Posted on 08/30/2004 1:06:35 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
For the first time, as many as 10 Indian American delegates have been invited to attend the Republican convention that opened in New York on Monday. They are mostly well-heeled physicians and long-time Republican supporters in a country where Indian Americans traditionally support the Democrats.
The growing community support for the Republicans in recent years prompted this highly-motivated group to form the Indian American Republican Council (IARC) some time ago. Dr Zach Zachariah and Dr Raghavendra Vijayanagar, both from Florida, lead the Indian pack at the convention.
The group is making out the case that another term for President George Bush is the best bet for India and Indian Americans. It speaks of a "sea change" in Indo-US relations under Bush and the weighty representation he has provided for Indian community in his administration.
The group points out that there are at least 12 Indian Americans now holding influential positions in the administration. They include Assistant Secretary of Commerce Karan Bhatia and Senior Assistant to Vice President Dick Cheney, Neil Patel.
Indian Ambassador-designate Ranendra Sen meets Powell
12.28 IST 12th Aug 2004
By IndiaExpress Bureau
Indian Ambassador-designate to the US Ranendra Sen met Secretary of State Colin Powell and discussed with him various issues, including the progress made in the "strategic partnership" between the two countries.
Sen presented his credentials to the Secretary of State yesterday and had a formal meeting with Powell after that. The discussions focussed on the "the new stage in strategic partnership" between New Delhi and Washington.
Sen said the conversation between him and Powell focussed on various issues, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's forthcoming visit to the US to attend the UN General Assembly meeting, but centered primarily on the bilateral relations between the two countries.
"In general terms, I would say Secretary of State Powell expressed his satisfaction at the development of the bilateral relations, following the elections in India, maintaining the momentum in these relations in diverse fields," Sen told reporters in Washington.
Expressing confidence that the momentum in Indo-US relations will be maintained, Sen said both sides support maintaining the upward swing in relations and attach utmost importance to them.
He said leaders of both countries keep in touch with each other regularly over phone and defence exchanges between India and the US are continuing.
Joint air exercises have been held both in India and the US and an Indian mission headed by External Affairs Ministry official S Jaishankar is in Washington having discussions on the "new partnership", with the first stage covering peaceful uses of nuclear energy and space cooperation, he said.
http://www.indiaexpress.com/news/world/20040812-0.html
Indians for Bush.
Dot or feather?
I think that while India has its share of fruitcakes, the ones that have made it to the United States have to have shown some resolve to get out. The ones in the United States are going to be much higher educated than the Indian populace, and are going to be much more entrpreneurial, and much more interested in improving their lot in life. Why vote for someone who promises to raise taxes?
Awesome!
Jay Rao, nominee for North Carolina Secretary of State
Any other Republican candidates with Indian heritage?
I don't really know to many indians here in the U.S. who support democrats.
U.S. ties with India are on a good path.
Strong ties with India are a good counterbalance with China and Pakistan in the region.
Good examples.
Yeah, me either.
The ones in Atlanta are certainly not Democrats.
I wouldnt doubt it. Many indian-americans I talk too are very conservative fiscally and somewhat socially, especially the ex-pat christians.
D@mn! wrong ones...
They are more entreprenureal and more interested in education than most native born Americans, but the same goes for other groups such as the Koreans.
"Why vote for someone who promises to raise taxes?"
While this may be a part of their Republican bent, I think the fact that they have been fighting muslim mongrels longer than we have, that Pakistan is at least trying to help us out (for their own survival) and that their cold war Uncle Joe is no longer around are more important factors.
Prem Panicker in New York | August 30, 2004 12:13 IST
Last Updated: August 30, 2004 12:55 IST
Punctuality is not a particularly Indian virtue. Thus, at 7.30pm Sunday August 29, leading lights of the Republican faction of the Indian American community were still straggling in for their own pre-convention bash, when a quietly dressed, soft-spoken gent strolled in and began shaking every hand that was stretched out to him, and then some.
