Amit Singh runs in The Real World of Virginia

Posted on by

My friend Ankur tips me off to the fact that there is a macaca running for Congress in Virginia’s 8th District. Let’s meet Amit Singh:

Born and raised by immigrant parents near Richmond, Virginia, Amit lived a typical American life – birthday parties, Redskins games and the high school prom. But his parents made sure he understood that a world of opportunity was available to him if he worked hard, opportunities only available in America.

Amit graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. While at UVA he managed the technology at the public broadcasting station serving the Charlottesville area. He also found a way to make engineering help people in need by developing software to allow doctors to use robots to care for patients in other parts of the world.

After graduation Amit moved to Arlington to work for NASA and the Department of Defense. A few years later, Amit started his own small business. He works with U.S. Intelligence Community and our soldiers on a daily basis. Throughout his career Amit has seen first hand the threats that America faces and worked to keep his country safe. [Link]

Here is his resume so that you can best judge his level of experience for yourselves. Singh is running as a Republican candidate against incumbent Democrat Jim Moran (provided Moran can win the primary first). That means that Singh’s main issues are the same as many other Republicans. Here is a sampling:

  • Lower the Corporate Tax Rate to encourage business in America
  • Punish companies who knowingly hire undocumented workers
  • Implement native country based guest worker program
  • Lift sanctions and trade with more nations
  • I am absolutely opposed to Homeland Security’s mandate for all the states to implement a bio-metric identification card for all citizens. There is no way the government can ensure our personal information is protected from highly motivated hackers and internal abuse. Instead of being more secure, citizens will be more vulnerable to identify theft and publication of personal information. The Real ID act also poses a major infringement on our privacy rights and civil liberties and I will not stand for it.

The Fairfax Times has more background on the race:

The Republican field for the seat has been fluctuating, with a few candidates that have already withdrawn. At press time, the apparent candidates for the Republican nomination are Mark Ellmore, Amit Singh and Dianne Kelly…

<

p>Amit Singh, 32, of Arlington, is also seeking the Republican nomination. His platform is “libertarian leaning” and advocates reducing the size and scope of the federal government.

Singh, born and raised near Richmond, graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in electrical engineering. He now owns his own engineering firm that primarily serves federal agencies. This is his first foray into politics.

“A lot of this is a new experience to me, but I’m learning quickly,” he said.

His biggest issues are the federal deficit, preserving personal liberties and foreign policies, which he said are costing the United States financially. Singh said he has not yet begun the fund-raising portion of his campaign. [Link]

Singh also posts several YouTube clips of him addressing the voters on a range of issues. Here is one of him speaking about illegal immigration. He should know that Republicans like to hear them referred to as “illegal aliens” and not “undocumented workers.”

<

p>

120 thoughts on “Amit Singh runs in The Real World of Virginia”

  2. Half a century ago, a Republican of Indian origin in the United States was either very rare or a contradicion in terms. Things have moved on since then, Bobby Jindal being the singular example. It is the same in Britain: though many are Labour (or possibly Liberal) supporters, Conservative voters and candidates are by no means unknown.

  3. Amit lived a typical American life – birthday parties, Redskins games and the high school prom

    I had no idea that Birthday Parties were indicative of a typical American life.

  6. Wow, people still believe that each member of a political party is exactly the same as all the others! Dude, how old are you?

  7. Singh needs to change his name and religion (if he is not Christian) if he wants to get anywhere as a Republican.

  8. 7 · Ardy said

    Singh needs to change his name and religion (if he is not Christian) if he wants to get anywhere as a Republican.

    smacks forehead

  11. Rahul,

    which link in the post points to that? I feel like I’m going crazy b/c every link I clicked worked (but they all ended with .jsp)? Sometimes we’re posting so quickly, we botch the URL; let me know which one I should make the intern fix. 😉

  13. 6 · Kevin said

    Wow, people still believe that each member of a political party is exactly the same as all the others! Dude, how old are you?

    Not at all. But historically, the past 8 years Republicans haven’t done that well individually or as a group.

    Of course, not saying the Democrats are any better having caved in on every important issue over that period of time as well.

    However at this time, the separation of powers in the Federal Government has been weakened. Congress has willingly given up it’s power and oversight for the executive branch. This vision of a unitary power controlling the US Government bothers me to no end.

    Do I think another Republican with clear and strong ties to military complex should be in Congress?

  14. I know he has strong ties to the military but at least he has a very clear stance on our civil liberties.

    Not that I’m big on the Republicans. Ever. 😛

  16. This is a bad year to run as a Republican, they just lost Denis Hastert’s house seat this week.

  18. Also, “Amit Singh”? That’s like John Smith – although, maybe that’s a good name to have if you are in Virginia. Boy needs to get himself a catchy moniker, like Prince or Bono. But stay away from Husein.

