"I would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies."
(Those are the words of satirist and serial complainer Pietro Aretino, who annoyed the great and not so good of the 16th Century with a flurry of public correspondence to the editors of his age.)
Main Reasons Why I Decided to Choose to Support Senator Barack Obama for the Candidate to the Presidency of the United States of America.
I strongly believe that Cambodia-Americans have a unique chance to be involved in the American political
process by engaging themselves in the 2008 presidential election. This involvement can benefit a great deal not
only the American people, but also the rest of the world, including Cambodians. Barack Obama has a vision
and a compassion for the all people in the world. He also has the intellectual brilliance and a strong moral
grounding to guide this nation in the right direction in order to extricate this great country from the chaos that
the Bush and Cheney administration had created. The United States can provide the much needed moral and
political leadership to move the world out of this great divide and chaos. These main reasons for my support of
Senator Barack Obama are spelled out in an essay posted below. I also posted this essay in Senator Barack
Obama's web site, under the group name of 'Cambodian-Americans for Barack Obama'.
Naranhkiri Tith Ph.D. Washington DC. January 30, 2008.
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What He Overcame
By Eugene Robinson
Friday, June 6, 2008; Page A19
(Comments: This article by Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post, clearly shows how much Senator Barack Obama has already brought America to a higher level of openness and more integrated society both in gender and race terms. This is not a miraculous achievement in view of the fact that he was an unknown quantity and a non-white American with a African-born (Kenya) father. This achievment is the more striking as he was figthing against an establishment and household name like the Clintons. Win or loose, Senator Barack Obama has already made history in this country and in the world. However, this does not mean that all the racial and gender prejudices will fade away overnight. On the contrary, Senator Obama will have a lot to do yet, before the necessary real changes will set in. First, let's hope that he will be elected to the presidency of the United States of America in 2008. And let's hope that he will be able to carry out all the necessary changes in order to bring this country to a higher moral, and material levels in order to become again the leader of the democratic world, which, in turn, will benefit the world at large. Naranhkiri Tith Ph.D. Washington DC. June 8, 2008)
There will be plenty of time to chart Barack Obama's attempt to navigate a course between the exigencies of the old politics and the promise of the new, between yesterday and tomorrow, youth and experience, black and white. For now, take a moment to consider the mind-bending improbability of what just happened.
A young, black, first-term senator -- a man whose father was from Kenya, whose mother was from Kansas and whose name sounds as if it might have come from the roster of Guantanamo detainees -- has won a marathon of primaries and caucuses to become the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. To reach this point, he had to do more than outduel the party's most powerful and resourceful political machine. He also had to defy, and ultimately defeat, 389 years of history.
It was in 1619 that the first Africans were brought in chains to these shores, landing in Jamestown. That first shipment of "servants" did not include any of Obama's ancestors; it's impossible to say whether some distant progenitor of his wife, Michelle, might have been present at that moment of original sin. Ever since -- through the War of Independence, the abolitionist movement, the Civil War, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the great migration to Northern cities and the civil rights struggle -- race has been one of the great themes running through our nation's history.
I'm old enough to remember when Americans with skin the color of mine and Obama's had to fight -- and die -- for the right to participate as equals in the life of the nation we helped build. Watching Obama give his speech Tuesday night marking the end of the primary season and the beginning of the general election campaign, I thought back to a time when brave men and women, both black and white, put their lives on the line to ensure that African Americans had the right to vote, let alone run for office -- a time when Democrats in my home state of South Carolina were Dixiecrats, and when the notion that the Democratic Party would someday nominate a black man for president was utterly unimaginable.
Tiresome, isn't it? All this recounting of unpleasant history, I mean. Wouldn't it be great if we could all just move on? Bear with me, though, because this is how we get to the point where, as Obama's young supporters like to chant, "race doesn't matter." No one will be happier than I when we reach that promised land, and we've come so far that at times we can see it, just over the next hill. But we aren't there yet.
This is a passage from an e-mail I received in April from an Obama volunteer in Pennsylvania: "We've been called 'N-lovers,' Obama's been called the 'Anti-Christ,' our signs have been burned in the streets during a parade, our volunteers have been harassed physically, or with racial slurs -- it's been unreal."
Yet the amazing thing isn't that there were instances of overt, old-style racism during this campaign, it's that there were so few. The amazing thing is that so many Americans have been willing to accept -- or, indeed, reject -- Obama based on his qualifications and his ideas, not on his race. I'll never forget visiting Iowa in December and witnessing all-white crowds file into high school gymnasiums to take the measure of a black man -- and, ultimately, decide that he was someone who expressed their hopes and dreams.
