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Susan Ahn Cuddy, a daughter of Dosan Ahn Chang HoAs the daughter of Dosan Ahn Chang Ho, I grew up in a Korean-American household where there was much discussion of government, politics and democracy. Later, I was the first female Asian-American officer in the United States Navy. I also worked for the government for many years as a codebreaker for the National Security Agency. However, I have never been moved to speak out in a U.S. presidential campaign until now.Today, we are at war, our economy is struggling, millions of people dont have health care, our environment is getting worse, and our political leaders are divided. We need a leader who can unite all Americans, including Democrats, Republicans, and independents, to address the problems facing us.This is why I support Senator Barack Obama. He is the only candidate who is capable of inspiring different groups of people to work together to solve our nations problems. When I see Senator Barack Obama excite the American public with his message of unity and change, I am reminded of my father Dosan. My father was a national leader of integrity and purpose who inspired and led the Korean people to fight for independence from Japanese imperialism in the early 1900s. Today, I see Senator Obama providing similar inspiration and leadership to the American people.Some people say that Obama does not have enough experience to be president. I disagree. My father was only 29 years old when he argued the case for Korean independence in 1907. At the age of 35, my father, as president of the Korean National Association (KNA), successfully petitioned the U.S. government to have KNA, instead of the Japanese emperor, recognized as the official representative of Koreans.Similarly, Barack Obama, at the age of 43, was the only one among the major presidential candidates who had the judgment and wisdom to oppose the war in Iraq from the very beginning. When Obama is sworn into office, he will be older than both John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton when they took office. In any event, as an active 93-year-old, I dont think people should be judged based on their chronological age.I am impressed by Senator Obamas experience, which is rooted in the real lives of real people, including his work as a community organizer in the South Side of Chicago, civil rights attorney, a state Senator, and a U.S. Senator. In fact, Obama has more legislative experience than Senator Clinton. Because of my belief in the importance of higher education, I am also impressed by the fact that Senator Obama was the editor-in-chief of the Harvard Law Review and a professor of constitutional law at the University of Chicago.For Koreans and other Asian Americans, Senator Obama comes down on the right side of all the major issues. He believes in reforming our immigration system with an emphasis on family unification and improvements to the H-1B visa program. Senator Obama also wants to make greater investments in minority-owned small businesses. Obama has the support of respected Korean leaders such as attorney and civil rights activist Angela Oh, Boston City Councilor Sam Yoon, San Francisco Board of Education Commissioner Jane Kim, and Mayor Jun Choi of Edison, New Jersey.Just as important, Senator Obama has a unique understanding of the perspective of Asian-Americans. He lived in Indonesia during his youth with an Indonesian stepfather; he went to high school in the highly multicultural state of Hawaii; his half-sister is Asian-American, her husband is Chinese-Canadian, and when Obama becomes President, it will mark the first time that Asian Americans become a part of the First Family. I think we all understand the benefit of having multi-cultural perspectives when dealing with a country as diverse as America.Senator Obama is the best candidate for the Korean community for precisely the same reasons that he is right for our nation he has the courage, leadership, and toughness to confront the greatest challenges facing us today, but also the wisdom, experience, and judgment to realize that the American dream is only possible if the country is united.I had been a Republican all my life, but for the first time I am supporting a Democratic candidate, Senator Obama. Texas has an open primary, so you can vote for Senator Obama whether you are a Republican, Democrat or independent. Please join me in supporting Senator Barack Obama for President.###Photo from nellecious at family.webshots.com/..
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March 27th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Wow! I’m so glad I found this site.
I haven’t been this enthused about a U.S. Presidential candidate since 1992 when I volunteered for Bill Clinton. Of course, he turned out to be huge disappointment, starting at the gate with “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
Since those days, I have changed from the Dems to becoming a Green. I was elected to the San Francisco Green Party’s central committee in 2004. Although I completely support the Green Party’s national platform, I have not been active in local Green politics for a few years. I left the Democractic Party because I saw it turning to the right and abandoning many of its core principles, such as social, racial and economic justice, commitment towards international peace and ethical government.
Although, I’ve yet to be convinced to return to the Democratic Party, Barack Obama has brought me out of the woodwork. His wisdom, superior judgment and keen insight into history will make him one of, if not the best, presidents we’ve ever had. I’ve read both of his books and came away impressed at his grasp of history and our place in it. He really understands the issues we are facing and has some bold, fresh ideas about how to solve them. He transcends party, race and religion. It is so refreshing to see someone so pragmatic and reasonable. He will listen to all sides of a debate and then cull together the best ideas. He doesn’t demonize those who disagree. I think he will govern the way he has been campaigning, that is, listening to the American public, gathering good ideas from disparate sources and then using his common sensical judgment to arrive at the best solution.
As a Korean American immigrant (I came to the U.S. at age 7), I can relate to Obama’s personal struggle of identity and bicultural conflict. The amazing thing is that he is so comfortable in his own skin. He exudes self-assuredness and self-confidence which is contagious to everyone who comes into contact with him. He arrived at this place because he has done the deep work of soul-searching into who he really is, where he comes from. He chronicles his journey in his first book, “Dreams From My Father.”
I am particularly impressed with Obama’s vision of the U.S. role in the international arena. On the question of the Korean peninsula, I believe he will be more open to talking with the North Koreans than any previous President has been. He is committed to nuclear non-proliferation and will not use it merely as slogan. In the Senate, he authored and passed legislation to secure loose nuclear weapons. While I don’t know the details of his Korea policy, from all I know of his stances on international cooperation, I think Obama will be a strong leader in efforts to reunify the Korean peninsula, and to de-escalate tensions between North and South.
I trust Obama to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq and to change the tenor of the U.S. involvement in diplomacy in the Middle East to one of cooperation, understanding and mutual respect - something that has been absent from the current administration.
Finally, Obama’s speech on race last week had such a profound impact on me. I never thought I would hear a presidential candidate speak so frankly and honestly about these issues. I have personally made it a life goal to fight racism and discrimination, not just because I have suffered the brunt of injustice, but because I truly believe these injustices lie at the core of many of our country’s problems. As Korean Americans, we should all join with Obama to engage with our neighbors of all races and ethnicities to move past these prejudices and treat each other with respect. I will be the first to admit that Koreans can be as racist against other people of color as Caucasians can be. We Koreans need to examine how damaging such views can be to our brothers and sisters of color, who should be our allies in the fight against discrimination against all minority groups.