4/16/08 Pennsylvania debate.  Transcript from The Morning Call.  http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-debate-transcript-041708,0,2860758.story?page=20
    STEPHANOPOULOS: Senator Clinton, would you agree to that kind of change [to affirmative action?]
    CLINTON : Well, here's the way I'd prefer to think about it. I think we've got to have affirmative action generally to try to give more opportunities to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, whoever they are.
    That's why I'm a strong supporter of early childhood education and universal pre-kindergarten.
    That's why I'm against No Child Left Behind as it is currently operating, and I would end it, because we can do so much better to have an education system that really focuses in on kids who need extra help.
    That's why I'm in favor of much more college aid, not these outrageous predatory student loan rates that are charging people I've met across Pennsylvania , 20, 25, 28 percent interest rates.
    Let's make college affordable again. See I think we have to look at what we're trying to achieve here somewhat differently. We do have a real gap. We have a gap in achievement. We have a gap in income. But we don't have a potential gap. I think our job should be to try to create the conditions that enable people to live up to their god- given potential. That means health care for everyone, no exceptions. Nobody left out.
    And it means taking a hard look at what we need to do to compete and win in the global economy. So that's how I prefer to think about it. Let's affirmatively invest in our young people and make it possible for them to have a good, middle-class life, in today's much more competitive economy.


4/16/08 Asian American Village, http://news.ncmonline.com
“Why Hillary Clinton Works for Asian American Women”
Commentary by Erin May Ling Quill
    Times are tough right now – we’ve got a war, a mortgage crisis, ever-rising gas prices, an environment set to implode, and a Democratic Party that is almost equally divided between two candidates – and we all know who they are. Both candidates strike a very emotional response when friends sit around talking or emailing or wearing buttons in support, or spamming one another with their opinions and You Tube videos on Facebook.
    All of which, by the way, I have done. I confess, I heart Hillary. Starting in Women’s History Month, I sat to write a few words as to what Hillary’s campaign means to me as an Asian American woman. I was kind of surprised when I started my research, but the more I did, the more I ‘heart’ her.
    First off: Senator Clinton has, according to a survey of paid staff conducted by Diversity Inc in November 2007, the most Asian Americans working with her. I’m not one of those that got the ‘math gene’, but to me – it seems pretty obvious that if she’s paying Asian American staffers for their work and opinions, she is going to listen to them. Which means we have a voice in her campaign. [Chart]
    Senator Obama, according to the same study, has no paid Asian Americans on his staff. None. What I say to that is - wow. I have some AAPI friends who go after me with great barrels for not pulling for Senator Obama, particularly because I happen to be biracial.
    My AAPI friends who love Senator Obama do not just ‘like’ him – they LOOOOOOVE him – it’s more than ‘heart-ing’.
    They make videos for him, they sign up voters, they make phone calls…however, I would venture to guess that they did not realize that Senator Obama has, according to this study, no paid staffers that reflect their AAPI heritage working on his campaign.
    Oh, McCain has no Asian Americans working for him on his paid staff either, according to the same 2007 research.
    Second: Senator Clinton has the most women on her staff, when you break it down by gender. In her senior staff she has about fifty two percent women, forty eight percent men. Senator Obama’s paid senior staff comes in at twenty percent women, and eighty percent men. Senator Obama has two women among his 12 senior staffers. (It had been three before one of his female staffers resigned after calling Senator Clinton “a monster’ in an interview.) Senator Clinton has eight women out of 14 senior staffers.
    This is one of the things, that, as an Asian American woman is very important to me. Too often in America, women are the recipients of gender bias – it probably happens to you at least once a day and mostly, they are small things – someone calls you ‘Honey’, someone winks at you or discounts your opinion; these are small things.
    Asian American women get a double whammy, because we have been characterized as ‘submissive,’ and ‘submissive’ women are even easier to discount than ‘normal’ women. African American women have been very successful at turning the tables and embracing their label as ‘a strong, Black woman’ – so successful that Kathy Griffin co-opted it into her comedy act, but Asian American women have not had as much positive reinforcement on catchphrases like, um…oh yeah – ‘Dragon Lady’.
    Asian women (I include Southeast Asian and the Middle Eastern women in that description) and by descent Asian American women have had an enormous amount of tangible violence perpetuated on them. Anything that can be done to debase and violate human dignity has been perpetuated on Asian women – in every country, across the globe. Senator Clinton has hired the daughters and sons of those women. She stands up for Asian Americans with high ranking AAPI staffers, whose voices and concerns will be heard, and that is a definite step forward.
    Following Women’s History Month, we should celebrate that this is the most input we have ever had in a primary for a national candidate. Women account for half of the world’s population. It’s 101 men for every 100 women. [Survey] Asian American women are in a prime position to not only help elect the first woman to hold the office of President, we have some AAPI Women involved that will have their opinions count on a level never before seen in this country.
    In fact, you should read, as a woman, Senator Clinton’s speech to the New York State Family Planning Providers, given two days before the 32nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade. I think it speaks volumes. 
    Sometimes, it all just comes down to a woman talking women’s issues that have been heretofore decided by men. Here’s an excerpt:
    "Now with all of this talk about freedom as the defining goal of America , let's not forget the importance of the freedom of women to make the choices that are consistent with their faith and their sense of responsibility to their family and themselves…
    "As an advocate for children and families throughout my life, as a lawyer who occasionally represented victims of sexual assault and rape, as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, I know the difference that good information, good education, and good health care can make in empowering women and girls to make good decisions for themselves." – Hillary Clinton 
    Senator Obama’s sister, Maya, is married to Korad Ng, so while he doesn’t have any paid Asian American staff advising him, he does have an Asian American link in his immediate family. Lisa Ling, formerly on The View, actress Kelly Hu, and actor Kal Penn have also come out for Senator Obama. These endorsements are on his website [View section].
    "Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have a huge opportunity to make a difference in this election," said Congresswoman Doris Matsui. "Hillary Clinton has been a consistent champion and friend of the AAPI community. She is ready to be our next president and the AAPI community is ready to support her. I look forward to leading the charge to help make Hillary the candidate of choice for AAPI voters."
    More AAPI political names that have come out strongly for Senator Clinton are listed on her website. 
    One of the most interesting things to me about their endorsements are that they come from the ‘worker bees’ of government. There are assemblymen, mayors, councilmen, etc. They are the people that are needed to enact legislation and change on a local, state, and national level.
    The list is impressive, and I believe those people, of AAPI heritage, who fight the fight every day, are much more familiar with every nook and cranny detail as to what you need to make government work. 
    To be honest, both Democratic candidates seem to want what is best for America – they are not so far apart on many issues. Better education, economic growth, health care – ok, they aren’t so close with the health care, but as they come from the same party, their stances are similar –but now they will play out those positions on a national stage. The question for Asian American women will be, Who best represents us? A woman in power is nothing if not ‘change”.
    One of my friends told me that, in his opinion, being in the White House for eight years as First Lady does not qualify you as a candidate. He said nothing about her long community service record, or her role as Senator of New York state.
    Let’s address the whole First Lady issue – here’s a quote:
    “My own views of family planning and reproductive rights are heavily influenced by my travels as First Lady. I saw firsthand the costs to women when the government controls their reproductive health decisions.” - Hillary Clinton
    I think it does count as experience. As an artist, you learn some of the greatest lessons by observing and then executing your own vision – so I’m ok with that.
    She’s got definite plans that look viable. She won in Texas, where they said that the economy was the most important issue in deciding who to vote for. She won in Ohio because of her stance on the plight of the middle class. She’s for universal health care. From where I am sitting, Senator Clinton has a very broad and powerful appeal.
    I was also told that I was only for Senator Clinton because I am a woman. I have not heard anyone accuse men of only voting for Senator Obama because he is a man. I am supporting Senator Clinton, in part, because she is a woman. It’s not the only reason, but as I thought about it, I realize, if someone accuses me of that, I have no problem with it. I think women are fantastic.
    Ladies, I ask you -How many women do you know that cannot multi-task? That cannot absorb information, make an assessment based on a wider range of knowledge than most men even care about, and then make an informed judgment on information presented? Ummmm, I don’t know any women who cannot do that. Ladies, Do you?
    Let’s just clear this up: I like Senator Obama. I like his wife – if SHE were running, I would vote for her.
    Michelle Obama is a multi-tasker. She runs her home, her medical school, and she’s kinda brilliant – she reminds me of Senator Clinton.
    Hey, maybe Michelle Obama could be named as Hillary’s running mate? Because Senator Clinton stated she is open to being a running mate with Senator Obama, but he’s not willing to do the same – Aiya! MEN! So stubborn!
    “This country can no longer afford to choose our leaders from a talent pool limited by sex, race, money, powerful fathers and paper degrees. It’s time to take equal pride in breaking all the barriers. We have to be able to say: “I’m supporting her because she’ll be a great president and because she’s a woman.” - Gloria Steinem, co-founder of the Women’s Media Center.

