Asian Americans for Obama

Obama, AAPIs and the Economy

Listening to the many pundits after Obama’s speech on the economy, I thought I was listening to the proverbial six blind men arguing over whether an elephant is a snake, spear, wall, tree, fan or rope. (Just like an elephant is not its trunk or tail, the Obama candidacy is larger than his individual support for a specific piece of legislation). Most missed the thread holding both his speeches on race and the economy together into one coherent vision. For Asian American / Pacific Islanders, the emerging worldview reveals how we are not a monolithic community but do share a common agenda with the wider bottom 80% of the nation. It further nuances the promise of an Obama presidency for us.

Cali Obama Supporters on Chinese-Language Radio

Supporters of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton debated live in Mandarin last Friday, March 28, on Bay Area Sing Tao radio, 96.1 FM. Roger Hu, Albert Wong, and Darcy Paul represented Obama. I met Roger, a computer chip designer, at a lunch with AAPI Obama supporters at the California Democratic Party Convention. He was part of a team of enthusiastic Obama supporters that attended Camp Obama in Chicago. He helped open the still-functioning Palo Alto office and is running for a pledged delegate spot for Obama in the highly competitive Congressional District 14. Elections for the coveted seats are on Sunday, April 13, 2pm at a location in your district.

Download the article in Sing Tao Daily:
Download SingTao-Obama-HRC-SupportersDebate-3.28.08-Chinese.pdf

Listen to Part 1 of the debate here starting at 12 minutes. Then listen to Part 2 here.

Texas County Convention Results

Yesterday, March 29, 284 district conventions were held across the State of Texas.  On March 4, precinct conventions elected delegates to the district conventions, who then, in turn, elected delegates to the state convention yesterday.  Since the Texas Democratic Party chose to stop compiling and reporting precinct convention results with less than half of the results in, no one really knew who won the Texas Caucus or by how much until after the district conventions.

With 56.34% of the conventions reporting, comprising 86.51% of the state delegates, Sen. Obama leads 55.91% to 44.09%, with 3,708 delegates to Clinton's 2,924 delegates.  The biggest chunk of outstanding delegates will come from the two districts in Collin County (Plano, McKinney, Frisco), which had to hold their convention today because they could not book a large enough venue for Saturday.  Collin County, a suburban Dallas county, went strongly for Obama on March 4.  Projections indicate Obama will net 9 delegates from the Caucus, as previously predicted by CNN and others.  With Clinton's net of 4 delegates from the Texas primary, this confirms Obama's overall win by 5 delegates.  For updated results, visit Burnt Orange Report's report.

Some pictures from the convention:

A Real Obama Girl

Filipino American entrepreneur and Obama supporter Teri Dimalanta found time between running her two children's design companies, kukunest and giddygiddy, to turn her daughter into an Obama girl. Thanks to Stella Ngai for sending us this photo!

AAPIs for Obama at Calif. Democratic Party State Convention

A group of AAPIs for Obama attended the California Democratic Party state convention yesterday in San Jose.  We were there specifically to attend the Asian American Pacific Islander caucus Friday afternoon and the caucus reception that evening to ensure that Obama supporters were visible at both.

In addition to Obama supporters Hacienda-La Puente Unified School District (LA) school board member Jay Chen, Curtis Chin of APA for Progress and Wayne Nishioka (who were both already attending planning on attending the convention), our group included Angelica Jongco, Brian Wang, Riya Kuo, Roger Hu, Arnold Kawano and Michelle Yuen who drove up from LA.

Anne Cardenas Branigin: "The Audacity of a Speech" in Philippine News

Pinay columnist Anne Cardenas Branigin writes of Obama's speech that it "wasn't just the audacity to discuss race in a thoughtful and meaningful way that was exceptional." But that "[m]ost importantly, the speech rang true."  What I really appreciate about this piece is that she offers her unique perspective as and Asian American woman, a Filipino immigrant, someone who is privy to closed conversations among friends of different racial backgrounds, and also as an enthusiastic participant in a Southern black church.  Read her column here.

Rinku Sen: Obama's Speech on Race a "Real Landmark"

"The lesson that we should take from [Obama's] speech is this: even though people experience racism individually, the origins of racism are actually structural. That is, it's our public policies that create bad schools, unemployment, poor health care, and deadly wars." Rinku Sen, president of the Applied Research Center, explains in this clip. "Our best chance to change our attitudes towards each other, to transform anger and resentment into unity and progress, is to change the rules that govern society."'

Hat tip to John Delloro's blog for highlighting this clip.

Vin Pan op-ed on three principles in Obama's speech can move America forward

Vin Pan, executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, a leading AAPI civil rights organization in San Francisco, authored an op-ed published in today's San Francisco Chronicle.  It was a nonpartisan piece, and not an endorsement of Senator Obama.

In Obama's speech, he writes, "I hear three important principles, which applied to our personal lives and our public policies, can move us in a positive direction, regardless of who wins this fall."

"First, we see the world not as it is, but as we are. Acknowledgement of the limits of our own perceptions is crucial to constructive conversations about race. I must be willing to recognize that your experiences and the emotions they engender are as real as mine, and I hope you are willing to do the same. After that, who knows - maybe a long overdue exchange about our histories, cultures and shared aspirations?

Reel in the Vote 2008!

Calling all film makers!!! 

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have historically been less likely to vote than other populations, but not necessarily because we don't believe in voting.  We have to acknowledge numerous institutional barriers to voting in the U.S. that we have faced. 

Let's make this year different!  Do your part to empower our communities to overcome voting barriers.

The San Diego Asian Film Foundation just launched a national Public Service Announcement contest.  Make a 30-second, non-partisan PSA targeting Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders and submit (postmark) by July 31!

Web Team Weekly Story Pitch

Asian Americans for Obama (http://www.asianamericansforobama.com) is a grassroots organization of concerned Asian Americans from all over the country who are working to help elect Senator Barack Obama as the next president of the United States.

Though our coalition includes members of diverse ethnic, cultural, linguistic, class and gender backgrounds, we are united in the belief that Senator Barack Obama is the best candidate to bring this country together and enact change for all Americans.