When historians and political scientists write books about this extraordinary campaign season, surely they will seek to assess what impact Obama's race had on his prospects. But they will also devote volumes to exploring how he put together a fundraising apparatus that generated undreamed-of amounts of cash, and how his organization drew so many new voters into the process, and how his young supporters made use of social-networking Web sites such as Facebook and MySpace, and how his delegate-counting team managed to consistently outthink and outhustle everyone else. It will be written that Obama's nomination victory owes as much to adroit management as it does to stirring inspiration.
Will Americans take the final step and elect Obama as president? Should they? Is this first-term senator up to the job?
We'll find out soon enough. At the moment, to tell the truth, I don't care. Whether Obama wins or loses, history has been made this year. Maybe there's more to come, maybe not; but already -- after 389 long years -- it's safe to say that this nation will never be the same.
eugenerobinson@washpost.com
Why Cambodian-Americans should be involved in the American Political Process
Location: Washington, DC
Why I support Barack Obama: I support Senator Barack Obama because I think he is the only candidate among all the presidential candidates, republicans or democrats who can and will offer real changes in all facets of life in America and in the world. Being a member of the academic community for over twenty years, teaching at a major university and working in a well-known international financial Institution known as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), I have a view, interest, and understanding of what world's peoples think and view of America, both good and bad. During the tenure of G. W. Bush/D. Cheney, I have seen America's image being tarnished almost beyond repair. I have seen our country becoming a country of lies, and deceits, without any accountability from those who have transgressed the laws of this great country, especially by Bush and Cheney. Another reason that I support Senator Obama is the fact that, unlike Bill and Hillary Clinton, he does not use any means or any tricks to reach his personal or political end. I think Senator Obama is a much-needed unifying force at this juncture of the history of our country, and a man of great talent and dignity, along with an impeccable moral and intellectual integrity. Finally, I was privileged to have known and to be a classmate of his late father, in Hawaii, in the early 1960s. A group of friends of his father including myself, had sent a few photos and our reminiscences of him to Senator Barack Obama,, and he was very kind to have sent us a thank-you hand-written letter. (Please, see that letters and photos posted below).
Naranhkiri Tith Ph.D. Former professor in International Economics, and Country risks Analysis, at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of the Johns Hopkins University, and a former senior staff member of the IMF.
Birth Date: July 2nd
Issues of my interest: equality / civil rights; civil liberties / privacy; peace & social justice; foreign policy / security; economic fairness / security; environment / conservation; good government / ethics; electoral reform; affordable health care; education
Registered to Vote: Yes
My favorite quote:
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
(Nobel Laureate, Philosopher, Physicist, Mathematician, and Humanist)
"Doing the same things over and over again, and expect different results is insanity"
Congratulations to all Cambodian-Americans and other Asian-Americans for their substantial contribution to Senator Barack Obama's victory in the race for the nomination as the democratic candidate for the presidency of the United States of America in 2008. Please, enjoy this historic moment in the history of the USA and the world, as Senator Obama gave his inspiring and triumphant speech at the sport arena in St. Paul, Minnesota, on the evening of June 3, 2008, by clicking the link pasted below.
Naranhkiri Tith, Ph.D. Washington DC. June 4, 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7434753.stm.
Please, watch some of the most important ansd special moments in the Campaign of Senator Barack Obama for the US presidency in 2008 captured in video feeds
After the endorsement vote on Friday, we saw this video. It really says a lot about why people are moved by Obama. Please pass it on if it moves you, too. If everyone sends it to friends and family, it could become the top video on YouTube. Here's the link:
Also, please, listen to a precautious Cambodian-American video message of support for Senator Barack Obama. He is a son of one of the founding members of the group named 'Cambodian-American for Barack Obama'.
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Please, click the link posted below to see a web site oft Asian-Americans for Barack Obama from Philadelphia, to which our friend Matt Chea is a founding member.
http://www.asianamericansforobama.com/
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Barack Obama’s public appearance at the waterfront in Portland Oregon
May 19, 2008
This gathering by Senator Obama was judged by all media sources to be the largest crowd in any public political gathering in the American history. Higly recommended!!!!!