Neera Tanden is the policy director and deputy campaign manager for Hillary Rodham Clinton.
10/4/00 New York Times : "Public Lives; The Wonk, er, Woman Behind Mrs. Clinton,"
by Joyce Wadler
    There is, among the grubby temp offices and junk-food cartons of every campaign, the smart kid, a k a the policy wonk, and if you think she's going to go into detail about her job, telling how hard she worked to make sure the candidate knew the stats and the issues, recalling the time she saved the candidate by catching this error or that in a speech, forget it. That would not be smart.
    Study, if you will, the examples of proper policy-wonk-speak from Neera Tanden, the policy director and deputy campaign manager for Hillary Rodham Clinton: 
    ''When we first started, I used to do a lot of work getting her up to speed on issues, but she's a really knowledgeable person.'' 
    ''The debate prep requires a lot more work for her, getting her ready, though I have to say, she knows so much, so much.'' 
    ''I keep a lot of facts and figures about what's happening in the state, but it's always a humbling experience. She's exceedingly well versed.'' 
    How smart is the smart kid in Hillary Clinton's Senate bid? 
    From all appearances -- including a law degree from Yale -- very. 
    It was Ms. Tanden, signing on with the exploratory committee in July 1999, who moved to New York from the White House and worked with Mrs. Clinton, researching and developing policies. She was 29. 
    It was Ms. Tanden -- with, she wants you to know, her staff of six -- who challenged Rick A. Lazio's first major policy proposal, a tax-reduction plan, in August. In two hours Ms. Tanden prepared a detailed financial response. Finding the facts and figures to defend her candidate's position is a large part of her work. 
    Watching Ms. Tanden in action at the Hillary 2000 headquarters on 34th Street is not permitted. 
    But you can accompany Ms. Tanden, informal, fast-talking, connected to her cell phone as to a body part, across the street to the restaurant she frequents these days, the cafeteria in Macy's basement. She works 7 days a week, 12 hours a day. Her husband hates her work, Ms. Tanden allows in an unguarded moment. She makes a quick, politic adjustment: he doesn't hate the work; he hates the way she brings the work home, the stress. 
    Stress is a word you hear a lot from Ms. Tanden. She was speaking to the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison about a job when she signed on with Mrs. Clinton; maybe that would have been less stress, she says. 
    Does she mind being called a policy wonk? ''I'm pretty wonky,'' she says. ''I'm wonky because I know about the Section 1115 waiver, I know they help community health centers. New York State pioneered community health centers. At the White House I felt like I was politically inclined for a policy person; on the campaign I feel I'm more wonky.'' 
    Explain the difference. 
    ''A wonky person cares about the policy and how it affects people, regardless of the politics.'' 
    As for how the wonk became a wonk, she's got a ready answer: 
    MS. TANDEN was born in the affluent community of Bedford , Mass. Her parents, who immigrated from India , had an arranged marriage. (''It tells you something about arranged marriages, because they got divorced when I was 5.'') Ms. Tanden's mother, on her own with two small children, went on welfare after the divorce. The family received food stamps and, as Ms. Tanden puts it, ''we had Section 8 vouchers for our housing.'' 
    ''The reason I'm so active in politics -- literally the reason I've devoted so much time to politics and public service -- is because of my background,'' Ms. Tanden says. ''I personally feel that if I didn't have the good public schools of Bedford , I wouldn't be the person I am today. My mother was on welfare for a couple of years, then she got a job as a travel agent. Finally, years later, scrimping and saving, she was able to buy a house. I know it sounds totally corny, but she really instilled in me a great deal of, y'know, sort of a desire to serve. The Democratic Party, the policies that the Clintons and Hillary believe in, I feel like a living example of someone who benefited.'' 
    Ms. Tanden went to the University of California in Los Angeles and became involved in politics on the Dukakis campaign, where she met her husband, Ben Edwards, an artist. After graduating from Yale Law School in 1996, she worked on the Clinton-Gore presidential campaign in California . She went to the White House, first in the press department, then as an aide in the domestic policy office. In the wake of the Columbine massacre, she worked closely with Mrs. Clinton on school safety issues. ''I think after that she saw I could handle stress.'' 
    There is one subject Ms. Tanden insists she never researched for the campaign: Mrs. Clinton's lack of popularity, for a time, among educated women. 
    ''I'm happy it's turned around,'' Ms. Tanden says. ''It's always been surprising to me. If she met everybody, they would have a totally different impression.'' 
    She herself has a very fond memory: Mrs. Clinton gave her a wedding shower at the White House. 
    ''My mother was there,'' Ms. Tanden says. She stumbles over her words a little, emotion making bumps in syntax, even for a wonk. ''She, as an immigrant, with me first-generation and working there, she was ecstatic to come to the White House.''

3/23/08 Honolulu Advertiser: “Hawaii superdelegates split on role; Obama, Clinton vie for Isle votes,”
By Derrick DePledge
    U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye said he would counsel Hawai'i 's undecided superdelegates to trust their own initiative and experience, and not necessarily the results of the Hawai'i caucuses, when choosing which Democratic presidential candidate to support.
    "It's up to them. It's their decision," said Inouye, D-Hawai'i, a superdelegate who has endorsed U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York . "But if they were going to appoint us to follow the votes of the state, you don't need superdelegates, right? We were designated as superdelegates to use our initiative and experience to do what is right."
    U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, a superdelegate who has endorsed U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois , said superdelegates are free to choose but he does not see how they could put aside Obama's overwhelming victory in the February caucuses.
    "I can assure you, if there is one thing superdelegates can do — party activists as well as elected officials — is they can count," said Abercrombie, D-Hawai'i. "And I think they can count the number of votes that would leave, or at least not show up at the polls, if there was any sense that the will of the voting population who participated in these primaries and caucuses was being vacated by the superdelegates."
    Inouye and Abercrombie reflect the split within the Democratic Party over what criteria superdelegates should use if they are ultimately called on to resolve a deadlocked nomination campaign. Should they use their own instincts about who would make the better nominee or should they follow the popular vote in their states?
    Obama won 14 of Hawai'i 's 29 delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August through the caucuses, while Clinton took six.
    The other nine delegates to the convention, the superdelegates, are not pledged to either candidate.
    Three — Inouye, Abercrombie and Democratic National Committee member Richard Port, who supports Clinton — have publicly announced their preferences. Three — U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono and DNC member Dolly Strazar — have stayed neutral. And three will not be chosen until the state party convention in May.
    The national convention will have nearly 800 superdelegates — elected and party officials — whose votes for a presidential nominee are not bound by the results of any primary or caucus.
    Obama leads Clinton among delegates whose convention votes were determined by primaries or caucuses, at 1,404 to 1,249.
    But neither candidate is on track to win enough pledged delegates in primaries and caucuses to clinch the nomination — 2,024 are needed — so the superdelegates could decide the outcome.
    POTENTIAL RESENTMENT
    Obama and Clinton and their surrogates nationally have been courting undecided superdelegates, with Obama's allies mostly urging them to follow the popular vote — in which Obama leads — and the Clinton faithful appealing for them to use their discretion because neither candidate will likely have a majority of delegates after the primaries and caucuses.
    Local Obama and Clinton supporters have been quietly doing outreach behind the scenes. Many activists are also trying to influence delegates to the state convention, where the party chair, vice chair and an unpledged add-on superdelegate will be selected.
    But some of the party's insiders have said they are largely avoiding high-pressure tactics. Many privately hope the nomination will resolve itself without putting Hawai'i superdelegates on the spot, so the party can build toward the November campaign against the Republican nominee.
    Some local Democrats, keen on convincing some of the record 37,000 people who participated in the caucuses to stay with the party, hope to avoid a prolonged internal battle that could create hard feelings within the party's already splintered factions.
    Some of these Democrats, for example, fought privately to discourage a recount that some Obama and Clinton partisans had wanted after witnessing caucus irregularities caused by the high turnout.
    Others do not want to see the superdelegate issue completely overshadow the contest for party chairman, since the new chairman will have the assignment of holding on to the new Democrats drawn to the party caucuses and improving the party's lagging finances.
    Brian Schatz, a former Makiki state representative and local Obama volunteer, and Annelle Amaral, a former Kunia state representative and O'ahu party chair, have shown interest in the post.
    "When the dust has settled, whoever is the nominee (for president), we as Democrats must be together," Randy Perreira, executive director of the Hawai'i Government Employees Association, said of the superdelegate question.
    BROADER ISSUES
    Superdelegates — a term coined for unpledged delegates — were created by the party in the early 1980s to give elected leaders and party officials more of a role at the national conventions. The idea was that superdelegates could be trusted to break deadlocks or save the party convention from nominating a candidate who might not have the best chance of getting elected.
    Kareem Crayton, an assistant professor of law and political science at the University of Southern California, said the thought was that superdelegates would consider broader issues such as electability and what is best for the party in the long term rather than which candidates are favored by their home states.
    "So they selected people who would both have connections to the electorates in different states — senators, governors, important people within the party — but they also have people who are long-time party activists, people who aren't in this just because of a particular slate of candidates but who will be here today and tomorrow and will have to live with the consequences, win, lose or draw."
    Two of the undecided superdelegates from Hawai'i — Akaka and Hirono — have said they will seriously consider the results of the Hawai'i caucuses when making their decisions.
    Akaka has explained that he chooses not to endorse a candidate early because so many in the Democratic field had helped him win re-election in 2006. Hirono, who endorsed former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards in 2004, told the Hawai'i Tribune-Herald last week that she wants to hear feedback from her constituents.
    Strazar, the DNC member and executive director of the Lyman Museum on the Big Island , said she will look at how the campaign takes shape nationally after the primary in Pennsylvania in late April. She said she has given herself no personal deadline.
    "My criteria is still a nationwide criteria in terms of seeing the lineup of the votes," she said.
    Strazar said she had spoken with Obama but had not yet talked with Clinton .
    She said she has been receiving telephone calls and letters from people across the country, with many Obama supporters urging her to follow the Hawai'i caucuses or the votes in their home states.
    "Some are nice. Some are not so nice. Some actually have threatening tones and such," she said. "I talked to Obama himself and I'm aware that individuals will do what they want. I think Obama and his campaign are concerned that when people do that they make a bad name for the campaign."
    FROM THE SIDELINES
    The past three state party chairmen and the current interim chairwoman each has different advice for superdelegates.
    Jeani Withington, a Big Island attorney and interim chairwoman, said elected officials should have the discretion to choose as they see fit because they are the closest to the candidates. The party leaders, she believes, should generally follow the results of the Hawai'i caucuses.
    "I think they should probably reflect the wishes of the people of the state," she said.
    Brickwood Galuteria, a former party chairman now running for the state Senate, described it as a test of leadership but said the superdelegates should go with the caucus results.
    "It's probably politically much wiser to go with the choice of the majority," he said.
    Alex Santiago, a former party chairman who is now a lobbyist, said superdelegates should consider the caucus results but balance it with their own judgment.
    "One of the reasons you are a superdelegate is you are thought of as having good judgment. Obviously, I would encourage them to take a look at the phenomenon that has gone on. It's unheard of," he said of local interest in the campaign.
    "The superdelegates are wise enough to know this is very much out of the ordinary."
    Mike McCartney, a former party chairman who is now executive director of the Hawai'i State Teachers Association, said superdelegates should follow their own counsel and think about what will be best for the party, and the nation, come November.
    "There is a reason why we have superdelegates. It was designed to be elder statesmen to figure out what's best for the country," he said. "It's a matter of conscience."

