-         In 2008, APA voters turned out to vote approx. 65%, as compared to the usually low 25%-30% in previous elections.  The Vietnamese American vote, which overwhelmingly went for McCain-Palin, constituted a large percentage of that.  WE, AGAIN, CAN MAKE A GREAT DIFFERENCE IN THIS ELECTION.

-         Vietnamese Americans have the highest rate of civic assimilation among all large immigrant groups. 

-         According to 2006 Census Data, the Vietnamese American population has grown to 1.6 million.  We are the fourth largest APA subgroup, and is the largest Southeast Asian American group.

-         Values which we hold dear and which empower us to thrive in this great land of opportunity are Republican values, such as:

o       Personal responsibility & self-reliance

o       Inalienable individual rights,

o       Limited & effective government,

o       Strong national defense,

o       Strong family values and commitment to protect the right to life,

o       Unwavering commitment to protect and promote freedom, democracy, and basic human rights in America and elsewhere.

READ THESE WORDS:  All from Republican leaders and elected officials (you most likely will not recognize their names because they represent districts with few Vietnamese constituents).  But values are what we strongly share together.  

 Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.

Good citizenship and defending democracy means living up to the ideals and values that make this country great.

Rep. Jeffrey Fortenberry [R-NE1]:

Throughout the past years, I have listened with great interest and admiration to the poignant stories of hardship and triumph that many members of the Vietnamese community have shared with me. I am deeply moved by their dedication to the principles of liberty that have distinguished our American experience. This is expressed in the difficult decisions to leave their beloved homeland of Vietnam and to embrace our Nation's founding principles, principles that those of us who have never experienced life under oppression and communism invariably run the risk of taking for granted.

Rep. Lynn Westmoreland [R-GA3]:

In 1975, after the Vietnam War, a mass immigration to the United States of Vietnamese people began. These early Vietnamese immigrants were fleeing persecution by the Communists in power in that region of the world. They came to America, sometimes with barely the clothes on their back, seeking asylum and a better life.

Many of them can recount harrowing experiences in having to flee their homelands, some by boat, and others by land across Cambodia, Laos and Thai borders into refugee camps. And yet despite these harrowing escapes from oppressive regimes, Vietnamese-Americans have made significant contributions to the rich culture and economic prosperity of the United States. 

Rep. Lynn Westmoreland [R-GA3]:

In light of the civic achievements of Vietnamese-Americans, I am pleased to support, and urge my colleagues to support this resolution, designating May 2, 2009 as "Vietnamese Refugees Day" in order to commemorate the arrival of Vietnamese refugees in the United States, to document their harrowing experiences and subsequent achievements in their new homeland, to honor the host countries that welcomed the boat people, and to recognize the voluntary agencies and nongovernmental organizations that facilitated their resettlement, adjustment, and assimilation into mainstream society in the United States.

Rep. Anh Cao [R-LA2], our first congressman:

We enshrine in the hearts and consciousness of Americans the tragic, heroic and uplifting stories of perseverance and the pursuit of freedom of millions of Vietnamese refugees to ensure those stories will stand as an inspiration to generations of Americans to come.

SEE THESE PICS

This Vietnamese-language campaign flier below showed Bob McDonnell’s second visit to Eden Center in August this year. 

This visit, organized by VARC and well covered by the community media, solidified Bob’s name recognition and support in our community – which prompted the Dems to bring Tim Kaine and Creigh Deeds to Eden Center in a hurry a couple weeks after that.  But it was a bit too little, too late for our Democrats friends.   

This flier features Bob’s conversations with various Viet voters and businesses.  Also, it proudly features the endorsement from VietAmCham, the largest pro-business Asian organization in the region.  Designed by the campaign and mailed by the Fairfax County Republican Party, 10,000 copies were sent to Vietnamese American households in the area.  

From the Bob McDonnell for Governor campaign to local delegate campaigns to the Fairfax County Republican Committee and the Virginia Republican Party of Virginia, all have done a fantastic job of reaching out to and investing in ethnic minorities, esp. the Vietnamese American community.  

Politically, we have often taken pride in being the tip of the Republican spear.  BUT TOMORROW AGAIN, WE ALL HAVE TO GO OUT THERE AND MAKE THINGS HAPPEN. 

BOB COUNTS ON OUR SUPPORT.

Our behind-the-scene planning and preparation led to Bob’s THIRD VISIT to Eden Center on October 27, 2009 -- this time empowered with a STRONG endorsement from the first Vietnamese American Congressman Joseph Cao. Both were warmly welcomed by enthusiastic community members.

 THESE DOGS WOKE UP EARLY TO RALLY FOR THE MCDONNELL'S TEAM IN ALEXANDRIA AT 7:45AM TODAY NOVEMBER 2.

DON’T LET THESE DOGS BEAT YOU IN SPIRIT. 

LET'S EACH VOTE TOMORROW AND GET 5 OTHERS TO VOTE WITH US. 

ONWARD TO VICTORY!