Little India, the largest circulated Indian publication in the United States (according to their website), has endorsed Sen. Obama for President:

"Little India has decided to break from its tradition of staying out of the primary selections by endorsing Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic Party nomination for president. We take this unusual step as we have come to share his inspiring message and his call for the "fierce urgency of now."

We value the Clintons’ long association with the Indian American community and with India, so the decision to endorse her opponent has not been easy. But there is something magical and transcendental in this moment about Sen. Obama both for the country and the Indian American community.

His life story is in so many ways ours. In his political pursuits, he has defied both traditional paths pursued by minority politicians: identity politics built on narrow affiliations, typical of most ethnic leaders, as well as that of right wing politicians (like our own Bobby Jindal in Louisiana) who run from their history and identity. Obama, by contrast, has transcended boundaries. The Obama phenomenon, even if it does not get him the ultimate prize, offers something unique and it is important that we
embrace this moment, for, as the Nobel Prize writer Toni Morrison wrote in her endorsement of Obama, "this is one of those singular moments that nations ignore at their peril."

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Breaking news - according to sources, the Asian American publication Asianweek will endorse Sen. Obama in tomorrow’s issue.  Check it out!

UPDATE:  Asianweek’s short, but sweet endorsement:

Barack Obama
DEMOCRAT — U.S. Senator Barack Obama is the first-ever presidential
candidate of color to have a broad base of support throughout America.
A native Hawaiian, Obama’s personal and political background reflects
the multicultural future of America. The energy Obama has ignited among
young Asian Pacific American activists is unprecedented for
presidential politics and could pave the way for future APA involvement.

Great news!  For those of you following the controversy, several weeks ago the Asian American political organization, the 80-20 Initiative, began attacking Sen. Obama for refusing to answer a questionnaire committing to fighting discrimination against Asian Americans in the work place and appointing more AAPI federal judges.  The Obama campaign responded that it had objected to the wording in the questionnaire which implied a de facto quota for judges and sought to revise the wording of the questionnaire but was rebuffed.  After several weeks of back and forth charges and a lot of time spent by this organization and many others to defend Sen. Obama’s strong record of support for Asian American issues, the two parties have thankfully worked out their differences and come to an agreement on wording for the questionnaire.  80-20 has also agreed to stay neutral in the race except in California where they previously endorsed Sen. Clinton and remove all negative materials on Sen. Obama from their website.

80-20 posted an announcement on their website today.

See Sen. Obama’s signed questionnaire form here.

This is a terrific development, not just because of our support for Sen. Obama, but because those who have been fighting for equal opportunity all their lives cannot afford to spend their time fighting each other.  Sen. Obama and the 80-20 Initiative are on the same side when it comes to needed reform, so it was tragic that a disagreement between friends became such an issue.  This is a terrific development for our community and for the country.

Jenn Fang of the terrific blog, www.reappropriate.com, and of Asian Americans for Obama, had a letter published today in New American Media.

An excerpt:

"This year will be a turning point for Asian and
Pacific Islander. More than in any other election year, a growing
number of Asian Americans—from all walks of life—are becoming involved
in the American political process. Most Asian Americans vote
Democratic, and in this year’s tight Democratic race, we have the
unique opportunity to demonstrate our political will in support of a
diverse group of candidates. Of the three candidates, Senator Barack
Obama most closely represents the interests of Asian Americans. Senator
Obama has formed an Asian Pacific Islander American Leadership Council
that brings the concerns of Asian Americans to the forefront of this
campaign season. Consequently, the Obama campaign does not merely
perceive our community as an ample source of fundraising dollars; Obama
is the only Democratic candidate to recognize the obstacles still faced
by Asian Americans and to release a plan for aiding the Asian American
community."

Jenn Fang of the terrific blog, www.reappropriate.com, and of Asian Americans for Obama, had a letter published today in New American Media.

An excerpt:

"This year will be a turning point for Asian and
Pacific Islander. More than in any other election year, a growing
number of Asian Americans—from all walks of life—are becoming involved
in the American political process. Most Asian Americans vote
Democratic, and in this year’s tight Democratic race, we have the
unique opportunity to demonstrate our political will in support of a
diverse group of candidates. Of the three candidates, Senator Barack
Obama most closely represents the interests of Asian Americans. Senator
Obama has formed an Asian Pacific Islander American Leadership Council
that brings the concerns of Asian Americans to the forefront of this
campaign season. Consequently, the Obama campaign does not merely
perceive our community as an ample source of fundraising dollars; Obama
is the only Democratic candidate to recognize the obstacles still faced
by Asian Americans and to release a plan for aiding the Asian American
community."

We need you to get involved! On February 5^th,
twenty states and millions of Americans will be voting in the Democratic
primary process. We are looking for folks to spread the word about why Senator
Barack Obama is the best candidate for Asian Americans and all Americans. 

