Posted on the Asian American Action Fund blog, here's a piece by supporter Stella Ngai:
I used to be a criminal prosecutor — one of the good guys, busting
the bad guys! I even worked at “The Hall of Justice”, just like where
The Superfriends gathered in that cartoon.
I thought a good D.A. was tough all the time, so I insisted on jail
time for case after case. If the public defender refused to take my
settlement offer, I’d tell the judge that I was ready to take the case
to trial.
One day, another D.A., a more experienced Superfriend, took me aside.
“Judge X doesn’t like you,” he said.
The snarl in her voice and the sneer in her eyes when Judge X addressed me in court had given that away.
My Superfriend explained to me that judges wanted to clear their
calendars because it was impossible to try every case that got filed.
He talked about how I needed to pick my battles. He said that if I
occasionally compromised, the Judge might warm to me.
I took his advice. With serious cases like DUI’s, I’d still hold out
for jail time. But I learned to figure out which cases were worth less
(e.g., shoplifting or trespass). Once I demonstrated discretion by
settling the “low-value” cases rather than taking a hard stand on each
one, Judge X’s sneers and snarls gradually gave way to smiles. I never
became one of her favorites, but I like to think that she didn’t hate
me, during the rest of my time in her courtroom.
I was reminded about how I learned to pick my battles after reading
a recent New Yorker article about Clinton and Obama. Hillary was
described as someone who “needs enemies.” Her recent attacks against
Obama exemplify her win at all costs mentality, even if it means
getting vicious with someone from your own party.
When an advisor in the Arkansas days proposed offering retail
discounts to the state’s elderly, the New Yorker reports that Hillary
said “the last thing we need to do right now is something for folks who
didn’t vote for Bill”.
I can’t imagine Obama holding a grudge like her — he’s not a hater.
We need someone like Obama who can bring people together across the
aisle, not someone divisive and polarizing like Clinton.
I am convinced that Obama has the best temperament to represent
America on the world stage. He can be tough without being a jerk, and I
trust that he’ll fight when he needs to, but compromise when it’s in
our country’s best interests. He understands people from the other side
of the aisle, the other side of the country, and the other side of the
world.
With Clinton, you sense that she believes that she is the solution
to America’s problems. But Obama makes me believe that I can be a part
of the solution.
Obama has proven that he can lead, govern, and inspire. I’d love to have a beer with him, too — and I don’t even drink.
- Stella Ngai