3/3/08 AAA-Fund News: Who Are the APA Superdelegates?
by Gautam Dutta
    The race between Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama is tight — so tight that it might not be decided by the voters.
    If neither candidate garners a majority of delegates, the so-called superdelegates — party leaders who control 39.3 percent of the 2025 votes needed to win — will decide the winner.
    Over the past few weeks, a healthy debate has raged about how the superdelegates should vote: Should they vote for the candidate who has received greater popular support (House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s view)?
    Or, should they base their vote on a combination of factors (Rep. James Clyburn’s view)? AAA-Fund will not take a position on this issue.
    According to Associated Press, Sen. Obama has won 1116 delegates from the caucuses and primaries, and has also secured the support of 164 superdelegates (for a total of 1280 delegates). Sen. Clinton has won 977 delegates from the caucuses and primaries, and has also secured the support of 241 superdelegates (for a total of 1218 delegates). However, since superdelegates are free to change their minds at any time, these numbers must be taken with more than a few grains of salt.
    For us, this raises two important questions. First, how many superdelegates are Asian American? The answer: 20 superdelegates, which amounts to 2.5 percent of the 796 superdelegates. To put that figure in perspective, just over 5 percent of the nation’s population is Asian American.
    Second, who are the Asian American superdelegates?
    Based on public sources, here is a list of these influential leaders (please let us know if anyone has been omitted):
    1. Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI), AAA-Fund Honorary Board
    2. Rep. Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-Guam), AAA-Fund Honorary Board
    3. Rep. Eni Faleomavaega (D-Samoa), AAA-Fund Honorary Board
    4. Rep. Maizie Hirono (D-HI), AAA-Fund Honorary Board
    5. Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), President, AAA-Fund Honorary Board
    6. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI), AAA-Fund Honorary Board
    7. Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA), AAA-Fund Honorary Board
    8. Minnesota Rep. Mee Moua, AAA-Fund Honorary Board
    9. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), AAA-Fund Honorary Board
    10. Rep. David Wu (D-OR), AAA-Fund Honorary Board
    11. Kamil Hasan, DNC Asian Pacific Islander American Caucus
    12. Bel Leong-Hong, Chair, DNC Asian Pacific Islander American Caucus; AAA-Fund Board
    13. Mona Mohib, Vice-Chair, DNC Asian Pacific Islander American Caucus
    14. Mona Pasquil, DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee
    15. Keith Umemoto, Co-Chair, DNC Credentials Committee & Treasurer, Western DNC States Caucus
    16. Alicia Wang, 2nd Vice-Chair, California Democratic Party
    17. Former Rep. Robert Underwood (D-Guam), AAA-Fund Honorary Board
    18. Antonio Charfauros (Guam)
    19. Cecilia Mafnas (Guam)
    20. Taling Taitano (Guam)


2/13/08 Honolulu Advertiser: "Hawaii Asian-Americans could skew Clinton trend," 
By Derrick DePledge
    U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won overwhelmingly among Asian-American voters in the California Democratic primary on Super Tuesday, but as the nomination campaign now comes to Hawai'i — the state with the highest proportion of Asian-Americans — there are doubts the pattern will repeat here.
    More than half of the people in Hawai'i — 56 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau — identify themselves as Asian or part-Asian. But as a majority with full access to political and social power, Asian-Americans in the Islands are substantially different than Asian-Americans who are minorities on the Mainland.
    "In the context of Hawai'i, groups like Chinese-Americans, Japanese-Americans, Filipino-Americans, these are significant constituents of society, so these groups do not have to necessarily categorize themselves together as Asian-Americans in order to have a voice in local politics," said Jon Okamura, an associate professor of ethnic studies at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa.
    "There is also the sharing of a 'local' identity, which is far more common a collective identity than Asian-American. The term just never really caught on here."
    Clinton's popularity among Asian-American voters may still be an asset in the Hawai'i Democratic caucuses next Tuesday, in which she will compete with U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, who was born here and graduated from Punahou School.
    Hawai'i, along with having the highest proportion of Asian-Americans, also ranks first among states with people who are of two or more races, with 21.5 percent. Obama's father was from Kenya and his mother was white and from Kansas. The couple met as students at UH-Manoa.
    In California, exit polls say, Clinton won as much as 75 percent of Asian-American votes.
    The U.S. senator from New York had the endorsement of state controller John Chiang and other Asian-American leaders. The 80-20 Initiative, an Asian-American political action committee, also endorsed her, spent $30,000 in advertisements in ethnic media, and sent out thousands of e-mails tailored to different Asian communities.
    "Asian-Americans focus more on stability and experience," said Frank Lee, the president of the Organization for Justice and Equality in the Bay Area, who is is a board member of the 80-20 Initiative.
    CALIFORNIA FACTOR
    The 80-20 Initiative — named for its goal of getting 80 percent of Asian-Americans to vote as a bloc — chose Clinton in California because the group believed she would fully enforce a 1965 White House executive order prohibiting discrimination in government employment and contracts. The group has since announced that it will remain neutral, after Obama noted that he, too, would enforce the executive order.
    Lee said Asian-Americans may have also supported Clinton because she was involved in a proposed amendment to a federal immigration bill last year that would have helped reunite families that have been separated. "It really showed her willingness to help," he said.
    Keith Kamisugi, communications director of the Equal Justice Society in San Francisco, believes many Asian-American voters went for Clinton in California because they were more familiar with her history than Obama's and were influenced by endorsements and Asian-American media.
    In Hawai'i, Clinton has been endorsed by U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, the state's top Democrat, and state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, D-21st (Nanakuli, Makaha), along with the Hawai'i Government Employees Association and other labor unions.
    But Kamisugi, who was born in Hawai'i and went to Mililani High School, does not believe Clinton will get the same level of support from Asian-Americans in the Islands as she did in California.
    "In Hawai'i, Asian and Pacific islander cultures are the mainstream culture. That's not the case, even here in San Francisco," he said. "You don't judge voting in Hawai'i by Asian-American standards.
    "To me, Hawai'i is Asian America."
    Kamisugi and several other Hawai'i transplants on the Mainland, including actress Kelly Hu, are coming to the Islands this weekend to campaign for Obama.
    PUNAHOU PANACHE?
    Eric Byler, an independent filmmaker who graduated from Moanalua High School and now lives in Virginia, has been doing outreach for Obama among Asian-American and Latino voters, who have been trending toward Clinton.
    "I think we're just beginning to awaken to the political power that we have," Byler said of Asian-Americans nationally. "In Hawai'i, they're accustomed to having an active role in politics. I think those who want to see a more participatory democracy, and those who want to see young people and people of color, and just see a more vigilant and involved electorate, those people are supporting Obama for obvious reasons.
    "But the more passive consumers are sort of sticking with this idea that we can go back to the '90s and pretend the Bush administration never happened."
    While issues of race and gender have influenced the nomination campaign, one theme that has not been brought up much in Hawai'i so far is social class. In a state where high-school allegiances often surface in casual conversation, the fact that Obama went to exclusive Punahou may be interesting to class-conscious voters.
    "Anytime you hear that somebody went to Punahou, you're thinking, 'Oh that guy, he's a rich guy. He's got all the breaks in life.' Silver spoon, that sort of thing," said comedian Paul Ogata, who was born in Hawai'i and went to Pearl City High School and now lives in Los Angeles. "But when you hear of Obama's story it really speaks to the opposite of that. I think, anyway."


