New Hampshire Primary Set for January 8th

Some of our NH insiders and now the CNN has confirmed that the First in the Nation Primary in New Hampshire will be set for January 8th.

We are looking for volunteers to work there on the day before and build up to the primary so if you are interested email:

vmehta@usinpac.com

Thanks

Islamaphobia in the Indian American Community Part II

This post is in response to the long post on Sepia Mutiny blogger Abhi. The post pretty much looks to talk about the various misguided points made in the article we had discussed in the past post on Sunday.

I think it is shameful that Abhi would even reference this as a viable source, it seems as if it is a hatchet job as referenced by many of the comments to this post.

"I do not feel that USINPAC represents my interests whatsoever and I wish the press would stop assuming they speak for all Indian Americans."

Abhi although you are free to believe that the organization doesn't represent your beliefs the truth is the organization does work to promote values important to ALL Indian Americans. Our legislative accomplishments, our work and support for Indian American candidates, and our work with various initiatives such as this Presidential Portal, which is a strong example of this.

"Unless our generation (through orgs like IALI, IACPA, SAALT) find more issues that we agree about and are willing to work hard to lobby Washington for, our “community” will increasingly be hijacked and represented in Washington by “long-distance Nationalists.”"

I want to say and always have said I have great admiration for the work done by IALI and SAALT, if these organizations have problems and issues with USINPAC as described in the article I hope they are bringing them to our attention because working together as a unified voice is important for all of our organizations. Working directly with the organization I can assure Abhi that your claim is baseless, all of our supporters are hard working US Citizens and without really knowing the truth I think you should be careful with your words. I think the work being done at Sepia Mutiny has been great, I have spoken to Anna about this before but making harsh accusations against others never seemed to be anything I have seen before.

It is important that Indian Americans understand what USINPAC truly stands for and in no way have our views been anti-Muslim. Other accusations that went on in many comments to this Sepia Mutiny post accuse "H-1B Warriors" to be strong supporters of the agenda. For anyone that knows anything about election laws, foreign nationals are prohibited by FEC regulations from donating to a political candidate, party or organization such as USINPAC. Many people have also accused USINPAC of being a voice of "old hands". I can assure you that although I may have a few gray hairs, my hands still are very young. The membership and leadership base of USINPAC reflects people of all ages, at all walks of life and is not really dominated by any one "type" of Indian.

As discussed before, the Indian American community is very diverse. Most ethnic communities have religion, food or language to tie them together but our community proves to be different. It is difficult to distinctly represent all groups but I assure you USINPAC support is from various people and in no way would support be turned away due to religion or any other qualifying factors.

I encourage people to ask questions about the organization if they exist but to try and restrict themselves from making baseless or falseless accusations. I am a volunteer and have never recieved a penny from the organization and can tell you that Indian Americans need to come together as a unifying force to tell politicians what is important to us to move our community forward.

Islamaphobia in the Indian American Community

The Web Newspaper, IndoLink just posted a story reporting a recent "study" published in the South Asian Multidisciplinary Academic Journal entitled "Islamophobia in Indian
American Lobbies". From the looks of this paper it seems more like an editorial columnist than an actual academic study that you would find in most respectable foreign journals. Essentially bottom line is that this study and furthermore the article in IndoLink both looked to accuse Indian-American Lobbying efforts as anti-Islam.

The study was posted by Ingrid Therwath as a part of a project to talk about South Asian Issues and pretty much underlined her the point that any view any anti-Pakistan sentiment is essentially anti-Muslim. The story continued to look to tie USINPAC as an organization that promotes an anti-Muslim agenda. Working with USINPAC for almost four years I can tell you first hand that this is far from the truth. Being born and raised in the United States, a product of the public school system in Rochester, NY and now an Engineering Student at Boston University I can tell you that USINPAC works hard for the Indian American community.

The basic fact is that USINPAC works tirelessly to represent the concerns and values of the Indian American community. This portal is a clear example of this looking to connect the Indian American community with the upcoming Presidential Election. This portal is as grass roots as it comes with strictly volunteers working on this for one common cause, having a vibrant voice in the political world for our community. Our community continues to prove its diversity and complexity and this is something we all should celebrate and be proud of.

USINPAC too celebrates this diversity and is evident with the bipartisan approach. We look to support all Indian American candidates running for office and area always reaching out to the community for their thoughts, insight and ideology. Once again this portal is proof with an opportunity to ask Presidential Candidates questions of their choosing, an opportunity to talk and blog about the issues important to YOU and US.

The truth is in today's day and age all Americans are concerned with the instability of Pakistan and all Americans are concerned with the dangers of terrorism. Does this make every American anti-Muslim? The Indian American community reflects these American ideals and values.
We also bring to the discussion a unique appreciation for how America is perceived globally and how great democracies can work together in partnership and cooperation. We as a community or as an organization should not be singled out for beliefs that are pretty consistent all around.

House Passes Diwali Resolution

Happy Diwali!

The US House of Representatives recently passed H.R. 747 unanimously, which officially recognizes the historical and religious significance of Diwali. The Hindu American Foundation, a nonprofit based in Washington D.C., led the effort to get H.R. 747 passed by Congress.

Dino Teppara, the first Indian-American chief of staff for a US Congressman, help draft the proposal, and his boss Rep. Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina) was a co-sponsor along with Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Washington).

The U.S. Senate must next vote on the resolution for it to be passed.

Read the full article here.

BARACK OBAMA SENDS DIWALI MESSAGE

Happy Diwali Folks! FYI Barack Obama just sent a note to the community and wishing Hindus, Sikhs and Jains a Happy Diwali!

We should have it on the Message From the Candidates Page soon but I have posted it on your left. Being in touch with most campaigns no other campaign has submitted such a letter so Obama will be the first but hopefully not the only.

Thanks,
Varun

Cliintons Lead Falls as Obama and Edwards Pick up Steam

As primary season continues to heat up the polls are too in early Primary states.  Boston Globe is reporting that the Zogby survey in Iowa puts Clinton  28% just slightly ahead o Obama at 25% and Edwards at 21%.  Iowa was always going to be a close election and good be a HUGE opportunity for Obama or Edwards to pick up some serious steam.  

New Hampshire which seemed all for Hillary seems to be back into play as Rasmussen Reports last night that Clintons lead has narrowed to 34% over Obamas 24% and Edwards at 15%.  As The Globe Reports this is the first survey in NH since the Democratic debate last week and it seems to have given Obama a boost.  Considering margin of error Obama and Clinton COULD BE TIED.  

With primary season less than 60 days away things are all but certain and how this plays could be very different from what early poll indicators seem to show. 



Varun

Bollywood & Hollywood Fusing the Future of Entertainment

USIBA just recently sponsored a panel and helped organize and actively participated in several events in Hollywood through the American Film Market. Here is a link to a release from USIBA. Leaders from Bollywood made out to events throughout LA from the 31st-7th of November. Even Variety, the leading Hollywood newspaper reported on the exciting event.

As Indian Americans continue to move forward the fusion of Hollywood and Bollywood continue to show the increasing influence of Indian Americans in Space, heads of State and on the silver screen just to name a few.

Thanks,

Varun

Common Ground - Raj Verma

What is Popular Today?

You saw it yesterday, and you will probably read another one today. Media is littered with public opinion polls purportedly representing a national perspective. With the Presidential elections one year away and mounting scrutiny facing each candidate, the media is aggressively employing their resources to gauge public opinion and force candidates to respond to abstract hypothetical questions and esoteric polls. As in a once-popular television game show, ‘Family Feud’, where contestants are pitted against each other with the intent of determining the most popular answer to questions posed on a survey, American media tends to compel candidates to answer questions based on numerous and differing ‘public opinion polls’. However, this poses a serious leadership dilemma for the next President of the United States and our nation’s leaders. In fact, this dilemma has haunted modern American presidents-that is- how to balance the demands of popular opinion and accurately extract the will of the people (originally assigned as the role of Congress) while attempting to achieve what is in the best interest of the entire country given the social, economic, political and moral context, no matter what public opinion offers at any given point in time. The overuse and overemphasis of public opinion polls, especially in a media-saturated culture, has been and continues to undermine effective democracy because the nation’s leaders have emerged as mere panderers.