Part of our mission has been to communicate the support for Senator Barack Obama within the Asian American community, particularly through new media/blog outlets. You have received this press release because we believe you are a powerful voice on the blogosphere and we hope you will find in this release writings, news stories, and link of interest to your readership.

We hope that you will post on your blog some or all of the links included in this release.

John's Narrative

Obama: A Better Tomorrow

By John Delloro

At age 34, I suffered a heart attack.  My dozen years of countless hours as a union organizer coupled with my genetics had weakened my body.  When the pain shot through my arms and hit my chest, I was on the ground when my son crawled into the room.  It became instantly clear, as I watched my five-month old boy stare at me, that we only exist in relation to other people.  I didn’t just almost die but he had almost lost a father.  Many others almost lost a son, brother, husband and friend.  Activist scholar Derrick Bell was correct when he said that relationships are the foundation of an ethical life.  Unfortunately, the idea that we can only survive as a community has been under attack for the last few decades.  Our nation’s social safety net has been dramatically reduced and economic insecurity has brought a new level mean-spiritedness and scapegoating that threaten to further unravel the fabric of our society.  Public responsibility has been narrowly defined to be a self-centered preoccupation for oneself.  To me, Obama represents an opportunity to return to the idea of community—“we all suffer if the least of us suffers.”

Couple of my progressive friends and mentors have taken the position of “critical support” or cynically dismissed all the candidates as a continuation of “politics as usual.”  They find fault with particular positions taken by Obama and their many years of political battles made them wary of his message of hope.  In fact, I don’t agree with a number of Obama’s proposed policies and I had previously joined hands with the other skeptics.  My years in the field not only hurt my body but left me somewhat cautious of quixotic electoral crusades.  However, when I turned on the television to listen to Obama speak in the aftermath of the New Hampshire primary, these words struck me:

Philadelphia: Raising the Bar

Clearly, this is a campaign of inspiration, but one of the most unexpected sources of inspiration for me over the last few months has been how the grassroots continually manages to raise the bar on behalf of Sen. Obama, taking our already legendary, people-powered ground game to new heights for each state.  Over the last couple of weeks, the Pennsylvania AAPI grassroots as part of a diverse coalition with volunteers from many backgrounds and even many from out of state, has accomplished amazing things from voter registration to a very successful Philadelphia Chinatown office opening.

Here's a report from the ground:

In five hours, we registered over a 100 voters, MANY of them Asian Americans and Latinos that needed language assistance. We had voter registration forms in five languages, Obama literature in four languages, and over 30 volunteers from Virginia, Washington, D.C., NYC, NJ, and Delaware. We canvassed South Philly, Chinatown (check out our signs everywhere in the storefronts), West Philly, North Philly, and Upper Darby. In addition to English, the languages spoken by our volunteers included Korean, Cambodian/Khmer, Mandarin, Fujianese, Portuguese, Cantonese, Bengali, and Spanish. Participating groups included AAPI for Obama, South Asians For Obama, NJ for Obama, Asian Pacific Americans for Obama, Latinos for Obama, and United People for Obama.

 

THANK YOU to everyone who made this event a success! After 3/24, the Philly Chinatown office team's GOTV efforts will be guided by Ron Ramos (Camden County Co-chair, NJ for Obama) and his wife Maria. We also have an April 12 tax clinic run by Obama volunteers to help low-income people access the Federal Economic Stimulus Package tax credit. Contact Nina Ahmad (willsresearch@yahoo.com) if you'd like to get trained and help folks file their taxes here in Philly. We want to make sure people know that we Barack supporters take his message and put them into action!

 

Thanks again to our amazing volunteers. This office belongs to ALL OF US. You are welcome any time. Thanks again. You're our inspiration!

Fired up! Ready to go!

Anna, Nina, Matt, HaiPei, Andy

Obama Philadelphia Chinatown Office

924 Cherry Street, 2nd Fl. Rear

Philadelphia, PA 19107

Anna cell: 484 557 2411

3/22-3/31

Mon, Sat, Sun 1- 6 PM

4/1

M-Sun 9 AM - 9 PM

Go after the jump for some eye popping numbers and other stats from volunteer efforts this past weekend, compiled by Anna Perng.

Barack Obama on 'The View'

Barack Obama is scheduled to appear on "The View" this Friday, March 28. "If he survives the chat fest, he'll probably end up putting it on his resume," writes Veronica Santiago on gearlive.com. The day before on  March 27, Obama supporter and former co-host Lisa Ling returns to "The View" for her first-ever guest appearance.

Lisa's report, "Sex Workers or Victims," airs Sunday, March 30 at 9 p.m., ET. She reports on the underage prostitution crisis in the U.S. with in-depth coverage on cases in New York, Dallas and Las Vegas.

Two Great Posts on AAPIs and Obama's "More Perfect Union" Speech

Philip Tajitsu Nash has two great posts over at the AsianWeek blog on Obama's "More Perfect Union" speech on race and Asian Americans.

The first post has reactions from various members of the AAPI community, including Gautum Dutta, Executive Director of the AAA-Fund, Law Professor and Dean of Wayne State Law School Frank Wu, and more.

To highlight one response, Dean Wu wrote:

"There is an expectation in our modern era of politics as entertainment that leaders will be optimistic about all subjects in all contexts, everywhere and constantly. This expectation is especially clear with issues of race. We cannot express disappointment, much less anger, even if we are describing history accurately. This prohibition applies with even greater strength to people of color who wish to appeal to white voters. Senator Obama thus faces a tremendous challenge. The historic nature of his candidacy is obvious to all, as is his racial identity. Yet his efforts to speak to the issue are surrounded by suspicion, and he is expected to follow a script that celebrates progress. He has shown his brilliance in meeting these demands while also noting the problems that remain and the work to be done."

The second post, entitled "We Have a Dream," discusses how Sen. Obama's speech pushed the boundaries on discussions of race in national political discourse and has also provided a much more nuanced, subtle approach to the subject that, while well established in academic circles, has not seen much exposure otherwise. 