2/7/08 New America Media: “Did Asian Americans Swing California for Clinton ?”
By Kenneth Kim
    Editor’s Note: Asian Americans flexed their muscle on Super Tuesday, and emerged as a swing voter bloc in California , where Asian American voters make up 8 percent of the Democratic electorate, reports NAM staff writer Kenneth Kim.
    Asian Americans are about 8 percent of the Democratic voters but might have emerged as the new swing vote that helped Hillary Clinton win California . According to a CNN exit poll, about 75 percent of Asian voters cast their ballots for Clinton compared to 23 percent for Obama. In the days leading up to Super Tuesday, Obama had narrowed Clinton ’s lead to such an extent that the Asian vote suddenly became pivotal though there was very little advertising in Asian media. With Asians throwing their support behind her, Clinton carried 54 percent of the Democratic electorate in the Golden State , leading Obama by 14 percent in the state and significantly increasing her delegate count.
    “Overwhelming Asian support is not surprising,” says David Lee, the executive director of Chinese American Voters' Education Committee (CAVEC), a non-partisan group in San Francisco . “She invested in building a good relationship with the Asian American community.  In contrast, Obama refused to answer questions regarding the advancement of Asian Americans.”
    The 80-20 Initiative, a political action committee dedicated to winning equal opportunity and justice for all Asian Americans through a swing bloc vote, asked all presidential candidates to answer the following questions last year: If elected, are you going to increase the number of Asian Americans in the federal judiciary? Are you going to enforce executive order 11246 to ensure equal opportunity for Asian Americans in work places?
    Clinton and John Edwards committed to promote Asian American interests by answering yes to all of the questions, but none of the Republican candidates replied. Surprisingly, Obama declined as well.
    According to the 80-20 Initiative’s website, Obama replied Yes to the questions only after the group modified the wording of two questions about appointing Asian Americans as federal judges. By then the group had already endorsed Clinton for the Super Tuesday primaries.
    Obama did galvanize a younger generation of voters.  Indian-American actor Kal Penn of "Harold and Kumar" fame campaigned for him and the group South Asians for Obama campaigned for the Illinois senator at Bhangra parties and Bollywood dances. Little India Magazine broke with tradition and endorsed Obama before the primary, saying he was “the son of an immigrant, offers an exciting opportunity to take Americans, men and women, of all races and affiliations, to an exciting new place and time.”
    But others in the Asian American community credit Clinton for effectively utilizing her institutional strength in her campaign.
    Vivian Truong Gia, publisher of Viet Tribune, says she got to interview Hillary Clinton while Obama did little outreach to Asian Americans. Though the Vietnamese community traditionally votes Republican, many broke ranks to vote for Clinton , says Truong, because “we want America to be strong again and are disappointed with the last eight years. China has become dominant and the United States so weak overseas.” She thinks that if Obama actually secures the nomination many of those who voted for Clinton would end up voting for John McCain.
    “Clinton began interacting with and reaching out to Asian community through her network in the community earlier than other presidential candidates,” says Dae Jung Yoon, executive director of Korean Resource Center, a non-profit organization actively engaged in Korean American’s political empowerment. “The head start was reinforced by her name recognition in the Asian American community and put her at an advantage.”
    Chinese-language newspaper Sing Tao Daily also noted that many of this year's Asian and Latino voters became naturalized U.S. citizens during the Clinton administrations between 1992 and 2000, and that Hillary Clinton helping her husband campaign for presidency years ago in the Asian community added to her positive recognition. Sing Tao also said Asian women were particularly anxious to vote for a woman as president.
    The enthusiasm of these new voters was obvious, says Yoon at the Korean Resource Center . According to Yoon, between 7:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., nearly 500 calls were made to the Korean hotline, a record-breaking number in its 13-year history, and more than 100 people with various questions visited the center. Most of the callers and visitors asked about the location of their polling place and ways to obtain provisional ballots.
    “Our handful of staff was completely exhausted by the afternoon. I’ve never seen this level of interest in a primary election,” says Yoon.
    Asians, currently 5 percent of the U.S. population, are often ignored as a small community that is not very politically engaged. But it is one of the fastest growing population groups in the country. By 2050, Asian Americans are expected to grow by 213 percent to 33.4 million from 14.4 million, according to the U.S. Census. The population is also becoming increasingly politically active. Weekly newspaper India West ran dueling op-eds in support of Clinton and Obama from Indian Americans before the primary. Vida Benavides, chair of APIAVote, a non-partisan organization promoting Asian civic engagement, said in a press release that Asian American voices “will definitely be heard in electing the next president of the United States .”
    Despite Clinton ’s California triumph, under rules that award 370 nominating delegates on a proportional basis, both candidates are still in a virtual delegate tie as the primaries move on to other states.
    “It’s too premature to conclude that Asians made a difference because both parties still haven’t nominated their presidential candidates,” cautions CAVEC’s Lee. “However, this primary proved the possibility that when Asian Americans participate in the political process, they can make a difference.”
    Andrew Lam, Sandip Roy and Jun Wang contributed to this report.


2/7/08 San Francisco Chronicle: “How Clinton won California ,”
By Zachary Coile
    "Asians were a surprise," said Bruce Cain, director of the University of California 's Washington Center .  "It's the first (presidential) election we have seen where Asian voters were a big factor. They are about 8 percent of the Democratic electorate.... The two major immigrant groups voted for Clinton as opposed to the candidate who has the immigrant background."

2/7/08 American Chronicle: “Asian American Pacific Islanders Deliver Hillary's Super Tuesday Win,”
By Elena Ong 
    Super Tuesday.
    It was a big win for Hillary Clinton, and a big win for Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).
    By February 5, more than half of Asian American Pacific Islanders in states across America had the opportunity to cast their vote for the next President of the United States .
    To realize the power of the AAPI vote, AAPIs for Hillary organized the AAPI vote in Nevada , and AAPIs for Hillary set a goal of delivering four big Super Tuesday wins for Hillary.
    The result?
    Hillary won Nevada , California , New Jersey , New York and Massachusetts .
    California was Super Tuesday's biggest prize.
    Asian American Pacific Islanders, who are 8% of California 's vote base, delivered Hillary's votes, 3 to 1. Three-quarters (75%) of AAPIs voted for Hillary, delivering Hillary's California win.
    Latinos, who are 30% of California 's vote base, delivered Hillary's votes, 2:1. Sixty-nine percent (69%) of Latinos voted for Hillary, delivering Hillary's California win.
    Women, and Whites, also delivered Hillary's California win.
    As one of the Southern California Co-Chairs of AAPIs for Hillary, and a Member of the Women for Hillary Leadership Council, I'm thrilled that AAPIs, who comprise 8% of California 's electorate, gave Hillary Clinton the bolus needed to win, by more than a margin, but by a landslide!
    After all, Hillary Clinton is the #1 Choice of AAPIs.
    Of all the presidential candidates, Hillary has the respect of the AAPI community because she has a proven track record championing the issues AAPIs care about: quality education, the economy, job creation, universal health coverage/access, quality of life: housing/jobs/transportation/environmental balance, immigration policy, and constitutional rights (human rights, civil rights, voting rights, women's rights, etc.).
    Of all the presidential candidates, Hillary has the largest percent of AAPIs on her political staff. Her top policy advisor is Neera Tanden, an attorney of Indian-American descent.
    Of all the presidential candidates, Hillary has the largest number of endorsements from nationally renown AAPI elected officials, including former Governor Gary Locke* (WA), Governor Tagiola Tulafono ( America Samoa), US Senator Daniel Inouye (HI) and Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA).
    Of all the presidential candidates, Hillary stands head and shoulders above the rest with the endorsements of California's top AAPI electeds: Former Secretary of State March Fong Eu*, State Controller John Chiang, Board of Equalization Chair Judy Chu, Assemblymember Mike Eng, Assemblymember Warren Furutani, Assemblymember Mary Hayashi, Assemblymember Fiona Ma and Assemblymember Alberto Torrico; City/County Officials Hon. Henry Chang (Oakland), Hon. Clara Chu (San Francisco), Hon. David Lau (Monterey Park), Hon. Otto Lee (Sunnyvale), Hon. Laura Lee (Cerritos), Hon. Evan Low (Campbell), Hon. Polly Low (Rosemead), Hon. Suja Lowenthal (Long Beach), Hon. Henry Manayan* (Milpitas), Hon. Madison Nguyen (San Jose), Hon. Jean Quan (Oakland), Hon. Phil Ting (Oakland), Hon. Kris Wang (Cupertino), Hon. Judy Wong (Temple City), and Hon. Anthony Wong (Monterey Park), and Community College/School Board Leaders Hon. Edwin Chau (Montebello), Hon. Victor King (Glendale), Hon. KimOanh Nguyen-Lam ( Garden Grove ), Hon. Mark Pulido ( Cerritos ), Hon. Anna Song ( Santa Clara ), and Hon. Tony Vang ( Fresno ).
    Of all the presidential candidates, Hillary has the largest and most diverse national organization of Asian American Pacific Islanders for Hillary, which includes community leaders of Cambodian-American, Chinese-American, Filipino-American, Hmong-American, Indian-American, Japanese-American, Korean-American, Middle Eastern-American, Pacific Islander, Taiwanese-American, Thai-American and Vietnamese-American descent.
    Hillary's Super Tuesday Victory in California is a tribute to the leadership of Irene Bueno, the National Consultant to AAPIs for Hillary, and the network of AAPIs for Hillary nationally, and in California, who worked together to deliver 75% of California's AAPI Vote for Hillary Clinton for President: AAPIs for Hillary Co-Chairs Raj Anand, Alice Bulos, Hon. John Chiang, Hon. Judy Chu, Hon. Mike Eng, Hon. Mary Hayashi, Hon. Otto Lee, Hon. Suja Lowenthal, Hon. Fiona Ma, Hon. Henry Manayan*, Hon. Doris Matsui, Hon. KimOanh Nguyen-Lam, Elena Ong, Jim Park, Mona Pasquil, Dang Pham, Julie Soo, Trung Ta, and Alicia Wang by writing op-eds, being surrogate speakers, reaching out to AAPI Voters at Hillary rallies, compelling AAPI voters at Presidential Debates, and participating as "AAPI Voices Across America" conducting Merchant Walks and "In-Language" GOTV in Arabic, Braille, Cambodian, Cantonese, English, Hindi, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog, Thai, Urdu and Vietnamese, in California's AAPI communities in Alhambra, Cerritos, Chinatown, Historic Filipinotown, Fresno, J-town, Koreatown, Little Tokyo, Little Saigon, Milpitas, Monterey Park, Montebello, Oakland, Pasadena, Rosemead, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, Silicon Valley, Temple City, Thaitown and West Covina, to achieve Super Tuesday's win, and AAPIs for Hillary Leaders and Super Volunteers Junelle Cavero, Sandy Hoa Dang, Trung Dang, Jonathan Geaga, Joselyn Geaga Rosenthal, Sumi Haru, Emma Hilario, Melissa Hilario, E. Huang, Mani Kang, Hon. Laura Lee, Guila Maramba, Ferial Masry, Greg Matsunami, Hon. Mark Pulido, Mony Sing, Hoa Tran, Ken Trumkul and P Wang.
    Together, Team California delivered California 's vote for Hillary: 75% of AAPI voters, 69% of Latino voters, a majority of Women and White voters, and a significant number of Native American, African-American, young, middle aged, elderly, youth, and LGBT voters.
    That's why, today, AAPIs throughout America are celebrating Lunar New Year with Super Tuesday wins!
    As we begin the Lunar New Year, we are poised to win Washington, Maryland and Hawaii for Hillary. At the same time, we must continue to build our base of AAPI voters throughout California. because California's AAPIs account for nearly 40% of America's AAPI vote.
    In November 2004, two-thirds of California's 1.1 million AAPI voters voted for the Democratic nominee, so it's even more important that on November 4, 2008, we set a goal to register and empower 2.5 million California AAPIs to vote for Hillary Clinton.


