My parents were never politically active and probably never will be.

In fact, I never thought they really cared about what person or what party ran the country as long as the country was functioning and Sino-American relations were friendly (they did not want a war to start between China and the United States). I almost never discuss current events and political affairs with my parents. Because of this lack of discussion, I adopted the assumption that my parents were indifferent to politics and slightly ignorant of current events. Although both registered voters, my parents only voted during presidential elections; they do not believe their two votes would affect the final results of the election. My dad once stated firmly that politicians couldn’t be trusted, that power corrupts people, and that one should be concerned with one’s own business and let the government be. It never occurred to me that although my parents seemed politically indifferent, they have very strong opinions on the American government and deep concerns for the welfare of American society.

My parents originally “supported” Hillary Clinton, if “supporting” a candidate means willing to vote for that person if he or she received the Democratic Presidential Nominee. My parents both believed Clinton had the experience (/they were familiar with her name). They remembered the Clinton administration in the 1990s supporting Asian Americans and attempting to improve ties between the US and the countries in Asia. My parents believed John McCain was too old to be president and that Barack Obama, “too concerned with the interests of African American”, would attempt to improve the conditions of African Americans more than other minority groups (and hence, not look after Asian American interests as much). After Barack Obama defeated Hillary Clinton and became his party’s Presidential candidate, my parents switched parties and “supported” McCain. The main reason was because his policies toward China were friendlier than Obama’s policies toward China. They explained to me that Obama attacked China for its lack of regulation in industry and proposed sanctions against Chinese toymakers. I accepted this argument and for a while, “supported” McCain. (Apparently, I’m very easily swayed.) Months later, I began to google information about the election and watched debates and interviews of the two Presidential candidates. I felt Obama’s views aligned with mine on many of the issues that were (are) important to me—education, technology, the war in Iraq, and women’s rights to choose. I also felt his charisma, ability to inspire, and intellect made him the more favorable candidate in this election.

A few days before Election Day ’08, I entered into an argument with my mom. I wanted her to vote for Obama and not for McCain. My family’s rather Republican (Staten Island’s rather Republican). My mom gave me a rather vehement response after I told her Obama was the better choice. I became so mad at her stubborn pro-McCain attitude that I became speaking of things that weren’t true about both candidates, just to justify my point. However, her reaction surprised me because I never expected her to actually differentiate between what was true and what I made up. Although not as politically active as my friend’s parents are, my parents are still aware of the events in the country they reside in. However, they aren’t as open about their opinions. My mother believes trade protection is extremely anti-China (Obama advocated trade protection more than other any candidate). My mom believed that if Obama won, he would give benefits to the African American community that will be detrimental to the Asian American community in the US. For example, Obama supports affirmative action-- policies intended to help African Americans and, to a lesser extent, academically underperforming and less financially fortunate minority groups. Affirmative action does not benefit Asian Americans and, in fact, hinders Asian American admission into top universities. My mom believed Asian Americans like herself would not benefit from Obama’s presidency. She supported McCain because she believed his policies would benefit upper-middle class families--her social class.

I believe Obama presents a view of governing that is inclusive and encourages unity among Americans of different social classes and backgrounds. His speeches render inspiration and hope for a better America. However, why are his supporters so fanatically supportive of him? Why has “I support Obama” changed into “I believe in Obama”? I think people are placing too much emphasizes on how Obama is going to change America. Although his motto is “Yes we can!” and although he is suppose to represent change, change cannot happen overnight and Obama must overcome many obstacles as the first African American president of the US, as well as overcome our current breakdown in economy and system of government (Democracy and capitalism seem to be causing more problems than they are solving and the systems just do not seem to function as well as people originally planned them to function). Obama must cope with the recession, the increasing power of the Presidency (ah Bush), the War in Iraq, and America’s deteriorating international image. Obama is not a superhero, but I feel many Americans have placed a superhero expectation. Although I think we should be optimistic about his presidency, my parents and I do not believe his victory in the 2008 election means the end of all troubles and a new beginning.