News India-Times editor-in-chief Veena Merchant, center, who hosts ‘Capitol Debates’ on TV Asia, with, from left, N.J. Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, Jason Sood, Satish Poondi and Dhiraj Thareja. (Photo: Courtesy, TV Asia)

Q: Jason, when did you join this league?

JASON SOOD: Well, it all started when I was 15 years old, when my friend came to me with an idea to start a teenage Republican club. Of course, I jumped at the idea because I was always interested in politics.

Q: How come you are interested in politics at such a young age? We prefer to complain that the young are not interested politics. You prove the opposite. Is your dad a Republican?

SOOD: Yes.

Q: When choosing the Republican Party, were there any particular issues that attracted you? Did you just get into it? What I want to understand is what made you choose Republican against Democratic?

SOOD: Well first, from when I was very young, I thought of myself as a Republican. I knew some of their issues. But I didn’t know why.

Q: You didn’t know why at that time?

SOOD: I didn’t know too much about anything.

Q: You just joined because your dad told you to?

SOOD: Well I call myself a Republican because both my parents are Republicans. By 2000 election I started paying more attention to the issues. I started watching the news more, and when I was 15, my friend approached me and asked me if I wanted to join the League for Young Republicans. By then I had read some books about Republican ideals by conservative authors, and I do watch more and more news programs.

Q: At this stage... at your age, what makes you so comfortable with the Republican Party?

SOOD: I like many of the issues. Conservatives, believe that the government, the federal government specially, should take a limited role in people’s lives. I believe that many of the roles the federal government has today, will better be handled by state governments. And that’s my biggest issue.

Q: You sound ready to run for elections! Satish, you decided to run for elections at a very early age, which of course is unusual. But in choosing the party did you fall into it? How did it occur?

SATISH POONDI: For me, it’s again the issues... the issues dictate which party you choose... you follow... its principles...

Q: Which issues exactly?

POONDI: I come from a small business family, a lot of our family friends are in small business.Taxes is my major thing...

Q: As an immigrant community, do you think that economic expediency is the only issue that makes one choose a party?

POONDI: No, of course not. It is one of the issues. But I think it’s a range of issues. It’s ranging from economics, social policy...

Q: So can we go a little bit into the social policy? Can you tell me... which are the areas of the social policy that are attractive in the Republican Party?

POONDI: Well, I myself am a pro-life Republican.

POONDI: Also as you can know, I am a believer in sanctity of marriage... it’s important.

Q: When you say sanctity of marriage, can you explain?

POONDI: Sure. I think that marriage is a term that ought to be for a man and a woman.

Q: So you are talking about gay marriages?

POONDI: Right. And that’s one of the issues, more so today than it was a couple of years ago. But today it is an issues.

Q: Dhiraj, you are an Independent so I would like to ask you, this particular election was so polarized... so much conversation about religion, morality, and 15 percent of the vote was on morality issues. But when I was listening to Barack Obama (Illinois Senator) and he said the morality issue should be expanded. When you go to war, on a preemptive strike, when people are dying, that’s also an issue... when civil rights are not being taken care of. I’m not saying the Republican Party does not take care of those issues. But how do you balance the two in your mind?

DHIRAJ THAREJA: I don’t believe in all the Republican beliefs. But I believe in more of what they are doing at home than abroad. I’m more of an Independent.

Q: But on morality, which party do you prefer?

THAREJA: The Democratic Party.

Q: To what extent and can you explain why?

THAREJA: A lot of issues they believe in... For instance, I believe that we should not have gone to war the way we did. But now that we have gone it’s our responsibility to take care of it.

Q: Talk about the moral issues that Satish was talking about... Are you pro-choice?

THAREJA: I’m pro-choice.

Q: Upendra, now that you’ve heard three young men — politically active young men, people like you and I always complain that young men are not interested in politics... there’s apathy... there’s none here today. What is it that Democrats did wrong according to you in not getting the young vote as much as they believed they would?

UPENDRA CHIVUKULA: The key here is that there is so much of a misperception about the Democratic Party. And the Democratic Party has been trying to cover their base in terms of their...

Q: Can we focus on the younger vote since we have three young men...

