Got to get the parents to vote...no matter who they vote for!

Thank you, Priya. I'm mortified, but feeling a bit Machiavellian, simultaneously. :D She's been a Hillary fan for years, I know she'd regret it if she didn't vote today, shocking flirtation with McCain be damned. :)

** Do not try this at home. My parents thought it was adorable that I called them “Edi” and “Ada” as a toddler.

Maybe the McCain flirtation is an early attempt to position herself to look like she's not changing gears too much when she goes Jindal in 2012!
;-)

My dad showed up bright and early today at the local elementary school to vote. The staff there was confused and my dad also wondered why there was no line. Well...Maryland's primary is next Tuesday. :)

awesome. thanks ANNA for making sure Hillary gets a vote :)

ANNA, I had a similar funny election convo with my parents a few days ago (they vote permanent absentee). I think the Dem open vs. Repub closed really throws them, actually, but they were excited about voting this year (instead of disappointed, as per usual). :)

Guys,
A hopelessly nationalist/racist/-ist observation, but in the excitement of the moment....

Hillary's winning in California, the most important state today in the the single most important day in these primaries.

Guess who's fuelling her win - not the whites, but Asians (and Latinos). Which includes a lot of 'us desis'....

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/epolls/#CADEM

Hillary for President! Yay!!!

Forgive me for being a duh brain about this, but if you are registered to vote for one party then you are stuck with them??

exits: http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/epolls/#CADEM

obama almost caught up with whites but got totally crushed among latinos, and even more with asians. ;-) all people of color are as one, huh?

Forgive me for being a duh brain about this, but if you are registered to vote for one party then you are stuck with them??

depends on state rules.

...depends on state party rulez. in cali republicans have a 'closed' primary, but demz do not (there is a hoop you have to jump, but i forget what it is, apparently some people didn't do it and now the obama campaign is trying to get these confused independents' votes to count).

CA Secretary of State:

Closed Primary System
A "closed" primary system governed California's primary elections until 1996. In a closed primary, only persons who are registered members of a political party may vote the ballot of that political party.

If you are a voter who has declined to state an affiliation with a political party, you may be able to vote for a candidate of a specific party in the upcoming February 5, 2008 Presidential Primary Election and/or June 3, 2008 Statewide Direct Primary. You may request, from your county elections official or at your polling place, the ballot of a political party if authorized by the party's rules and duly noticed by the Secretary of State. Click here to obtain county elections office contact information.

If you do not request such a ballot, you will be given a nonpartisan ballot, containing only the names of all candidates for nonpartisan offices and measures to be voted upon at the primary election.

ROTFL, cheena chatti. I have had my share of those!

2 · A N N A ** Do not try this at home. My parents thought it was adorable that I called them "edi" and "ada" as a toddler. Yours might take a Cheena Chatti to your head.

Suh-weet, I'm not alone. We call our parents tum instead of aap. It funny in that when my mom is retelling a conversation to someone, she converts everything to the aap form.

My parents vote religiously for the last 35 years or so (a few years after they became US citizens) to keep the "religious right" out of office. They walk daily and change their direction to the voting poll on election days. That way they get a double benefit.

What's strange is how my inlaws vote. One almost always votes for the GOP and one votes consistently for the Democrats. I wonder if they should even bother to vote since they might cancel out each other's vote. Just kidding! Every vote counts as the saying goes.

Oops - didn't do the math right in my last post. My parents started voting in the early 70s (1972).

i saw this same voting crisis of conscience at work yday - it's pretty good to know many people take this seriously. my mom has been voting ever since she got her citizenship, but my dad couldn't really care less. i, on the other hand, unfortunately am a registered dem voter - and seeing as i didn't like either candidate, i chose not to vote at all, and now am thinking of what to do about my registered affiliation...

It sucked that NY has closed primaries. I was shut out. ^&*%$%*&^()*&)*(R%$#^$&T

and seeing as i didn't like either candidate, i chose not to vote at all,

Really? most people can choose between clinton and obama. I would vote for Kucinich as well.

This is an interesting question though, how many Indians aged 50+, living in the US would actually vote Mccain over Obama, even if they were registered dems? I think a lot.

