As the Republican national Convention came to a close, Texas Governor George W. Bush told the packed crowd, "We are now the party of ideas and innovation. The party of idealism and inclusion. The party of a simple and powerful hope." Soon after balloons and confetti fell from the ceiling of Philadelphia s First Union Center, bringing the cheering people to their feet.
At the convention Asian Pacific Islander delegates were already assessing Bushs campaign and planning strategies to help their candidate win the White House. The minority vote is a key issue for the GOP this year, with the Bush campaign spotlighting many Latino, African American and other minority speakers and entertainers throughout the week.
Mary Ling, a delegate from Studio City, Calif., whose daughter, Lisa Ling co-hosts ABC-TV show The View, commented that, "after hearing these speakers, I am now filled with the energy and enthusiasm to go home to register voters and get them to the polls. We have the message to win this election."
Although Bush still leads in the polls, Barbara Marumoto, the Republican leader in Hawaiis House of Representatives, sees much work ahead in her state to achieve a win for the Texas governor. "I don t think Governor Bush is a shoe-in, especially in Hawaii," she said. "Hawaii is a Democrat state. So its uphill to have a Bush win in Hawaii. We re going to try very hard."
API delegates met a number of times during the week to lay out a campaign plan. Steve Fong, an activist from San Francisco and vice president of the California Chinese American Republican Association, said campaign literature has already been printed in Chinese. Moreover, an Asian American coalition is planning to travel "statewide to do outreach" and talk to the press in order to get "our story out," he said. "This is an incredible opportunity because the Asian vote is wide open."
Marina Tse, head of Southern Californias API Coalition for Bush, said they have asked the Bush campaign for a budget to set up phones and staff. "It looks good," she said. "They know our vote could help give them the victory in the state."
U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona amplified that point when he addressed the California delegation. "What happens in California happens in the West," he said. "What you do in this upcoming election is going to be vital. We win the state of California, there s no losing of this election."
Many GOP leaders are anticipating the Democrats will use the recent appointment of Norman Mineta as commerce secretary to show that they are "the party of inclusion and diversity." And according to one Democratic Party source, Mineta has been slated to introduce Clinton at the Democratic Convention in Los Angeles next week.
"On the one hand, I am very glad that an Asian American was appointed to be a cabinet officer," convention speaker Elaine Chao commented. "I think it was about time. Im just delighted that former congressman Norman Mineta was appointed.
"But I have to say in a partisan vein that he was only selected at the end of an eight-year term. If the Democrats were quite serious about appointing an Asian American cabinet officer, they could have certainly appointed one much earlier in the process."
Kinji Yamasaki, a delegate from San Jose, Calif., predicted the Mineta factor would have "a tremendous impact on the grass-roots American community.
"Its a huge challenge for the Republicans," Yamasaki acknowledged, "But I think the message that the Republicans have will certainly resonate with the Japanese American community the message of inclusion, the message of education, the work ethic as opposed to a welfare state.
"Whether or not thats enough to overcome the Norman Mineta issue, and if he campaigns for Vice President Gore, I don t think it will be a very good balance. If the Republican party is really serious about its message of inclusion, this situation has to be answered properly."
New York governor George Pataki offered a guarded response to the Mineta question, saying that the focus should be on making the "American dream available and real to everyoneincluding Asian Americans.
"I think that is the right way to do it, not by saying or taking a symbolic act here, or another one there, or pledging you ll do three or four things for a particular community, but by uniting Americans and keeping the dream alive for everyone."
He added, however: "[Norman Mineta] is extremely qualified and that is why he was confirmed so quickly. I believe there are many other Asian Americans who are qualified, and our party will be looking at them very closely for future appointments."
Several names were mentioned for possible consideration for cabinet posts, including former California State Treasurer Matt Fong, who has been working very closely with Bush in the California campaign, and Chao, the former deputy secretary of Transportation during the Bush administration, who addressed the convention and joined Bush on the stage at the conventions conclusion.
However, other Asian American republicans were more concerned about simply getting more first-generation APIs to vote. Vishwa More, an Asian Indian American delegate from Alamo, Calf., and a chief engineer at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory and the Stanford Linear Accelerator, said, "We have a tendency as Asian Americans, including the Indians to come here and not become part of this country...Thats an issue," he said. "We have to make up our minds. Do we want to become a part of this country? Once we make up our minds, and we become a part of this country, we have to be thoroughly involved in political activities."
Suzanna Tashiro Choi, a delegate from Irvine, Calif., and a former staff member for Governor Pete Wilson, said the API community needs to become a more "vocal minority and push for more API appointments.
"I have worked for many years with the Republican Party," she stated. "The reality is the parties are still controlled by white men. There s still a glass ceiling for women and for minorities. Asians dont get talked enough about
"We have got to get a little louder, a little more aggressive to get the job done."

This article was previously published by the Asian Week.