PENNSYLVANIA: ASIANS DISH PHILLY BUT NOT VOTES

According to exit polls, once again Asian voters are MIA -- this time in PA. Guess they're too busy slinging kimchi in Philly's Koreatown to show up at the polls.

HILLARY'S OTHER CAREER: TV REPAIRWOMAN

NO APRIL FOOL'S JOKE: THIS EMAIL IS BOGUS!

What isn't funny is that a misleading viral email has been going around claiming that Obama's legislative record is far superior to Clinton's.  In fact, Newsweek found that it is false in every regard, and that the opposite is true:

"A misleading e-mail has been making the rounds, alleging that Clinton has fewer legislative accomplishments than Obama, and that they are less substantive. We've had questions about it from a number of readers, and blogs have jumped into the fray. So what's the real story on the Senate careers of the Democratic presidential candidates? We find that the e-mail is false in almost every particular.  It sets up a face-off between apples and, well, broccoli, comparing only the Clinton-sponsored bills that became law with all bills sponsored or cosponsored by Obama, whether they were signed into law or not.  It includes legislation Obama sponsored in the Illinois state Senate, a very different legislative body.  It tells us that Obama has sponsored more legislation than Clinton, when in fact he has sponsored less.  It implies that Obama has passed more bills into law than Clinton, when the opposite is true.  Contrary to the e-mail's assertions, Clinton's and Obama's contributions are not qualitatively different, and quantitatively, Clinton has the edge."

Per Newsweek, this is what the email touts:

"Let's take a closer look at who's really qualified and or who's really working for the good of all of us in the Senate. Obama or Clinton.  Records of these two candidates should be scrutinized in order to make an informed decision.  Senator Clinton, who has served only one full term - 6yrs. - and another year campaigning, has managed to author and pass into law - 20 - twenty pieces of legislation in her first six years. 

1. Establish the Kate Mullany National Historic Site.
2. Support the goals and ideals of Better Hearing and Speech Month.
3. Recognize the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
4. Name courthouse after Thurgood Marshall.
5. Name courthouse after James L. Watson.
6. Name post office after Jonn A. O'Shea.
7. Designate Aug. 7, 2003, as National Purple Heart Recognition Day.
8. Support the goals and ideals of National Purple Heart Recognition Day.
9. Honor the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton on the bicentennial of his death.
10. Congratulate the Syracuse Univ. Orange Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship.
11. Congratulate the Le Moyne College Dolphins Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship.
12. Establish the 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemorative Program.
13. Name post office after Sergeant Riayan A. Tejeda.
14. Honor Shirley Chisholm for her service to the nation and express condolences on her death.
15. Honor John J. Downing, Brian Fahey, and Harry Ford, firefighters who lost their lives on duty.

Only five of Clinton's bills are, more substantive.
16. Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11.
17. Pay for city projects in response to 9/11
18. Assist landmine victims in other countries.
19. Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care.
20. Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the wilderness preservation system.

There you have it, the fact's straight from the Senate Record.

Now, I would post those of Obama's, but the list is too substantive, so I'll mainly categorize.
During the first - 8 - eight years of his elected service he sponsored over 820 bills. He introduced
233 regarding healthcare reform,
125 on poverty and public assistance,
112 crime fighting bills,
97 economic bills,
60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills,
21 ethics reform bills,
15 gun control,
6 veterans affairs and many others.

His first year in the U.S. Senate, he authored 152 bills and co-sponsored another 427. These inculded **the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 - became law, **The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act, - became law, **The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, passed the Senate, **The 2007 Government Ethics Bill, - became law, **The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill, In committee, and many more.

In all, since entering the U.S. Senate, Senator Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1096.  An impressive record, for someone who supposedly has no record according to some who would prefer that this comparison not be made public.  He's not just a talker.  He's a doer.  Pass it on....It's impressive!"

But as Newsweek notes: "What impresses us is how misleading the e-mail is. Its anonymous author doesn't apply the same standards to Clinton's record and Obama's, thus leading to false conclusions about their legislative records. For Clinton, the e-mail claims to examine bills that the senator has sponsored and that were passed into law during her Senate career. For Obama, however, it counts both sponsored and cosponsored bills, whether they were passed or not. And – something the e-mail doesn't state clearly – it counts bills Obama sponsored in the Illinois state Senate, before he was a United States senator."

The ongoing joke's on us, folks.  Expect more dirty rotten political pranks like these as this race drags on.

BREAKING NEWS: IMPORTANT POLITICAL CHALLENGE FROM CLINTON TO OBAMA

Eh, it didn't exactly bowl me over.

Senator Obama On The Racial Divide: A Black & White Issue? It's Also Yellow & Brown

Yes, Barack Obama's speech on race was indeed notable for its heartfelt eloquence.  But it was also notable for its glaring omission of Latinos and Asians from this "historic" dialogue about race & politics.  As the New Republic points out, "Obama's speech was almost entirely devoted to the black-white divide. As a strategic political matter, he may have inadvisably glossed over the role of Latinos, who foster as much resentment towards black America as do whites."  Not to mention the role of Asians, who have been accused of racism for supporting Clinton over Obama in large numbers at the polls.

