By Phil Tajitsu Nash (Asian Week, 11/20/2003)

On Monday night, November 17, 2003, over 400 exuberant Asian Pacific American (APA) community members, from students to senior citizens, attended the first ever APA Presidential Candidate Townhall Meeting held in Washington, D.C. The Capital Hilton Hotel's Senate and Congressional Rooms were packed to overflowing, with many visitors standing in the aisles to see the political coming of age of the APA community.

Like the Latino community, which was courted by the Democratic Presidential candidates at a debate in New Mexico in September, and like the African American community, which rebuked Presidential candidates who did not show up at the NAACP conference in Miami last July, the APA community was flexing its muscle and demanding to be taken seriously as a political force.

Front Runner Recognizes Importance of APAs
Numerous invitations had gone out to all of the Democratic Presidential candidates, and several had shown interest but cited scheduling difficulties or other reasons for not showing up. The one candidate who did show up, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, treated the audience to a rousing speech and thoughtful responses to questions from the audience. Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Terry McAuliffe, Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA), Maryland Delegate Susan Lee, Maryland Democratic Party Leader Isiah Leggett, DNC Deputy Director Victoria Lai, AAA-Fund Chair Yeni Wong, and other political leaders also were in attendance.

"This event galvanized the pent-up political energy of our community" said Bel Leong-Hong, head of the event organizing committee. "It accomplished our goals of educating ourselves about the Democratic Presidential candidates. while at the same time educating the candidates and the larger American society about our community. We impressed upon Dr. Dean, Mr. McAuliffe, and everyone there that Asian American and Pacific Islander voters can provide the winning margins for candidates who reach out to us and take positions supportive of our community."

Television cameras from ABC, CNN, MSNBC, and other news outlets crowded the room, and reporters from the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Herald, Salon.com, and other publications also were in attendance.

Turnout Exceeds All Expectations
Two busloads of Korean American seniors mixed with briefcase-toting professionals, Congressional aides, and dozens of Asian Indian, Vietnamese American, and Chinese American students. Several turbans were visible because of outreach that had been done to Sikhs and other South Asians, and the audience stopped the proceedings briefly to recognize the end of the Ramadan fast for Muslim Americans in the audience. "Even the heretofore silent Southeast Asian newcomers were present" said Nguyen Minh Chau, a former elected official in Maryland and board member of the Asian American Action Fund (AAA-Fund), which sponsored the event. "I was amazed at the sizable turnout of Vietnamese Americans, especially representatives of Vietnamese language media groups."

The townhall started with remarks from Mistress of Ceremonies Gloria Caoile who, as head of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), knows how to work a crowd. The already-electric atmosphere in the room was taken to a higher level as Mr. McAuliffe and then Irene Bueno, Executive Director of the AAA-Fund, welcomed everyone.

Dean to APAs: "The power to change this country is in your hands"

The highlight of the evening, however, was the speech delivered by Howard Dean, after introductions from Rep. David Wu (D-Oregon) and Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), leaders of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Dr. Dean reminded the crowd that "the power to change this country is in your hands, not mine." And, in a statement aimed toward those who have tried to steer the party toward a centrist position, said, "You have the power to take back the party."

Governor Dean denounced the Bush Administration for not telling the truth on Iraq, and said that a Dean Administration would "get it right" on both foreign policy and domestic economic issues. "People around the world used to admire America and wanted to be like Americans" he said soberly, "But not today." He continued, "We need a foreign policy based on honor, dignity, and respect. A policy based primarily on cooperation, not confrontation."

When addressing a question from the audience about whether he would hire APAs in his administration, Dr. Dean told a story about how his own staff when he was Governor of Vermont became largely female after he had chosen a female chief of staff. When asked why more males had not been hired, his chief of staff had answered, "It's so hard to find qualified males." After the laughter had died down, Dean concluded the story by saying that if we want a government that looks like America, we must be aware of our own hidden biases and try our best to bring in qualified people from a broad range of backgrounds.

Responding to questions about immigration and helping APA communities, Governor Dean reiterated his support for diversity and said he was against school vouchers and self-segregation. Rather than have Jews and Catholics and others go to schools only with people like themselves, he asked aloud, why don't we promote our public schools to do a better job? He cited as a model school a two-way whole language kindergarten program in Milwaukee where English-speaking kids learn Spanish while Spanish-speaking kids learn English. "Not enough Americans speak more than one language" he said, showing his support for multicultural, multi-lingual approaches to education.

Rep. David Wu Announces Surprise Endorsement

Dr. Dean's remarks were so stirring, that at the end, Rep. Wu decided that he would make a formal personal endorsement of Dean for President. "You were the only one of the candidates who took the time to show up and talk to us" said Congressman Wu, as many voices from the audience were raised in agreement. Other candidates and potential candidates in the room made a mental note that, while Rep. Wu was speaking only for himself, he also was speaking for a community that was ready to stand up and make a difference in 2004.

To read questionnaires that the candidates will be filling out by December 15th, or to find out more about APA political outreach, go to www.aaa-fund.org