Texas: County Conventions How-To Guide

For those of you in Texas, the Democratic County Conventions will be taking place this Saturday, March 29.  Contact your county party for information on location, or see this Burnt Orange Report post for more information.  Make sure to check the comments section for updates to the list.  You can also visit http://texansforobama.com for the latest news.  Detailed info on trainings, procedures, etc. is also available from the campaign here.  You can also RSVP through that site so the campaign knows if you are coming or if an alternate needs to be contacted.

If you were selected as a delegate at your precinct convention, it is IMPERATIVE that you attend your county convention.  Obama will lose any delegates that do not show up, and because of Texas' unique delegate system, the caucus delegates can shift at the county conventions based on voting.  This means that we can gain additional delegates at the county conventions, but we can also LOSE delegates.  Right now, Obama is narrowly winning Texas' delegates, but that could change without a strong showing.

Kath25 of Daily Kos has written an excellent guide to how to work your county convention this Saturday.  Click here to read more.

Meet Lisa Ling of Oprah! & Barack Obama's Harvard Law Classmates at West Village (NYC) Fundraiser - Thursday, 3/27, 9 PM

NFC/Tri-State Chairs incl. Barack's Harvard Law Classmates Brian Mathis, Hill Harper, Raymond Jasen & Terrence Yang invite you & your friends (closed to press) to

Meet Lisa Ling of Oprah! & Barack Obama's Harvard Law Classmates at Virg Davies' W. Village Penthouse (hosted Barack Obama recently)

9pm to 11:15pm Thur 3/27

299 W. 12th St. PHA (btw. Hudson & 8th Ave.)

Google map of 299 W. 12th

RSVP required to jeffkurzon@gmail.com

$100 per ticket
$50 members of Gen O, Young Lawyers, Obama NYC, Women for Obama & AAPI grassroots & gov't/nonprofit/public interest
$20 Students/US Military/hardship
Free if you volunteer for this event & Jeff approves (jeffkurzon@gmail.com)
$500 Chair, $250 Co-Chair, name in program
NFC/Tri-State: 6 free tix w/ RSVP. Terrence Yang's $2300 DONORS: 2 free tix w/ RSVP. Harvard Law alumni: 2 free tix w/ RSVP

Pay at door or online:Click Here to Buy Tickets. Payment confirmation must be presented at door. Pay $20 less on each ticket if you email jeffkurzon@gmail.com your payment confirmation asap upon receipt no later than Th noon.

Contact Jeff Kurzon, jeffkurzon@gmail.com, cell: 646.691.7944, fax: 212-839-5999

Bring $100-$1000 of in-kind food & drink contributions to event with receipts. Name in program with RSVP to jeffkurzon@gmail.com

Join us Thursday night and tell your friends!  Thank you.

More on the program available after the jump.

Cristina's Narrative

Unlike many Obama supporters that I've met and talked with, the reasoning behind my support does not lie with his oratory prowess, the promise that he is a transecending power in politics. I admit, many see in him qualities that I myself did not see. I still remember Iowa, when I was leaning towards his camp and hearing his speech and thinking, "Wow, he's quite a talker too, a nice bonus."

Perhaps the single most important factor was reading an article on MSNBC about his sponsorship, with McCain and Lieberman, of a bill to curb greenhouse gases. I liked his firm commitment to Democratic issues and principles, yet being open to different points of view and understanding that his thinking might not always be right.

Some say he's to idealistic. I say: give me your idealist. I'm tired of politicians who understand that the only way to get into power is through some pulling some political deals. There are times when you have to set a line for yourself. And while Obama is imperfect, he is nevertheless the closest candidate to having a people-powered campaign.

Philadelphia: Chinatown Office Open for Business

Anna Perng of United People for Obama says that the March 22nd grand opening of the Chinatown Obama office in Philadelphia was "a blast." 

Volunteers registered over 100 voters, including many of AAPI and Latino descent.  Participating groups included AAPI for Obama, South Asians For Obama, NJ for Obama, Asian Pacific Americans for Obama, Latinos for Obama, and United People for Obama. 

UPDATE (3/31/08): YouTube video now available.

(Photos by Christopher Gabello)

PSA with Ham Tran in Vietnamese

One last reminder to Vietnamese American voters in Philadelphia from Ham Tran, director of "Journey from the Fall." Voter registration deadline is this MONDAY, MARCH 24th. If your family members have not registered yet, please remind them! Our parents have experienced so much pain and heartache for us to be here. Please don't take the right to vote for granted!And please take a moment to share this video with non-English speaking relatives.

More info on registration at WWW.VOTESPA.COM

A big Thank You to Ham Tran and Catherine Park!

Obama Congratulates Taiwan President-Elect Ma Ying-Jeou

Since 1992, Taiwan has chosen its president in free, democratic elections.  Today, March 22, was the Taiwanese presidential election.  The sitting president, Chen Shui-Bian, of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), is termed out having been elected to two four year terms.  This year, voters signaled a desire for change by electing Kuomingtang (KMT - Chinese Nationalist Party) candidate Ma Ying-Jeou president with 58% of the vote over his DPP rival, Frank Hsieh.  It was the largest margin of victory in the history of Taiwanese presidential elections, which have been notoriously close affairs.  Election officials estimated turnout at 75%, which is actually down from previous years.

My family is originally from Taiwan, and my parents actually went back to Taiwan this week to vote in the presidential race.  My parents are ardent KMT supporters, and so I imagine they are celebrating Ma's victory right now.  Ma was formerly mayor of Taipei and also served as justice minister in a previous administration where he gained a reputation for fighting corruption, one of the biggest issues in this year's election.  President-Elect Ma and Sen. Obama also have something in common; both men graduated from Harvard Law School.

Sen. Obama issued a statement today congratulating President-Elect Ma and offered his support for the continued growth and vitality of democracy in Taiwan.  He stated, in part,

"The people of Taiwan deserve our respect and admiration for this free and fair election, which is just the latest step in consolidating a democracy that has advanced over the last two decades.  I hope the People’s Republic of China responds to this election in a positive, constructive, and forward-leaning way.  It is important for Beijing to demonstrate to the people of Taiwan that the practical and non-confrontational approach that President-elect Ma promises to take toward the Mainland will be met with good faith and progress."