Winston Churchill once stated, “Nothing is more dangerous than to live in the temperamental atmosphere of a Gallup poll-always feeling one’s pulse and taking one’s temperature.” Ironically, those candidates and current President who completely ignore or are impervious to polls are not likely to succeed, as they will be labeled ‘out of touch’ with the general public. Granted, the importance of keeping one’s eyes and ears close to the ground should not be underestimated. But there are serious and important policy issues that require effective leadership to transcend popular sentiment. For example, a recent Gallup poll, among several deployed every month, indicated that most Americans believe that Iraq and national security are the two most pressing issues facing the nation. Interestingly, immigration and the environment fell at the bottom of the list. It naturally follows then, that if a leader is to pander to public opinion, then the administration should place extra emphasis on addressing each issue in hierarchical order. Yet, we know that immigration, the environment and national security are inexplicably intertwined. Failed immigration policy and dependence on foreign oil were two of many compelling causes for this nation’s worst national security disaster in 2001. Relying on public opinion polls to measure popular political sentiment has inherent defects, such as small sample sizes, confusing questions, and other methodological errors. Even if the polls were completely accurate, heavy reliance on them derogates from the purpose of Congress to divine the will of the people. In turn, it is the role of the public to employ grassroots lobbying and participate in public debate to signal to Congress their desires. Overuse of polls extinguishes any value of discussion and Congressional receptiveness to public will.

The point is that the next American president and future leaders to come, must possess the courage, fortitude, and initiative to look beyond public opinion polls and read what lies ahead—even if the leader’s reading of politics contradicts public opinion, at times. It requires the President to evaluate his/her success not based on a man being the measure of all things (otherwise known a as humanism), but rather on values, mores, and moral code. He or she must elevate particular issues and build consensus on them, no matter what public opinion serves at any given time. Harry Truman once stated “I wonder how Moses would have gone if he had taken a poll in Egypt.” Similarly, strong, effective, and meaningful leadership will be able to withstand unfavorable popular opinion and execute what is in the best interest of the nation—even when the barometer indicates a paltry zero degrees.

Raj Verma, JD/MPA
Blog Contributor

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

Co-Chair of the Congressional Taskforce on US-India Trade Supports Romney

Earlier today Congressman Chris Cannon (R-UT) who serves as the Co-Chair of the Congressional Task Force on US-India Trade announced his support for presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's campaign. Both Cannon and Romney's experience working with Indian businesses showcase the growing influence India's economy has in US policy. Romney explains in his message to Indian-Americans on India's 60th Independence Day how his own personal work experience with people of Indian descant has impacted him on the capability of a surging India.

-Anay

Rep. Honda: LA Times Campaign Finance Story is Racist and Biased

Just Found this Press Release by California Congressmen Mike Honda. The post blasts the LA Times for their story from October 19th, "An unlikely treasure-trove of Donors for Clinton"
The story talks about the growing contributions from Asian Americans which Rep. Honda proclaims

“I am appalled by the irresponsible and biased portrayal of the Asian American immigrant community, published by the L.A. Times today. "

“Drawing a connection between the emerging political involvement of Asian Americans and individual cases of possibly suspect donations sends a strong message that the political participation of minority communities is undesired. Minority communities in America have been shut out of the political process through poll taxes, literacy tests, and other tactics throughout our country’s history. As leaders, we should be encouraging, not chilling, the legitimate involvement of underrepresented communities in our democracy." -Rep. Mike Honda.

I applaud Rep. Honda for this bold statement. Lately the names of a few sour Asian American donors have been used to make Indian American and Chinese American communities as illegal donors. Trying to brand all of these successful emerging communities to the likes of Norman Hsu and Sant Chatwal is just unfair, our communities have worked hard to become successful working towards the American dream. Almost every major newspaper has reported stories that hint at branding this and our friend Lou Dobbs (video below) has been the worst. It seems to me that they agree with Tom Tancredo's view that Immigrants are what is wrong with America.



-Varun