1/28/08: “Why I Support Hillary Clinton,”
by California Board of Equalization Vice Chair Judy Chu.
    I support Senator Hillary Clinton for President of the United States . Hillary is the best candidate for Asian Pacific Americans and for all Americans. She will return this country to the path of progress. She has a proven track record as an advocate on behalf of America ’s real needs, and will be ready to lead on Day One.
    I know that for change to happen, the next person in the White House must be a proven national leader. That person must be strong, intelligent, and compassionate. Hillary Clinton is all of those things.
    Hillary Clinton has an extraordinary amount of experience on the national level as a sitting Senator of our nation. She has 35 years of commitment to public service. She has been through many trying times. Not only did she survive, she has emerged a tough and experienced fighter, and I know that she will fight for us. She will work to help college students get a quality and affordable education, help working people by creating good jobs with good pay, and help the uninsured get the healthcare they need.
    Though she is tough, she is also compassionate. When she graduated from law school, she could have become wealthy working for a corporation. Instead, she chose to work for the Children’s Defense Fund, helping abused and neglected children. Her compassion has been a hallmark of her service all these years.
    But it is her commitment to diversity that impresses me the most. It is not enough to talk in generalities about bringing people together. Instead, one must look at a person’s actions. In her campaign, she was the first to start an API outreach office. An analysis of presidential campaign staffs found hers to be the most diverse, and to have the most Asian Americans. A national Asian American political advocacy group, 80-20, sent a list of 6 questions to all the presidential candidates on such issues as fighting workplace discrimination against Asian Americans and nominating Asian Americans to federal judgeships. Because of her willingness to commit, she earned the sole endorsement of the group.
    Hillary has taken the lead in policy issues important to APA’s, including making family reunification a priority in immigration reform. Many Asian Americans have been the victim of international politics. She has met with over 80 world leaders, is experienced in foreign affairs and will bring America back to its position as a respected world leader. It is no wonder that out of all the presidential candidates, she has the greatest number of endorsements from APA elected officials, including Senator Dan Inouye, Congresswoman Doris Matsui, former Governor Gary Locke and State Controller John Chiang.
    As one of California ’s top 12 state constitutional officers and an elected woman myself, I deeply appreciate the strength that Hillary had to possess to get to this historic point in time. Her strength is what this country needs right now.
    Hillary is our best and brightest chance for a better life for all Americans. She deserves to be the next President of the United States .
    - Judy Chu, Vice Chair, California State Board of Equalization & California Co-Chair, Hillary Clinton for President

1/21/08 Asian Week: “Choosing Sides in the Democratic Presidential Race,”
by Maeley Tom
    On Feb. 5, California has a rare opportunity to play a significant role in the presidential primary races.
    Asian American and Pacific Islanders, the second largest ethnic community in California , will be courted like never before. The same goes for other states with a high concentration of AAPI voters, such as New York, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey, Nevada, and of course, Hawai‘i.
    I have been following the top three Democratic presidential campaigns — Clinton, Edwards and Obama — with great interest. Each candidate’s platform shares the same commitment to specific issues of concern to the AAPI, whether it be the Iraq war crisis, the economy, diversity within the administration, immigration reform, family reunification, education, affordable health care, or hate crimes and racial profiling. The candidates’ approaches to these issues vary, but their end goals are the same.
    All three campaigns are engaged with the AAPI communities and have hired key AAPIs in their campaigns. However, I still feel that the AAPI community does not get its fair share of resources, public visibility and personal attention from presidential campaigns as a whole. The impact of this community’s voting bloc will be realized when election results demonstrate that this community’s vote can actually make a difference between victory and defeat in key states with the largest number of electoral votes. But, it is up to this community to deliver the votes to make the impact.
    The line-up of AAPI supporters for each candidate demonstrates that the community is divided among the three Democratic candidates, based on supporters’ perception of the candidates’ experience, public policies, character and relationship with the AAPI community.
    AAPI for Clinton : Hillary Clinton launched her “AAPIs for Hillary” committee by naming Congresswoman Doris Matsui national co-chair of the AAPI outreach efforts.
    They rolled out an ambitious outreach plan focusing on six states/regions headed up by established political names. In California , co-chairs include state Controller John Chiang; Board of Equalization member Judy Chu; Assembly members Michael Eng, Mary Hayashi and Fiona Ma; and California Democratic Party Vice Chairwoman Alicia Wang.
    Northern California co-chairs include Otto Lee, mayor of Sunnyvale ; Henry Manayan, former mayor of Milpitas ; and Mona Pasquil, former deputy political director for the “Kerry-Edwards 2004” campaign. Southern California co-chairs include Rajen Anand, chair of the National Federation of Indian American Associations; Charmaine Manansala, former senior policy analyst for the White House Initiative on AAPIs; and Elena Ong and Julie Soo, former officers of the California Democratic Party.
    The former Clinton administration appointed one of the largest concentrations of high-level White House AAPIs in history. Many of these former community- based appointees are active in this campaign. Irene Bueno, a former appointee and founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Asian American Action Fund, is a key consultant with the campaign.

1/18/2008 Alameda Times-Star: “Asian-American political action committee picks Clinton : Group feels snubbed by Obama,”
By Josh Richman, Staff Writer
    Oakland - A national political action committee aimed at unifying the Asian-American vote is supporting Hillary Clinton because Barack Obama snubbed its questions, members said Friday. 
    The 80-20 Initiative will urge thousands of voters in its affiliated organizations to pick Clinton in Feb. 5's Democratic presidential primary, and has committed $30,000 to advertising on her behalf in the Asian ethnic media.
    ``80-20 has been more than fair, bent over backwards four different times'' to reach out to Obama, 80-20 board member Joel Wong of San Francisco - a former Chinese American Political Association president - said at a news conference Friday in the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.
    Obama's reticence ``shows that he has no respect for us working together,'' he added.
    Obama spokeswoman Debbie Mesloh, in an e-mailed statement Friday, expressed regret that they couldn't come to terms with 80-20 over the wording of its questions.
    ``We regret that after working with the 80/20 organization for weeks to ensure that Senator Obama's record of standing up for equality and standing up for Asian Americans was represented to the community at large, leaders on the 80-20 Committee modified questions to suit the purposes of other campaigns as they shut off a dialogue with ours,'' Mesloh said in the statement.
    80-20 asked candidates three questions on curbing discrimination _ especially workplace ``glass ceilings'' _ and three on appointing more Asian American federal trial and circuit judges. Clinton, John Edwards, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd and Mike Gravel responded affirmatively to all, but Obama balked.
    Wong said he understands Obama's hesitation to sign anything that could be construed to involve racial quotas, but the questions were redesigned - with the Clinton campaign's input - to reject such quotas and five white Democratic candidates' unequivocal support has made it ``safe'' for Obama to follow suit.
    Founded in 1999, 80-20 seeks equal opportunity for Asian Americans by trying to unite them into a voting bloc candidates can't ignore, ideally directing 80 percent of the community's votes and money to a single presidential contender.
    ``What we're looking at is the big picture,'' 80-20 board member Frank Lee, also president of the Organization for Justice & Equality, said Friday. He said the decision to back Clinton is less an endorsement than an effort ``to stop any candidate who does not want to work with us.''
    ``This is very cold, very strategic, not emotional,'' added Wong. ``(Obama) is very charismatic... but just because a person is a minority doesn't mean he's going to do a lot of good for minority people.''
    Wong said 80-20 California 's Democratic primary offered the most bang for the buck: a large Asian-American population in a state sending a lot of delegates to the convention. Also, he noted, most Asian Americans register as Democrats or without any party affiliation, and unaffiliated voters can vote in the Democratic primary but not in the GOP's. Clinton campaign spokesman Luis Vizcaino said Friday that she ``is honored to have the endorsement of 80-20. The Asian American and Pacific Islander community has a critical voice that will never go unheard when she is President.''
    Unifying an ethnic vote is easier said than done, Friday's news conference proved. Author and freelance writer Bill Wong, a former Oakland Tribune columnist and editor, challenged 80-20's strategy as ``understandable but narrow-minded'' and ``frankly rather shallow.''
    ``I do believe you are unrealistic to support Hillary Clinton when you say you're a nonpartisan organization,'' he said, adding he believes Obama is most likely to respect and protect diversity.

12/11/07: from 80/20 Initiative: 
http://www.80-20initiative.net/news/preselect2008.asp 

Senator Clinton answered yes to each of the following.

Therefore, we, Asian Pacific Americans, wish to know your answers to the following questions: 

(1) If elected, will you direct the Labor Secretary to hold public hearings regarding the validity of the huge amount of statistical data strongly suggesting discriminatory practices against Asian Americans in workplaces today?

(2) If the data were shown valid, will you issue a directive to the Labor Department asking it to focus on enforcing Executive Order 11246 on behalf of Asian Americans, since in the past similar efforts have already been made on behalf of women and other minorities?

(3) Two years after you have issued the directive described in item 2, will you meet with a group of Asian American leaders, put together jointly by 80-20 and the Labor Department, to review the progress in extending equal opportunity to Asian Ams?

(4) If elected, will you within your first term of office increase the nomination of qualified Asian Americans to serve as Article III life-tenured federal judges, such that the number of such judges is proportionate to HALF the number of Asian Americans in the United States?

(5) If elected, will you nominate within your first term of office qualified Asian Americans to serve as Article III Circuit Judges?

(6) If elected, will you consider appointing a qualified AsAm to the Supreme Court, when a vacancy occurs? Two years upon your taking the office, will you meet with a group of AsAm leaders, put together jointly by 80-20 and other AsAm national organization to review the progress in adding AsAm Federal judges?