Congressman Joe Wilson (South Carolina, Republican) - accompanied by wife Roxanne, sons Hunter and Julian, and legislative aide Dino Teppara - was among the earliest arrivals at the Indian American Republican Committee bash at Shaan Restaurant in New York (48th Street, between 5th and 6th avenues).
He was also the first of the speakers, once the event finally kicked off at 8pm, an hour behind schedule.
Wilson is co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans - it follows that when speaking before a gathering of the community, he knows the right buttons to hit.
Unerringly, he hit them all - Indo-US relations as a coming together of the world's two greatest democracies; the contributions of the community in the fields of medicine and science and academics and, increasingly, politics; the increasing clout the community has earned for itself in the political arena…
Each popular theme was played with expertise; an interesting aside came when Rep Wilson, while delineating the increasing political clout of the Indian American community, flourished the latest copy of India Abroad, the newspaper owned and run by rediff.com, and pointing to the lead story, said, "India Abroad has this week an exclusive, in-depth interview with no less than President George W Bush - the only one ever given to a South Asian newspaper."
It is, Wilson said, a measure of the importance of the community that President Bush took time off in the midst of a hectic schedule made further frenetic by the election campaign, to give such an interview (to India Abroad's National Affairs Editor Aziz Haniffa, who was made, blushingly, to take a bow).
The community, Wilson said, has already come a long way. "And when George Bush is elected for a second term, I am certain the efforts of the IARC in the election campaign will be duly recognized with more prestigious appointments."
It was precisely what the 150-odd Republican supporters among the community had come to hear; they rewarded Wilson with a sustained ovation.
Tampa, Florida-based physician Raghavendra Vijaynagar, an alternate delegate at the upcoming convention and founder of the IARC, took the podium to elaborate on the points Wilson had touched on.
There were, he pointed out, 14 community members who were delegates or alternates for the Republican convention, the largest ever. The current Bush administration had 16 Indian Americans installed in various positions in the Administration, besides several more appointed to serve on various presidential committees - again, an unprecedented achievement.
Vijayanagar argued a case for the community becoming even more politically active; it could not, he said, afford any more to stand on the sidelines and watch the political process, but needed to engage with, and in, it in order to further the power of the community within the American space.
A surprise guest was Ronen Sen, less than a month into his tenure as ambassador to the United States, who came accompanied by Consul General in New York Pramathesh Rath, and Consul General in Chicago Skand K Tayal.
Given that it is not the norm for an ambassador to participate in a political event, Sen skirted references to the political purpose of the gathering, and contented himself in a brief speech on lauding the community for its achievements in diverse fields, within the American space.
"It is good," Sen said, "that the community is playing a significant role in the political process; such a role is fitting given the community's contributions in all other aspects of life in the United States."
Joining Wilson in flying the mainstream flag at the community event was Virginia's first term Senator George Allen, who was accompanied by wife Susan. The Senator kicked off with a Namaste, and joked with Vijaynagar about football (Allen's father George Sr had coached the Washington Redskins to a Super Bowl win; the Senator himself has the height and broad shoulders of a lapsed ballplayer).
Talking of how his work with the Foreign Relations Committee had given him a greater understanding of the importance of India on the world stage, Senator Allen underlined the importance of ethnic communities in the American mosaic with a quote from the late President Ronald Reagan: "Our origins matter less than our common destination."
The event was intended to parade the Republican faction of the community's growing influence; it achieved its objective not only through the presence of Wilson and Allen, but also of Renee Moore, the chair of the Republican Delegation from Pennsylvania, who was introduced by Ash Kare, the elected delegate from that state; and Tom Gallagher, chief financial officer for the state of Florida and seen by many as the likely successor to Governor Jeb Bush.
With much kidding around about "the heroine of 2000", Vijaynagar introduced a surprise guest - Katherine Harris who, as Secretary of State to Governor Jeb Bush, was instrumental, in the 2000 Presidential elections, in overruling the Florida State Supreme Court and certifying that Florida's 25 electoral votes had been cast in the name of George W Bush.
