Hyphen Magazine- Space Issue: (___) for President

Everyone knows that the year 2008 is very important. Besides the spectacular Beijing Olympics, the year 2008 is the year when all Americans elect our new president. I am very happy, like many of you probably are, that Bush is finally getting out of office. I mean, how terrible was he during his years as president? Anyways, shifting away from the subject about Bush, this year’s presidential election is very unique. It has never included such a wide variety of candidates. There’s Barack Obama, who’s the first African American to run for president and Hillary Clinton, the first woman to run for president (updated: Hillary Clinton is not running for president. She lost the Democratic party nomination to Barack Obama). For the Democratic Party, it’s a very special presidental election indeed. If the Democrats win, then United States history will be revolutionized forever. However, even when the focus is on the main running candidates for president Barack Obama and John McCain, there is one group that is left out of the picture: Asian Americans.

Throughout United States history, Asian Americans have had little participation in politics. From my point of view I see that Asian Americans are more focused on going about their daily lives and have little time to devote to politics. Many Asian Americans do not even bother with politics or they simply do not care. There are reasons for this matter. A number of Asian Americans do not speak or understand English and think that they have little voice in government. We are a small minority group outnumbered by other groups such as African Americans and Hispanic Americans. Asian Americans are often ignored in the media in regard to politics. However, the good news is that the face of Asian Americans in politics is changing.

More Asian Americans are getting involved in politics. Even though the change is slow, it is happening. There are many dedicated Asian Americans who are now involved in government and politics and many more are soon to come. Some prime figures include Elaine Chao, Secretary of Labor and John Chiang, California State Controller. Other figures that are rising in the levels of government include Wilma Chan and Mike Honda. It is a possibility in the future that there will be more Asian Americans on the government board of California and in the federal government. These politicians are strong and believe in what they fight for and represent. If they advance to the next level, they will make a great change in society and in Asian American culture. Soon Asian Americans will not be obscured in the area of politics. Asian Americans will not have to feel a sense of shame of misrepresentation in politics and having their thoughts and voices be heard.