11/30/07 statement to 80-20 Initiative
"As president, Hillary Clinton will be strongly committed to ensuring that Asian 
Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are well represented throughout her 
Administration and in the nominations she makes to federal judgeships. She 
recognizes that AAPIs have historically been underrepresented, especially in 
federal judgeships, and as President she will actively seek out qualified AAPIs 
for these important roles. She will also ensure that the federal government works 
to extend equal opportunity to all AAPIs. She will use all the powers of the 
presidency to ensure that discrimination against AAPIs is prosecuted, including 
the use of Executive action. Hillary Clinton looks forward to working with groups 
in the AAPI community like the 80-20 Initiative to further the promise of equality 
and inclusion." 


10/24/07 Washington Post blog: The Trail: A Daily Diary of Campaign 2008: “Advocacy Group Consulted With Clinton Campaign on Critique,”
by Matthew Mosk
    When a non partisan advocacy group for Asian Americans released a statement decrying recent news reports about questionable contributions Sen. Hillary Clinton raised in Chinatown, the timing and the message could not have been better for the Clinton campaign.
    The group's concerns about racial profiling by the media bolster a similar case the Clinton campaign was making in response to reports in the Los Angeles Times and, subsequently, the New York Post, about irregularities in the contributions from scores of donors in Chinatown . Several identifying themselves as "cooker" or "dishwasher" had donated $1,000 to the Clinton campaign. Other donors came from addresses where, upon closer inspection, they could not be located. Howard Wolfson, a campaign spokesman, responded to the news accounts by telling reporters "Asian-Americans in Chinatown and Flushing have the same right to contribute as every other American."  The next day, the group, Asian & Pacific Islander American Vote, released a statement that questioned any reports that would take issue with contributions just because they came from donors with Asian surnames. In the release Vida Benavides, "cautioned the media for suggesting that legal permanent residents who donate to campaigns should be suspect" and called reports about Clinton 's Chinatown fundraising "misleading and irresponsible reporting." What Benavides did not disclose is that she and three other members of the group's 12-member board had worked in the 1990s either for the Democratic National Committee under Clinton 's campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe or for the Clinton administration. Christine Chen, the group's spokeswoman, also said in an interview that she had discussed the planned press release with the Clinton campaign prior to emailing it to reporters. "I did touch base with the Clinton folks to find out, what are they hearing, and how are they reacting," Chen said.  "We did not ask them to put out a statement," said Phil Singer, a Clinton campaign spokesman. "We heard from a number of people who were outraged about the report and the way it characterized the Asian American community." Chen said she called the Clinton campaign, as well as contacts in the campaigns of Barack Obama and John Edwards, because she wanted to urge them to avoid a repeat of the tarring that Asian American donors took in the 1990s in conncetion with contributions made to Bill Clinton. Chen said it took 10 years to get over the scandals of 1996. "Our community is just now starting to engage again in voter participation."

10/23/07 Washington Post blog: The Trail: A Daily Diary of Campaign 2008: “ Clinton 's Chinatown Donors Scrutinized,”
by Matthew Mosk
    An advocacy group for Asian Americans has lashed out at recent media scrutiny of several hundred thousand dollars in contributions that Hillary Clinton raised in New York 's Chinatown .
    Asian & Pacific Islander American Vote, a non-partisan civic engagement organization, issued a press release last night calling the "undue scrutiny on a specific ethnic subgroup" an example of "negligent journalism."
    The release came in the days after the Los Angeles Times and, subsequently, the New York Post, reported on irregularities in the contributions Clinton received from scores of donors in Chinatown . Several identifying themselves as "cooker" or "dishwasher" had donated $1,000 to the Clinton campaign. Other donors came from addresses where, upon closer inspection, they could not be located.
    Prior to the published reports, the Clinton campaign had returned $7,000 in contributions from Chinatown donors when the campaign was unable to verify the identities of the donors. When the L.A. Times story broke, the campaign questioned whether reporters were drawing on the donors' ethnic backgrounds when examining the contributions. 
    "Asian-Americans in Chinatown and Flushing have the same right to contribute as every other American," Howard Wolfson, a campaign spokesman, told several newspapers.
    The reaction from the Washington-based Asian American advocacy group was similar. Members of the group took issue with a particular aspect of the donations that reporters drew attention to -- namely, that many of the immigrant donors were giving Clinton large sums without having been registered to vote. 
    Vida Benavides, the group's chair, "cautioned the media for suggesting that legal permanent residents who donate to campaigns should be suspect because they have not yet earned their right to vote," calling that "misleading and is irresponsible reporting," according to the press release. 
    The Chinatown stories mark the second time this year that the Clinton campaign has been forced to answer questions about vetting of contributions. The other incident also involved an Asian American immigrant, Norman Hsu. Hsu had become one of the Clinton campaign's most prodigious fundraisers. After discovering that Hsu was a fugitive from justice, the Clinton campaign returned more than $800,000 in contributions he had raised, including a considerable amount from ethnic Chinese donors.
    The unwanted attention has clearly been weighing on members of the Asian American advocacy group.
    Improper activities warrant attention, the statement from the group said. Yet, "in the past, Asian Americans have been criticized for not participating enough in the political process," said Noelani Kalipi, an APIAVote board member. "It is ironic, we are being attacked for doing exactly what citizens are supposed to do: exercise their rights and fulfill their responsibilities."  



10/22/07 Chung Seto Responds to L.A. Times
Dear Editor:
    I am, Chung Seto, the “woman” and “key figure” that Tom Hamburger referred to in his article about fundraising in New York’s Chinatown (October 19, 2007).
    I am dismayed by his derogatory portrayal of my community and the unflattering characterizations that the motives of Chinatown residents to support a particular presidential candidate should be suspect.
    I am an Asian-American. I immigrated to America with my parents and grew up in the Chinatown community where I live today. I am the beneficiary of years of successful community activism by others who worked to assimilate new arrivals with translation services that enhanced the academic success of our children.
    Some of those activists were my mentors and their legacy is represented in a thousand successful stories about Chinatown sons and daughters, grandsons and grand daughters who have earned college degrees, work as professionals and contribute to society.
    This is the same legacy that over the years has integrated Chinatown into New York political life; a milestone whose significance is something that Mr. Hamburger certainly fails to grasp when he writes that my community is an “unlikely treasure-trove of donors for Clinton ” or any other political candidate.
    Our nation’s ‘chinatowns’ have a history unknown to most Americans but they became enclaves for hundreds of thousands of Chinese immigrants during the nineteenth century. Poverty and the marginalization imposed by cultural and language differences are well known, which is why I spent more than an hour speaking with the reporter prior to the article’s publication, describing at length my own community activism in Chinatown and my experience in Democratic politics. During the conversation, I questioned the reporter’s assertion that Asian American donors in Chinatown are “unlikely” suspects and “unpromising targets” because many of them work as dishwashers, cooks and waiters.
    His view would make us feel ashamed. My view is just the opposite.
    Maybe our apartment buildings aren’t as luxurious as the homes in zip code 90210, but my hard working neighbors contributed a record $6 billion in deposits in Chinatown ’s banks. (See NY Sun, 12 October, 2007).
    The conclusion in his story portrays a lack of understanding about my neighbors. Honest mistakes in fundraising happen for every candidate, but to attribute the political will of Asian-Americans to arm-twisting of unwitting donors is galling. The implication that my Chinatown neighbors are too poor and too ill-informed to make a choice on their own is demeaning. Mr. Hamburger’s thesis reminds me, once again, that Asian-American immigrants remain an exotic curiosity in our adopted country. Because had he explored this subject honestly, he would have discovered that we are no more exotic than the Italians, Irish and others who filled the same tenement apartments a century ago.
    Rather than jump to conclusions, he would have found a community of competent — not impotent — residents. Had he taken the time to understand us, he would have learned how the sacrifices of dishwashers, waiters and cooks who pay tuitions resulting in Ivy League educations for their children can also contribute to the most important Presidential election in my lifetime.
— Chung Seto

10/22/07 Newsday: “Clinton defends questionable fundraising,”
by Glenn Thrush
    Washington - A defiant Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton says she has no intention of curtailing her fundraising in the Chinese community despite reports that she accepted cash from dozens of questionable donors in Chinatown earlier this year.
    The Los Angeles Times has reported that Clinton had received about 150 donations of between $500 and $2,000 each from dishwashers, street vendors and other low-wage workers. Of the contributions examined, one-third of the donors could not be found and a $1,000 donor denied giving a contribution, according to the report.
    "I represent New York and New York is a symbol of the success of immigrants coming to America," the senator told reporters Saturday after addressing supporters at the Oak Park Elementary School in Des Moines.
    "I am pleased to have a lot of first-generation American support as well as people who have been longtime involved in the political process ... I'm going to keep reaching out to everybody in our country. I want to be a president to everybody."
    Earlier this year, Clinton returned about $7,000 of about $380,000 raised during a fundraiser that targeted donors from China 's east coast after campaign officials raised red flags about the donors. It's not clear whether other refunds will be issued.
    The recent Chinatown story came to light a month after Clinton was forced to return more than $850,000 raised by accused scam artist Norman Hsu.
    The campaign has refused to return several hundred thousand Hsu raised for Clinton 's Senate re-election bid or for her pet political action committee Hill Pac.
    Some of Clinton 's "Hillraisers" - about 200 high-powered fundraisers who have pledged to bundle $100,000 or more for her - have questioned the campaign's vetting and screening procedures, which have been a continuing source of embarrassment, a person close to the campaign said yesterday.
    In response to the Chinatown controversy, rival John Edwards' campaign released a statement Friday calling the contributions "questionable" and claiming that the frontrunner's fundraising practices "are raising eyebrows again."
    Edwards, whose fundraising has trailed off in recent months, is the only top-tier Democrat to accept public financing in the primary.
    The Clinton campaign shot back at Edwards, questioning why his campaign has refused to return cash from lawyer Geoffrey Feiger, who was indicted for funneling cash illegally to Edwards.