Harris was brief - a little stroke about feeling at home in this gathering of Indian Americans, the confidence that the community, as represented here, would do its damndest to re-elect the President, and she was done.
The acknowledged star was Fort Lauderdale physician Zachariah P Zachariah - the star fund-raiser and close friend of President George Bush, who was introduced by Vijaynagar to the audience with these words: "President Bush once asked Zach what movies he had seen lately; Zach said he hadn't had time for movies lately and the President then said, why don't you come over to the White House and let us watch a movie together. How many people do we know who gets asked by the President to watch movies with him?"
A visibly embarrassed Zachariah thanked the attendees for coming, expressed his confidence that the incumbent would win a second term, and sidled as far away from the spotlight as he could manage, true to his understated nature.
At hand, too, were Dr Akshay Desai, the leading geriatric care specialist who attends the convention as the alternate delegate for St Petersburg; Dr George Thomas, alternate delegate for Brandenton, Florida; Dr Sampat Sivangi, one of the two vice chairs of the IARC and a delegate from Mississippi (the other vice chair, Dr Sudhir Parikh of New Jersey, was also present); realtor and leading fund-raiser Narender Reddy, delegate from Georgia; Dr Sambhu Banik (Maryland); Pakkiri Rajagopal (Cincinnati); and Rhaddha Chandraj (Las Vegas).
In that politically polarized gathering, one late entrant stood out - Mahesh Bhupathi, who will figure in the US Open doubles competition alongside partner Max Smirnyi, came on invitation of the New Jersey based Republican activist Dr Priscilla Parameswaran.
"I am not here for the politics," Bhupathi told rediff.com. "Dr Parameswaran and her son Prem are friends, they called, I came." And his chances at the upcoming Grand Slam event? A shrug, a smile: "As good as anyone's, what can I say?"
The Republican activists present were not as ambiguous about the chances of the man they were in New York to root for. Dr Banik, Dr Sivangi, Dr Parikh and others each privately called it a close race, but predicted President George Bush would emerge the winner.
The reasons, they argued, were obvious - as on date, Bush and his main rival, Democratic candidate Senator John Kerry, were neck and neck. The Republican convention is expected to give the former a favorable bounce in the polls - and with just two months to go for the election, there was not enough time for the bounce to erode.
Much of it is grasping at straws in the political wind; Democratic adherents among the community interpret the same set of circumstances differently. But Vijaynagar, Zachariah, Banik, Shivangi, Desai and others say that for now, they are focused on the convention, and in ensuring that the community's causes are taken note of in the party platform.
I wish the author Dinesh D'Souza would run for office.
It's not so clear cut.
Many Indians prefer Democrats. This is because it was perceived that Republican Presidents were pro-Pakistan (specially Nixon, who even sent the US 7th fleet to frighten India in 1971 during it's war with Pakistan). In contrast, Democratic Presidents have been perceived as being less pro-Pakistan (India still remembers Kennedy, Carter, and Clinton, the only three Presidents to visit India. All Democrats). Democrats are also liked due to their support for the immigration policy which helps many many Indians migrate here. Finally, the socialistic bent of Democrats endeared the pseudo-communist Congress Party that ruled India.
The problem is that Indians are also a conservative lot and some recent democratic moves have given the community plenty to reconsider (gay-marriage, etc). Also, Indians realize that they were led down the garden path with socialism and big government, and that common bond with Democrats has been weakened, if not broken.
It will be a couple of elections before the community really gets behind conservatives. But, religion will still be a major sticking point between Indians and "Conservatives". Indians are by and large Hindus who don't like the "Christian fundamentalist" aspect of the Republican Party. They do realize that this is a country founded by Christians and so keep quiet about any personal misgivings, and unlike Muslims don't make it an issue. But, as you all know, religion is a potent force, either way........
Indian Americans...What about American Indians?
American Indians.
Counties that encompass reservations make "THE MAP" bluer.
We have freedom of religion not state religion - so everyone should relax.
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