I know that not all Americans who trace their heritage back to Taiwan supported President-Elect Ma, but all of us can be encouraged by Taiwan's fourth successful, peaceful democratic presidential election in two decades.  Taiwan still has a long way to go in terms of full democratic reforms, but the robustness of Taiwan's two-party democracy is an inspiration to emerging democracies everywhere.  Taiwan has changed the party in power in both their legislative and executive branches twice now over the span of sixteen years, avoiding the virtual one party state that has persisted in other democracies in the region.

Many Chinese and Taiwanese Americans still closely follow events in East Asia.  Sen. Obama's attention to that region and its politics is an encouraging sign that his foreign policy agenda will have a cogent understanding of the complexities of cross-strait relations.

Let's hope that Sen. Obama can emulate President-Elect Ma's decisive victory in another way as well.  Earlier this year, the KMT and its allied parties took 75% of the seats in the legislature in an astounding change election.  With our support, we can ensure that Sen. Obama will take office with the ability to pursue his agenda of change with the backing of a solid Democratic majority in both houses of Congress.

For those of you who may not know what President-Elect Ma looks like (he's quite popular with the ladies in Taiwan), here's a picture of me with him at an event that my parents took me to in Taiwan.  He's standing in the middle.  (And he's the one who actually suggested giving the "hook 'em Horns" sign for the photo.)

Austin: Help Ensure Obama Keeps His Lead in the Texas Caucus

To ensure that Sen. Obama maintains his delegate lead in Texas, we must ensure that ALL of the Obama delegates from the precinct conventions attend their county conventions on Saturday, March 29.  If a delegate is a no show, Sen. Obama loses that delegate for the purposes of electing the next round of delegates to the state convention.

Volunteers are needed to contact every single Barack Obama precinct delegate and alternate before next Saturday's county conventions. Towards that end, on Saturday at 1 PM (tomorrow, 3/22) we will all be meeting at Scholz Garten for a postcard making party.

We have a huge opportunity to win Texas over the next 8 days, and it all starts tomorrow--but we can only do it if people step up one last time.

What: March Madness Postcard Making Party!
Where: Scholtz Garten on the corner of 17th and San Jacinto
When: 1 PM, Saturday 3/22
Who: All BO supporters in Austin!

See you all there! If you have any questions, shoot an email to Menno at mgoedman@barackobama.com.

Gov. Richardson Endorses Obama

Former rival Gov. Bill Richardson is endorsing Barack Obama for president, reported the AP and other media outlets. Nothing's been posted yet on barackobama.com, but the governor is scheduled to appear with Sen. Obama in Portland today.

This is of course a big win given the deep ties Gov. Richardson has with the Clintons. Bill Clinton appointed Richardson as U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. and as Secretary of Energy.

One of Gov. Richardson's most visible AAPI staffers was S.R. Siddarth, who was the target of a racial slur by former Sen. George Allen -- a fatal mistake that ended up in a loss of that Senate seat to Jim Webb, in turn handing control of the Senate to the Democrats.

Paul Igasaki: Reaching Across, Accepting Differences

Does race matter? Of course it does. That is why we are talking about our political choices among ourselves as a racial minority with a history with American racism and with similar interests on a number of issues.

Race is why many are holding Barack Obama to a double standard ­ he must do more than reject statements of his former pastor, he must denounce the man, lumping his extreme statements with his teachings on Christ and love. Is this fair? Consider the experience of racism in America.

I am a Japanese American. My community was defined by our experiences during World War II, as a group of citizens and lawful residents (then barred by race from naturalization). We were scapegoated for Japan’s attack on the U.S., thrown into concentration camps losing most of our property. There were no trials and no evidence of wrongdoing or even of the perceived inherent racial disloyalty. That was what the U.S. Supreme Court held and it is still the law. It was and is wrong.

Obama Philadelphia Chinatown Headquarters to Open on Saturday, March 22 at 11:30 AM

Obama for America will open its Philadelphia Chinatown headquarters (924 Cherry Street, 2nd Floor Rear, Philadelphia, PA 19107) on Saturday, March 22 with festivities beginning at 11:30 AM. 

Andy Toy, a community leader and supporter of Senator Barack Obama, said, "This office is the first presidential campaign office that I know of to open in a Chinatown. It is a testament to the Asian American communities here in Philadelphia that 'we've arrived.'" 

Mr. Lee Deng, a softspoken Obama supporter, donated the office space. When asked what motivated him to support Senator Obama, Mr. Deng said Senator Obama's message of inclusion and hope had touched him deeply. He said simply, "I want to help in any way I can." 

The deadline to register to vote for the upcoming primary is Monday, March 24, 2008. Additionally, voters registered as "Independents" or unaffiliated with a party will not be able to vote in the April 22nd Primary Election. They must be registered Democrats to vote for Senator Barack Obama. 

Between March 22 and 31, the office will be open Mondays and Fridays 10 AM – 6 PM, Saturdays 12 PM – 6 PM, and Sundays 12 PM – 6 PM. Beginning April 1, the office will be open seven days a week from 9 AM – 9 PM. 

The office will provide voter registration forms in Korean, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Cambodian/Khmer, English, and Spanish. Those interested in volunteering or donating office supplies should contact Anna Perng at (484) 557 – 2411, or  anna.perng@gmail.com.

Michael Yaki on How the Media Covers Race in Reaction to Obama's Speech

In his coming out as a blogger, Michael Yaki shares on Huffington his reaction to Sen. Obama's "A More Perfect Union" speech by beginning with a call for hearings by the U.S. Civil Rights Commission on how the media covers race and media's role in race relations. (Thanks to Nancy Chen for sharing this on our AAPI for Obama listserv.)

Yaki, a member of that commission and a former San Francisco supervisor, makes such a call in the context of a historic presidential primary campaign that has tested the role of the media, an institution that has largely been clumsy and too often nonproficient in covering race.

... the power of the press is still undeniably powerful. ... Polls show that white voters had more definite negative feelings about Obama immediately after the weekend Pastor Wright double features that ran all over the media. Katrina victims or the Jena 6 seem to get less coverage than OJ's latest Vegas adventures.

Yaki calls the speech an "extraordinary profile in courage" and an address that flew in the face of conventional political thinking.