Please take just a few minutes to write a letter to your
local newspaper detailing why YOU support Barack Obama. Send it to your local
papers and to any of the following media outlets.

Contact information for many newspapers and magazines around the country
can be found at 

http://www.publishaletter.com/

(If you have any additional media contacts, please email asianamericansforobama@gmail.com)

***

Here is a sample letter:

Dear
Editor,

I
am delighted to be supporting Senator Barack Obama. As an Asian American, I am
inspired by Obama’s message of uniting the country; too long, divisive partisan
politics have left underprivileged minorities out of the political
process. I find Senator Obama’s commitment to immigration reform a
critical issue for the Asian American community.  Senator Obama has an
outstanding history of standing up for Asian Americans in Illinois and the US Senate. 

I urge
all Asian Americans to support Barack Obama. He is our best choice on February
5^th.

Signed,

J.
Fang, Tucson AZ

***

Please be sure to forward a copy of your letter to asianamericansforobama@gmail.com
so that we can collect the voices of Asian American supporters of Obama! We
would like to blast local media – particularly in California
and New York –
over the weekend in preparation for next Tuesday.

Thanks!

The Media Team for Asian Americans for Obama

PS – Please share this message with your friends, family, and colleagues!

The Wall Street Journal reports that Paul Volcker, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve appointed by President Jimmy Carter, endorsed Sen. Obama.

Volcker may not be as sexy of an endorsement as, say, Ted Kennedy, but I actually have an enormous amount of respect for him.  Many of you may know that Volcker was appointed by Jimmy Carter to deal with the crippling "stagflation" crisis that had gripped America for almost a decade.  Volcker is also a prime example of doing something politically unpopular but right in terms of policy.  Volcker was a known hawk on inflation and finally reversed the runaway trend by imposing an enormous hike in interest rates that caused one of the deepest recessions in American history.  This strong medicine set the stage for the 80s boom, but one of the primary consequences was to allow Ronald Reagan to blame Jimmy Carter for the sorry state of the economy in 1980 and then later take credit for the 80s recovery.  Carter knew that Volcker’s actions would hurt him politically, but he appointed him anyway.

Volcker now commands the respect of many economists and economic policy wonks, and even those Republicans who despise Jimmy Carter begrudgingly admit that appointing Volcker was one of the smartest things a president has ever done.  Sen. Obama is certainly not Jimmy Carter, but he does share the quality of sticking to his positions when they are right, even though they may not be popular.  As numerous YouTube videos have shown, Obama’s policy positions have remained steady and unchanged for the last several years, whether he was serving in the Illinois State Senate, running for US Senate, or running for President.  That’s the kind of quality that people also admire in John McCain, and if he’s the eventual nominee, we’ll need someone who shares that integrity to beat him.

George Lakoff, the visionary scholar of messaging and political communication and author of Don’t Think of an Elephant, talks about the overarching principles that distinguish Sen. Obama from Sen. Clinton in this terrific piece of commentary.

He writes,

"First, triangulation: moving to the right — adopting right-wing
positions — to get more votes. Bill Clinton did it and Hillary
believes in it. It is what she means by "bipartisanship." Obama means
the opposite by "bipartisanship." To Obama, it is a recognition that
central progressive moral principles are fundamental American
principles. For him, bipartisanship means finding people who call
themselves "conservatives" or "independents," but who share those
central American values with progressives. Obama thus doesn’t have to
surrender or dilute his principles for the sake of "bipartisanship."

This is a point I have endeavored to convey to many of my Democratic friends, particularly those who supported Edwards, and felt that Obama was not sufficiently "strong" enough in his progressivism because of his "feel good" rhetoric.  They wanted a partisan warrior after the defeats inflicted by the ruthless GOP political machine of Karl Rove, Tom Delay, and Dick Cheney.  What I tried to emphasize, and what Lakoff articulates masterfully, is that many people misunderstand Obama’s message because when they think of bipartisanship, they think of weak-kneed compromise and horse trading, quid pro quo.  They think of the false bipartisanship of George W. Bush, who demanded you support his policies as a Democrat without question or be labeled a traitor.

Read the rest of this entry »

We don’t have a lot of details yet, nor a formal press release or statement, but this morning, State Senator Leland Yee of California, Assistant President pro Tempore of the California State Senate and a pioneering Asian American politician, endorsed Sen. Obama after his previous endorsed candidate, Sen. John Edwards, dropped out of the race.

If you have a moment, please take a time to send a message to Sen. Yee to thank him for his support.  You can send him an e-mail here.

Update - I just received an e-mail with the press release for Sen. Yee’s endorsement:

For Immediate Release:

Obama’s Asian Pacific Islander Supporters in Bay Area Fired Up for Party with Kelly Hu: