Fired up! Ready to go!
Thanks Annabel and Eric.
Anyone who has talked with members of The Establishment, whether Democratic or Republican, picks up on the basic inner fear they have of both John Edwards (who "fights" for change) and Obama (who says "together" we will change).
The Democratic old-timers are darned near in a panic, as they believe neither Change Artist can beat the Republicans. The Republican leadership wants nothing to do with rocking their comfortable boat; to them Change sounds ominously as though it goes way, way beyond bipartisanship and, in any case, to Republicans bipartisanship means doing it their way without argument. What's this blather about change? So their candidates, having noticed that Change is in the air, in typical Republican fashion have seized upon the word and morphed it into a new meaning that says "we will get rid of Bush and his buddies, except for cutting more taxes of course, and that's the Change you really want, so stuff it."
What happens to the Obama movement if Clinton pulls it off thanks to her stash of Super Delegates (who are all pretty much by definition Establishment), and wins the Democratic nomination? Will she offer the Vice-Presidency to Obama (which is what the Republican insiders seem to have been expecting for over two years)? Will that keep the Democrats together, including the newly inspired Democrats of the Obama movement?
If she wins the old-fashioned way, I'll be very disappointed, but I will likely vote for her nonetheless. And if she wins the majority of the delegates and then goes on to win the superdelegates, I can't be that angry either. But if the nomination is determined solely based on Superdelegates (in that Obama wins more delegates but loses because of Superdelegates) I will likely not vote for a Presidential candidate this year in protest of the Democratic Party (or vote for McCain if he's the nominee).
Our entire primary system needs a major overhaul. Too long have the people of Iowa and New Hampshire held a choke-hold on our party. It is time to spread Democracy else where. I suggest a "draft", where states are pulled out of a hat or something and the states then select the date they want in order they are selected. That way there is no favortism: it is all left up to chance.
JANUARY 16, 2008PRESS CONTACT:
Catherine Park 310-866-7275
catepark@gmail.comAsian American Activists Converge in Vegas to Support Obama
Over 40 Asian American artists, filmmakers and activists, including actress Kelly Hu (X-Men 2), Yul Kwon (winner of "Survivor: Cooke Island"), Mora Mi-Ok Stephens (director of Conventioneers), Amyn Kaderali (director of Kissing Cousins), Eric Byler (director of Charlotte Sometimes) and Annabel Park (director of 9500 Liberty) will converge today in Las Vegas to promote Asian Pacific American participation in Saturday's historic Nevada Caucus.
Primarily connected through networks like YouTube and Facebook, this newly formed online community will see members from Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Washington DC, and the San Francisco Bay Area meet in person for the first time. "We created a Facebook event page called 'Vegas and Obama, Baby!' and within hours people starting signing up to join us," said Byler. "We are especially looking forward to meeting Asian American artists and community leaders from Las Vegas and taking this opportunity to grow our network."
The filmmakers will be creating videos about Obama and documenting campaign activities and events for the group's YouTube channel: www.YouTube.com/UnitedForObama (which has already posted videos featuring Ms. Hu and Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar).
"This represents the intersection of the Asian American empowerment movement and the 2008 Presidential Election," Park said. "A candidate like Barack Obama empowers us...his candidacy is a calling for a new era of American politics, a new generation of leaders and people are responding in a dramatic way." Park teamed with Kwon and Byler on the successful grassroots effort to pass H.Res.121, the "Comfort Women" resolution, in the US Congress. Many activists traveling to Las Vegas from the east coast first met Park and Byler during the Asian American-led movement that helped unseat Sen. George "Macaca" Allen in Virginia in 2006.
"The change that everyone is talking about is not a change in leadership, it's a change in us. Internet and YouTube have given us tools we can convert into tangible grassroots and political action," said Byler.
Byler and Park are Board Members of Asian Pacific Americans for Progress (APAP), an organization that has endorsed Sen. Barack Obama. But APAP has invited volunteers to support any Democratic candidate, as well as the non-partisan group APiA Vote which is seeking to increase APA turn-out at the Caucus.
Along with canvassing for Obama on Friday, January 18th, Hu, Kwon, Byler, Stephens and Park will be attending APIA Vote phone-banking, a non-partisan effort to get AAPIs out to caucus.
WHAT: Phone Banking to get AAPIs out to the NV Caucuses this Saturday
WHEN: Friday, January 18, 2008, Noon to 1PM
WHERE: 2475 Chandler Ave, Henderson, NVMembers of the press are welcome
APAP Board Member Catherine Park is coordinating Obama volunteers (310-866-7275) and Sharon Chen (626-297-3401) is coordinating volunteers who support Sen. Hillary Clinton.