This is an interesting question though, how many Indians aged 50+, living in the US would actually vote Mccain over Obama, even if they were registered dems? I think a lot.

Based on what?

Interesting how the desi community has shaped both parties' presidential races so far...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/05/AR2008020503237.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

After years of preparing for a 2008 presidential run, including trips to Iowa and New Hampshire and formation of a national network of donors, Allen's use of the word on Aug. 11, 2006, changed the landscape of the GOP nominating contest.

"The most important word uttered in the Republican presidential primary has not been terrorism or taxes, not faith or family, " GOP strategist Dan Schnur wrote recently in the Los Angeles Times. "Rather it was macaca."

.....
Allen's subsequent decision not to run for president left GOP activists searching for their next leader. For the first time in a generation, there is no presidential candidate who inspires all elements -- economic, social and national security conservatives -- of the modern Republican Party.
Would Allen have been that candidate?

And now California.....

At less than 1% of the population, we seem to have a lot of influence when push comes to shove!!! :-)

When I was 5 years old, my "amma" hit me on the head with an aluminum "Chaya patram" ( kind of like a sauce pan) for some stupid stuff. It hurt a little but the chaya patram got a dent on one side. I would tease my mom for years to come about that incident. God bless her soul and I am sure she is laughing about this in heaven as I type this. Love you, Ma!

Cliff

A question for psephology / research cats.
Indian pollsters have been remarkably accurate in their predictions (I followed results up to ‘98). UK and US pollsters have often been widely off the mark — John Major and Kerry predictions being the biggest screw-ups. Major was supposed to lose and Zogby called Kerry on election eve. What gives? UK is tiny and US electorate, though diverse is nowhere as schizophrenic as its Indian counterpart .

21 · Disenfranchised voter said

This is an interesting question though, how many Indians aged 50+, living in the US would actually vote Mccain over Obama, even if they were registered dems? I think a lot.

Based on what?

Maybe just the anecdote above?

Anna, you look really cute in that dress.

Indian pollsters have been remarkably accurate in their predictions (I followed results up to ‘98)

Based on what?

This is going to sound very silly, but based on his quasi-connection to the "muslim" world.

#26 Brown "Anna, you look really cute in that dress."

ANNA, after looking at you in the sari, I thought maybe my nephew's childhood friend would be a very SUITABLE BOY for you. An Indian from Trinidad, wheatish complexion, Christian (there you go!), a fine doctor (I am very Jewish), really fun guy to be with, did I mention the wheatish complexion, and lives in DC, which could be very convenient, no?

I know you ABD's don't like us arranging these things, but just a thought...

Not normally prone to threadjacking, I concur with HMF #20. My friends and I, all 50+ year old desis, have no faith in either Obama or Hillary. Our hearts are with the Democrats, but our minds say "McCain," and god how I hate is unwavering stance on Iraq! We only wish the Democrats had a more experienced front runner.

Thanks for sharing, ANNA. I had an eerily similar conversation with my dad a few days ago. It's so disheartening that implicit or explict racism is what's prompting a lot of people who don't customarily vote in the primaries to go out and cast their ballots. Whenever I talk to my dad about this, I'm torn between giving him an ideological shellacking and reminding him that he, too, is a person of color. Other times I just go "meh" and try to accept that it's par for the course with him and a startling majority of my family/family friends.

old desis, have no faith in either Obama or Hillary. Our hearts are with the Democrats, but our minds say "McCain,"

How is this a threadjack?

But interesting, you are actually extending my statement to include Hillary? I don't know, I could see elderly desis voting for Hillary, if they sided democrat.

29 · Floridian said

#26 Brown

"Not normally prone to threadjacking, I concur with HMF #20. My friends and I, all 50+ year old desis, have no faith in either Obama or Hillary. Our hearts are with the Democrats, but our minds say "McCain," and god how I hate is unwavering stance on Iraq! We only wish the Democrats had a more experienced front runner."

Could it be older Desis feel "safer" with a geriatic white male at the helm of power? You speak of "experience," but is spending several decades in a chamber where you're one of hundred people, the required experience to be president? It seems to me like your it's still your gut, rather than your mind, that makes you like McCain.

