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Democratic and Republican Conventions: The Take Away For the AAPI Community



By Michelle Phipps-Evans


Above: Former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao (left) speaking with Guam Governor and Mrs. Eddie Baza Calvo at the Asian Pacific American Summit at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, FL on August 26.
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Asian Americans worked to make their presence felt by both the Republican and Democratic parties at their national conventions. As tens of millions watched on television, Republicans met in Tampa, FL, between Aug. 27 and 29, while the Democrats met the following week, Sept. 4 to 6, in Charlotte, NC. And in meetings behind the scenes, at events on and off the convention floor, and even from behind the lectern on the big stages, AAPIs were there.

According to 8Asians, a collaborative blog by Asian-Americans and Asian-Canadians, this year’s Democratic National Convention (DNC) set a new record for Asian American and Pacific Islander delegates, with more than 300 in attendance. The Republican National Committee does not publish information on the racial or ethnic status of the delegates.

At the DNC, AAPI speakers at various high-level receptions included U.S. Representative Dr. Judy Chu, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) and the former Congressman and Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta. Congressional candidate Tammy Duckworth of Illinois provided one of the convention’s highlights with her moving speech which touched on her compelling personal story. (See story on page 4)

At the Republican gathering, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) spent some time in his speech focusing on the personal stories of Southeast Asian immigrants, including the Taing family from Cambodia and Vietnamese brothers Hung and Thuan Trinh. The brothers were “boat people,” among the thousands of people who risk their lives to flee repression in their war-ravaged lands by boat to find their way to the United States and freedom.

Former Secretary of Labor (2001 – 2009) Elaine Chao was the featured speaker at an Asian-American Republican Summit, held off the Republican convention site. A number of Asian Republican elected officials addressed the group and Leehan Chin, a policy director for GOP nominee Mitt Romney, also stopped by.

Immigration was a hot topic on and off the convention floors at both conventions. Speakers of both parties described the U.S. as a nation of immigrants, and both conventions showcased the immigrant roots of some of their parties rising stars. But the parties have quite different approaches to immigration, of course, with the GOP platform emphasizing enforcement of laws to curb illegal immigration, and the Democrats more in favor of ideas such as dealing with the immigrant youth already with the DREAM Act. The Congressional Asian Pacific Caucus (CAPAC) supports the plan, which gives young undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship if they attend college or serve in the military. AAPI children account for one in every 10 DREAM-eligible students, according to CAPAC.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney does not support the DREAM Act. President Obama and the Democrats do support it, and the Obama administration recently began accepting applications for temporary deportation relief from some undocumented young people who arrived here as minors.

Affirmative action and race relations were not given high profile attention at either convention, perhaps a missed opportunity for both parties as the presidential campaign is now focused on a handful of swing states, including Virginia with its emerging Asian American vote.



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