In the past, Asian Americans blindly worship elected officials. Hence, we have endlessly tolerated their benign negligence. However, effective politics in America demands repercussion when our rightful  
interests are ignored. 80-20 has awakened our community to this need and reality.  
 
An Awakening Tide Came In!  
 
Asian Americans nationwide reacted enthusiastically to 80-20 saying, "We are ready to fight this historic battle." Let word go forth that  
a new Asian-American political era has begun. See the feedback that poured in just 24 hours:  
 
1) I totally support 80-20's decision to endorse Sen. Clinton. Given the importance of this fight to our community, how can we help? Would donation to 80-20 be more effective or we should donate to Clinton's campaign directly but mention 80-20's name? Please advise*. Bin Ke  
 
(Answer: See * at the end of this newsletter.)  
 
2) Beautiful, beautiful ... big red sea to cross ... exodus ... need hands in hands ... one takes one ... with much respect, kp  
 
3) You are admirable in this effort to state the need to back a candidate who supports Asian causes. I hope your Ad will be successful and let me  
know what we can do in the East Coast. GS  
 
4. Which Asian-American official is endorsing Obama? Maybe we can apply pressure for him to drop that! k c  
 
(Answer: Sam Yoon of Boston City Council)  
 
5) I want to help 80-20 and myself. Please copy me the list of questions that were sent to those Presidential Candidates so I can tell my friends  
why to select Sen Clinton in the coming CA primary. I am sure most of my friends do not know about those QUESTIONS. ** But we need NON-80-20 members to help in the fight. James Yeh  
 
(Answer: See ** at the end of this newsletter.)  
 
6) I am with you…..  
Vimala Nowlis, Attorney at Law, 310-277-4259  
 
7) Thank you for your effort to win equal opportunity for Asian Americans. Would it be helpful to run ad on New York Times as well?  
That would have a larger impact.  
Suwen Wang  
 
(Answer: It'll cost at least $125 K for a full page.)  
 
8) Did 80-20 ever receive replies from any of the Republican candidates with the questionnaires? Milton Nee, Dallas, TX  
 
(Answer: Three candidates have replied with "Will not to reply." Otherwise, none. See http://www.80-20initiative.net/news/preselect2008.asp )  
 
9) Seems to me to maintain the perception of being non-partisan, a comment should be made with reference to the Republicans, i.e., no endorsement of any Republican because they have not responded if that is indeed the case.  
-Willie (Answer: See answer to comment 8)  
 
10) The following is from Kam Liu, a Life Member of 80-20. He suggests that every supporter would forward the following short email to your friends in California and beyond:  
"Hi Friends and Voters in California,  
To help Asian Americans to gain equal opportunities nationwide, we need your help with your votes and/or money to support the 80-20  
endorsed-presidential candidate in the coming primary on Feb 5. The endorsed candidate is Hilary Clinton. You may have personal opinion of her; for the sake of unity among Asian Americans for Equal Opportunity and political empowerment, please ask all your friends to cast their votes for her and support her financially if you can. This 80-20  
movement will show all the politicians present and in the future that the Asian American votes can influence the outcome of an election thus gaining the respect and equal status as first-class citizens that we truly deserve for generations to come. Thank you and Happy Lunar New Year of the Mouse!"  
 
11) Kenneth Chia, Hemet, California against wrote an long but extremely eloquent letter which is appended at the end***.  
 
12) Although I don't like Hillary Clinton, I will do what I can to defeat Obama because 80-20 didn't get a reply of all yeses from Sen. Obama. My wife, an independent, just made a donation to Hillary's campaign. Keep up the good work!  
Jason H. Huang, MD, Assistant Professor  
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Rochester  
601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 670, Rochester, NY 14642  
 
13) Yes, I agree, and spread your email to the Vietnamese communities in California and the other states. Huong Lee Tran  
 
14) We don't want to donate $/do anything, to help Obama!!! No way!!! Unless he tells us why he has not said "Yes! Yes! Yes!" to Dr. S.B. Woo's request on Equal Rights issues. Let us know he does that! F.C., Boston, MA  
 
15) I agree with you 100%. Cohesiveness is what the Asian community needs the most in American politics. Ed cheng  
 
16) I live in Phoenix, Arizona, and I intend to vote for Sen. Clinton along the line of 80-20 PAC recommendation at the primary election. kenhluk  
 
17) MUST READ THIS. Sherwin Wang showed us how he has already influenced one undecided to vote for Clinton. "It was unwise and unfortunate for Sen. Obama to ignore Asian Americans. I will forward this to my Asian friends for their information.  
Thank you, 80-20 PAC for doing the good work on our behalf.  
Sherwin Wang"  
 
18) MUST READ THIS in conjunction with 17). Sherwin then showed us he has caused one convert:  
 
"Sherwin,  
I was debating if I am going to vote for Obama or Clinton. Now is clear.  
Ed"  
 
19) YOU HAVE MY SUPPORT. DO IT! Steve KO  
 
20) Should I send a follow up and say that I'm going to back Hillary... my wife will be happy! Peter  
 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
 
* Either donate to 80-20 via  
http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership/donate.asp OR  
make checks out to "Clinton for President" and mail to Kathleen To,  
at P.O. Box 1769, Alamogordo, NM 88310, who will bundle the check and send them (to the Clinton Campaign).  
 