So for a speech meant to emphasize inclusion, why exclude us, Senator Obama? It's simply not that Black & White, sir.

Are There Any Asians Voters In Mississippi?

According to MSNBC's exit polls for today's primary, the answer is NO.

No, instead they're too busy running all these chinese restaurants in that state, and making cheesy commercials for the King Wah Chinese Buffet in St. Louis, Mississippi, to be casting ballots.

Fred Armisen Deserves An Emmy!

Another Day, Another American Idol Scandal: Ramiele Malubay's Hoochie Dance

That cute little Filipina chick on "American Idol," Ramiele Malubay, can sure sing -- and even hula dance!



Her talents don't stop there, though. Naughty pics of her have gone viral on the web, demonstrating that she's well on her way to following in the footsteps of her idols, Britney, Miley & Co.

The Asian Vote Part 2: It's The Appointments, Stupid

So apparently it's not (just) racism that swings Asians more toward Clinton than Obama; it's the fact that a few of our brethren bought their way into cushy appointments with dirty money when Bill Clinton was in office.

From the New Republic in an article entitled "Asian Alienation":

"...the Clinton administration made numerous prominent Asian American appointments, and received significant support during Bill Clinton's 1996 re-election campaign (this fact is usually remembered because of the fundraising scandals involving Asian donors in that year)."

100 Bonus points for those who can name the "numerous" appointments! (Thanks, silverarrow, for bringing this article to my attention!)

I personally think it's this picture of Hillary and Chelsea that had the most sway:

Another Obama Endorsement: Obama!

Who says Asians don't support Barack Obama? A whole town-full of folks in Japan -- a town named Obama -- sure do! (I want those cookies and chopsticks!!)

Down In Texas: Camp Hillary

Gives "dirty politics" a whole new meaning.

Another Obama-Asian Connection: SNL's Fred Armisen!

Twice in a row now, Barack Obama's been portrayed on "SNL" by Fred Armisen, a talented cast member who is half-Japanese. And boy, was he spot on! But was it too "Sambo," as some put it in the media? You decide.

Copy Cats: An Ode to Opal Mehta

Plagiarism is in the headlines once again today. This time it was White House official Timothy Goeglein who was caught stealing other people's words and passing them off as his own, and he was forced to resign. Last week it was Hillary Clinton's "change you can Xerox" line alluding to Barack Obama's recycling of one of Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick's speeches as his own; but she got booed and heavily criticized for that line, and Obama came out of it totally unscathed.



These two episodes reminded me of that Indian American teen writer, Kaavya Viswanathan, who was viciously eviscerated by the media for plagiarizing another writer in her debut novel, "How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life". Of course plagiarism should be denounced. It's an absolutely deplorable act that should be condemned! But whereas this young lady -- a typical Asian overachiever who obviously cracked under pressure -- was publicly lynched, Goeglein was publicly praised by Bush today as "a good man who is committed to his country" even as he was submitting his resignation. And Obama's blunder barely registered a bleep and everyone has long since moved on.



I can't help but wonder why such a stark contrast in consequences? Particularly when Kaavya's situation was wholly commercial involving works of fiction, whereas the other two episodes occurred in the world of public policymaking, real life politicking? Shouldn't the punishment fit the crime?

What's In A Name? A Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose Is A Hussein

Yesterday, John McCain and the RNC denounced members of their own party for using Senator Obama's full name, Barack Hussein Obama, in recent attacks.  Of course I get what those attackers were trying to do, and yes, of course it's deplorable in intent and context.  But it is, after all, the man's legal name.  It was given to him at birth by his parents, and he never sought to change it legally.  When a newly elected President is sworn in and given the oath of office, it's tradition to use the full name then: "I, George Walker Bush". "I, William Jefferson Clinton".  So what will Obama do if he is elected as our 44th President? Omit his middle name from the oath? That'll be a crying shame, and as these Salon and Time writers point out, he should embrace his name and be proud of it.  Feeling ashamed of or being taunted for having an ethnic sounding name is something that Asian immigrants often face.  Yes, it's painful and mean-spirited and cruel, but after a while we learn to ignore it and become immune to the hurt.  And then we come to terms with our weird names and embrace them as part of our identity, our heritage, our very beings.  Own it, and they cannot take anything away from you.  So Senator Obama: Just Own It.

Obama, McCain: The Asian Connection

Barack Obama has ties to Indonesia. He had an Indonesian stepfather and has a half-Indonesian half-sister.

He also lived in Indonesia as a child (leading to the unfounded rumors that he was raised as a Moslem and attended a Moslem "madrassa" school).

John McCain and his wife Cindy have a daughter, Bridget, whom they adopted from an orphanage in Bangdalesh. (Even though she's Asian, her dark complexion triggered a vicious smear campaign against McCain in his first Presidential run against Bush, where rumors claimed that she was an illegitimate child he had fathered with a black woman).