CHIVUKULA: The key is that if you are brought up in a Republican family household and you hear about Republican things...

Q: Traditionally immigrant communities when they are new, the Democratic Party is their party of choice? Now that the Indian American community has been successful economically, do you think that the fact that we are seeing emerging Republicans is the kind of curve to be expected?

CHIVUKULA: One of my observations is that the Indian Americans or South Asians tend to go with the winners.

Q: General statistics is not available but I’ll throw the number of delegates at the Democratic convention we found 55 S. Asian delegates and at the Republican convention we had 34. So there is a disparity but not as big as one would think.

CHIVUKULA: Definitely. That has changed since the last election to this. It has changed. But the thing is the Republican Party definitely is trying to reach out to the New immigrant communities like the South Asian Americans.

Q: Jason, how much do you think your dad being Republican was instrumental in making your decision?

SOOD: Of course I look up to my father. I think he is a very intelligent man. I see where he’s coming from...

He immigrated with maybe $20 in his pocket and worked hard to what he is now, supporting four kids in the family. So in a way his viewpoints allured me to look at the views from Republican standpoint.

Q: O.K. let me ask you another way. Now that you’re the chairman of this particular league and you meet other mainstream Republicans, do you feel that you share values with them?

SOOD: I do.

Q: Can you speak about those values rather than about fiscal policies. At your age I would rather talk in terms of what makes you personally comfortable.

SOOD: Sure. I believe I share President Bush’s view. I believe that abortion should be banned... I believe in it for most part except in the cases where the woman’s life is danger and in case of an emergency.

Q: You are still talking about policies. I was talking in terms of your colleagues... people that you are with in the league. How comfortable or how in tune, are you with those people of your age?

SOOD: People of my age at the club, I think we share predominantly the same values. But I’m a little more to the right of center of what they believe in.

Q: Can you explain that?

SOOD: Moral values or ethical values?

Q: Both. When you say “I’m more right,” how right are you?

SOOD: Well, for example, I don’t support constitutional ban on abortions. If we do ban abortions like that, they’ll try to get abortions illegally and that could put their lives in danger so I believe it should be a state’s rights issue.

Q: OK let’s talk about the fact that in this particular election much has been said about the evangelical votes. How comfortable are you with that?

SOOD: I do not consider myself as a Catholic but I do appreciate the fact that we are the Party that religious people voted for I like the fact that we are the Party that gets a lot of religious votes.

Q: Upendra, do you think this is where the Democratic Party perhaps did not make it very clear that they are not anti-religion.

CHIVUKULA: Definitely. I think we try. We could not perhaps because of the strong belief in the separation of Church and State. Young man like Sood, will he like a Christian prayer in his school? It’s not clear. It’s one thing we need to ask him. And also when you talk about values, what are the things this country is based on ...not having any kind of discrimination ...based on your skin color or your ethnicity. I think there are some issues here that need to be looked at very carefully. Democratic Party has not done an adequate job of explaining what they stand for. And they have not explained that their tent is one of inclusion that includes all kinds of people, doesn’t matter where they come from, what is the color of their skin or what their preferences are.

Q: Satish, I would like a short comment on evangelical vote.

POONDI: I’m comfortable with it. Some people look at this as being a Christian group that’s controlling the party. I look at it as a religious group that has a voice in the party.

Q: Are your parents comfortable with that?

POONDI: Yes, I think they are.

Q: (to Thareja): How about you? How do you feel about that?

THAREJA: I actually feel that they should be separate (Religion and State).

Q: Do you see the Democratic Party as religious or you see it anti-religion?

THAREJA: I’m comfortable with both parties. I actually prefer Democratic Party’s view about religion.

Q: So you prefer a pluralistic approach, a secular approach?

THAREJA: Yes, I do.

POONDI: I’m not sure if you can have that. Starting from the beginning days of this country, religion has always played an important role in our system. And I’m not sure we can take out God and religion from all aspects of government and society.

Q: I can not agree with you more. Upendra, there is such a moral bankruptcy today. Particularly in our country. So to bring religion back into our lives, I don’t see that as a problem.