I knew that there would be white people who would never vote for a black candidate but it's somewhat disheartening to see that blatant racism would be a big factor for not voting for Obama among educated, affluent Democratic non-whites.

I hope it's a generational thing.

I hope it's a generational thing.

It's a bloody Indian thing for sure (I am 1st gen - have talked to too many desis expressing similar sentiments which makes me so mad). Hopefully the second gen has more sense after growing up here. And McCain, ohno!! Why would people want their tax money used for killing more innocent people in Iraq over an interventionist foreign policy and his stupid 100 year war. To prove what - that America is high and mighty, we all know that, thank you. Too bad Paul could not get any wheels rolling.

He had me in 2004 with this line:

...the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. [Link]

That was the first time in my life any public figure had made me feel American.

33 · Athena said

it's somewhat disheartening to see that blatant racism would be a big factor for not voting for Obama among educated, affluent Democratic non-whites.

I actually think that for some desis, it has more to do with Islam than color. It's a lot more nuanced than "I will never vote for a black!" And yes, it's totally a generational thing. Witness how many second gen SAA are passionate about Obama. We were raised in a totally different country, and we were taught that diversity is good and discrimintation was bad.

We can either be disapponted in our parents for not "getting" that and failinig to be just like us or we can be compassionate about their flaws and specifically why they have them, since that tends to be a better starting point for challenging biases and irrational views.

I actually think that for some desis, it has more to do with Islam than color.

My sixty year old desi parents have no problem voting for the black man. You'all can expect your own parents to do better, in spite of having compassion for their flaws. I have been trying to explain this particular brand of racism (of browns for the browner) and though people need to understand it, it's no less ugly.

Could it be older Desis feel "safer" with a geriatic white male at the helm of power?

This is what I was saying, many of the older generation from what I observe still feel American = white.
at least when the executive branch is concerned.

You'all can expect your own parents to do better, in spite of having compassion for their flaws.

I agree, bj. I'm always coaxing my parents with my own corrective doses of anti-racism, anti-oppression speak, no matter how unnavigable the generational divide may be. It's worked to a certain extent. My mother's racism used to be as overt as my dad's, but she voted for Obama.

Aside from the geriatric sense of encrusted authority, what exactly does McCain have to offer to older Desi folks? Scratching my head here...

bj, I've seen this split between my parents and grandparents, actually. My parents (boomers) are defying every demographic bracket and voting Obama, but my grandparents are split between Clinton and McCain. For them, I actually don't think it's about racism, but rather that McCain is like them (septugenarians, lived through wars and the Depression and upheaval and the 80s economic turmoil). He represents stability and constancy and reliability to them. Clinton evokes a similar feeling, like the nerdy kid in class you know will ace the test. But you're right, we shouldn't assume that age or generation of immigration tips the voting hand towards embedded racism.

37 · Yogi said

I don't understand how that matters in this context, Obama is a Christian

If you think that ugly insinuations ("oooh, he's a muslim! his name is the same as saddam's!) about tangential religious ties haven't been repeatedly raised in this race, you're incorrect. I've spoken to plenty of people, of all shades and stripes, who were confused and responded to my "He's a Christian" with "But he went to a madrassa!"

You'all can expect your own parents to do better, in spite of having compassion for their flaws. I have been trying to explain this particular brand of racism (of browns for the browner) and though people need to understand it, it's no less ugly.

You can expect better but it gets us nowhere to demand it. Condemning parental instincts comes across as disrespectful and shuts down dialogue. No one is saying the racism isn't ugly, and having "compassion" or trying to understand where someone is coming from doesn't automatically validate their (flawed) position. It just makes changing that position a hell of a lot more probable.

If you think that ugly insinuations ("oooh, he's a muslim! his name is the same as saddam's!) about tangential religious ties haven't been repeatedly raised in this race, you're incorrect.

My friends and I, all 50+ year old desis, have no faith in either Obama or Hillary. Our hearts are with the Democrats, but our minds say "McCain," and god how I hate is unwavering stance on Iraq! We only wish the Democrats had a more experienced front runner.

