Do you marvel at the Jewish political clout? Their influence extends even to foreign policies. In comparison, Asian Americans (AsAms) can NOT even win equal opportunity in workplaces and in college admissions - rights guaranteed by our constitution.
Why did we do so bad? We have 3 times the Jewish population, comparable average educational attainment, and comparable average economic income.
What is our biggest weakness? POLITICAL IMMATURITY! Jews have the highest political maturity, while we have the lowest. Lack of political maturity led to our sufferance of discrimination. Hence, our next few e-newsletters will focus on improving our community's political maturity.
Basic Concepts of Politics We Must Have
To understand what political maturity is, we'll first need to understand "how to properly reward or punish in politics?", "what does political clout really mean in America?", and "what is political maturity for a small minority like AsAms?"
THE RIGHT WAY TO REWARD OR PUNISH: Reward politicians who share our rightful concerns & punish those who don't. AsAms often support candidates whom they think will win. That'll only encourage politicians to care for their election victory instead of our rightful concerns. Use elections to reward or punish politicians, not as betting games, thereby wasting your vote.
POLITICAL CLOUT is the ability to help a politician or a political party win or make them lose the next election, through our decision to reward or punish. Then and only then will politicians care for our rightful concerns.
POLITICAL MATURITY is the ability to achieve our political goals, usingthe most cost-effective political process. Follow politically mature leaders. Don't waste your money and energy following leaders who'll only bring you politically humiliating results. Example? A request to meet FBI Director Wray by a group of 14 AsAm orgs. apparently didn't receive a reply in 2 months. The group of 14 is dead silent thus far. 80-20 EF had advised the group that it must carry a big stick. It didn't want to listen. EF is still more than willing to work with that group to help it produced results, for the honor of our community. Actually, by just publicly asking why there is NO answer after 2 months, 80-20 EF has already raised the pressure.
What Will Political Maturity Bring Us?
(1) UNITY:
Unity will cost us nothing. However, it'll win us everything, including equal opportunity in work places and at college admissions. If and when the approximately 5 million registered AsAms will all vote according the recommendation of a hypothetical "Asians united", our national and state governments will immediately work to address the inequity suffered byAsAms. Much more on how to achieve UNITY in next few e-newsletters regarding political maturity.
(2) POLITICALLY EFFECTIVE which is counter-intuitive:
Most people, highly educated or not, think helping politicians win elections is the best way to gain political clout. Not so. Publicly declaring to defeat an incumbent politician, who has repeatedly ignored our rightful concerns, and make that promise stick will make us much more politically effective. The top Jewish political organization, AIPAC, is effective because it has repeatedly demonstrated that ability. Politicians listen to voter groups that know how to reward and punish. Indeed, they ignore those who have been known to quietly & meekly walk away from their earlier requests or demands. The above rule of politics may be counter-intuitive but it must be learned.
Let's also look at it from cost-effective considerations for a small minority. To help elect politicians is an unending job and requires immense resources, election after election. Even having succeeded in helping the politician get elected, we'll not gain much political clout. The winning candidate will always credit him/herself as the major reason for the successful campaign, not you. To defeat a given politician is to focus the national resources of a minority community on one election. It is not that difficult to defeat a politician, assuming we have the political know-how. AIPAC's effectiveness in defeating big-name-politicians is forever engraved in the memory of all politicians.
There is much more to come to help us all gain political maturity. The next e-newsletter will be entitled "Political Maturity 2 - Toughness Required."
