South Asian Group aids in Obama’s Iowa win

The South Asian Friends of Obama (SAFO) claimed victory with Obama and his campaign this past Thursday in Iowa. The group, led by enthusiastic young Indian Americans, played an important role in canvassing and getting out the vote efforts. Since this summer SAFO volunteers in Chicago made calls to people in Iowa to support Obama.

Motivated by the recent Iowa win, SAFO has already mobilized to duplicate the Iowa efforts in New Hampshire, where a group of SAFO volunteers are already on the ground. In addition a series of meetings have been planned for the February 5 elections in states with a higher Indian American population like California, New York and New Jersey.

Read the full article here and check out SAFO's site here.

Common Ground - Raj Verma

The Race Behind the Race

There can only be one winner. Well, usually. On its face, the debates showcase competing egos and differing ideologies all with the aim of securing the most powerful position in American government. A subtle look at the presidential debates reveals a different race for other coveted posts, and is something to debate about. As you watch the Presidential debates and discuss the various differences on foreign policy, domestic issues, and character traits, be aware that some of those on stage are vying for desirable and high-impact positions in the winner’s administration. If the polls, at this point, suggest that Hillary Clinton will win the Democratic nomination and gain the Presidential nomination, does candidate Bill Richardson return as Secretary of Energy? Will Edwards be appointed to a post in the administration? Perhaps Clinton will nominate Obama for a position on the Supreme Court. Similarly, if Giuliani grabs the nomination on the Republican side, do we see Mike Huckabee appointed as Secretary of the Interior? Perhaps John McCain is interested in a post in the State Department. Is he preparing himself for such a position?

One has to remember that although the candidates present themselves in the most ‘presidential’ manner as possible, there can only be one president, and all the candidates bring various strengths to the table that better equips them for a position they currently hold (senator, governor) or a position they may seek (Secretary of State, Vice President). All the candidates brandish strong credentials. But take a closer look at the debates and identify who is vying for an alternative position. One clear example of this appears to be the well-orchestrated positioning of Joseph Biden and Bill Richardson, two darkhorse candidates who have virtually little to no shot at winning the presidency. In a recent debate, Biden and Richardson both admonished Obama and Edwards indirectly for attacking Clinton’s integrity and character. Was this a noble gesture? Or a subtle hint to Clinton—‘I’ll protect you now, you find a position for me later’? The next time you watch the Presidential candidates during the debate, be aware of the jockeying, the kind of positioning that will help each candidate win, in ways that you may not expect.





Raj Verma, JD/MPA
Blog Contributor

Raj Verma is the President of the Future Leaders Council for USINPAC. He currently resides in Washington DC.

3rd Quarter Fundraising Amounts – Dems Win, Again

The 3^rd quarter fundraising results are out with a huge disparity again favoring the Democrats. The WSJ reports that for the year, the top Democrats have raised $239.7 million to the $160.5 million raised by the top Republicans.

On the Democratic side, the race is on between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Obama surprised many by raising $20 million in a typically slow quarter. The next day, Clinton topped that by raising $27 million.

Republicans Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani sharpened their rivalry with both reporting similar fundraising amounts of $10.5 million and $11 million. Newcomer Fred Thompson came in third with $9.3 million. Ron Paul shocked many by raising $5 million in the last 3 months. This was $4 million more than rival Mike Huckabee and a million less than John McCain, who has recently had a comeback in the polls.

Why is there such a disparity between the two parties? Well looking at recent polls, Hillary continues to dominate her party’s nomination race, but the Republican race is still in the air with some candidates the winning in the national polls, others winning in the primary states, and key groups like evangelicals unsure of who to support.

Democratic Candidates Face off in NH

In case you missed the Democratic debate, check out this MSNBC article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21000458/

The candidates debated a number of things including Social Security, Iraq, and a national ban on smoking in public places. One of the most interesting points of the debates was when moderator Tim Russert asked if any candidate would ever approve torturing a suspected terrorist to prevent the detonation of a nuclear bomb with only 3 days to spare. After Hillary said no, Russert said former President Bill Clinton once suggested it might be appropriate. "Well, he's not standing here right now,” Hillary replied.

With less than 5 months before the first primary the candidates are trying to differentiate themselves. Tell us who you think won the debate by voting in our Poll on the right hand column!