Mr. Koo said. 
    Traditionally, Asian-Americans have tended to split 50-50 between 
Republican and Democrats, making them a virtual non-issue to either party.
    Initiative 80-20 wants to break the voting deadlock so the parties stop 
taking the community for granted. 
    Another Asian-American lawyer who runs a website on Asian-American 
politics, Mr. Don W. Joe, said: "Due to the Democratic Party's mistreatment of Asian-Americans in the campaign finance scandal and the Lee Wen Ho case, 
I doubt the 80-20 Initiative will persuade 80 per cent of Asian-Americans to 
vote for Gore."
    Echoing a similar view, Ms. Cecilia Chang, a family friend of Dr Lee who 
runs a site that fights his cause, said the Democratic Party had taken Asian-
American votes for granted.
    "If you cannot depend on the Democrats, then the temptation to go with 
the Green Party is real.  I am not the only one among Asian-Americans who 
is saying this. Nader will not win but then what do I have to lose?"
    Activists across the country have made the Lee Wen Ho case a rallying 
cry in their efforts to draw more members of their community into the political 
process.
    Many Asian-based organisations have in the past two months launched 
extensive voter registration efforts. 
    Mr. Joe, who usually votes for the Republican Party said: "The case has 
prompted many Asian-Americans to become more politically involved in 
order to protect their rights and to combat discrimination."