NewsIndiaTimes - page 8

By Ela Dutt
mphasizing his own
track record as presi-
dent and his immi-
grant-friendly policies,
former President Bill
Clinton promised a similar
future if his wife, Democratic
presidential nominee Hillary
Clinton, is elected Nov. 8.
Speaking at an Asian-
American event titled,
“Presidential Election Forum”
held in Las Vegas Aug. 12, Bill
Clinton pointed to Hillary
Clinton’s launch of the AAPI
Leadership Council, her focus
on removing barriers for small
business, making higher edu-
cation more accessible through
free education for low-income
families, apprenticeship train-
ing etc. The event organized by
Asian and Pacific Islander
American Vote (APIAVote) and
Asian American Journalists
Association (AAJA), with 40
partner organizations was held
in Nevada, where according to
Rep. Judy Chu, D-California,
Senator Harry Reid’s 2010 elec-
tion was turned into a win by
the small margin of AAPI vote.
“For the first time ever, all
major campaigns were repre-
sented. And it was very well
attended and substantive,”
Shekar Narasimhan, founder of
the Super PAC, AAPI Victory
Fund, told News India Times.
President Bill Clinton, Donald
Trump surrogate and Utah
Attorney General Sean Reyes,
Libertarian presidential nomi-
nee Gary Johnson, and Green
Party presidential nominee Jill
Stein addressed more than
2,500 journalists and commu-
nity leaders gathered at the
Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
The event was live-streamed
and at least 20 watch-parties
were held around the country,
organizers told NBCnews.com.
Indian-Americans have been
active in the voter registration
and turnout drives in swing
states like Virginia also to raise
their political profile,
Narasimhan said. A Hillary
Clinton supporter,
Narasimhan, a businessman
from Virginia, has been active
in focusing on Indian and
Asian-American voters where
they live and on the issues they
care about, he said, such as
Wayne County, North Carolina,
Northern Virginia “where we
have a sizable Indian-American
populations and are key for a
Democratic win.” Issues that
move Indian-American voters,
he said include jobs and the
economy, education, immigra-
tion reform, gun control, U.S.-
India relations, and women’s
issues.
“From Southeast Asia to the
Indian subcontinent to Native
Hawaiians, the AAPI communi-
ty represents a heritage and
history that spans the globe,”
said APIAVote founding board
member Daphne Kwok, quoted
in a press release.
Trump surrogate Reyes, of
Filipino heritage, had to field
tough questions on why Trump
classified Philippines as a “ter-
rorist nation” saying the presi-
dential candidate meant only
the “terrorist element” and not
the whole nation.
“What Mr. Trump was trying
to communicate, and I have
the full authority to make this
clarification, is that he wel-
comes law-abiding Filipinos
who want to come and have a
better life and better opportu-
nities, whether they want to
live here or send money back
to the Philippines,” Reyes is
quoted saying in the
LasVegasSun.com. Reyes
explained why he was a
Republican to a crowd domi-
nated by Democrats. “We may
not agree on everything. Some
of you we might not agree on
anything. But it’s important we
come and listen, with humility
and respect,” he said.
Third-party presidential can-
didates Johnson and Stein at a
question-and-answer session,
explained their positions on
issues. Calling it one of the
“craziest” elections ever,
Johnson appealed to independ-
ent-minded voters to break
with their parties and support
him. The issues he addressed
included legalizing marijuana
and free trade.
Green Party candidate Stein
said she is fighting for a “Green
New Deal” and the critical
importance of the environment
and rising sea levels especially
for Asian and Pacific Islander
countries.
“The key thing here is to
have a national leader who’s
actually telling the truth about
the No. 1 true emergency of the
climate,” Stein is quoted saying
in LasVegasSun. com.
She made the case for solar
energy for every home and gov-
ernment support to make that
possible. Democracy, Stein
said, “needs a moral compass,”
and asked those disillusioned
by this election cycle, to vote
for her.
News India Times
August 26, 2016
8
Former President Bill Clinton addressing the ‘Presidential Election Forum’ Aug. 12, organized by APIAVote and the Asian American Journalists Association, held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.
An estimated 2,500 people attended. Bill Clinton represented Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes was the surrogate for Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Green Party nominee Jill Stein, and Libertarian Party nominee Gov. Gary Johnson also made their case at the meeting.
U.S. Affairs
Continued from page 7
Washington is in many
ways a small town with gov-
ernment as its industry, and
the debate over the Clinton
Foundation simply shows “the
wayWashington works,” said
Scott Amey, general counsel at
the Project on Government
Oversight.
“It’s instances like this that
cause the public to have a
negative view of how our gov-
ernment works, and it really
gives people the impression
that deals are done in back
rooms and based on who you
know rather than what you
know,” Amey said in an inter-
view.
While Abedin hasn’t said
whether she’d return to
Washington and theWhite
House to serve again in a
Clinton administration, the
Clintons have acknowledged
that they would have to forge
a new relationship with the
foundation they started. But
they haven’t provided details.
“There’ll clearly be some
changes in what the Clinton
Foundation does and how we
do it,” Bill Clinton told
Bloomberg Television anchor
DavidWestin during a June
session of the foundation’s
Clinton Global Initiative in
Atlanta. “And we’ll just have to
cross that bridge when we
come to it.”
– Bloomberg
Abedin’s Overlapping Jobs Renew
Focus On Clinton Conflicts
– that’s all you need to know
By Darrell Miho for the AAPI Media Center
Clinton, Trump Surrogates Attend Asian-American Presidential Election Forum
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