I haven't found an Asian Connection for Hillary yet. Perhaps there's a half-Vietnamese half-sister adopted from China somewhere in her family tree?

Meet John McCain the Panamanian

The First Woman President. The First Black President. The First Panamanian-Born President. Folks, this is indeed a historical race. The latest twist? John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, was born in Panama when it was still a U.S. territory. Does this qualify him under the Constitution as a "native born" citizen and thus still eligible for the Presidency? Or will he be disqualified? It may be left up to the U.S. Supreme Court to decide who gets to move into the White House. Again. This race gets curioser and curioser.

K-Boy Rappin' Fo' Obama

A talented KoreAm rapper named Jin put this diddy together. Way to go, Dude!

2 Asian Women Out Of A Million? Well It Is Texas, After All

A couple o' our li'l ladies shillin' for Hillary in Texas:

Project Runway Season Finale Part 1 Tonight! No Bitchy Asian But Lots Of Bitchy Bitches!

So we find out tonight Who's In and Who's Out: Rami the Master Draper, or Chris the Master Drag Queen. Too bad we no longer have Victorya Hong (our own Na-be girl and resident Bitchy Asian from Casting 101) around to snap her gum & glare at Tim and Heidi, who are obviously such huge fans of hers:

Get Outta Dodge, Li'l Lady! "Hillary's Last Stand"

"Hillary's last stand: Tonight's MSNBC debate is make or break for a candidacy on the brink". So screams Howard Fineman over at that network. So is she gonna come slingin' real bullets, or just shoot blanks? Either way the obits have already been written, the dirge composed. Wonder what Barack will wear to the funeral?

"Our Time to Vote": PSA by APIAVote and Comcast

Margaret Cho, Lou Diamond Phillips, Tamlyn Tomita & John Cho. All. Tell. Us. It's. Our. Time.

According to CNN, We Like Clinton Over Obama Because She's Our White Boo Boo Security Blankey

Let's Swing! America "Discovers" the Asian Vote! And Then Disses Us As Racist Pigs

As a group, Asian Americans are used to being left out of polls, studies and surveys on a daily basis. "Americans suffering heart attacks each year: x% Whites, x% Blacks, x% Hispanics." "Americans who have joined the Mile High Club: x% Whites, x% Blacks, x% Hispanics." Of course my favorite is when we're lumped into the "Other" category: "Diners who believe Chinese waiters will spit in their food if they complain about the service: x% Whites, x% Blacks, x% Hispanics, x% Others."

So we're certainly used to political polls being broken down the same exact way.

Not surprising when we remember that most Asian immigrants couldn't even become naturalized citizens until the mid '60s. Before that, the naturalization laws were so prohibitive that very few Asians qualified. And let's not forget, the U.S. government actually stripped native-born Asian Americans of their voting rights during WWII. So as a voting bunch, we're relatively late-comers to the party.

But suddenly, it seems that all of the pundits and the pollsters have come looking for us. And now that they have "discovered" us, they're saying that -- gulp!! -- we may ACTUALLY DECIDE THE WHOLE F@%#ING THING!!!

"ASIANS EMERGE AS SWING VOTERS IN WHITE HOUSE RACE," declares the AFP. If this is a close election, we are the closers. We make up 5% of the total population, and about 3.5 million of us are registered to vote in the presidential election. We live in important states such as California, New York, Texas, and New Jersey (and Hawaii, but the AFP deems Hawaii as a less significant state). And we vote overwhelmingly in favor of Democrats, and favor Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama, even though his "ties to the Asian American community are deep" since "he had once lived in Indonesia and has a half-sister who is half-Indonesian". (Does this mean that my ties to Australia run deep because I lived there for a month and have a dog that is half-Australian shepard?)

"DOES OBAMA HAVE AN ASIAN PROBLEM?" Time Magazine demands to know. It points out that Asian Americans -- other than the ones in Hawaii -- hey, you Hawaiian APIs, why are you so different than the rest of us in the mainland?? -- have overwhelmingly voted for Hillary Clinton. And look, the pollsters have been paying attention to us for once, actually counting our heads, and here are the numbers they've crunched: in California, APIs were 3-to-1 in favor of Clinton; in New York, 87% voted for her. New Jersey? 73%!

But. Then. They. Go. There. YES, THEY DO. They dare to ask the question: are Asians spurning Obama because he's the B Word? What's even worse, they quote an Asian dude who essentially says Obama is a different kind of black -- since he's half white and, you know, lived for a minute in Indonesia with his half-Indonesian sis -- so Asians who are not voting for him because of the stereotypes about black people should reconsider, since he's not that black. He's, you know, the Other Kind of Black. The Non-Black Black.

So bottom line per the media: we Asians don't discern, we discriminate. So if you're Asian and vote for Clinton, you're a racist bastard. Conversely, by extending that logic, if you vote for Obama, well then I guess that makes you a sexist pig.

I lived through the L.A. Riots. Remember how it all started? Whites beating up a black man, then blacks beating up a white man. Remember how it ended? Korean/Asian-owned businesses being burned down to the ground.

I still shake my head over that one.