10/19/07 press release: “Honda Statement on L.A. Time Campaign Donor Story,”
Washington , DC – Today, Congressman Mike Honda issued the following statement in response to the L.A. Times story (October 19, 2007), “An unlikely treasure-trove of donors for Clinton ”:
    “I am appalled by the irresponsible and biased portrayal of the Asian American immigrant community, published by the L.A. Times today.  The reporting unfairly attributes selected individual cases to an entire ethnic community in a major metropolitan area.  Such an unfair, sweeping, and negative portrayal has a significant chilling effect on the civic participation by all Asian Americans, who merely want their fair chance to participate in the American political process.  
    “This story has already spawned a barrage of racist reactions in the blogosphere and the airwaves and is sending chilling shockwaves through immigrant communities that are making commendable efforts to integrate into American life. There is no shortage of bigots chomping at the bit to trample over those who do not look, sound or act like them and it is a shame when a respectable publication such as the L.A. Times provides them with the fodder to do so.
    “While I sincerely hope the reporting is airtight, the story lacked responsible sensitivity and, at times, even strained to turn the commonplace into the mysterious. For example, the story describes “…a woman named Chung Seto, who came to this country as a child from Canton province...” Anyone who has ever spoken with Ms. Seto, who I’ve known for many years, knows that she’s as New York as one can get. The story, however, paints her as a mysterious foreign figure, when in fact she has been a longtime established leader within the New York Democratic Party and is well respected in Democratic circles nationally. 
    “Drawing a connection between the emerging political involvement of Asian Americans and individual cases of possibly suspect donations sends a strong message that the political participation of minority communities is undesired.  Minority communities in America have been shut out of the political process through poll taxes, literacy tests, and other tactics throughout our country’s history.  As leaders, we should be encouraging, not chilling, the legitimate involvement of underrepresented communities in our democracy.
    “Many times it is not so much what a story says, but what it insinuates, such as a link between Asian Americans and organized crime. The aftertaste of this story is that campaign financing is an Asian problem. If this was about fundraising, I failed to see anything about Mitt Romney’s campaign co-chair Alan Fabian, or other non-Asian American incidents.  Why are Asian Americans being singled out?  Unquestionably, there is room for improvement in campaign finance and the vetting process in this country and we should address this issue. However, this is a bi-partisan, American problem, not an Asian American problem.  To characterize it as such does injustice to our democracy.
    “Where I grew up, some people would call allegations without proof slander.  And if such allegations are made solely because the community is Asian American, it begins to feel a lot like racism.”

10/19/07 Los Angeles Times: “An unlikely treasure-trove of donors for Clinton ,”
by Peter Nicholas and Tom Hamburger
    New York -- Something remarkable happened at 44 Henry St. , a grimy Chinatown tenement with peeling walls. It also happened nearby at a dimly lighted apartment building with trash bins clustered by the front door.
    Clinton has enlisted the aid of Chinese neighborhood associations, especially those representing recent immigrants from Fujian province. The organizations, at least one of which is a descendant of Chinatown criminal enterprises that engaged in gambling and human trafficking, exert enormous influence over immigrants. The associations help them with everything from protection against crime to obtaining green cards. Clinton aides said they were concerned about some of the Chinatown contributions. Clinton "has done a lot for the Chinese community," he said.

10/5/07 press release: “California State Controller John Chiang Endorses Hillary Clinton: Chiang to Serve as California Co-Chair for Clinton Campaign,”
    The Clinton Campaign today announced the key endorsement of California State Controller John Chiang who will serve as Co-Chair of Clinton’s California Campaign. Chiang cited Clinton ’s sound economic policies and her commitment to creating well-paying new jobs as the reasons for his endorsement.
    “Hillary Clinton has the strength and experience to help our local, state and federal economies flourish,” said Controller Chiang. “I am pleased to join her team and I’m committed to helping get her elected.”
    As the chief fiscal officer for the eighth-largest economy in the world, Controller Chiang serves as the state’s independent fiscal watchdog and oversees more than $100 billion in annual receipts and disbursements of public funds. He uses his audit authority to uncover fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars and provides fiscal guidance to our local governments. He helps administer $400 billion in state pension funds and among many other duties, he serves on 76 state boards and commissions, with responsibilities ranging from protecting our coastline to helping build new hospitals.
    “I am honored to have the support of Controller John Chiang, a leader who believes that only by putting our country’s fiscal house in order can we ensure our future security and growth,” said Clinton .
    Chiang joins other state leaders in endorsing Hillary Clinton, including State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, State Senate President Don Perata and State Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez.

10/2/07 Press Release
“ San Francisco AAPI Leaders Endorse Hillary: Ting & Soo To Serve As California Co-Chairs Of AAPIs For Hillary,”
    10/2/2007 -- Hillary Clinton for President announced the endorsement of San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting and Julie D. Soo, chair of the California Democratic Party’s Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus today. Ting and Soo will serve as California co-chairs of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) for Hillary.
    "There is no doubt in my mind that out of all the Democratic candidates, Hillary Clinton is the one person most qualified to be the next President of the United States and I strongly support her candidacy," said Assessor-Recorder Ting. "As California Co-Chair, I will work to encourage the state’s AAPI community to support Hillary Clinton and cast their vote for her on February 5, 2008.
    According to the Census Bureau, the AAPI community is the fastest growing ethnic group in the country and currently represents five percent of the total population. In California alone, the number of AAPIs eligible to vote has more than doubled from 1990 to 2005. Currently, there are 2.5 million eligible AAPI voters in California , representing 12 percent of California voters.
    "The AAPI community has an opportunity to make a real difference in this presidential election, especially in California ," said Soo. "Hillary Clinton has the strength and experience to address the issues facing our community including improving education, providing all Americans with quality, affordable health care, and finally fixing our broken immigration system."
    Phil Ting was appointed as Assessor-Recorder in July 2005 and then subsequently won an election for the position in November 2005. As Assessor-Recorder, Ting is committed to improving city services and ensuring that taxes collected fund for departments including police, fire, public schools, health, neighborhood services, libraries and social programs.
    Soo was elected Statewide Chair of the California Democratic Party’s Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus in 2005 and was re-elected in 2007. In 2001, she joined the California Department of Insurance in as staff counsel and is charged with prosecuting enforcement cases among her regulatory duties.
    "I am honored to have the support of Phil Ting and Julie D. Soo and I’m pleased that they have agreed to serve as California Co-Chairs of AAPIs for Hillary," said Clinton . "I’m confident that with Phil and Julie’s leadership, we will run a very competitive campaign in California ."
    Phil Ting and Julie D. Soo join State Board of Equalization Member Judy Chu, California State Assemblywoman and Majority Whip Fiona Ma, Assemblymembers Michael Eng and Mary Hayashi as well as Alicia Wang, Vice Chair, Democratic National Committee as California co-chairs of AAPIs for Hillary.

9/24/07 www.counterpunch.org: “Yellow Money, Yellow Hoards: Norman Hsu is a Model Minority,”
by Malini Johar Schueller
http://www.counterpunch.org/schueller09242007.html
    Every campaign season seems to throw political pundits and journalists in a tizzy when sources of big donations are revealed to be Asian-Americans. When John Huang and other Chinese-Americans were revealed as fraudulent donors in Clinton 's second presidential bid, the March 1997 cover of National Review featured Clinton , Hillary and Gore in yellowface with various accoutrements like pigtails, coolie hats, and begging bowls. The point was that while Huang and his ilk might be de facto citizens but they were indisputably alien and other. It was not simply money to influence policy on China that was the problem; it was yellow money.
    Asian-Americans have always been seen as alien, as the yellow hordes who descended California in the late nineteenth century, ate too little, worked too hard, saved too much and therefore were a threat to the economic well being of the nation; as untrustworthy enemies who needed internment so the nation could be safe. Since the Sixties, however, Asian-Americans could be counted upon to be model minorities (as opposed to be irascible and demanding "bad" minorities such as African-Americans and Hispanics). In 1966, Berkeley sociologist William Peterson offered a diagnosis of Asian-Americans that was immensely pleasing to white America and self-defensively internalized by many Asian-Americans. Internment, he argued, had not hampered Japanese-Americans but rather enhanced their determination to succeed.
    Japanese-Americans were model minorities because they worked hard, expected nothing in return, respected authority, didn't complain, and stayed away from crime. Soon, most Asian-Americans were labeled model minorities. Almost half a century later, although young Asian Americans are being seen as constituting a nerd peril at Ivy League universities, the need for white America to see Asian-Americans as model minorities continues.
    Enter Norman Hsu, New York businessman, mega donor to the Democrats and the Hillary Clinton campaign, a fugitive with a fifteen year old outstanding warrant for defrauding investors since he failed to show up in San Mateo County courtroom. So what's so unusual about a possible crook being a major political donor? To a public weary with the machinations and political coziness of the Halliburtons and Bechtels, Hsu should hardly be big news. But if the consummate (if criminal) political businessman whose political donations help him raise money for his investment schemes is Asian-American, our racial roadmaps go haywire. Hsu looks almost white and we can't let that happen.
    But if we think hard enough, we can see that Hsu is simply a model minority who knows his place. Hence the September 16, 2007 article in the New York Times: "Troubled Fund-Raiser's Wallet Matched His Need to Please."  Even though Hsu's business motivations are mentioned in the article ­ Hsu's political status "helped him raise money for his investment schemes"­ this little nugget is buried within the larger story of the troubled Hsu's motives. We are relieved because Hsu can't be confused with white/insider. He is the perpetual alien, the weirdo, who desperately wants in but has no demands. As the New York Times puts it, "Norman Hsu was desperate for invitations" but once he got in, he "seemed awkward and out of place." He donated generously but "appeared to want nothing in return." He was "eager to please," "never said no" and hardly sought acknowledgment. Political acquaintances either remembered his awkwardness, their discomfort at being with him, his nervous mannerisms, his unintelligible speech or barely recalled him. The bottom line was "He wouldn't ask for anything." In case we were worried we were losing a minority that was undemanding, unthreatening and in its place, we can all relax. Criminal or not, we can be relieved knowing that Hsu confirms the existence of a model minority.
    Malini Johar Schueller is a professor at the department of English at the University of Florida where she teaches courses on American literature culture. She is the author of U.S. Orientalisms and most recently, " Exceptional State : Contemporary US Culture and the New Imperialism," published by Duke University Press in June 2007.