I think it's funny you say that because a vast majority of the older folks I know really like McCaine as well. From what I see I really believe that it's the conservative generation who finds him appealing and for them issues like "the gay" or "abortion" are non issues because according to a conversation with an aunt recently apparently "we don't have to worry about those sort of things!" and that's a fairly common sentiment. I've felt shot down everytime I've raised any conservative issues as being the sticking point. "Oh we don't worry about abortion, we aren't the type to get one." "Oh we have nothing to worry about immigration, we came here legally and worked hard." and the ultimate "Well we aren't the gay and we don't know anyone who is the gay so let them fight their own battle." Sigh...

"But he went to a madrassa!"

WHAT? He is a madrasi? There goes the Scythian vote.

Amma Dearest drank the HRC KoolAid back in 1991 and her vote is a foregone conclusion. I'd like to think that her not voting for Obama is out of sheer ignorance of his policies and not because of the color of his skin, but I haven't asked. The parents will cast their ballot for Obama if he wins the nomination.

Our (Louisiana) primary is on Saturday, February 9th, and is very closed. Given our usual voter apathy and consequent low turn-out, I can't say that we'll have anything substantial with which to tip the Clinton-Obama split one way or another. Then again, we have 67 delegates up for grabs, which makes me wonder why the hell I even bother to vote in the first f***ing place, especially in the primary. Between the delegates and the electoral college, American voting wants the regular joe blow to please go away.

As for Jindal in 2012, the family has made a pact not to vote for anyone who openly purports not to believe in the message of DNA and science, especially when he has a biology degree. Ok, dead horse beaten, I'm out.

I don't get it. Aren't they all Christian?

#10 obama almost caught up with whites but got totally crushed among latinos, and even more with asians. ;-) all people of color are as one, huh?

People of color obviously don't think this way, and Plp of the same color slice and dice who the group is,(or what part of the group identity they lay claim to ) so their best side shows. "The black people" don't want to be lumped with other "black people" solely on the basis of race.

Obama lost in Cali, in large part to the Latino,Asian vote for HRC. Cali is also the where Ward Connerly's,(who is only 1/4 bad, black) prop 209 was born. No one wants to be seen as a cypher for the lowest common denominator of their group, and there always is a LCD for POC.

I do think the race thing is,by and large, a generational issue... but on to my favorite theory; race=class [In the American context]. Americans, victims and oppressors ;-) are now at a place in history, IMV, where we can see the class issue with out so much of the hurt and weight of our racial history superimposed over it. From Slate Obama's RFK moment

....When asked by George Stephanopoulos whether he thought his own daughters should receive a preference in college admissions, Obama replied, "I think that my daughters should probably be treated by any admissions officer as folks who are pretty advantaged. …" Then, he went further, "I think that we should take into account white kids who have been disadvantaged and have grown up in poverty and shown themselves to have what it takes to succeed." ..The question now, as Mickey Kaus noted in Slate, is whether Obama will take this fragment and build it into a major policy proposal to shift the basis of affirmative action from race to class. When Bill Clinton tried to make that move in the mid-1990s, he was hounded by Jesse Jackson....

36 · Pondatti said

I actually think that for some desis, it has more to do with Islam than color. It's a lot more nuanced than "I will never vote for a black!" And yes, it's totally a generational thing. Witness how many second gen SAA are passionate about Obama. We were raised in a totally different country, and we were taught that diversity is good and discrimintation was bad.

That might be true, but with the caveat that my sampling size is rather small, I've run into older (50+) Muslim desis who seemed prejudiced against Obama at about the same frequency as older non-Muslim desis.

People,

Obama is not black, he's half-black. And he's NOT Muslim, he's Christian.

Shouldn't we get our facts straight if we're trying to make informed decisions?

That might be true, but with the caveat that my sampling size is rather small, I've run into older (50+) Muslim desis who seemed prejudiced against Obama at about the same frequency as older non-Muslim desis.

It's a bloody Indian thing for sure (I am 1st gen - have talked to too many desis expressing similar sentiments which makes me so mad).

