Election Day is on TUESDAY NOVEMBER 4th and a state of Election fatigue/delirium has settled in like a fog creeping across the country (or maybe just with me). The folks at Projekt NewSpeak put out this short documentary on the importance of the ‘Asian American Vote’ and if they are going to swing the vote this Election cycle (via AngryAsianMan).
Even though the film generally refers to Asian American voters, they used the very desi ‘Macaca effect’ as their prime example. As was blogged about quite often here at Sepia Mutiny, the slurring of S.R. Sidarth a ‘macaca’ by George Allen essentially swung the vote in Virginia to Jim Webb by 0.5% (read Amardeep’s previous analysis here).
Desis may not have critical mass to swing the presidential vote (especially given the electoral college system) but as ‘33% of Asian Indians likely to vote are undecided voters’ a critical event at the local level could swing the vote. Especially with local politics such as Senate, Congress, County-wide and City seats. Neighborhoods with high South Asian concentrations where I was thinking this could be possible for Tuesday’s election were Chicago, New Jersey, Bay area, Minneapolis, pockets of FL, Detroit/Ann Arbor and of course, Virginia.
What say you? In your precinct/city/state, do you have a critical mass of voting desis that your community could swing the vote should a racist event occur on the campaign trail? Do you think the film is right in saying that as ‘Asian Americans’ we have the potential to swing the vote a la ‘Macaca effect’ once again? Is what is happening with Ashwin Madia this year’s Macaca moment?
Can desis swing? Appearantly very well. http://www.desicouples.com
As a young Asian American voter it is interesting to observe a growing trend of indian-american youth subscribing to the change message of barack obama with a cultural nationalism message of narendra modi.
I helped to design Narendra Modi’s “mask campaign” where every voter in the western state of india, gujarat, was given a life-like mask of Mr.Modi to wear during election season, and was for the first time introduced to and became part of a ( indirectly ) the euphoria american presidential politiking strategies and campaigns inculcates.
It was an amazing experiment, which worked.
Now as I have campaigned for obama particularly in the bible belt using a matrix of marketing strategies, which hopefully works, I believe will not only bring out the “white” vote for him, but dispersely sporadic desi communities across middle america will also vote, ( i used the obama bomb pakistan ( karl rovian ) strategy to bring out the american hindutva vote )
anyway, If obama wins.. it will be the beginning of the process where a combination of karl rove and axelrod strategies will be used in the Indian national elections to make Narendra Modi prime minister of India.
the games shall begin soon!
In the long run, Modi will come out better than obama.
Obama has to face the rise of china, offshoring of every american job and major industry, the growing arrogance of russia, the growing irrelevance of america, the rise of india, the extreme disparity of wealth in american society, celebrity culture etc etc.
Where all modi has to do with — one of the brightest work force in the world, is to execute a 20 year plan to transform india from historic back waters to rise above china and the west. it can be done with potentiall the largest and youngest work force in the world
At this point, if you are still undecided, either you are totally clueless on what is going on or you are seriously confused in life. But, who would have thought Modi will be included in this discussion too?
Seriously, do we have to talk about a genocidal maniac on a thread about the U.S. vote?
2 · Stando said
Shame on you.
abhi, you need to get over your modi-hate.. learn to face some facts.
modi is a democratically elected representative of 50 million people, and potentially of a nation of one billion people.
I am another asian american voter who likes obama and modi. So big deal! I know you started this sepiamutiny blog, and this place is your fiefdom, but come on, are you going to stiffle dissenting opinion too ?
I think modi will become the biggest issue of obama’s presidency one day, MARK MY WORD’s.
a little known tid-bit for the obama and modi lovers,
— in 1991 when narendra modi visited the united states, he met obama at the offices of Sidley & Austin, where obama interned, the following year obama met modi in chicago in modi’s 1992 trip at the offices of kenyan gujarati tycoon mehta.. who began the bankrolling of obama’s political ambitions..
— so abhi.. sorry to burst your bubbles..
Stando, That makes me so very sad. Sometimes it is how the game is played that is important and you just turned this uglier than it should be.