The only thing I've learned after reading this thread is that Asians are extremely sensitive. This appears to be a total over reaction. Reminds me of the GARM in a way.
Hey aren't you the guy that started the thread on urbandictionary.com's YOF definition in GARM? Which race is not sensitive about the injustice and discrimination against its own? Why don't you tell us about your own race that has altruism written all over?
I know, totally. Especially when you think about how this country has clearly reached a place where people do not make broad and incorrect racial assumptions about people based on prejudice. I am so glad those days are over.
Really, you can tell that from this thread? For ALL Asian no less! There are probably only 4 or 5 Asian American in this thread. And you are able to deduct that for not just all Asian American, but all Asian. Generalize much lately?
LOL Agree with you. I'm Asian and went to one of their banquets once in 2000 and was not at all impressed with the quality of the food. Also - I just don't like their main objective of getting ALL Asians to vote for the same party and candidate. To actually encourage mindless voting blocks just doesn't seem like a smart democratic thing to do. I actually think more highly of Obama and the GOP candidates for NOT mindlessly pandering. As my parents knew some of the higher-ups in the organization, I highly doubt that any of the GOP candidates actually received those open letters. And OF COURSE someone like Clinton is going to answer "yes" to all those. And no that does not make her a better person for doing so.
Citing Obama's half-sister is an AAPIer as an example to demonstrate the Senator is pro-AsianAmerican is spin. It's not like Obama, then 6 years old, had a say in his Caucasian mother's 2nd marriage to an Indonesian in Hawaii after the divorce in her first marriage. Obama didn't have a choice in having an AAPI half-sister. "Unusual" family members campaigning for a Presidential candidate relative is fairly commonplace in the U.S. politics. Who doesn't want to jump on the bandwagon? If you read Obama's response to 80-20, you see lots of expressions that can be subject to interpretations and are devoid of substance and details. He talked about his experience of working with so and so groups, but what has he achieved specifically? What are the tangible results? Did it make any difference? Hiring AAPIers into his cabinet is nice, but so did GWB with hiring of Collin Power, Condi Rice, and Rod Paige. Are you saying Bush is a great U.S. president that has advanced African American causes? Cabinet members have higher visibility but they come and go. Life-time judicial appointees on the other hand are far more influential, which are the emphasis of the 80-20 demands. Finally, the sweeping statement that he will "build upon his work as a civil rights lawyer and community organizer to end racial discrimination and advance equal opportunity in the workplace and the federal government" is just too big of a promise that's unattainable in one term. I think Asian Americans and every PAC representing them realistically understand that this goal simply can in no way be achieved by one administration, Obama or not. The Senator is fooling himself by trying to fool Asian Americans voters with hollow promise. Two points I shall make. First, critiquing the writing by 80-20 has little purpose in discussing the real issue at hand other than self-serving -- the self-congratulatory pose in the form of reader's feedback on her English is duly noted in the About section. I doubt the majority of the 80-20 email recipients are bothered by the so-called lack of professionalism and political savvy. Second, if the Asian blogger is so much into perfectionism, maybe she should have first taken a look at her own website -- it is badly designed with poorly selected fonts that are too small to read and the text that go beyond right border when viewed in Firefox. Good grief, no? That's a good point. Not speaking for 80-20, I guess the current Republican candidates are not perceived by most as the quintessential choice for advancing causes of minorities so their reluctance and/or silence is more or less expected, while most Democratic Presidential hopefuls are considered to be the voice for minorities. Plus, for an organization such as 80-20 that does not have unlimited resources, going on attacking mode at every conceivable target is not a wise strategic move. For what I see, 80-20 does not have pre-conceived agenda against any one specific candidate -- the non-partisan makeup of the organization is not for show.