... the cardinal rule of Presidential politics is that victory is an additive, not subtractive process, and race is a four-letter word that loses votes. Yet, despite this maxim, his speech was not overtly calculated to stop white flight from his campaign. There were no pandering lines... To the contrary, Obama stayed true to his message of inclusiveness. More importantly -- and perhaps most dangerously -- Obama challenged the American public about his candidacy...

I support his call for commission action on this issue, timely in that this year is the UNITY: Journalists of Color convention when the four organizations representing Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander and Native American journalists combine forces to hold one 10,000-person mega-convention, the largest gathering of journalists in the county.

-- Keith Kamisugi

Obama speaks for a new generation of Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders

John Delloro aka Burning Cane did it again with his newest entry on today's AAPI youth, their struggles, and how Obama's speech yesterday speaks to their experiences.
=====
Anger without hope breeds cynicism. The cynics will charge Obama with hypocrisy for only disavowing his pastor’s words, but not disowning him. The din of their very own rage and suspicion will distract them from listening carefully and to the whole of Obama’s historic speech on race. Like the enraged parents embittered by a bad turn in their marriage and embroiled in heated argument, they will not notice their child in the room. They will miss the new generation at our door and ask “who is Ashley?” The story of Ashley is the one of the most crucial elements in Obama’s larger post-racial narrative and is the story of many young Asian American/ Pacific Islanders.

"We are here because of Ashley"

With the media portraying Sen. Obama as following in lockstep with Rev. Wright's most controversial statements, it was time for a speech to set the record straight, just as Sen. Kennedy addressed his Catholicism nearly 50 years ago.

As the Politico's Ben Smith calls it, it was the "polar opposite of Romney's Speech." Indeed it was. Obama could have, should have, simply left a rebuttal that denied his ties to Wright and forget that his fellow church members would also be portrayed as lunatics under the pundits' reasoning. It could have sounded like Romney's "religion is freedom (vote for me, I'm religious!)" speech.

The media will still address it in their poll-driven point of view. That the speech was a "pre-emptive strike" against criticism, that it may have come too late. But that would be missing the point.

Here was Obama's conclusion:

"There is one story in particularly that I'd like to leave you with today - a story I told when I had the great honor of speaking on Dr. King's birthday at his home church, Ebenezer Baptist, in Atlanta.

There is a young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organized for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. She had been working to organize a mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and one day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there.

And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for bankruptcy, and that's when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom.

She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. Because that was the cheapest way to eat.

She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents too.

Now Ashley might have made a different choice. Perhaps somebody told her along the way that the source of her mother's problems were blacks who were on welfare and too lazy to work, or Hispanics who were coming into the country illegally. But she didn't. She sought out allies in her fight against injustice.

Anyway, Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they're supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who's been sitting there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why he's there. And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or the economy. He does not say education or the war. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone in the room, "I am here because of Ashley."

"I'm here because of Ashley." By itself, that single moment of recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not enough. It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the jobless, or education to our children.

But it is where we start. It is where our union grows stronger. And as so many generations have come to realize over the course of the two-hundred and twenty one years since a band of patriots signed that document in Philadelphia, that is where the perfection begins."

And, just like that, race, Wright, and unity were all discussed.

Obama: Race on the Table

Sen. Barack Obama's much-anticipated speech on Rev. Wright and the issue of race as it has played out in the campaign started before wake-up time here on the West Coast. Transcripts of the speech were posted early and unscientific online polls, such as this MSNBC one, are showing the speech went well.

I need to watch it on YouTube. Angelica Jongco sent me the YouTube link.

What did you think?

Texas Democratic Party to Clinton Campaign: Existing TDP Credentials Process Already Provides for "Verification"

Below is a statement by Texas Democratic Chairman Boyd Richie regarding the Delegate Selection Process:

The Texas Democratic Party and local Democratic Party organizations around our state are working to turn the enormous opportunity created by the record Democratic turnout experienced on March 4th into a positive outcome for Texas Democrats this fall and in 2010. We are proud of both our Presidential candidates who helped create that turnout. We ask now that the campaigns work with us rather than become an impediment to this extraordinary opportunity to build our party.

Happy St. Patty's Day

Now isn't that creative? I saw a staffer creating the design on his computer in a World News story that toured the campaign headquarters in Illinois.

Senator Obama Condemns China's Use of Force on Tibetans

From the International Campaign for Tibet:

"Senator Barack Obama has condemned the use of violence by China to put down peaceful protests in Tibet and called on the Chinese Government to respect the human rights of the Tibetans and to account for the detained demonstrators.

In a statement on March 14, 2008, Obama said these protests "demonstrate the continuing frustration of the Tibetan people at the way in which Beijing has ruled Tibet. There has been an informal dialogue between Chinese leaders and the Dalai Lama's representatives over the past six years. It is good that they have been talking, but China has thus far shown no flexibility on the substance of those discussions. Indeed, it has delayed in scheduling the latest round, despite the willingness of the Tibetans to continue dialogue."

See: http://www.savetibet.org/news/newsitem.php?id=1220

AAPI GOTV in Philadelphia - March 21, 22, 23

From Matt Chea of the PA Asian Americans for Obama team:

Volunteers, this weekend we will be targeting certain parts of Philadelphia with the highest concentration of our community.

In Upper Darby, PA we will need you to cover the H Mart, a Korean Supermarket which is in a shopping center that has other Korean stores as well as a Vietnamese restaurant.

7050 Terminal Sq.
Upper Darby, PA 19082

Store Hours : 9:00 AM ~ 9:00 PM
Tel : 610-734-1001

Korean volunteers are encouraged to call the HMart in Upper Darby to see if we can do GOTV outside of the shopping center. If we are allowed, we will be using you guys in doing GOTV in this capacity.

I have been to that Supermarket and it shouldn't be problem if you do GOTV outside.

I see Korean ministers giving out flyers for their church events and giving out free sermons to shoppers.

Our Upper Darby resident and API volunteer, Josh Richards will be working this Saturday until 3PM. We can do this GOTV either most of the afternoon on Saturday or we can do it Sunday in which he will be available all day.