 
8/31/07 www.politico.com: “Asian-Americans angry at GOP focus on Hsu,” 
by Ben Smith
    An Asian-American civil rights group and the lawyer for embattled Hillary Clinton fundraiser Norman Hsu responded sharply Thursday to Republican efforts to link the case to scandals involving other Asian-American donors to Bill Clinton more than a decade ago. 
    "It would be wholly inappropriate to link this in any way to the '96 campaign cycle investigations, just because both involve Asian-Americans," said Lawrence Barcella, a lawyer for Hsu, who is a top donor to Hillary Clinton and other Democrats. 
    The Los Angeles Times reported this week that Hsu is a fugitive from fraud charges in California , and a Wall Street Journal article suggested he was funneling his contributions through another family, the Paws, which could be a violation of campaign finance law. 
    "If the Republicans are pushing that, Larry Craig isn't the only one that has a wide stance," said Barcella, referring to the Republican senator who used the term to defend suspicious behavior in a men's room. 
    The Republican National Committee's research department sent reporters a document Wednesday titled "Re-Living History: Hilary's Fugitive Fundraiser," and referring to the newspaper reports about Hsu, who was born in Hong Kong . 
    The first seven paragraphs of the RNC release mention three Asian-American donors convicted in Democratic Party fundraising investigations: Ray Jinnah, Johnny Chung, and Charlie Trie. 
    On Thursday, the RNC circulated the transcript of an interview with conservative commentator John Fund, who said that in the 1990s Clinton donors had "fle[d] the country" to avoid scandals and mentioned another Democrat convicted in a campaign finance investigation, John Huang. 
    Accusation of prejudice 
    A spokesman for the Republican National Committee, Dan Ronayne, denied that the documents had any ethnic edge. 
    "No, of course not," he said, noting that the name of one non-Asian, Marc Rich, appears lower in the release. "It's about questionable fundraising." 
    But the executive director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund in New York , Margaret Fung, sharply criticized the RNC document, after being shown it by a reporter. 
    "It links Norman Hsu and the Paw family to other Asian-American donors in previous campaigns, solely because of their race. It insinuates that Asian-Americans are more prone to making improper donations and have been doing this for years. What is this obsession with Asian-American donors?" she asked, adding that she had no information on Hsu's specific guilt or innocence. "Does this fit into a broader political strategy of stirring up anti-immigrant sentiments?" 
    An official at the Asian American Justice Center in Washington, Terry Ao, declined to comment specifically on the RNC documents. 
    "Mr. Hsu should be held accountable to the extent that he has engaged in any illegal fundraising activities and to the extent that he has outstanding legal issues to address," he said. 
    "However, we hope that the attention to this matter remain focused on the facts specific to the situation and does not veer into wild speculations due to his ethnic identity." 
    Clinton aides did not respond to request for comment on Hsu, but Hillary Clinton said on Thursday her campaign was returning his money because of the outstanding warrant for his arrest. 
    Tantalizing but unproven 
    The investigations that followed the 1996 Clinton reelection campaign have been a touchstone for Clinton critics ever since. A Justice Department task force charged at least 27 people with a variety of violations of campaign finance and other laws, which included spending foreign funds in American elections. 
    But the most tantalizing allegations – of Chinese government meddling in American politics – were never proven. 
    The scandal largely dropped from the news and from the interest of Republican members of Congress, perhaps because it failed to meet the high expectations some Republicans set for it.
    The investigation was led in part by then-Senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee , who is expected to announce next week he is running for president. 
    Fund, the Wall Street Journal writer quoted by the RNC in its e-mail, defended the Republicans' stance this week. 
    He called the Asian-American references "a coincidence and a distraction from the real scandals of the McAuliffe-Ickes reign in the 1996 Clinton campaign – a complete breakdown of standards: selling access to the Oval Office to the Lincoln Bedroom sleepovers" as well as the charges against donors and fundraisers. 
    Rivals in Clinton 's own party have also referred to the Clinton-era practice of opening the White House to Democratic mega-donors in the 1990s. 
    Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards said this month that "the Lincoln Bedroom is not for rent." A spokesman for Illinois Senator Barack Obama, Robert Gibbs, also referred to the Lincoln bedroom earlier this year. 
    Another Obama spokesman said Thursday the Obama campaign had given Hsu's donation to charity and asked the Paw family to affirm the money they donated was in fact theirs.

8/29/07 www.philippinenews.com: “From NY to DC, ‘Hillraisers’ pool funds for Clinton ,” 
by Anne Branigin
    WASHINGTON D.C. — It is an early Sunday afternoon at Mei Wah Restaurant in Washington , D.C. , where a small crowd congregates around the small TV perched on a table. Glasses of Chardonnay in hand and plates of fried rice and lo mein on their laps, they watch a recorded video from earlier that morning.
    They are men and women, ranging in age from early 20s to 60 and over. They whoop and holler at the TV, clap, laugh and heckle, nod their heads in affirmation and grunt with puzzlement. Their fervor matches that of fans watching their rock stars performing. But this is not a concert; and the performers are not Jay-Z, Beyonce or Mariah Carey. It is a debate, and those on stage include Barack Obama, Joe Biden and John Edwards.
    And the star, the headliner, the main event? Hillary Rodham Clinton.
    On August 19th, this gathering in D.C. was only one of 72 debate parties thrown by Asian American women across the country. Supporters of Hillary Clinton, part of the Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Women for Hillary campaign, conceived, organized and hosted the fundraising parties.
    While the funds raised are relatively small, these nationwide parties are considered important in encouraging early political involvement in Clinton ’s presidential campaign. 
    The National Chair of AAPI Women for Hillary, Irene Natividad, a Filipina and long-time leader in women’s advocacy, conceived the parties as a simple way for Asian Americans to become more active in the campaign and to participate in truly grassroots movement. Each debate host was considered a leader, determining the size and scope of their event. It was also a way to attract new people into the campaign through each host’s social network. The goal of each party was to raise $250, a number kept relatively low so as not to intimidate potential attendees. 
    The parties were originally intended to be relatively small events in people’s homes. However, as different hosts were recruited around the party and began planning their events, the parties grew larger. 
    Natividad attributes this to the fact that Asians “like to be around each other,” and want to do things big. In Austin , Texas , one debate party at a local restaurant had reserved space for 100 people. In San Francisco , 14 hosts recruited 80 people to attend one party, including Filipino WWII Veterans. The event at Mei Wah Restaurant in D.C. was hosted by Irene Natividad, AAPI Women for Hillary Co-Chair Irene Bueno and Democratic activists Junelle Cavero and Mel Odilao. 
    The reactions from the attendees – and the hosts – was overwhelmingly positive. Throughout the day and the following week, as Natividad received feedback from around the country, hosts were sharing that they had never felt so excited about a campaign before. 
    Active in political fundraising and campaigning since Walter Mondale ran for president more than 20 years ago, Natividad said that this is the first time she has seen a truly grassroots campaign blossom the way these parties have. Crucial to the debate-watch parties’ success, she noted, is the idea of “ownership,” or the shared responsibility each host took in ensuring the success of their event. 
    “Each host ‘owned’ their event. They were all leaders in this,” Natividad said. She said she was proud she was of each of them. 
    Indeed, the parties were remarkable, in large part because they were conceived, overseen and attended by Asian Americans, long regarded as a politically dormant group. Natividad noted that for a truly grassroots movement to develop at this early stage of campaigning is terrific for any group.
    Asked about the perception of Asian Americans’ political lethargy, Natividad was firm and emphatic.  “These parties prove that wrong, completely,” she said.

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by Elton Lugay 
    NEW YORK — At the Clinton fundraiser held August 20th, lawyer- businesswoman Loida Nicolas Lewis beamed with pride before some hundred supporters at her residence – declaring strong Filipino American support come U.S. presidential elections. 
    “We take pride in Hillary on being a foremost leader and on being a woman,” exclaimed Lewis, the first Asian to pass the American bar exams without having to go through a U.S. education. 
    Earlier reports said the senator hopes to demonstrate her preeminence in the growing field of Democratic contenders by raising at least $60 million this year.
    “Powered by polished debate showings, gaping opinion poll leads, and a pitch-perfect political machine, Hillary Clinton seems to be barnstorming towards the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.” 
    The soiree-cum-fundraiser was attended by Loida’s closest friends and business associates from the Asian American as well as African American associations.
    Each guest contributed $50 for the Hillary For President Exploratory Committee. Sumptuous Filipino food delighted the attendees as they were greeted at the door by a man wearing a tuxedo. 
    But Loida did not just grab all the credits for putting up the elite fundraiser. She paid gratitude and due credit to all the people who helped made it possible. Dr. Angie Cruz, a philanthropist who organized the event. She went on acknowledging her house chef for the tasty pancit Malabon, succulent lumpiang Shanghai , sweet ginataan, and plenty others.
    Then she thanked everyone for coming over and sharing their resources for Hillary’s presidential campaign. 
    While everyone was enjoying their food and company, Loida suddenly broke the monotony, briefly played the piano, enough to catch everyone’s attention and graciously started talking with so much gusto. 
    “As soon as I’ve learned that there are a hundred of you coming, I called the Committee right away and urged them to send a representative to grace tonight’s occasion,” she exclaimed. 
    And