The First Asian Pacific American President: With an African American on the path to the White House, when is it our turn?



The first of a three-part series on the prospects of an Asian American presidency

Asian Week:
By Gerry Shih
AsianWeek ?The First Asian Pacific American President: With an African American on the path to the White House, when is it our turn?

With Sen. Barack Obama clinching the Democratic nomination for president and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal named as a possible Republican vice presidential nominee, Asian American communities are beginning to wonder when the doors to the Oval Office might open to them. But should Obama succeed in breaking the ultimate color barrier, politicos and scholars say his success would not necessarily pave a parallel road for Asian Pacific Americans. Instead, the different political dynamics could present a fresh set of challenges.
Perhaps the biggest challenge for APAs is their relatively small numbers, making up only 5 percent of the American population, and the fact that most are not native-born Americans. Still, professor Larry Shinagawa of the University of Maryland points out that 68 percent of Asian Americans were born or have been raised in America, as many immigrated at a young age.
This large segment that grew up as a part of American society may contribute to high crossover appeal for an Asian candidate. Also, a higher proportion of Asian American voters register as Independents, and many share a socially liberal but economically fiscal outlook. Further, some estimates indicate that one-third of Asian Americans are in interracial marriages.
But Rudy Pamintuan, former chairman of President George W. Bush’s Advisory Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islanders, said the diversity and segregation within the community would be the main challenge to an APA presidency. Pamintuan emphasized the importance of an issue like economic development that has to not only unite the community politically, but also has to get mainstream voters excited.
“You have to consider history and the American institution,” cautioned Pie-te Lien, a political scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
The institution, Lien notes, has traditionally seen Asians as “whitened” compared to African Americans, which could make an Asian American more acceptable. Yet Asian Americans are also seen as not as integrated into American society as blacks; eight out of 10 Asian Americans of voting age are foreign-born.
Asian Pacific America also has some of the most desirable demographics for political fund raising and organizing — $427 billion in buying power, for example. Extended family ties may also mean more group voting.
David Lee, executive director of the Chinese American Voters Education Committee in San Francisco, said the community has come a long way. “Even 10 years ago, an African American presidential candidate would have been unthinkable,” Lee said. “Anything is possible in America.”
Still, Asian Americans occupy only eight seats in Congress, most from the West Coast and the only senators both hail from Hawai‘i. None have publicly considered a run for president.
“We constantly need to build the pipeline,” said Christine Chen, the former executive director of Washington-based APIA Vote. “Until we start filling spots on the lower level, we’re not going to have potential candidates.”
Two names surface most often as possibilities.
Don Nakanishi, director of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, suggests Washington’s Gary Locke, who became the first Asian American governor of a continental state in 1997.
A Democratic administration could draw Locke back into public life next year, possibly as a Cabinet secretary. “If he ends up with a high-level appointment this time, he may be back in the running,” Chen said.
Even more prominent is Louisiana Governor Jindal, the 36-year-old Indian American that Republicans hope is their answer to Obama; conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh called Jindal the next Ronald Reagan.
Citing the high probability of the first African American president and marriage equality becoming a reality in California, Curtis Chin, founding board member of Asian Pacific Americans for Progress, said, “Any time the country takes a step toward inclusion and diversity, it helps everyone, including Asian Americans. It’s really just a matter of time.”