Well when he is being called "anti-asian," is it wrong to point out reasons he couldn't possibly be? I suppose other "spin" is pointing out that he's the only candidate who actually has his own committe on AAPI issues that's headed by his brother in law who is also one of his closest advisors. What have any of the other candidates done that gives them a better track record on AAPI issues? Does signing a piece of paper by one amature PAC really make them more likely to work for the benefit of the whole of the AAPI community? Exactly, "DEMANDS." That's the problem here, they are demanding that he nominate asian judges for any future openings. That's not affirmitive action, that's reverse discrimination. Affirmitive action is supposed to be that you don't deny access and oppurtunity. They go out of their way to say "it's not a quota" yet they point out that they want the racial makeup of the judges to match the same percent of AAPI americans in our general population, hmmm, that sounds like a QUOTA. Can you show me where other minority groups are represented in business, government, etc the same way they are in the general population? It's not about perfect english, it's about professionalism and orginization. They are a PAC, but their emails are coming accross like one angry person hammering away at their keyboard in the middle of the night. It comes accross as not being about the issue anymore and instead a personal vendetta by the guy running the orginization. It's a valid point. It annoys you that her opinion is opposite, so now you are getting petty and saying her website sucks (does look nicer than the 80/20 site though, I would want to make sure the donation money isn't being misused if I were you). And the thing in her about section about speaking english is a joke about how people of color get patronized with the "you speak so well" line.
I did say I want Obama to pledge do something about the crappy officiating on Yao. I think I'm going to draft a letter on behalf of my new PAC the 20-10 demanding that all of the presidential candidates pledge to crack down on the NBA's obvious bias against Chinese basketball players.
Update -- Got this email last night from 80-20, which states the current position of the organization concerning its support of the candidates. I think the Obama campaign felt the heat after seeing 80-20 running political ads in California's Asian community last week against his candidacy.
http://www.asianamericansforobama.com/ This is a testament to the power of wnes, who took on the powerful OBAMA campaign machine, and with a few BBS posts and tireless research and chain-email forwarding and blog comment reading, turned the tide of history.
Good job SamFisher the ClutchFan Yellow Peril squasher. Apparently in your bigoted racist little mind the belief of a Chinese that PRC was/is not ready for democracy is decidedly equivalent to the position that no Chinese (anywhere) is able to and/or is allowed express his opinion? What I find amusing is as a fervent democracy lover you couldn't get your wish in the country's top administration position (the President) and judicial positions (Supreme Court Justices) for eight friggin' years in a DEMOCRACY, yet you have been at liberty of talking all kinds of trash including your patented racist bigoted **** directed at specific posters -- whether in GARM, NBA Dish, or D&D -- with the full benefits of not getting slightest repercussion on a privately owned forum. Ironic, isn't it?
Take it easy, it's D&D, what do you expect? Counting 1, 2, 3 for Deckard to chime in and lecture you how this is a well-intended joke from a sincere China lover, and how ethnic Chinese should grow thicker skin.
This is a great news. I am glad Senator Obama is finally on the right side of this issue. I am also happy for 80-20. I believe this is the first time an Asian American organization is able to force a major national political figure to capitulate. It is especially impressive considering 80-20 is supposed to composed of a bunch of amateurs who like to use color pencil (or is it crayon?) in its emails.
ouch, that hurt. Especially when I am trying to congratulate you for standing up to the forces of evil. Such behaviour makes me think you might belong in a Hsu, kind sir. As for my racist belief that Chinese aren't ready for democracy - hmmmm, where would I pick that up http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?p=1984123&highlight=China+democracy+ready#post1984123 YOU DAD I LEARNED IT BY WATCHING YOU! BUSTED
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80-20 has nothing to lose by not supporting Obama. On the other hand, Obama has much bigger stake at risk by alienating Asians. The timing of Obama's agreement to sign a "modified" agreement is spurious -- reminiscent of his forced admission that the real estate deal with his slumlord buddy is boneheaded, and *timely* paying off 15 parking tickets he had accumulated in Boston between 1988-1990 and ignored for the next 17 years until he started to launch a bid for the presidency in March 2007.
Part of the ability to reach an agreement might also be because 80-20 finally agreed to modify the initial request like they had done for the other candidates. Though as we have seen Hillary's signed pledges don't amount to much.