In addition, there is another Korean area that we should target which is Olney, Philadelphia which covers North 5^th Street to Abington, Cheltenham as well as Elkins Park which also has another H Mart in a shopping center. 

7320 Old York Road.
Elkins Park, PA 19027

Store Tel : 215-782-1801 Hours : 8:30 AM ~ 9:30 PM

For our outreach in North Philadelphia in the Olney part of Philadelphia:

Hong Kong Supermarket Inc
501 Adams Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19120
(215) 728-1300

Ben City Supermarket

5520 Whitaker Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19124
(215) 537-8938

There are two supermarkets that cater to the Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean customers that I would like for our volunteers to do GOTV. I would like as many Vietnamese and Chinese volunteers to help in this capacity. We can do this outreach on Saturday and or Sunday depending on what days in our volunteers can help us out.

I need my Vietnamese and Chinese volunteers to call these two supermarkets and ask
them the policy on doing GOTV outside.

I will be having surgery and will not be able to talk or check email until Tuesday afternoon.

Please email Anna Perng ASAP at anna.perng@gmail.com to follow up on these tentative plans.

NBC report on how Indonesians are following the U.S. presidential race

3 guesses who they're rooting for? :)

Obama in 30 Seconds

MoveOn.org is one of the best, if not the best, progressive Political Action Committee in America. It's GOTV effort in the 2006 midterms sent more calls to otherwise hesitant voters than the margin of victory in many states and the organization boasts more than 3 million members (this blogger among them). And it was a great day when close to 70% of its members voted to endorse Sen. Obama for the Democratic nomination, the first time the group has endorsed a candidate in the presidential primary. Since then, Moveon has worked to fundraise and GOTV for the candidate. Now, they're launching a campaign to get a user-made ad on the air. The winner gets $20,000 in video equipment. Visit the site http://www.obamain30seconds.org and good luck!

Here are a few good campaign commercials for inspiration. But getting the candidate to act out his scenes could prove difficult...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCo8cQd6Gdc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54ZmCR9hEaQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJAn0jqGcTI

The Rezko Question

The "slumlord," Tony Rezko, who worked on a project that Obama was undertaking for his church for three hours (see the connection?) has had his share of dirty politics in Illinois, but what about the Obama question? After all, didn't he and his wife help the senator buy his house for a discounted price? Well, it was time to settle the question once and for all, so the Senator talked with the Chicago Tribune (which has been covering the allegations for months) and here are the results:

"U.S. Sen. Barack Obama waited 16 months to attempt the exorcism. But when he finally sat down with the Tribune editorial board Friday, Obama offered a lengthy and, to us, plausible explanation for the presence of now-indicted businessman Tony Rezko in his personal and political lives.

The most remarkable facet of Obama's 92-minute discussion was that, at the outset, he pledged to answer every question the three dozen Tribune journalists crammed into the room would put to him. And he did...

When we endorsed Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination Jan. 27, we said we had formed our opinions of him during 12 years of scrutiny. We concluded that the professional judgment and personal decency with which he has managed himself and his ambition distinguish him.

Nothing Obama said in our editorial board room Friday diminishes that verdict...

Obama should have had Friday's discussion 16 months ago. Asked why he didn't, he spoke of learning, uncomfortably, what it's like to live in a fishbowl. That made him perhaps too eager to protect personal information—too eager to "control the narrative."

Less protection, less control, would have meant less hassle for his campaign. That said, Barack Obama now has spoken about his ties to Tony Rezko in uncommon detail. That's a standard for candor by which other presidential candidates facing serious inquiries now can be judged...

Obama's critics have waited 16 months for some new and cataclysmic Rezko moment to implicate and doom Obama. It hasn't happened."

Now, Hillary, release your taxes!

Kudos to Americablog.com for pointing this out

The Unofficial Fake Ice Cream of the Obama Campaign

Not too long ago, Slate's Trailhead held a contest to see what Ben & Jerry's flavor Obama would be. And the winner is...

                  

Yes, Pecan! beat out flavors ranging from Obamana Split to Barackadamia Nut. If you've got a creative Obama product idea, comment below. Obamac and cheese or beef and barackolli, anyone?

OCA - Philadelphia Presidential Forum - Sunday, March 16

MARCH 16 PRESIDENTIAL FORUM IN PHILADELPHIA HOSTED BY OCA

On March 16, 2008 the Organization of Chinese Americans-Greater Philadelphia, a non-partisan organization, will conduct a community forum where leaders and members of the community can come together and discuss presidential candidates and also community members can register to vote.

Please join OCA-GP and SPEAK UP AND VOTE

Confirmed Speakers include:

David Oh   "Why I Ran For Office"

Andy Toy   " Voting For Change"

Harry Kao    Governor's Advisory Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islanders

Nina Ahmad  Asian Pacific Americans for Progress

Alex Chang  " Why Young People Need To Vote""

Location:   Saigon Maxim Restaurant
                636 Washington Ave.

Time:         12 noon to 2 pm

RSVP:       Anna   215-981-3732
                anna.perng@gmail.com

Come out and eat dim sum and participate in an election that will be the most important in a generation!

Pennsylvania: Register to Vote by March 24!

Remember everyone - if you live in PA, you have until March 24 to register to vote in the Democratic primary.

Download your voter registration form here.

Already registered? Sign up for a Voter Registration Canvass in your area this weekend!

If you don't live in Pennsylvania, call Pennsylvanians to remind them to register by March 24!

Here's a video from Barack explaining how to register:

Captioned Media for Obama Launches!

As some readers may recall, Asian Americans for Obama worked with a group of grassroots volunteers in the weeks before the Texas, Ohio, Vermont, and Rhode Island primaries to caption and subtitle several Obama-related videos in various Asian languages.  Now, Michale Novak has created a comprehensive website for that effort:  www.captionedmediaforobama.com.

At that site, you can find numerous videos with several different language subtitles available for download. You can also find the links to the YouTube versions.  The page will be continually updated as additional material and languages become available.  The comprehensive YouTube page is here:  www.youtube.com/group/captionedforobama.

We still need help transcribing and translating additional videos.  Here is more information from Michael on the effort:

Transcribers - If you're willing to transcribe videos verbatim, that would be a big help. We caption everything in a unique karaoke style that immediately improves the understanding of the 20% of Americans that speak a language other than English in the home. They may have some capability in English, so if we can show it to them in this style it really helps.

