I was out on the floor tonight running discs back and forth for a Reuters photographer. Before the speeches began, I ran into my old friend Gaekwad. Tonight he had donned a handsome black Nehru jacket. I complimented him on it and he responded,
“Thank you. It’s important to keep some of yourself.”
It was a poignant thing to hear out there in that sea of white people. Each time I spotted a fellow brown, I felt as though I were viewing myself as a child, alone in a Dallas public school, sure that no one could understand me or my family, and especially not the country we had come from.
But Gaekwad had it right. As I reported yesterday, these pro-McCain Indian Americans have India at heart when they support him. That they can join forces with people so dissimilar from them is unnatural, and nice. They do it with gusto.
I met Swadeep Nigam, a delegate from Las Vegas. He was excited about Palin. I asked him what he thought about the grandchild and he told me we all have problems in our families. He praised her as one more in a line of women politicians – listing off Indira Gandhi and China’s Annette Lu as some others.
Here’s Nigam, looking proud:
Gaekwad found me later and made a point to introduce me to Charlie Crist, governor of his home state, Florida (Did I tell you G is an honorary county sherrif back home? When I asked him how he managed to swing that, he said if you get involved, people will start to give you things.) That was a sort of awkward meeting, seeing as Gaekwad could say nothing to Crist save that I work (temporarily) for “Rooters.” But it was very uncle-ish and cute.
Before I continue, I have to say some quick things about Palin’s speech – though there was nothing Desi about it. Is it just me, or is she an awful lot like Tina Fey? I don’t just mean looks, though the similarity is striking:
It’s also the quippiness. Palin’s biting lines (Listening to [Obama] speak, it’s easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform – not even in the state senate and My fellow citizens, the American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of “personal discovery,” to name two). Each time she let loose one of her zingers, women around me sighed, “I love her.” At one point, a man said it in the same way, and that’s when I knew she’d done it. I think this could create the same sort of mild (and probably temporary) upswing for McCain that Fey’s pro-Clinton appearance on SNL did for Hillary.
And now, for the big swing back. Tomorrow I’ll be interviewing another woman politico – this one an Indian. She’s Harmeet Dhillon from San Francisco and she’s running for the California State Assembly.
While at Dartmouth College in the 80s she took on what she saw as inappropriate political correctness by a music professor of hers who held forth in class on his liberal views. She published a transcript of the guy’s class on the front page of the conservative Dartmouth Review, which she wrote for. It landed her on 60 minutes.
Here’s a video of her explaining the whole thing in an interview.
I’m excited to talk to her. She’s sharp. And unpredictable – she is a board member of the ACLU.
Till next time, M
Harmeet Dhillon doesn’t work for the ACLU, she is a partner of Dhillon Smith in SF.
From the video clip, it doesn’t look like she took on “inappropriate political correctness”. It was more like taking on a music teacher who didn’t teach any music. Fair enough. However, it had nothing to do with “liberals”, unless the implication is that she wouldn’t have published the transcript if it was a conservative professor. And seeing the contempt she shows while mouthing the word “liberal” (a million times in such a short clip), I am almost ready to believe that.
Harmeet’s family helped start a summer camp for Sikh kids in Chambersburg, Pa., known as Lohgarh Retreat. Amardeep Singh was once a teacher there.
By the way, the beautiful Maya Harris, sister of San Francisco DA Kamala Harris, is the executive director of the ACLU in Northern California.
Thanks for the informative post, M.
It’s interesting how the gentleman who introduced you to Governor Crist said “if you get involved, people will give you things.” Did he mean it the way I’m translating it? Who cares about people giving you things? Shouldn’t political involvement be based upon only what you can give, not what you can get? Sigh. I guess this illustrates how he’s kept “something of himself” in the arena of American politics as well.
Sarah Palin TOTALLY looks like Tina Fey. It’s eerie.
4 · Faiqa said
And Peggy Hill
http://www.tvguide.com/images/pgimg/king-peggy-hill6.jpg
Mallika, I’ve enjoyed your posts from the RNC. They’re spunky and mutinous and fun to read, even if about Republicans. It’s worth pointing out that some desis really are Republicans, learning what their motivations and goals are, how they got in, and what they want out of it.
As a personal vignette, I remember the GOP invited me to join them way back in the 1980s, while I was just a graduate student and an Indian citizen – even sent me a card with my name on it, saying ‘Lifelong Sustaining Member’ that I have kept as an interesting souvenir. I never figured out why they reached out so, since I didn’t think I fit the profile – any profile of a GOPer – but what struck me as the Democrats never bothered to reach out.
Looking forward to your interview with Harmeet Dhillon. If she works for the ACLU now, that would be a revelation to me. I remember her from back in the 1980s, from the buzz around her writings and doings (hard as it is to believe now, it was a time before the Web existed).
As for G, I thought being an honorary Sheriff might be a bit of a comedown for a former royal – or perhaps it’s the same thing.
Tina Fey, I would normally say, is prettier, because she has better lines. But then I haven’t heard Palin, yet.
Thanks for the ACLU correction yoyo. Duly noted.
Faiqa – it’s easy to see how Gaekwad’s statement could be taken that way. I should put it in context. He was talking about how Indians always want to start at the top – at Washington – with political involvement. If you start grass roots, he said, that’ll get you eventually to the top, and you’ll be stronger for it because you’re embedded at the bottom. Practical sure, which also makes it sort of cynical. But the guy is probably right. And yes, royalty = sherrifdom.
I’d like to ask Gaekwad what he thought about Sarah Palin’s community organizer diss – seeing as that’s about as grass roots as it comes.
As a personal vignette, I remember the GOP invited me to join them way back in the 1980s, while I was just a graduate student and an Indian citizen – even sent me a card with my name on it, saying ‘Lifelong Sustaining Member’ that I have kept as an interesting souvenir. I never figured out why they reached out so, since I didn’t think I fit the profile – any profile of a GOPer – but what struck me as the Democrats never bothered to reach out.
Chachaji – I remember my dad saying the exact thing happened to him and that some Repubs came to my dad’s office personally and helped him register.
My dad has said to me, that democrats have historically been on the side of minorities, but he votes either way, depending on different things, but I remember he said he’s registered as a Repub, just b/c they came to his office and personally helped him register.
I’m just waiting for a photoshop artist to mock up a poster of Tina Fey’s Baby Mama movie featuring Sarah & Bristol Palin.
Taiwan might have something to say about calling her “China’s Annette Lu”…
6 · chachaji said
Were you referring to Fey’s ‘curves‘, Chachaji?
Um – that Indian guy – he’s my [former] brother in law. No joke. The Republican thing… that’s one of the reasons we disowned him. 😉
If you disowned your brother in law just because he was Republican, perhaps you should consider moving out of the United States because Republicans are going to take over the White House again. Cuba or Venezuela would be a good place for you 😉
That might be the worst Indian representation ever to come out of Las Vegas. He has been investigated multiple times on fraud and extortion. He has taken advantage of many Indians in Las Vegas. Is that really who McCain wants an endorsement from?