Politics

Trying To Coalesce

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

September 1, 2000 / 5:20 PM EDT / CBS

A convention held in Los Angeles last weekend represented the first widespread effort to unite Asian-Americans into a single voting bloc, as members of the 80-20 Initiative voted to throw their support behind Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore.

Organizers hope to persuade at least 80 percent of Asian-Americans to line up behind one candidate and, in doing so, solidify the group’s political clout.

“We have never before proven our ability to deliver votes or money,” said S.B. Woo, a former lieutenant governor of Delaware and a founder of 80-20. Without that so-called “political currency,” Woo says, Asian-American interests will continue to be overlooked by national candidates.

But the effort to unite Asian-Americans, who come from varying cultural, political and linguistic backgrounds, remains fragile.

“As a 15-year supporter of the Republican Party, it will be a personal challenge to cross over and vote for a Democrat,” said Kenneth Fong, a San Francisco businessman and vice chair of the endorsement group. “But I am putting my personal interests aside for the sake of the Asian-Pacific-American community.”

The two-year-old organization’s 33 delegates were divided equally among Democrats, Republicans and Independents at the convention. Woo says they debated over the accomplishments of the candidates and their parties to help achieve equal opportunities for Asian-Americans in the workplace.

The delegates were particularly swayed by the Democrats’ emphasis on advancing more Asian-Americans to higher government positions. The party won points for the recent appointment of Norman Mineta, a Japanese-American, to head the Commerce Department, thus making him the country’s first Asian-American cabinet member. They also cited the Clinton administration’s recent bestowment of Medals of Honor to 22 Asian and Pacific Island Americans for their actions during World War II.

Still, Woo said, the debate behind closed doors grew heated at times. “I could see the emotional struggle,” he said, noting that some delegates said they would vote for a Democrat solely at the presidential level, or for this election only.

The delegates listened to Democrat and Republican representatives, though some 80-20 members expressed disappointment the campaigns did not send higher-level surrogates.

Woo said he was bothered only by the content of their presentations, which he found lacking. “I think neither did their homework… which shows you neither party thinks much of the Asian community yet,” he said, with extra emphasis on the word, “yet.”

If there is tension between the group and the country’s two big parties, it’s not unique. Friction exists between the many factions of the Asian-American community, as evidenced by a House race on Oregon, where Rep. David Wu is losing the suport of some Asian voters and donors.

Though the freshman Democrat is the lone Chinese-American in the House of Representatives, some of his former backers have turned their backs on him because of his votes against normalizing permanent trade relations with China.

“Has that irritated some people? Absolutely,” said Wu spokeswoman Holly Armstrong. “There certainly have been some people who decided they can’t support him because of that one issue.”

However, Armsrong pointed out that Wu was on record with his position opposing the Chinese government’s human rights abuses since before he first ran for office in 1998.

“(F)or every person who has been really angered by his position … (There are others) who appreciate he’s stuck by his guns,” said Armstrong. But she concedes the negative impact on Wu’s campaign is exacerbated by the fact that he is a Chinese-American politician.

Fu Li, of Portland State University, agrees. As the commissioner of Asian Affairs for the state of Oregon and as an engineering professor, Li has known Wu for years. But the two have never agreed on U.S. policy toward China. Li strongly believes that more can be accomplished in engaging the Chinese government, than from isolating it.

While he denies Wu is held to a tougher standard because of his ancestry, he admits the expectations are somewhat higher. "(Wu) has visited China… he should at least understand the situation in Asia better," said Li.

Though Wu is still the heavy favorite in the race, having raised about eight times as much money as his opponent, Li believes Wu’s position on this single issue will cost him votes.

“There’s probably 80 percent of Chinese American voters who would not vote for him in this district,” said Li.

Woo is not surprised by the backlash. Though his PAC gave a small donation to Wu’s congressional campaign, it did so without consideration of the lawmaker’s views on China.

“80-20 never takes any positions on the foreign policy of the U.S.,” said Woo, who said the decision to not to do so was intentional and a “soul-searching issue” for the founders of 80-20.

Groups like 80-20 are doing a lot of soul searching these days. And the question remains: If Asian-Americans can’t unite behind a single congressman, what are their true prospects of uniting behind a White House candidate and making their total bloc vote count?