Translators - If you are a native speaker of a language other than English, and also want to help, you can take the work from the transcribers that we have captioned, and translate it into another language for us. It can be any language, as long as you can do a complete video that's what we need. An example of what we give you for translation is at www.captionedmediaforobama.com/translation_masters/Si_Se_Puede.html  Just move it to another language, and send it to us. We'll be delivering the other transcription files to the site soon.

Editors - If you would like to proofread transcriptions, or translations, we need you too. Quality control is vital, and reviewing the work of the first two teams helps to insure quality.

Tech Guys - If you can help us create a podcast, RSS feed, iphone user interface, etc, we need your help. Let's use the geeks out there to full advantage.

We believe that this is the first election where non-native speakers of English will have a very significant voice in the primaries and the general election. So, help us deliver Barack's messages to all Americans. If you don't see your language listed don't worry, it's easy to add another column to the matrix of languages.

So to get involved here are our links:

Barack's site - Join the formal group at http://my.barackobama.com/pagegroup/captionedmediaforobama
If you haven't started a personal page on the campaigns site, now is the time. And join our group to get all the announcements, blogs, and messages

YouTube site - Our YouTube group is http://www.youtube.com/group/captionedforobama
If you see a Barack video that's been captioned or translated with subtitles, add it to the group!

Our Site - Check out our final videos at the site, and see if you can help. or just refer your friends who speak our supported languages to get great bilingual Barack videos from there. In particular check out
"Si Se Puede Cambiar" in Spanish with English and additional language subtitles.

Email: Send me an email at info@captionedmediaforobama.com

Prof. Cass Sunstein on Barack Obama

The Chicago Tribune has a terrific column today by Professor Cass Sunstein, the Karl Llewellyn Dist. Service Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of Chicago, on the "Obama I Know" based on serving as colleagues for over a decade.

Prof. Sunstein is one of the crown jewels of UChicago Law School as the most cited living legal scholar in America today (i.e., his work is cited by other legal scholars in academic articles more than that of any other scholar).  I had Prof. Sunstein for Elements of the Law as a 1L and Administrative Law (for which he wrote the textbook along with Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and others) as a 2L.  He's one of those brilliant, lovably scattered "absent-minded" professor types who can give a 20 minute discourse on virtually any topic off the top of his head and always had his office door open whether you wanted to talk the Chevron case or how to manage a baseball team.  He taught me Behavioral Law and Economics, the legal branch of one of the hottest new fields of study in economics, which attempts to supplement classical theories and models with data on how people really behave taken from cognitive science and psychology.  Both he and Obama were consistently among the most popular professors at the law school.  I still respect and admire Prof. Sunstein enormously to this day, and he exemplifies that UChicago philosophy that Sen. Obama embodies to this day - carefully reasoned decision making that takes into account all viewpoints and treats every person's opinion with respect.  A mantra of our classroom debates was that unless you have evidence to the contrary, always presume your opponent is speaking in good faith.

Prof. Sunstein notes how Obama's propensity to listen to others is a great strength, writing:

Obama wanted to consider the best possible defense of what Bush had done. To every argument I made, he listened and offered a counterargument. After the issue had been exhausted, Obama said he thought the program was illegal, but now had a better understanding of both sides. He thanked me for my time.

This was a pretty amazing conversation, not only because of Obama's mastery of the legal details, but also because many prominent Democratic leaders had already blasted the Bush initiative as blatantly illegal. He did not want to take a public position until he had listened to, and explored, what might be said on the other side.

This is the Barack Obama I have known for nearly 15 years -- a careful and evenhanded analyst of law and policy, unusually attentive to multiple points of view.

The University of Chicago Law School is by far the most conservative of the great American law schools. It helped to provide the academic foundations for many positions of the Reagan administration.

But at the University of Chicago, Obama is liked and admired by both Republicans and Democrats. Some local Reagan enthusiasts are Obama supporters. Why? It doesn't hurt that he's a great guy, with a personal touch and a lot of warmth. It certainly helps that he is exceptionally able.

But niceness and ability are only part of the story. Obama has a genuinely independent mind, he's a terrific listener and he goes wherever reason takes him.

To read the rest, click here.

Diverse Obama Supporters Host Tax Clinic in Philadelphia - April 12

A panel of community leaders and elected officials who embrace Presidential Candidate Senator Barack Obama’s message of inclusion and empowerment announced a free tax clinic targeting those Philadelphians earning between $3,000-8,750, who traditionally do not file for taxes.

This free clinic which will take place on April 12 at the offices of Solutions for Progress, a progressive public policy technology company providing services that directly assist low and middle income families to obtain public benefits easily and with dignity, is geared towards people who might be deprived from receiving a rebate as a part of the Federal Government Economic Stimulus Package, unless they file for 2007 taxes.

There are 14 million people nationwide who are not on the tax rolls and will fail to receive this rebate check of a minimum $300. In addition, this tax filing will help eligible older Pennsylvanians to secure up to a $650 property tax/rent rebate.

 

Insightful and Moving Portrait of Barack's Mother

Janny Scott's piece in today's New York Times on Sen. Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham Soetoro, presents a profile of a strong, courageous and practical woman who would wake little Barack up at 4 a.m. for English lessons before school in Indonesia, saying to him when he balked at the early morning rise: “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”

Kansas was merely a way station in her childhood, wheeling westward in the slipstream of her furniture-salesman father. In Hawaii, she married an African student at age 18. Then she married an Indonesian, moved to Jakarta, became an anthropologist, wrote an 800-page dissertation on peasant blacksmithing in Java, worked for the Ford Foundation, championed women’s work and helped bring microcredit to the world’s poor.

Georgia McCauley, Maya's hanai mother and godmother to Maya and Konrad's daughter Suhaila, is mentioned in the article, as is Maya. Georgia visited the Bay Area before the California primaries and spoke at many of our events here about the family story.

Read the full article here.

AAPI Voter Reg. Efforts in Philadelphia (Deadline March 24)

We need your help to get out the AAPI vote for Barack in Pennsylvania.  The Deadline to register new voters is March 24! Registered voters who are not Democrats must re-register by the deadline as Democrats to vote in the primary for Barack.

