Earlier this month an engineer from Portland, Oregon named Shantu Shah announced his candidacy for the U.S. Congress from Oregon’s 1st District. Although some quick web-searching hints that he may come from a Green Party background, Shah is running as a Democrat. The best part is that he started his own blog to coincide with his announcement. If he can keep it up and provide substantial day-to-day detail of the process, it may provide us with a window into what it takes for an Indian American to run for Congress. Even if he fails in his bid, his blog could be used as a good resource for future candidates (not so subtle hint to Mr. Shah). Here are some excerpts from his announcement speech that he copied to his first post:
A VISION FOR CHANGE – The TRIUMPH OF WILL
Shantu Shah, Candidate for U.S. Congress
as Representative for Oregon District One
Brothers and Sisters of America:
My inspiration comes from three personalities: Gandhi, Patel, and Gandhi, two women and a man, who have shaped the international politics with their vision for change and the triumph of their will, have been the focus of three biographies by three different authors. If you have guessed their names as Mahatma Gandhi, Vallabhbhai Patel, and Indira Gandhi your guess was incorrect. I am talking about: 1) The Untold Story of Kastur, wife of Mahatma Gandhi, authored by their grandson Arun Gandhi (and his wife Sunanda), who would be addressing at my invitation to an Interfaith Festival of Faith this September 17 in Convention Center, Portland, Oregon; 2) Triumph of Will, Sonia Gandhi, Italy-born wife of Rajiv Gandhi, Past Prime Minister of India, written by Yussuf Ansari and; 3) A Vision for Change A.D. Patel and the politics of Fiji by Brij V. Lal…During the democratic elections in Canada and Palestine in Janauary 2006 the incumbents were thrown out of the office by the will of the voters. Hope with the help of average Americans we will be able to throw out the rascals who have been corrupted by the corporate culture, influenced by the cash contributions of millions of dollars, leaving behind the average citizen holding down the empty bag on the back burners.
Heath care, meager social security benefits, medical insurances, education for have-nots, and the small businesses e.g. AAHOA hotels and motels, are all at risk at the enrichment of the well to do and the haves. Haves have been helpful in the economy as much as the have-nots who labor for the economical success of the country. Our factories and offices would not be busy without the haves and have-nots. [Link]
Shah REALLY has his work cut out for him. He will be running against a powerful four-time incumbent, Asian American Democrat David Wu. I actually couldn’t find a single Portland newspaper that covered Shah’s entry into the race. Either my web-searching skills are poor, or maybe he isn’t getting enough respect given his opponent. However, News-India Times does have more on Shah:
Shah has been a resident of Raleigh Hills, a locality in Portland, for the last 25 years. District 1 includes Northwest Oregon Counties of Clatsop, Columbia, Multnomah (downtown Portland), Washington, and Yamhill, south of Columbia River between Interstate 5 to the east and Northern Oregon Coast to the West.Since he declared his intentions, Shah said, his views had matured. “I feel that individual rights are the most important. As well as the issue of health care. In India you can get inexpensive medicines and not here. These pharmaceutical companies are giving money to representatives, and the hospital system is so expensive in this country,” he maintained.
“What I am running against – the monies from the corporate structures. That’s what I am worried about. I would like to get the corruption out of the election system and would like to propose that millions of dollars are given by corporations to continuously running incumbents leaving no way for an individual to come into the system,” Shah complained.
Finally, Shah’s blogger profile provides a few more interesting tid-bits.
This is very exciting news Abhi, with just the blog implications alone! Good post.
At least based on this little statement, if he really believes that the reason medicine is more expensive in the US vs. India is because of “giving money to representatives”, his understanding of healthcare economics is staggeringly poor.
Abhi,
I read his blog. I think he is a real good guy.
But he is sounding too ethnic, too immigrant-like. Will it work?
Shouldn’t he sound/ be like more Bobby Jindal. India, what? Asia, Me know nothing.
Just some thoughts.
He needs a new PR man. The first paragraph reads like a rejected college entrance essay. No seriously, if he wants to win, he needs to do better than this.
I worked in Congressman Wu’s office for a while back in my senior in high school. And I worked on challenger Goli Ameri’s campaign race in 2004. Even with a past sexual offense case popping up out of nowhere, David Wu still managed to kick some serious butt. He has strong support from the community here and I don’t expect this new guy to win.
