Our RSS feed
July 1st, 2008
More in the Press Taking Note of Obama’s Diverse Family
Posted by Asian Americans for ObamaAs Maya Soetoro-Ng has been campaigning earnestly for her brother this summer, more and more people are taking note of just how rich and diverse Obama’s family heritage really is.
In an article in the Huffington Post entitled, "Obama’s Sister Becomes Asian-American Surrogate," the AP writes:
"We are ready for a more complex construction of identity as a
country," she said, dismissing the possibility some voters might find
it hard to relate to Obama’s multiethnic background and foreign
experience.
"Maybe not everybody is as mixed or as hybrid as he is. But he gets
Kansas, because we have Kansas," she said, referring to their mother’s
background. "He gets the Midwest. He gets the south side of Chicago."
And he "has a lot of affection for Asian cultures, in all of their various forms," she said.
The article also notes that the AAPI community represents a continuing challenge and a continuing opportunity for political campaigns. Because of the diversity within our community, many campaigns have difficulty reaching out to AAPIs and often decide that it’s not worth the investment of time, resources, or energy. However, the article notes that in select races, such as Sen. Jim Webb’s narrow victory over George Allen in 2006, the Asian vote has made the critical difference. Others observe that there’s a bit of the chicken-and-egg problem with AAPI voters:
"Parties are hesitant to invest in communities where party loyalty is
not fixed," said David Lee, who teaches political science at San
Francisco State University, and heads the Chinese-American Voters
Education Committee. "But if you don’t spend the money, if you don’t
invest in Asian voters, why should they be loyal?"
As a community, we are still working to answer many questions about our role in politics. But as recent events and Maya’s presence make clear, the AAPI vote will be a major factor in elections for years to come. You can show how Asian Americans are making a difference today by joining our national Asian Americans for Obama listserve at My.BarackObama.com. And join us on Facebook, too!
