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Could Obama be the first Asian American president?
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Here, on TCKid, it has been pointed out that both Obama and McCain are TCKs, something I find very encouraging in the evolution of American politics. There was a terriffic column in my local paper today (San Francisco Chronicle) with the above title. Here is an excerpt:
“Could it be that our true first black president might also be our first Asian American president?
Fitting the curve
He was born and raised in Hawaii, the only majority-Asian state in the union; he spent four formative years in Jakarta, the home of his Indonesian stepfather Lolo Soetoro, where he attended local schools and learned passable Bahasa Indonesia. The family with whom he’s closest — half-sister Maya Soetoro-Ng and her Chinese Canadian husband, Konrad Ng — are Asian American. So, too, are the most senior members of his congressional team — his Senate chief of staff Pete Rouse, whose mother is Japanese American, and his legislative director Chris Lu, whose parents hail from China.
Evidence for Obama’s affinity with the Asian American experience runs true even as one delves deeper into his history. “A lot of aspects of the senator’s story will be recognizable to many Asian Americans,” says Lu, a Harvard Law School classmate of the senator’s who joined the team in 2005. “He talks about feeling like somewhat of an outsider; about coming to terms with his self-identity; about figuring out how to reconcile the values from his unique heritage with those of larger U.S. society. These are tensions and conflicts that play out in the lives of all children of immigrants.”
Jeff Yang writes the ASIAN POP column, and I highly recommend this one.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/07/30/apop.DTL&hw=obama&sn=010&sc=381
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August 1st, 2008 at 3:52 am
Has anyone noticed (if they have been out of the US since the primaries began) that people abroad during the primaries would ask:
“Are you for Obama or Hillary?”
yet now they don’t even ask the question, all the ask is “do you think Obama will win?”….i’ve noticed in a lot of the places i’ve been to that most people don’t even ask if you support McCain bc they find it completely ludicrous and a non-issue :). At least the places I’ve been…just felt like mentioning that one.
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August 1st, 2008 at 1:17 pm
hahah sorry… I thought it was perfect for this thread, being about presidential candidates and all
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August 1st, 2008 at 1:19 pm
the picture isn’t coming up….
link is: http://icanhascheezburger.com/2008/08/01/funny-pictures-didnt-haz-any/
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August 1st, 2008 at 1:20 pm
more cat pictures aha!
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August 1st, 2008 at 6:21 pm
@ MARIE
The majority of people I am encountering at work and around L.A. are voting for McCain. They do not trust Obama and are nitpicking him to pieces. They say they know what to expect from McCain - even if it is to our detriment. Military personnel, handymen, CEO’s, independent businessmen. Republicans believe in protecting the wealthy and everyone who loves to accumulate wealth knows that hence why they usually vote Republican.
Unfortunately, people respect rigidity even if it worst for us economically/enviromentally/socially (McCain) than someone who is willing to adapt and compromise like Obama. America prides itself on being a Democracy but unfortunately people somewhat respect someone who feels dictorial. I was a little taken aback when in the news today when I saw a quote stating Obama changes his mind and supports off-shore drilling. However, upon further enquiry:
“Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Friday he would be willing to support limited additional offshore oil drilling if that’s what it takes to enact a comprehensive policy to foster fuel-efficient autos and develop alternate energy sources.”
Keyword - limited. McCain and Bush are ready to tear into places like Monterey, Alaska etc for pure profit while Obama believes in regulation while alternatives are sought. I prefer no offshore drilling because I know there are other substitutes that greedy folks are keeping from the public. However, most folks don’t read the full picture. They see a headline and react OR they watch one channel religiously who offers one view alone.
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