Very interesting. I’m in Portland, and this is the first I’ve heard of this.
Although I know that Shah is not muslim, just for curiosity ….. How many muslim persons hold elected positions in House or Senate??
here is a list of oregon districts. please note that most of portland, OR, is in the 3rd district (minor error in the newspaper report).
Shantu Shah wrote:
During the democratic elections in Canada and Palestine in Janauary 2006 the incumbents were thrown out of the office by the will of the voters.
Of course. A vote for Patel is like a vote for HAMAS. Brilliant electoral strategy, sure to appeal to the suicide-bombing constituency in Portland, Oregon. Combine that with a reference to Leni Reifenstahl’s “Triumph of will” (starring Adolf Hitler!)!
This guy has a popsicle’s chance in hell.
Thank you all for the comments. I look forward to all your suggestions.
Big “o” (The Oregonian) chooses to kowtow and play the tune of powerful incumbents and rich republicans. On my blog: http://Shah4USCongress.blogspot.com you wll find my speaking engagements.
Please read more about David Wu in http://www.blueoregon.com.
Following link of “Council for Livable World” provides the opposition to US Nuclear cooperation to India: http://us.f505.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter?MsgId=109_3658948_659838_1178_3887_0_120013_11962_1969035870&Idx=0&YY=89785&inc=25&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b&box=Inbox
My letter below to: The Financial Times Editor in response to the above opposition and the FT Commnents and Analysis on President Bush’s trip to India this week:
Dear FT Editor:
I came to this country from India on its 20th Independence Day almost four decades ago as a post graduate electrical engineering student in North Carolina State University and later worked in nuclear power plants engineering for Duke Power Company during early seventies. Today as a Citizen of U.S. I am contesting as a candidate for Representative in U.S. Congress from Oregon First District. Nothing overwhelms me more than the importance of US India relations that could befit both the largest democracies on the earth. The issues here are very simple if not complicated by the demagoguery of three Congressional groups (Comment & Analysis – Financial Times- February 27).
India’s use of nuclear power for commercial purpose is as peaceful as it is for USA. India’s military nuclear program though I am not in favor of any nuclear armament anywhere in the world since I believe in non-violence, is most important to India’s security to deter China and later Pakistan’s nuclear program as it was to USA to deter USSR threat before the cold war. Comparing India with Iran or China is like comparing appals and oranges. US interest lies in helping India preserve it’s democracy and plurality. India is a one billion strong market for US products and Indian high technology talents as an English speaking country. India’s middle class is as large as US population of 350 million. India and US both have rampant poverty though India has a large poor and uneducated class but had green revolution that helped India to become self-sufficient to feed its poor and rich without importing grains for few decades now thanks to US assistance in this area for food technology. India has best medical technology and cheap but reliable medicine that could help US to bring down the cost of health care which is a bottleneck for US employers’ profits and sustainability. Both US and India have moral problems in planned parenthood and high rate of abortions though for entirely different reasons of women’s choice in US versus sex of the fetus in India. Both US and India could harness coalgasification, solar, and wind energy to reduce its dependence on oil imports and nuclear technology. India’s population as as diverse in religion and ethnicity as is USA though of different nature. India and US both have problems in AIDS though of different magnitude. Medial research in India could help both India and US. On Monday March 6 an Indian delegation of high technology and industry is visiting Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Indiana that will benefit both US and India.
The cooperation between the two countries would strengthen enormously the national security, health care, and economy of both US and India. Bot India and US should trust but verify each other through diplomatic relations rather than divisive demagoguery. India has come a long way and will continue as a Rising Sun with or without US cooperation.
Retail sales in India are expected to grow to $400 billion by the next winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, making India one of the world’s five largest economies. Would not US want to be a partner in the progress of India towards this prediction? Would not the cooperation between the two largest democracies across the opposite ends of the globe help combat hunger, illiteracy, homelessness and decease?
Shantu Shah
He sounds good on paper, lots of soundbites and quick, repeatable phrases. The problem is he hasn’t given any thought to how to accomplish those goals and what the long-term effects are. Provide Americans with social benefits like Sweden (which incidentally carries one of the highest per-capita tax burdens) and get gas under $2 per gallon, and lower taxes… it’s hard not to like those goals. But there’s no plan for accomplishing them. “I am against the current political squabbling and the rampant corruption in the three branches of our government” Well, DUH. Who isn’t? I wonder if he will change that by fasting?