At least, the wysiwyg Indian voter is not susceptible to the Bradley effect! :)

Seriously, though, it seems Obama is doing pretty well among white males. I do hope that these votes are indeed pro-Obama rather than anti-Hillary. (Personally, I am not a big fan of the personality cult around Obama which he feeds with his vacuous hope/change schtick, and given that he has quite often chosen the easy road in tons of legislation both in Illinois and Washington, I don't have any reason to believe that he will be significantly different than Hillary in terms of actual policy that gets enacted. In fact, any further legislative record in the Senate can only prove to be a downside to a future presidential run as far as he is concerned, since he won't be able to actually maintain his public image of the idealist outsider. That said, image is everything, so if it is politically untenable for Congress to oppose him because the public is too busy drooling, that might give him more leverage to actually get good legislation passed.)

BTW, Krugman seems to have consistently come out in support of Hillary's health plan over Obama's, especially slamming the latter on its lack of universal health care. The most recent example is here. Are there people who have looked into this who can amplify?

I believe every person has a natural age. Mine falls north of sixty and I've always been the hoary one. So I feel I can relate more to the senior gen. So many revolutions (around the sun) ago, I felt a greater affinity for Bob Dole than for Clinton. Dole stood for heroism, honor, do-the-right-thing, a mensch. WJC was um... a little sleazy. I knew Mr Dole was done when he fell off some scaffolding and appeared on TV sprawled on the ground with someone rushing to help him up. it seemed to be the moment he appeared too frail to be president.

Anyhow, I have this deja vu. A clinton nominated by the Democrats. A war hero and a respected senator nominated by the Republicans. In spite of my affinity and trust for the latter, I fear HRC will win - and not for any major policy issues, but because McCain will be shown up as too old to win - which seems a little low.

There is just One way to break the spell.

50 · NP said

Shouldn't we get our facts straight if we're trying to make informed decisions?

Some of us have our facts just fine.

But if you're expecting the average voter to take the time to go to Snopes and discover that the "Obama is a radical Muslim!" email they were forwarded--which I got, as well-- is false, I think you're expecting a lot.

Additionally, hasn't Obama chosen to identify as Black vs. "half-black"?

One datapoint worth considering is how Asian-Americans broke in California: about 4-1 for Hillary. I can't help but think this overwhelming vote (greater than the Latino 2-1 break) is in some part fueled by existing racial issues. Of course asian-americans in california are a multi-generational, and very diverse group to lump together like this, but somehow I suspect prevailing attitudes among the more recently naturalized played at least a small part in that vote being so lopsided. And that's depressing.

I believe every person has a natural age. Mine falls north of sixty and I've always been the hoary one.

I can relate to that. When I was 19 I took a quiz in some silly magazine to figure out my mental age. Turned out I was 75! Anyway, I think it's totally unfair to say older desis are prejudiced against Obama. It's more likely they're trying to figure out who the hell he even is. Many Latinos and desis relate better to Hillary (and Bill) and there's a comfort factor to familiarity. To blame this on prejudice seems just as wrong as it is to say Obama won some of the states solely because of his race.

Rob, I don't know about Jindal in '12, but I do know I have accused her of being a closet Rep for yeeeears. So she wouldn't look like she was changing gears, not to those who know her. ;) I know it shocks people, but CA isn't always as liberal as people assume...but I say that about Cal, as well, and most people look at me blankly.

voiceinthehead, um, you are welcome. :)

Camille, I'm excited about this year, too! Finally, some candidates I like vs. feel resigned towards.

Dercosyst, for the record, I have never been smacked with a cheena chatti. ;)

SSK, w00t for disrespectful children!!

ak, I know many people here are "set" with their prefs, but my experience is like yours-- people torn, for various reasons. My parents never missed a chance to vote, AFAIK. :) I was getting dragged to the polls for as long as I remembered. I hear you about the party affiliation issue-- that's part of why I left the Elephants (who are more apposite, considering my name) and went Indie.

HMF, I agree. I think a lot of first gens would go with McCain instead of Bharath O, for lots o' reasons.

Cliff, I can't convey how touched I am by your comment, that something meaningless/fun I wrote reminded you of such a sweet memory. In other news, how tough are you, to dent a chaya pathram?! :)

brown, aww, thank you! When that photo was taken, I was obsessed with wearing saris Guju-ishtyle, especially if they had pallus as glorious as that (it's my favorite wedding sari, which was never worn by a bride). My dad had great taste.