API Volunteers who are interested in the API effort in the Philadelphia area can contact:

Anna Perng – (484-557-2411) anna.perng@gmail.com – Chinatown Philadelphia

Nina Ahmed – (267-304-1670) willsresearch@yahoo.com – Upper Darby, Pennsylvania

Matthew Chea – (267-237-8340) mattchea@gmail.com – South Philadelphia

Our priority in the Philadelphia area is Voter Registration and to target our community and register them so they can vote for the Primary on April 22, 2008.

We divided the areas into three areas that have the most areas of API concentration:

South Philadelphia,
Chinatown and
Upper Darby, Pennsylvania which is about 30 minutes west of Philadelphia.

We also need volunteers who speaks languages such as Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) and several South Asian languages. If you speak one of them we can use you.

The State Voter Registration's website has voter registration information in aseveral languages:

www.votespa.com

Click on Alternative Language Forms and Information for them.

Obama's Philadelphia headquarters opened at 15th and Sansom Streets and the number is 10-9PM Sunday-Saturday. Their number is 215-564-2010.

In addition, Anna is coordinating the efforts in getting an office space in Chinatown and an office in South Philadelphia will be ready soon. As for Upper Darby, there is a headquarter and once I find out more information I will send them to you.

Reducing Barack to His Race

"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept." -- Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, March 7, 2008.

Rep. Ferraro's comments--suggesting that Barack Obama's meteoric rise is due solely to the luck of his skin color--has no place in any Democratic campaign. 

Volunteers with laptops needed at Austin HQ

A message from Ronnie Cho (one of the field organizers still in Austin) posted at Texans for Obama:

Hello Team,

It's Ronnie Cho from the Obama Campaign. I hope all of you are well. I want to thank each and every one of you for your contribution to this campaign. Let be clear about one thing: Senator Barack Obama will win the state of Texas. Due to your efforts, Barack Obama will come away with more delegates in Texas than Hillary Clinton. That's a victory we all can take credit for. However, the results are not official just yet because there is still some work to be done.

In Falling Behind, Clinton Campaign Wants to Change Benchmarks and Rules

The Obama campaign sent out a really great email today from campaign manager David Plouffe.  I'm pasting it below verbatim.

When we won Iowa, the Clinton campaign said it's not the number of states you win, it's "a contest for delegates."

When we won a significant lead in delegates, they said it's really about which states you win.

When we won South Carolina, they discounted the votes of African-Americans.

When we won predominantly white, rural states like Idaho, Utah, and Nebraska, they said those didn't count because they won't be competitive in the general election.

When we won in Washington State, Wisconsin, and Missouri -- general election battlegrounds where polls show Barack is a stronger candidate against John McCain -- the Clinton campaign attacked those voters as "latte-sipping" elitists.

And now that we've won more than twice as many states, the Clinton spin is that only certain states really count.

But the facts are clear.

For all their attempts to discount, distract, and distort, we have won more delegates, more states, and more votes.

Meanwhile, more than half of the votes that Senator Clinton has won so far have come from just five states. And in four of these five states, polls show that Barack would be a stronger general election candidate against McCain than Clinton.

Hillary: The Narrow-mindedness of Experience and the New Romanticism

I really appreciate the perspective that John Delloro provides in his recent post to the AAA-Fund blog.
By: John Delloro

“Experience” is the skeptic’s final defense against change.  Since the advent of the first set of affirmative action programs, the argument of “lack of experience” has been racially coded and used to dismiss the accomplishments of different people. In the case of Obama, it goes deeper and involves more than race and invokes a fear of an uncertain future that is beyond everyday understanding. Its success depends on the Hillary campaign being able to sell her background. For Hillary, this requires the sleight of hand of a magician who pulls a coin from behind a child’s ear. She must depend on illusion and misdirection.

To create an illusion, the past must be rewritten. The Hillary campaign stretched her actual years of public service beyond her actual 1 ½ term tenure in public office to include her entire length of social activism. Although this is perfectly legitimate, the unspoken added value of Bill Clinton’s legacy is what warrants more inspection. Early on in the campaign, Hillary made little effort to distance herself from her husband who had polled very well with likely voters. In fact, several of her hardcore supporters speak wistfully of the Bill Clinton years. The “golden years of Bill” have played a role in voters’ decisions. However, brass does resemble gold when the point of comparison is George W. Bush.

Boston's Sam Yoon May Play Pivotal Role in Florida, Michigan 'Do-Overs'

Bostonist today points to a Brighton Centered post about the pivotal role that Boston City Councilor Sam Yoon (and Obama supporter) might play in the controversial issue over whether Clinton gets to change the rules and seat the delegates from Florida and Michigan.

Howard Dean last month appointed Yoon to the Democratic National Convention Rules Committee, which is responsible for ruling on, according to Brighton Centered: "(1) whether Florida or Michigan can hold 'make-up' primary or caucus contests before June 7th; and (2) whether or not those two states' delegates can be seated at the DNC's national convention this summer, should they not hold the 'make-up' primaries."

Yoon is the first Asian American elected to the Boston City Council.

Obama Picks Up 4 Delegates in CA

In addition to Obama's delegate win in TX, another story ignored by much of the press is Obama's 4 delegate pick-up in the final, certified results of the California primary.

Read more here.

The Enthusiasm Gap

Thanks to a member of the Group Administrators for Obama group for pointing this out.

Note this graphic from Wikipedia:

 

Margins that the states have been won by :

 

win by 30% to 85% : Obama 14, Hillary 1

 

win by 20% to 30% : Obama 6, Hillary 1

 

win by 10% to 20% : Obama 5, Hillary 7

 

narrow win <10% : Obama 3, Hillary 6

Add the above data to all the polling that has been done lately of the McCain versus Obama or Clinton match ups, and I think it's pretty easy to conclude which candidate is not only stronger in November, but will bring more new voters into the Party.

Today, we saw another example of Obama's coattails after his campaigning on behalf of physicist Bill Foster led to Foster's 52-48 victory over Jim Oberweis in a special election for former Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert's seat.