    On a more serious note, I am interested in what his social policies are: especially on matters such as gay marriage that the general Republic agenda says belongs at the states. Further, in his vision statement for education he says:

    I believe in parental and student choice in education… We need to lessen the federal bureaucracy in education and respect state, parental and students’ rights

    What is his opinion on the teaching of creationism and ID in schools?

    And in health care, he says, he supports “Tort reform to lower insurance costs” as his top measure. Does he seriously believe that malpractice insurance is the number one contributor to high costs, and what prevents universal access to medical care? I would LOVE to see some data to support that.

  19. Singh needs to change his name and religion (if he is not Christian) if he wants to get anywhere as a Republican.

    he’s running against an incumbent democrat in a democratic year. this is a resume builder me thinks, not a plausible run for elected office to win.

  20. But his parents made sure he understood that a world of opportunity was available to him if he worked hard, opportunities only available in America.

    Comments like these are why Americans are no longer taken seriously (with good reason) in the rest of the world.

  21. Here is his resume so that you can best judge his level of experience for yourselves.

    I actually clicked through to the link and read the resume. Lovely deadpan evisceration there, Abhi 🙂 I am guessing you voted for Hillary.

  22. I’m just glad he hasn’t changed his first name to Johnny and converted to the Southern Baptism. It’s quite curious that most of the seemingly up and coming Indian-American politicians opt to run from the Republican party.

  23. Ignore the unnecessary the in the first sentence.

    I should have added this to my previous post, but we had an Indian-born (I think) candidate competing in the Democratic primary for the Attorney General position in my state last year. He was definitely an oddity though, he looked almost fobbishly Indian, but he was extremely qualified, even though he didn’t win.

  24. Amit Singh, 32, of Arlington, is also seeking the Republican nomination. His platform is “libertarian leaning” and advocates reducing the size and scope of the federal government. Singh, born and raised near Richmond, graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in electrical engineering. He now owns his own engineering firm that primarily serves federal agencies. This is his first foray into politics.

    Oh…the irony.

  25. I actually clicked through to the link and read the resume. Lovely deadpan evisceration there, Abhi 🙂 I am guessing you voted for Hillary.

    In America, or any liberal democracy, that’s a great resume for a representative. The founders, and the classical liberals who preceded them, where very concerned about “professional politicians.” this is the context under which the words “govt of the people, by the people…” was written. there is value in the citizen politician.

  26. In America, or any liberal democracy, that’s a great resume for a representative.

    What, with no J2EE experience, and his harping on the antediluvian CORBA?

  27. 25 · Manju said

    In America, or any liberal democracy, that’s a great resume for a representative

    He isn’t that great. Doesn’t know lisp.

  28. this is the context under which the words “govt of the people, by the people…” was written. there is value in the citizen politician.

    On a more serious note, I don’t disagree with your claim about citizen politicians, and don’t really think that resume is everything, but the phrase “govt of the people, by the people..” was certainly not by the founding fathers, it was by Lincoln in the Gettysburg address, and it was not referring to professional politicians, but rather to the notion that the government belongs to everybody. Lincoln borrowed the phrase in some way, shape, or form from the abolitionist Theodore Parker who said “.. A democracy that is, a government of all the people, by all the people, for all the people …”, and from Daniel Webster’s statement in the Webster Hayne debate defending both federalism and a defense of the constitution (and the latter was what Lincoln was also emphasizing in standing up for abolition over states’ rights).

  29. 24

    What’s the irony? He is doing quite what he is preaching – encouraging the Feds to outsource thus axing non-essential work.

    He is wrong on immigration though. Just doesn’t get it.

  30. I had no idea that Birthday Parties were indicative of a typical American life

    of course, so is prom, but prom is an abomination that should be erased from earth. I like this guy.

  31. Singh needs to change his name and religion (if he is not Christian) if he wants to get anywhere as a Republican.

    Very true, might even go for changing the skin color while he’s at it.

  32. 28 · Rahul said

    but the phrase “govt of the people, by the people..” was certainly not by the founding fathers

    oh so you’re right. i really need to leartn how to use google. anyway, the concept of citizern-legislator, if i recal, appears many times in the founding docs, probably the federalist papers, but i’m not sure…but i don’t think its a controversial point anyway.

  33. this is a resume builder me thinks, not a plausible run for elected office to win.

    Absolutely is. But this just reminds me of the discussions we’ve had on Bobby and that his whole success stems from the fact that the next door average Joe redneck, a big part of the republican base, does not associate him as alien material because they relate to his name, his faith and value system, etc etc. If he was running as a dem, these things would be not as important, his pandering to populism would be more, but for a conservative – and he is more libertarian fiscal conservative than a true red George Allen – he has to do more to make sure he does not go Ron Paul. Unless of course his ambitions stop at a point.