 
 
** The 6 questions that Sen. Clinton answered with "6 yeses" are;  
 
(1) If elected, will you direct the Labor Secretary to hold public hearings ?regarding the validity of the huge amount of statistical data strongly ? 
suggesting discriminatory practices against Asian Americans in workplaces ?today? (Yes/No)  
 
(2) If the data were shown valid, will you issue a directive to the Labor Department asking it to focus on enforcing Executive Order 11246 on ?behalf of Asian Americans, since in the past similar efforts have already ?been made on behalf of women and other minorities? (Yes/No)  
 
(3) Two years after you have issued the directive described in item 2, will ?you meet with a group of Asian American national organizations, put together by 80-20 and the Labor Department, to review the progress in ?extending equal opportunity to Asian Americans? (Yes/No)  
 
(4) If elected, will you within your first term of office, seek to increase the ?nomination of qualified Asian Americans to serve as Article III life- tenured ?federal judges, whenever such vacancies are available until the current ?dismal situation is significantly remedied? [To put things in  
perspective, ?not meaning to imply quota, presently there are 0.6% Asian-American Federal ?judges, while the Asian-American population is 4.5% and the % of  
Asian-American legal professionals in laws firms of 100 or large is at least 5.3%.] (Yes/No)  
 
(5) If elected, will you seek to nominate, within your first term of office, ?qualified Asian Americans to serve as Article III Circuit Judges, whenever ? 
there are vacancies in those positions, until the current dismal situation is ?significantly remedied? [To put things in perspective, none of the 179 ? 
Article III Circuit judges is an Asian American.] (Yes/No)  
 
(6) If elected, will you consider nominating a qualified Asian America to ?the Supreme Court, when a vacancy occurs? Two years upon your taking ?the office, will you meet with a group of Asian-American leaders, put ?together jointly by 80-20 and other Asian-American national organizations ?to review the progress in adding Asian American Federal judges? (Yes/No)  
 
 
 
***An eloquent letter from Kenneth Chia:,  
Dear Friends,  
Israelis and Asians are very similar in many ways. They are hard working. They are family oriented and care very much about children's  
education. Israelis and Asians are both minorities in this country. But which one of the two has tremendous political clout? Israelis, of course.  
The reason is very simple. The Israelis are very active in politics. They focus their energy to change the course of this country for the benefit of  
Israelis. They form unbelievable power, not only in having Israelis elected to office, but to express their views and elect the ones that support them.  
Politicians would not dare come up with policies that are against Israel or offend Israelis. As they can quickly unite to knock down that politician in the next election.  
 
Asians are, on the average, indifferent towards politics in this country. They often say to themselves: "What can I do to influence this country's policy?" or "They don't listen to us so I just do my own things and hope the policy change will be in my favor." or "I am so busy with  
my work or busy driving the kids around. I don't have time to worry about things I have no control over." Some, I assert, care a lot more about the political affairs in our own home country. That shows me we are not really indifferent towards politics. We are passive just because we  
convince ourselves that our opinion don't matter.  
 
Have no control over? No time? You are dead wrong. Casting a vote takes about one hour. If one chooses to do absentee balloting, that becomes just a few minutes - reading the information in the "Sample Ballot and Information Pamphlet", making your choice, putting on a stamp, and away it goes. We are long neglected by the politicians of this  
country. The only way to change it is to show them that our votes can change the outcome of an election.  
 
Take this coming California primary on February 5th for example, we should all take a few minutes to vote and vote for the candidate that 80-20 endorses. After the victory of that candidate, we can gather poll data and most likely we can make a claim that our votes help push the candidate over the top. Don't laugh. With the race so close, a few hundred votes can potentially decide the winner. We do not want someone who refuses to support equal opportunity for Asians on his way to become our next President. Senator Obama, more than any other  
candidates, should feel deeply about the injustice minorities like Asians sufferred through the years. He runs on vision and passion. But obviously his vision and passion are not toward us.  
 
This passiveness has to stop. In all future elections, we should all cast our votes and make our opinion count. Only by doing so, we can fight for the political power that has been lacking among the greatest group of all - the Asians.  
 
Kenneth Chia  
Hemet, California