Young APAs Make Their Voices Heard Through Presidential Campaigns
Whether Obama or McCain supporters, APA youth are getting involved in the political process one vote at a time.
Shandon Phan, 28, wonders why he was unable to find a pro-McCain group for Asian Americans on the Internet.
'He's a great candidate. Why is there no group out there?' he wondered.
The young law student took the situation into his own hands by starting Asian Americans for McCain, an independent group focused on reaching out to those interested in Sen. John McCain. With about 10 active members, the group hopes to make an impact by recruiting voters and branching out into the community.
Young Asian Pacific Americans like Phan have been moved by the 2008 presidential candidates and have taken the initiative to make a difference, campaigning for the candidates of their choices and working to get involved in the political process.
As the son of a former active-duty officer in the South Vietnamese army, Phan sees McCain's service during the Vietnam War as an indication of the candidate's dedication to both America and to APAs.
"Senator McCain was there, fighting with us, and in a way he also fought for the freedom of South Vietnam," he said.
McCain's story of service is a source of great respect for Phan, but it is only a plus, not the main reason for his support. What he really admires about McCain is his compassion and his leadership.
"He had almost every bone in his body broken, and he forgave those who tortured him. He has the compassion and wisdom to be a great leader."
Personal and Political
Obama, like McCain, has gained support from young APAs because of his character, policies and personal background.
Ramey Ko, the 28-year-old founder of Asian Americans for Obama, said the senator from Illinois is comfortable being around APAs because of his upbringing in Hawaii and his family, particularly his half sister Maya Soetoro-Ng.
"As Asian Americans, we are so unused to seeing Asian faces close to high levels of leadership," he said. "When we do see Asian faces, it provides a reassurance that a person with personal experience with the issues we grapple with has an influence."
Ko also believes Obama is strong on issues important to the APA community, including small business and health care. His parents run a small business and have difficulty providing quality affordable health insurance.
"My parents always try very hard to get the best plans for their employees, but the employees are still left with pretty high deductibles and premiums," said Ko, an Austin, Texas resident.
One policy area in which Trinh Le, an 18-year-old supporter of McCain, does not agree with Obama is abortion. She said she wants young Obama supporters to see the inconsistency of supporting both human rights and abortion.
"As young voters, we don't look at the wide spectrum," she said. "When it comes down to it, I wish people would see the full picture and see how well-rounded McCain is."
Le, whose father is a veteran and was a prisoner of war like McCain, said she is also drawn to the heroism McCain showed by serving his country. She believes McCain would be a great president because of "his experience, his courage and his desire to do right."
Online Campaign Efforts
The group Asian Americans for Obama was founded by Ko to organize the AA community to elect Obama as president. The group's Web site is a resource center for organizers who need tools to campaign in their communities.
"Our job is not to tell people what to do," Ko said. "The idea is that every person in their community knows what to do in that community."
One of the resources is the "Supporter Toolkit," full of downloadable documents to help mobilize AAs. Included in this section of the Web site are flyers for Obama in English, Korean, Tagolog, Vietnamese and both traditional and simplified Chinese.
Angelica Jongco, a 30-year-old civil rights lawyer in San Francisco, has helped the Web site by working on outreach to ethnic media, particularly the Filipino press. She has helped to ensure ethnic media outlets receive media releases from the campaign.
McCain supporter Phan acknowledges the Obama campaign's effectiveness in mobilizing the younger generation and minority groups. The group Asian Americans for McCain is limited in its resources, he said.
"The Obama campaign is more tech savvy. They have been very effective in reaching out to the younger generation."
Asian Americans for McCain, according to Phan, is attempting to bridge the generational gap and attract young APAs who are more inclined to support Obama in part because of his multiracial background, age and coverage in mainstream media.
"Young people do not care much about politics," Phan said. "When they look at the presidential election, Obama has more exposure in the media."
Small Victories
The efforts of young members of the APA community in presidential campaigns are making a difference one community at a time.
Matthew Chea, 28, along with other APAs set up an all-volunteer office in the Philadelphia Chinatown to reach out to the AA community in the months leading up to the Pennsylvania Primary. The office was diverse with volunteers from New York, New Jersey and Virginia.
Although the office was disappointed about Obama's loss in Pennsylvania, they were still happy with what they accomplished, said Chea.
"To be honest, we won Philadelphia, especially in the Chinatown ward. It wasn't a loss for us. We got people excited to vote."
Outreach and involvement in the community along these lines is important for giving a voice to the APA community, according to Ko.
"It's precisely things like that that will bring members of the Asian American community into contact with people who might not have had contact with Asian Americans," he said. "That's important for a good democracy."
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