Pleaase, click on the link posted below to see:
(1) A Video feed from Obama web site
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/portlandrallyvideo
(2) A Video feed from Senghuon Man
http://www.kgw.com/video/video-index.html?nvid=246496&she=1
Obama Seizes Superdelegate Lead
AOL Wire Services
Posted: 2008-05-09 22:49:51
Filed Under: Elections News, Barack Obama
WASHINGTON (May 9) -- Barack Obama outstripped rival Hillary Clinton in the count of superdelegates on Friday, the first time ever that the Illinois senator has done so in the protracted duel for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, U.S. media reported.
The New York Times's tally shows Obama with 266 superdelegates --party leaders and elected officials who will ultimately decide the nomination -- against 263 for Clinton, a New York senator. ABC News and Politico.com also have him ahead, though a few other news organizations had him trailing Clinton by a slim margin.
Little more than four months ago, on the eve of the primary season, she held a lead of 169-63.
Obama picked up the backing of nine superdelegates, including Rep. Donald Payne of New Jersey, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus who had been a Clinton supporter, according to the Associated Press.
In addition, the American Federation of Government Employees announced its support for Obama. The union claims about 600,000 members who work in the federal and Washington, D.C., governments.
Obama, who won a convincing victory in the North Carolina primary and lost Indiana narrowly on Tuesday, has been steadily gaining strength in the days since.
"I'm gratified that we've got some superdelegates who are coming our way. And I think we've got a strong case to make that I will be a nominee that can pull the party together and take on John McCain. Our focus has always been on the pledged delegates and just getting the American people to vote for us. And we think that ultimately that should be the strongest measure of who's the nominee," Obama told reporters in Woodburn, Ore.
Clinton also gained a superdelegate.
Check here to comment or read other Straw Poll voters' thoughts.
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In an interview with National Public Radio, former candidate John Edwards said Clinton has made a compelling case for her candidacy, but "I think it's very hard for her now to make a compelling case for the math. I mean, I think that's the reality of what she's faced with. She knows that. ... It's just very hard to see how the math works."
In addition to Payne, Reps. Peter DeFazio of Oregon and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, two members of the Democratic National Committee from California and a party official in South Carolina announced they were supporting Obama. Superdelegates from New Mexico and Virginia also joined the migration.
So, too, John Gage, president of the AFGE.
View All"Our people, I think, recognize the enthusiasm and vitality behind Senator Obama's campaign," he said in a statement.
"The election is over, everybody knows that. Obama has won," said Vernon Watkins, one of the two Californians.
"After careful consideration, I have reached the conclusion that Barack Obama can best bring about the change that our country so desperately wants and needs," said Payne, who in a statement said that Clinton is a good friend and he still holds her in high regard.
Payne is one of at least 10 superdelegates who have switched allegiances from Clinton to Obama. None have publicly switched the other way.
In the overall race for the nomination, Obama leads with 1,859.5 delegates, to 1,697 for Clinton. Obama is just 165.5 delegates short of the 2,025 delegates needed to win it.
Clinton's new supporter was Rep. Chris Carney, D-Pa. His congressional district voted overwhelmingly for the former first lady in the Pennsylvania primary on April 22.
Both Obama and Clinton have courted superdelegates in recent days in private meetings at party headquarters not far from the Capitol.
Despite Watkins' assessment, Clinton has shown no signs she is ready to quit the race. She is heavily favored to win Tuesday's primary in West Virginia, and is in the midst of a two-day swing through several other states with upcoming elections.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2008-05-09 12:23:24
My special and historical relation with Senator Barak Obama's father in our univesity days: some unique perspectives from his friends
Barak Obama (center) and friends at a party given by Arnie and Suzie Nachmanoff, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in the early 1960's
From left to right: Arnie Nachmanoff, (Former Under Secretary of the Treasury, and host), Suzie Nachmanoff (host), Barak Obama (Kenya), Bob Ruenitz (Fromer Senior State Department official, USA), and Dorothy (USA)
Barak Obama and his friends at a party hosted by Arnie and Suzie Nachmanoff, in the early 1960's, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Lower Photo; Taken in Honolulu, in 1961 at Arnie and Suzie Nachmanoff's house: from left to right:
Kiri Tith (then Cambodia), Kenzo (Japan), Marda (USA), Ichiro (Japan), Suzie Nachmanoff (Host, USA), Dave (USA), Kunio (Japan), Bob (USA), Rajapakse (Sri Lanka), Barak Obama senior (Kenya), Anne (USA)
Please, click on the link posted below to listen to a seminal and historic speech by Senator Barack Obama on Race raltions in America that he made in Philadelhia, on Tuesday March 18, 2008.
