Grassroots videos

I'm currently diggin' on 2 videos made by regular folks.



8 years ago these guys made a classic Budweiser commercial with just a couple simple words. "WASSSSUP" and "True". Irony here is that Cindy McCain's family owns Anheuser, which owns Budweiser, which made the original 8 years ago. And now the original actors are back 8 years later with a sobering look at where we are now.



This video - A message to Sarah Palin - is also made by ordinary citizens. Very powerful stuff with regular girls talking about the inroads we American women have made. True Palin is a woman, a working mom, and even a good looking one at that, but check her policy record. Her policy stances and record send shivers down my back.

Crrraaaaazy! White Devils be crraaaazy!

I gotta say that Saturday Night Live has been on fire this election year. The Obama Variety Show skit has been one of my favorites. The parody of Gnarls Barkley's song Crazy is awesome.

Speaking of white devils being crazy...

YES WE CARVE!

This is what I love about Obama. He's inspired something so much bigger than himself. People have really taken it upon themselves to be amazingly creative in utilizing their talents to encourage people to vote... and of course, vote for OBAMA-BIDEN '08!

Yes We Carve!

those are some damn hot boots!

Wow Sarah, where'd you get those boots? Got this picture from the Huffington Post. $150,000 spending spree for the Palins. But seriously! Those are some HOT F' me boots!

Hey White Women! Watch this!

You know you bought those hundred dollar tickets to go see the NKOTB reunion tour! Now check out BoyBama in Battleground for your Heart.

poliTricks of Hate

Obama for Hawaii video

In February, I got the chance to go and help campaign for Obama in the primary in Hawaii. I walked down the beach one time for 15 minutes, but the rest of the time was spent busting my tail for the campaign. Shout out to the Big Island and Andy Winer, coordinator of Obama for Hawaii. Andy just sent me this film produced by Mark Wolf, a film student at UH, and his colleagues... lotta API's reppin in a really touching short. Gotta love all the shoes outside the door in the last scene, too!

I'm a fan girl of Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai!

Black, White, Whatever.

This Girl is Yellow!

AAPI Vote PSA's

My favorite Asian American film festival has done it again with their voting PSA contest. Check out the finalists here. YAY!



I think my favorite is the one by Karen Lin, but I gotta say that they're all way better than this:



Seriously, why do we Asian Americans sometimes gotta go and perpetuate wack stuff?

The State of Asian America: Trajectory of Civic and Political Engagement

It's here! The book I contributed to as a co-author on one of the chapters is here :)

Book summary:

Nationally renowned educators in the field of Asian American Studies have come together to put forth the possibilities for the future of Asian American civic engagement in America.

Especially important to recognize in this color-conscious election year, the report touches on issues such as the civic participation of immigrants and Asian American college students, the role of the internet in increasing Asian American civic engagement, and how civic engagement might serve as a pathway to political party identification.

My co-authors and I wrote the chapter on college students and civic/political engagement. You can download the book here.

GOP whining: Gwen Ifill

When I first heard that Gwen Ifill was moderating the VP debate, I thought it was genius. She's an African American woman and very respected journalist who works for PBS. Given her credentials and the fact that she is both a woman and African American, I could not imagine anyone having an issue. I was wrong.

Today comes news that the Republicans are upset that Ms. Ifill has a book coming out on my birthday/Inauguration day (Jan. 20, 2009) called The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama. When the elections commission deliberated and announced that Ifill would moderate the VP debate, her book was already public.

Previews I've seen of the book indicate that it is NOT a pro-(nor anti-) Obama book. It is an analysis regarding race and politics in this extraordinary political year. Simply writing about race does not make someone pro-Obama, because he's Black. I could write plenty about gender in this election year, but it doesn't make me pro-Hillary or pro-Palin (GOD NO!).

On Amazon, the book is describe in this way:

In THE BREAKTHROUGH, veteran journalist Gwen Ifill surveys the American political landscape, shedding new light on the impact of Barack Obama’s stunning presidential campaign and introducing the emerging young African American politicians forging a bold new path to political power.

Ifill argues that the Black political structure formed during the Civil Rights movement is giving way to a generation of men and women who are the direct beneficiaries of the struggles of the 1960s. She offers incisive, detailed profiles of such prominent leaders as Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and U.S. Congressman Artur Davis of Alabama, and also covers up-and-coming figures from across the nation. Drawing on interviews with power brokers like Senator Obama, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Vernon Jordan, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and many others, as well as her own razor-sharp observations and analysis of such issues as generational conflict and the "black enough" conundrum, Ifill shows why this is a pivotal moment in American history.

THE BREAKTHROUGH is a remarkable look at contemporary politics and an essential foundation for understanding the future of American democracy.

This sounds like a perfectly legitimate and necessary research project. Seems more to me like an analysis of how Black politics have shifted from the days of Jesse Jackson, and some of the internal community conflicts because of the generational shifts.

Sub-text to the false Ifill controversy: Black woman must be pro-Obama. Race trumps gender. Ifill recognizes racial dynamics in her latest book. Thus she cannot be objective in doing her job.

Bottom line is that the GOP is whining because of this:

To Wear or Not to Wear Gear?

Recently, I've received multiple emails warning me not to go to the voting booths on November 4th with my Obama gear on. The emails usually look something like this:

I just found out today that if you wear an Obama t-shirt to the voting polls on November 4, 2008, you will be turned away and NOT allowed to vote! Wearing an Obama shirt is apparently "campaigning" and thus not allowed in the space of the voting polls.

It seems that these emails have been especially targeted at Obama supporters, who are relatively new voters and younger voters, hence easier to scare away from voting.

I got suspicious about the emails, and a little bit of internet research and I found out the following from about.com:
1. Yes, states have laws against electioneering within a certain distance from polling locations. Each state's laws are different and enforcement levels vary. These laws usually only prohibit passing out and holding signs, posters, fliers, pamphlets.
2. There are 10 states that explicitly state in their laws that buttons and t-shirts are not allowed. They are: Delaware, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Vermont.

My immediate thoughts are that these emails have been sent out specifically in these states to warn voters, and that they've been spread across the country regardless of state voting laws. I fear that the panicky tone in some of them will scare off new voters.

Secondly and perhaps more importantly, I fear that poll workers who should know better will take these emails as fact and discourage voters on November 4 because they are wearing buttons or t-shirts whether or not they are in states that prohibit wearing gear.

In California, it's not entirely clear as to whether we can wear gear. Here's a recent letter and FAQ pdf by the Secretary of State's office. It seems that electioneering requires "distribution" or "circulation" of promotional items, trying to influence other voters within 100 feet. It's also obviously illegal for poll workers to wear partisan gear. Secretary Bowen's office has instructed poll workers to politely ask voters to take off buttons or hats, etc. or to flip their shirts inside out in the facility's restrooms. However, it seems easy for poll workers who disagree with a voter's stance to simply turn them away. If a voter doesn't know her/his rights, then they might just go home without voting.

Perhaps it's best to be safe than sorry and just not wear gear?

As always, be aware and research your local voting laws.