HMF (again!), I know people don't believe me or agree with me, but I think the quasi-connection to Islam rankles people, whether they cop to it or not. I don't think you sounded silly at all.

Floridian-Uncle, well this might be a Sepia first. :) Arranging a blogger via comment thread! Your nephew's childhood friend sounds like the grand prize in a marriage lottery-- which is obviously why I haven't a chance with him. ;)

I love that you are very Jewish, btw, almost as much as I love that you thought so kindly/highly of me, as to leave such a fantastic comment. :) As for McCain, to me, I can't think of another candidate where people are so willing to overlook disturbing things (like Iraq) so thoroughly. The man's got charisma and a bunch of other swoon-inducing stuff.

p.s. For the record, this ABD doesn't have issues with y'all arranging stuff. :) Like your taste in men is going to be worse than mine... ;)

Satya, you are most welcome. Thanks for reading. :) I have heard from a few of you who had eerily similar conversations with your parents. And thanks for actually saying that it's par for the course with a startling majority of your F/F. Sometimes I want to bang my head on my desk slowly, when people tell me desis aren't biased in very depressing ways.

Athena, again, people disagree with me, but I think it is a generational thing. I have heard from some of you about how your parents or Aunts are pro-Obama and I keep thinking, outlier/exception to rule. You can be educated and still prejudiced as evidenced by the commenters who emerge whenever Modi isn't deified on this blog.

Ardy, I think it's a "bloody Indian" thing, too. As for your hope that the second gen has more sense after growing up here, I direct your attention to SAFO, an org I am truly impressed with and fond of. We may be "confused", but as the first half of that acronym indicates, many of us are different from our parents; I feel bad defining it in terms of "sense", because our parents/DBD F/F have sense too...but it's hard to let go of certain mores and it's unrealistic to expect people who move to America to shed their issues which are deeply-rooted. I wish they would, but I respect that it's not my place to demand that.

ptr_vivek, my favorite thing about Obama is his oratorical prowess. That was a beautiful line, which practically beckoned the listener in to a solidarity-embrace, but even more beautiful than that is that it wasn't a one-off sound bite. He's often that eloquent, to the point where people claim "style, not substance!" What a race we're in the midst of...

Yogi, I don't think you were naive, I think you were hopeful, and to me, there is a difference. :) Not all voters are knowledgeable, sadly, for a non-trivial number of them, all it takes is one incident (Obama's mini-memo-gate...) and whimsically, their minds are made up.

Rahul...you may be on to something...a lot of the SAFO-ists I know are Lemurian...

Maitri, sooo good to see you commenting. :) Amma dearest drank the HRC kool-aid at about the same time. I don't know if this is about race so much as gender...my mom (for some ridiculous reason) digs...Condoleeza Rice. I'm going to have a shame spiral now, thanks.

tamasha, they are, but there are ugly rumors about Obama, which you will see on random forums and blogs far more than you would like...I can't believe he has a SNOPES page to debunk it all! Oy.

dilettante's favorite, thank you for bringing up Ward and 209. :) See everone? California. Not so crunchy.

Whew, that was the most exhausting comment I've ever typed. I was just touched some of you bothered to read a random convo betwixt me and moms, I felt like I had to try and thank you properly. For those who have asked on SM and elsewhere, I am feeling better but am still sick...which is why it is time for me to go rest. :)

I'm sort of late to the party, but I'm behind with everything partially b/c I was late to vote last night. Work meeting went over and then traffic from hell. My commute took 2.5x the regular time. I had forgotten to take all my voting materials with me and lost my cell phone; I had no memory of the actual address of my polling place, which is an awesome old dude's garage. All those streets look alike, and I drove in and out of each of them, trying to find the garage. Right about when I thought I must have passed it, I saw signs "Vote --->" and followed them to an elementary school. "Oh," I thought, "it must not be in the garage anymore. Funny I didn't notice that." AT this point it's 7:10 and the radio is full of stories about polling stations running out of Dem ballots and long lines. I run into the school and stand in line for 20 minutes before they tell me they don't have me on the list and I'm in the wrong place---it *is* the garage. They have a map of the garage and no address---I have no phone to call home and get the address. Some kind probation officer lends me his cell phone, and my sister gives me the address. I find the garage---they are having power issues, and the garage had been temporarily dark when I drove past previously. The vote counting machine is running on battery power, and dear Mr. Hogan is wandering around, cane in one hand and lantern in another, illuminating people's work. At this point it's much closer to 8 and I am starting to panic. . .what if somehow this isn't the right place any more either? And then they whip out the sign-in-book and I see my mother's signature. "It's my mommy's signature!" Such a relief. Finally, I got to vote.