CHIVUKULA: Except that this country is built on Judea Christian values, what about the new immigrant communities that are coming in?... Hindus, Sikhs and Jains and Muslims... Or you want them to be excluded in the process?

Q: Can you put Democratic hat away for a minute and just think of these three young men. They’re talking about morality, religion. How do you put all these into context, of what the Democratic Party didn’t do?

CHIVUKULA: It’s very important. The moral fabric of this society is very important that we do have to stress religion. The question is do you practice religion in a public school setting, that’s the question here. It doesn’t mean that all the Democrats are not religious.

Q: At least 15 percent of the votes according to most of the polls went toward morality and religious issues.

CHIVUKULA: One of the things that the Democratic Party has done in terms of their stressing on stem-cell research is that it brought up the divisive issue of life. They should have talked more in terms of the day-to-day problems. They should have stayed away from such issues.

POONDI: A couple of weeks ago, Mr. Kinsley in The New York Times basically...I am paraphrasing what he basically called them (religious people) idiots. And personally as a guy who goes to temple every weekend, who believes that values are important for governing I resent that. Would you join me in condemning someone like Mr. Kinsley or Michael Moore?

CHIVUKULA: I think this is all rhetoric. I don’t call anybody an idiot unless I have a very good reason to do that. I can hold my personal beliefs but I would not call anyone an idiot. What is important I think, though is the context... when you look at the article, he was looking at the overall issues.

Q: There is one point I would like to make is that in the North East we have a chip on our shoulders and that we have to sort of thaw a little bit... not look down upon people. Don’t you think the Democratic Party needs soul searching there very desperately?

CHIVUKULA: Definitely. The Democratic Party needs to redefine itself. But you also have to listen to some of the conservative radio talk shows. They call names.

POONDI: One more point... they keep calling New York, New Jersey, the bluer states per se... but what’s interesting, I feel, was in county-by-county map there are a lot of people who would be called ‘red’ in these so called blue states –– New York and New Jersey...

Q: Yes there are, I completely agree with you. Dhiraj, are you a red within blue?

THAREJA: Let’s say I am a blue in the red!

CHIVUKULA: I think the point he’s making is the Democratic Party has lost touch. Their focus is on the urban vote, they left out the suburban. That is what is reflecting in the red counties. That’s what he’s talking about.

Q: One last question which I’m throwing to everyone and each one will respond. How comfortable are you with the conservative radio programs? Have you heard them, to start with?

THAREJA: I actually haven’t so I cannot...

Q: Over 600 conservative radio programs, liberal are under 60. The conservative radio programs, which are particularly extra red, how do you feel about them?

POONDI: I listen in my car... I have no problem with it. I think it’s just a news information source.

Q: How comfortable are you with those radio programs? Do you ever listen to them?

SOOD: I try listening though I’m in school most of the time. I think they should try to get their facts straight.

CHIVUKULA: Satish, I listen to the conservative radios all the time. And the names they call you... the names they call anybody who is not white, who is not Judea Christian, even the Jews, they call names on the radios. So you take offense to Kinsley. That doesn’t make any sense. Also, let me clarify this, we are looking at a crossfire here.

The point I think you were making about Kinsley calling people idiots, but if you looked at the rhetoric that is being propagated through the conservative radio stations, I mean I will throw up... the names they call the Asian Indians or Asians... they call them all kinds of names –– I listened to all these radio programs throughout while driving from Florida to New York. I wanted to throw up at the way they belittle the immigrant community. I mean we should be ashamed that we don’t have the responding capability.

Q: Satish, with due respect there is a problem with the conservative radio programs of using the kind of language, which as a women I’m not comfortable with.

POONDI: The point is the Republican Party does not endorse those views.

Q: I agree with you but when you come across this particular segment of society, are you comfortable with that? Instead of giving me your campaign speech, tell me, are you comfortable or not?

POONDI: If someone is using the type of language you allege they are, I’m not comfortable.

CHIVUKULA: Are you willing to condemn them? I’ll give you their numbers you can call them.

POONDI: Unlike you not condemning –– Kinsley, I do condemn if someone uses such language.

VM: I’m so sorry that I have to cut you guys short. Thank you for sharing your Sunday with us.

(Transcribed by Gloria Suhasini)