This speech profoundly defines his philosophy and his persona as a public and private person.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7302938.stm
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A link to a photo souvenir album (150 photos) of Senator Barack Obama during his 2008 Campaign for the presidency of the United States of America (When the first photo appears on the screen, click the 'menu' to see the photos in thumbnails
http://news.aol.com/elections/story/_a/obamas-grandmother-blazed-trail/20080408133009990001
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Our friend Matt Chea (second right with glasses) and his Asian-Americanfriends for Barack Obama in Chinatown in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at a recent new hewadquarter oepeneing
Marach 2008
Matt sent this message posted below along with this message:
Just wanted to show you the pictures from the opening of the Chinatown Obama in Philadelphia. If you don't see me, I am one the one with the puffy face and the geeky glasses, my face is still puffy from the surgery.
We registered over a 100 voters, MANY of them Asian American and Latinos. We had voter registration forms in five languages, Obama literature in four languages, and over 30 volunteers, including folks from Virginia, Washington, D.C., NYC, NJ, and Delaware.
We canvassed South Philly, Chinatown, West Philly, North Philly, and Upper Darby. In addition to English, the languages spoken by our volunteers included Korean, Cambodian/Khmer, Mandarin, Fujianese, Portuguese, Cantonese, Bengali, and Spanish. Participating groups included AAPI for Obama, South Asians For Obama, NJ for Obama, Asian Pacific Americans for Obama, Latinos for Obama, and United People for Obama.
United People for Obama welcomes any of these volunteers to come back and make our Philly Chinatown Office their home base, too!
Matt Chea
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From our friend Matt Chea in Philadelphia, he wrote: "Here are some pictures from the last day of the 6 day road trip of Barack in PA. I was privileged to be in the front. It was incredible. Vannarith who is in the far right in the first picture is Obama's API staffer." Philadelphia April 3, 2008
He also very active in marshalling all Cambodian-Americans to canvass for new voters in the Philadelphia area for Senator Obama. This new letter shows how active Matt is on behalf of Senator Obama. I wish we can have more of Matt Chea among Cambodian-Americans
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Fellow Cambodian-Americans for Obama,
The primary in PA is coming close (April 22nd) and we need to do canvassing in our community here in Philadelphia, PA for the next two weeks.
I have several neighborhoods (North and South Philadelphia) and also a couple of shopping centers that we can target.
With our Cambodian New Years approaching this weekend, we can also hit Buddhist temples, churches, and the many parties that the community throws.
The campaign has several flyers that we can work on together to translate. I have not a chance to work on the translations nor do I have the fonts. If someone can help me, that would be a tremendous help.
I attempted to contact the Khmer Post, the local and National newspaper who might be doing an article on the grassroots efforts of local leaders for the Cambodian-American community.
Van, who is the Asian American Pacific staffer for the Senator is Cambodian-American is here in Philadelphia and is working with me here.
We opened a Chinatown office and we are doing our Asian-American outreach from there if anyone wants to visit.
We will be also doing phone bankings and targeting our community if people are interested in helping us out.
It is easy and if you need help Van and I can show you how to do it.
Van also has a letter that the Senator wrote for our community that once it's approved we can send to you guys.
We also need any ideas or suggestions that you can offer us.
I know there are several other Khmer communities outside of Philadelphia i.e, Lancaster, York, Lebanon, Upper Darby and several other townships and boroughs if you know any else, please forward them to me.
If you know any Khmer supporters here in the Philadelphia and Upper Darby, PA and even Camden, NJ who want to help out financially and become volunteers, please contact me or Van ASAP.
If you need lodging and you would like to come to Philadelphia this weekend or the next please contact me, you can stay with me or at my brother's house.
An Appeal to all Cambodian-Americans and to other Americans as well, to join us, Cambodian-Americans, in our efforts to support Senator Barack Obama in his quest for the presidency of the United States of America in 2008. Please, vote for Senator Barack Obama on February 5, 2008 for his nomination as the democratic candidate for the presidency of the USA,; then, next November, for the presidency of the USA against the republ;ican nominee. Please, take a look at the instructions posted below on how to join our group in this unique and historic event in American history.