Interestingly, my desi parents (60+) are solidly behind Obama...so much so that my mom called my brother and I three times yesterday to remind us to vote in the NY primaries. My dad also called several friends and relatives in other states to encourage them to vote.

More than anything, my folks strongly identify with Obama's politics. But, they also recognize similarities between Obama and themselves. Obama is the son of an immigrant, a brown-skinned man poised to be a successful and highly visible world leader, and is(in their eyes) an underdog. In this case, my parents (perceived underdogs) align with Obama.

a lot of the SAFO-ists I know are Lemurian...

Well, Hillary is D-Punjab after all...

Rahul, despite Ms. Clinton's affiliation, among (young) Punjabi ABDs in the regions I'm familiar with (CT, NJ, the Bay) there's a pretty 50/50 split :)

Oh, ANNA and ak -- on voting. I was going to say that I have often been VERY disheartened by my options during elections. Not only because I lived in California (don't get me started on the gerrymandering and anti-democratic tactics of the Dems and Repubs!), where we're told our vote matters for little except to rack up numbers and $$ come election time, but also because I found the candidates REALLY disappointing. Sometimes I would stand with my ballot wondering if I could really feel morally/ethically at peace with my vote or with my candidate choices.

That said, I was a registered independent until 2006 (I was abroad and knew the time delay would ensure I missed all the voting deadlines), and I switched back when I returned to the U.S. Voting in a state with open primaries is a HUGE relief for my conscience.

I don't mean to begin the guilt trip on voting, but I have my parents to thank for my insane dedication to getting to the polls. They typically vote permanent absentee, but when I turned 18 they took me to my first polling center and voted with me. They've done a pretty good job of reinforcing how my right to vote, both as a woman of color and as the child of immigrants, is entrenched in a history of social action and sacrifice. Whether by absentee ballot, or by handwritten ballot (!!!), or by catching the 2 hour BART + bus ride to the public library that first year of college when I forgot to register absentee, I feel like my vote is one of the only opportunities I have to vent my (political) feelings.

I went to a local Obama meet up and was really put off by the Obamanuts. Even his otherwise intelligent supporters now believe that silly platitudes instead of concrete policy positions is what you need to run the government. 'Yes we can', 'Fired up, Ready to go' 'Elvis is back' are more suited for a a Christian revival meeting than a political campaign.

Well, I asked my dad why he was supporting Obama, and all he would say was "BLACK POWER!". Over and over. So.. nutjobs like my father definitely cancel out any racism that other older Desis may take to the polls. And my 75 year old grandparents (who are virulently anti-Muslim) are 100% behind Obama. They love him. If I say anything good about Hillary, they yell at me. Thank goodness they're Canadian citizens.

I ended up voting for Obama, but man, I wish I had voted for Hillary. Her health-care plan is completely superior, no doubt. I'm just worried about her chances against McCain. But if everyone starts thinking like that, then what chance does she have? She's probably the best qualified out there, no doubt.

Oh, vaguely racist parents. You gotta love 'em.

“Every vote counts. If you don’t vote now, a Black, quasi-Muslim might end up in the White House.”

eeehhh....really? I'm a paki/muslim lurker, and always felt welcome here before......

64 · sofia said

eeehhh....really? I'm a paki/muslim lurker, and always felt welcome here before......

You are still welcome. Anyone with a sense of humor is. Examining the less than ideal aspects of desi identity doesn't make us hateful, it makes us honest.