  34. Born and raised by immigrant parents near Richmond, Virginia, Amit lived a typical American life – birthday parties, Redskins games and the high school prom. But his parents made sure he understood that a world of opportunity was available to him if he worked hard, opportunities only available in America.

    These sentences are hilarious in their incongruity, most specifically in the notion that “a typical American life” (symbolized by that uniquely American phenomenon – the birthday) and “a world of opportunity” are somehow at odds.

    He also found a way to make engineering help people in need by developing software to allow doctors to use robots to care for patients in other parts of the world.

    I don’t know, Bill Frist was able to do his yeoman service with just videotapes, and didn’t need any of this newfangled robot stuff.

  35. oh so you’re right. i really need to leartn how to use google.

    Or check out this book on the Gettysburg address. Pretty solid stuff.

    anyway, the concept of citizern-legislator, if i recal, appears many times in the founding docs, probably the federalist papers, but i’m not sure…but i don’t think its a controversial point anyway.

    Although it seems to be at odds with the current gerrymandered term-limit-free situation in the House that favors career politicians and incumbents over citizen politicians.

  36. Oh…the irony.

    libertarians aren’t anarchists, unless they’re anarcho-libertarian. plus it looks like he services mostly defense and intelligence, and libertarians generally believe the govt should have a monopoly on force. so, he lacks irony.

    now, spitzer…he’s very ironic.

  40. 39 · Abdul said

    Spitzer’s wife was clearly at fault for the mess he’s in.

    please let this be sarcasm.

    oh, and i would vote for this guy if i lived in that district; he doesn’t seem all that bad for a republican. and all that stuff about “being an american” is just politico-talk. although i’m not too fond of some of his economic policies and wish he would be more specific about his education policies.

  41. either way, he’s on his knees now.
    1. Not at all like 1998 then.

    Even Jack Nicholson wants to get some action from the White House – watch this clip (from 1:00 to the end) and this clip (from 2:40 onwards).

    /goes to blow the dust off his Lewinsky joke collection and massage them into shape.

    //they sucked even back then.

  42. now, spitzer…he’s very ironic.

    Also, quite foresighted. He foreshadowed his wasteland 75 years ago, more or less saying, “March is the cruelest month.”? Sometimes, it’s much better not to eat that peach.

  43. Singh needs to change his name and religion (if he is not Christian) if he wants to get anywhere as a Republican.

    Very true, might even go for changing the skin color while he’s at it.

    yeah, that comment was not racist at all

  46. //they sucked even back then.

    Well, according to the Starr Report, it went a little further than that.

    But in any case, the most awesome Lewinsky joke I heard was an entry in a Washington Post contest about limericks that featured both the words “Lewinsky” and “Kaczynski” in them. I think the winning ditty went something like this: Lewinsky and Clinton have shown What Kaczynski must surely have known That an intern is better Than a bomb in a letter When deciding how best to be blown.

  47. 42 · Rahul said

    Also, quite foresighted. He foreshadowed his wasteland 75 years ago, more or less saying, “March is the cruelest month.”? Sometimes, it’s much better not to eat that peach.

    He’s a hollow man lacking forsight, Rahul. After all, he thought his world would end with a wimper, but he went out with a bang.

  48. 34 · Rahul said

    Born and raised by immigrant parents near Richmond, Virginia, Amit lived a typical American life – birthday parties, Redskins games and the high school prom. But his parents made sure he understood that a world of opportunity was available to him if he worked hard, opportunities only available in America.
    These sentences are hilarious in their incongruity, most specifically in the notion that “a typical American life” (symbolized by that uniquely American phenomenon – the birthday) and “a world of opportunity” are somehow at odds.
    He also found a way to make engineering help people in need by developing software to allow doctors to use robots to care for patients in other parts of the world.
    I don’t know, Bill Frist was able to do his yeoman service with just videotapes, and didn’t need any of this newfangled robot stuff.

    This whole insecurity thing about one’s “american-ness” is getting pretty old. I’m also not impressed by the resume. At the top of it he tells you he’s a friggin’ rat that works for the NSA. Nuff said. I know all I need too.

  49. I’m also not impressed by the resume. At the top of it he tells you he’s a friggin’ rat that works for the NSA. Nuff said. I know all I need too.

    Interestingly enough, if you Google for “Project RHINEHART”, which he claims to be the Team Lead for, the only relevant link you get is his resume. Either this Project RHINEHART is something that may not be cleared by the NSA for publication, or the dude is claiming to be the lead on a project whose existence is unverifiable.

    Of course, he could always take Dogbert’s advice and say that the NSA is instructed to kill anyone who tries to check up on his credentials.