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========== Please forward the message below to others ========
Dear family, fellow Cambodian-Americans, and Friends:
We are appealing to you for your support of Senator Barack Obama in his quest for Presidency of the United States in this 2008 election. We urge you to use your political right as U.S. citizens, to cast your votes for Senator Obama at the primary election or caucuses in your respective states where you are now residing, and to also do again during the General Election in November 4th, 2008 if wins the democratic presidential nomination. We have created a group named Cambodian-Americans for Barack Obama (CABO) on BarackObama.com site in order to have our voice heard and be recognized as a group of concerned citizens (i.e. Cambodian-Americans) who care about the future of this country, and the rest of world peace, including Cambodia.
We sincerely believe that Senator Obama with his clear vision of the world, can provide at this crucial juncture of world history, the badly needed new leadership to take America in the right direction and restore the credibility, prosperity and compassion to the deteriorating environment that this country and the world are now facing. We can also affect positive change in the world by earning the respect, trust, and cooperation from other nations through a more comprehensive and balanced foreign policy that we believe only Barack Obama would be able to provide and implement. Senator Obama is the first generation American-born African-American with various and solid experiences that would enable him to become President the United States of America at this delicate and dangerous moment of world hsitory . Furthermore, he is an individual of high caliber with high moral principles , open-mindedness, fairness, and compassion which are necessary to conceive, comprehend and address the many challenges and needs of the American people and those in the rest of the world. I am sure that you have already aware of Senator Obama's main positions on different main issues facing America and the world at large, by watching the multitude of presidential candidates' debates covered in multiple media.
This is a concerted effort to support Senator Obama in the 2008 presidential election, so as, he often said, can bring real "change that we can believe" to this country. Furthermore, we believe that he would be able to influence America's foreign policy toward our beloved country of birth--Cambodia. Please make your financial contribution, however modest this may, to this campaign. But more importantly, we need your voting power to choose the best leader for this country in the 2008 election. Please, do Vote for Barack Obama.
To join Cambodian-Americans group and support Barack Obama:
Step 2. Join Cambodian-Americans for Barack Obama group.
Step 3. Register to vote in the General Election (thru DMV, local Post Office, or via this site). For the rights to vote in the primary election in your state, please contact your local democratic party office for information.
Step 4. Vote for Barack Obama in the primary election in your state when the time comes. Check the dates at http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/path.presidency/ . Most states vote on Feb 5th, the "Super Tuesday". The final candidate is most likely be determined at this point. Step 5. Vote for Barack Obama in the General Election on November 4th, 2008. (If he wins the democratic presidential candidacy).
Note: Our group strategy is to be one of the 10-top largest group in the site and be recognized as Cambodian-Americans supporters. Please join the group.Thanks.
To donate money to this campaign in association with the Cambodian-Americans group:
Step 1. Find and click to Cambodian-Americans for Barack Obama group page. (You will see our group fundraising thermometer).
Step 2. Click the "Donate" button right below our group thermometer--not the "Donate Now" button you'd see elsewhere. (Make sure you see the sentence: "This contribution will be credited to Cambodian-American Group Fundraising Goal").
Step 3. Follow the donation process to complete the task.
Thank you for your supports.
Cambodian-Americans for Barack Obama group.
The Asian-American team in Philadelphia for Barack Obama in their recent appearance of Senator Barack Obama in the city of brotherly love. March, 2008
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Cambodian-Americans for Barack Obama in Oregon
Our dear friends Kal Man and his wife Seng Huon from Beaverton, Oregon have been very active in the Obama's field office in Beaverton, Oregon. Here are some of the photos tesifying their constant and hard work on behalf of Barack Obama in Oregon.
These pictures speak louder than words of how Cambodian-Americans, like those in Philadelhia, have the courage and the commitment to choose to have the honor of paying back to America what they have been receiving from this generous and great country, as refugees from the scourge of the Pol Pot and Vietnamese/Hun Sen oppression and genocide.
Thank you with all my heart for what you have done in this unique political, (the presidentital election in 2008), event in the American history. Naranhkiri Tith, Ph.D. Washington DC. April 25, 2008
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Barack Obama addressing the large crowd at a recent public appearance in Portland, Oregon, March 2008
Kal Man and his wife Seng Huon, at the Obama's headquarter in Beaverton, Oregon, April, 2008
Kal Man working with a colleague at the registration of voters in Beaverton field office, Oregon
Seng Huon with colleagues at the computer desk helping to register new voters in Oregon
Kal Man and Seng Huon with their friends and colleagues at the field office of Barack Obama in Beaverton, Oregon,
April, 2008