In response to Senator Obama's steadfast refusal to address the grievance faced by Asian Americans, and given that the presidential primary season will begin in seven days, the Board of 80-20 has voted unanimously to defeat Senator Obama's candidacy in the Democratic primaries unless he replies to OUR questionnaire with all Yeses.  This resolution has been formally transmitted to Senator Obama. 

Until further notice, please vote for Senators Biden or Clinton or Dodd or Edwards or Gravels who have readily replied to OUR questionnaire with all Yeses.  They even emphasized that remedying such inequities was one reason they wanted to be the President.  Regrettably, none of the Republican candidates have replied with a single Yes yet, so they have not earned our support.

Senator Obama gave almost farcical reasons why he would not reply to OUR questionnaire.  The reasons given are

      1) "He is Black."  Hence he has to be extra careful in matters dealing with the minorities to avoid the suspicion of the majority.  So is Senator Obama hoping to build his presidency on the backs of Asian Americans suffering unequal opportunity in workplaces?!  What arrogance.

      2) "When he is the President, an Asian American will have a better chance to be the President."  Is it logical to talk about Asian American chance to be the President when he is not even willing to assure us of equal opportunity in workplaces?  How blind ambition deprives an inexperienced politician of logic?!

      3) His staff is fond of saying that "Obama has a brother-in-law in Conrad Ng, and it will be such an honor for Asian Americans if Obama gets into the White House." Really? Did Obama select his brother-in-law or does Senator Obama think Asian Americans live in ancient feudal China?

Senator Obama often intones the "fierce urgency of now," a quote from Martin Luther King.  However, he got it all wrong. Dr. King used the phrase to emphasize the urgency of equal opportunity for all Americans. Senator Obama uses it to advance his candidacy while giving benign neglect to equal opportunity for Asian American and perhaps even African Americans. 

Senator Obama trivializes his "inexperience" by pointing to our youngest President, John F. Kennedy.

Senator Obama is NOT ready for the presidency. He is too inexperienced. He has yet to develop character and courage to stand up for America's core value -- equal opportunity. 

Senator Obama trivializes his "inexperience" by pointing to our youngest President, John F. Kennedy.  How wrong Obama is.  Kennedy served in the House and Senate for 14 years, from 1946 to 1960, before being elected the President.  Senator Obama has only three years' experience in national politics -- one quarter that of our youngest President.

    Forward this newsletter to your friends and relatives in Iowa, New Hampshire, California and the other 50 states.  Ask them to in turn forward it to their friends and relatives.  U.S. politics functions on carrots and sticks.  Asian Americans need to get with it.  Senator Obama ignores our legitimate grievance, so we must defeat his candidacy.  Counting on you to do YOUR absolute best NOW.

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See for yourself how important it is to get the presidential candidates to reply with all Yeses to the following questions in 80-20's questionnaire.

(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 American 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)