Democrat Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee represents Houston, which has one of the largest Vietnamese American populations in the US, and sits on Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security committees. She is highly educated, earning a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University with honors and a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School. She has befriended and spoken at various Vietnamese American community events in Houston and elsewhere, many times as keynote speaker.
Yet, listen to her House floor speech about the Vietnam War, the "two Vietnams," peace, and human rights.
We demand an apology from Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.
We also recommends to the congresswoman a quick review of U.S. history, especially the history of Vietnam War, US-Vietnam relations, and current human rights situation in Vietnam to save herself from making further embarrassing and offensive comments the next time she addresses these topics again.
Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez co-chairs the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam, co-sponsored the Vietnam Human Rights Act, has worked to release Vietnamese political prisoners, employs a full-time Vietnamese caseworker in her California field office and has visited Vietnam twice.
This year, she’s finally facing a candidate who can directly challenge her from inside the community she has been working to help: Van Tran, a Vietnamese American who hasn’t been back to his homeland since April 25, 1975, when his family fled Saigon just five days before the city fell to the North Vietnamese.
And Tran, the Republican challenging Sanchez this fall, is making the race all about Vietnam.
“There’s a big debate in the community whether she’s effective or not — whether she’s doing it for lip service or for votes, because the big question is, after 14 years in the House, what substantial and tangible results can she show in terms of advancing Vietnamese democracy and human rights,” Tran told POLITICO in an interview Tuesday. “Show us your accomplishments — what bills, what legislation, what political prisoners?”
Conventional wisdome suggests Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA) is the most vulnerable GOPer in Congress, seeking re-election in a heavily African-American district in which any scandal-free Dem should easily top half the vote. But conventional wisdom has been wrong before, and a new poll for Cao's campaign hopes to prove it wrong again.
Cao led state Rep. Cedric Richmond (D) by a 51%-26% margin, according to a survey conducted May 27-June 2 by LA pollster Verne Kennedy. Cao leads Richmond by a 67%-13% margin among white voters, and by a narrower 39%-36% margin among African American voters.
With less than three weeks remaining till the primary election on June 8, Quang Pham, a former candidate, has endorsed Assemblyman Van Tran, whom he used to run against. Tran is now in a three-way race, facing two other candidates in the Republican primary: Tan Nguyen, the GOP’s 2006 nominee for the same race, and Katherine Smith, a member of the Anaheim Unified school board.
Van and Quang at the Vietnamese American Natoinal Chamber of Commerce Gala in Northern Virginia in late 2009 (Photo Credit: Ly Vuong).
Below is the official press release announcing the endorsement from Van Tran's campaign:
Santa Ana – Today, Assemblyman Van Tran is proud to announce receiving an endorsement from Quang Pham, a former opponent in the Republican primary for the race for the 47th Congressional District seat held by Loretta Sanchez.
As predicted by some and hoped for by many Republican supporters of Van Tran, Quang Pham has withdrawn from the primary race for California's 47th Congressional District. Whatever the reason behind this decision was, Quang's withdrawal definitely boosts up Van's chance of defeating Lorretta Sanchez this November.
Below is the full text of Quang's campaign's press release.
For Immediate Release March 5, 2010 Contact: (714) 653-1140 or
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GARDEN GROVE, Calif. – Quang Pham, fiscal conservative andRepublican candidate for California’s 47th Congressional District, said today that he will no longer seek the nomination. The filing deadline to appear on the ballot is March 12.
“Winning a seat in Congress requires full commitment of time and money,” said Quang Pham. “Yet my business and my employees now need all of my focus. In addition, the dynamics of the race have changed significantly.”