Indians of California: Your Illinois brethren are really disappointed in you for electing such a scheister. I know we desis love the political dynasties, but give me a damn break. Leave the dirty tricks to the motherland and elect someone honest for once.

@56

Anna,

I used to be called a "Chatti thalayan" for my round head, Kinda' like a brown George Costanza with a little more hair. I guess being tough is relative.....some ways I am tough, other ways a softie.

But no head butting for me after a touchdown!

like a brown George Costanza with a little more hair

wha? But I thought you were a brown Cliff Claven, black socks and all...?

66 · Chicagodesigirl said

Indians of California: Your Illinois brethren are really disappointed in you for electing such a scheister. I know we desis love the political dynasties, but give me a damn break. Leave the dirty tricks to the motherland and elect someone honest for once.

Do you really think this comment is either fair or prodctive? Your opinions and choices are just as valid as anyone else's, but in your imperiousness, you forgot that the converse is true; the opinions and choices of those you disagree with are also valid. Give everyone a damned break from your "disappointment".

69 · SM Intern said

66 · Chicagodesigirl said

Indians
of California: Your Illinois brethren are really disappointed in you
for electing such a scheister. I know we desis love the political
dynasties, but give me a damn break. Leave the dirty tricks to the
motherland and elect someone honest for once.

Do you really think this comment is either fair or prodctive? Your opinions and choices are just as valid as anyone else's, but in your imperiousness, you forgot that the converse is true; the opinions and choices of those you disagree with are also valid. Give everyone a damned break from your "disappointment".

To add to the intern's response, another problem with chicagodesigirl's post is that it goes against Obama's own philosophy. One of the reasons he is as popular as he is among independents and even some Republicans is that he is able to disagree with them on issues without presuming bad faith or their part. We can disagree with each other without demonizing those with whom we disagree -- this is one of the main reasons for Obama's appeal in red and purple states.

I have my issues with Hillary, but I don't presume that the people who support her don't have good reasons for supporting her. And the same goes for all the "Obama supporters are buying into his substance-free hype" sentiments -- again, I think it would behoove those posters not to assume that us Obama supporters don't have good reasons to support our candidate of choice.

Sorry, I screwed up the formatting on #70 -- the first non-quoted paragraph is quoted from the earlier post.

71 · DTK said

Sorry, I screwed up the formatting on #70 -- the first non-quoted paragraph is quoted from the earlier post.

Fixed. :)

65 · SM Intern said

64 · sofia said

eeehhh....really? I'm a paki/muslim lurker, and always felt welcome here before......

You are still welcome. Anyone with a sense of humor is. Examining the less than ideal aspects of desi identity doesn't make us hateful, it makes us honest.

Please clarify: are you suggesting that being "quasi-muslim" is a "less than ideal" aspect of the desi identity?

73 · sidekick said

Please clarify: are you suggesting that being "quasi-muslim" is a "less than ideal" aspect of the desi identity?

You almost sound as if you are trolling, because it's difficult for me to think that people are so unclear on the concept. Racism is less than ideal. Freaking out over Muslims is less than ideal. If people want to bury their heads in their asses about how a non-trivial number of desis hold negative views about other minorities or religious groups, I'd suggest they do that elsewhere. We've always tried to honestly examine the good and the bad.

You know, I came thisclose to not posting this, because I neither need nor want bullshit. More than a few of you wrote me privately to say "omg, my parents are the same way...but i'd never admit it...lol...". Well, I admitted it, because I wanted a sincere conversation about what we often prefer to hide. And my wanting that doesn't mean I accept or enjoy the now-deleted, insulting comments about my family (which they don't deserve, since *I* am the one who put this out there) or the gleeful field-day certain people are having about having proof that Sepia Mutiny hates Muslims.

I wish those of you who are doing that-- tarring us with the anti-Muslim brush-- would get together with the Modi-loving ingrates who think we are pro-Muslims. We get daily complaints about being excessively positive towards Islam. Do you understand the stupidity of this all? While some of you now think SM is mean to Muslims, an equal, if not greater number of peole think we are mean to Hindus, and that we shamelessly coddle Muslims, as Kashmiris cry at our insensitivity.

We don't hate, love or coddle anyone, got that? I've had it with the stupidity.