From left, Maryland State Delegate Susan Lee, Rep. David Wu, (D-Ore.) and Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) with Democratic Presidential candidate Howard Dean, second from right, at the ‘town hall’ meeting at the Capitol Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 17. The event was sponsored by the Asian American Action Fund. (Photo, as it appears on www.aaa-fund.org)

WASHINGTON : Hundreds of Asian Americans, including a large number people of Indian and Pakistani origin, attended a ‘town hall’ meeting at the Capitol Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 17 and greeted Democratic Presidential candidate Howard Dean almost as if he was the frontrunner for the party’s 2004 nomination.

The day also happened to be the 55th birthday of the former Vermont Governor, who was serenaded with “Happy Birthday” by the audience. Rep. David Wu, Democrat of Oregon, the third Chinese American ever to serve in Congress, also announced his endorsement of Dean at the event. Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.); Terry McAuliffe, chairman of Democratic National Committee; and Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) were among those present at the meeting.

“Birthdays are important, but this is not a birthday present,” Wu said. “He (Dean) shows up. He has real passion. He is the only Presidential candidate who has responded to the Asian American Action Fund’s invitation to participate in the town hall meeting.”

Dean was the only Democratic Presidential candidate to accept the invitation to appear at the town hall event, sponsored by the Asian American Action Fund. He delivered a spirited speech, criticizing President George W. Bush for his foreign and domestic policies and for leading the U.S. into the woods. He touched upon issues of relevance to the Asian-American people ---- such as health care, social security, taxes. education, hate crimes, racial profiling and defense.

Regarding racial profiling and hate crimes, two of the most important issues facing the Asian-American community, Dean said he would change the policies if he were elected president. “I don’t believe in racial discrimination. I don’t believe in racial profiling. We will put certain programs in place to ensure that neither the police nor the official machinery will try to fall back on them,” he said.

Dean also used Enron, the failed petroleum company, as a metaphor for what is wrong in today’s America. “We know what happened to Enron. Moral bankruptcy led to fiscal bankruptcy. And the ethos of Enron is where our politics and policies have led us in America.” He accused President Bush of practicing “Enron economics” that benefits the wealthy, because of the tax cuts he gave to “his wealthy friends.”

On security and terrorism, he said he would “repeal that part and any other part of the Patriot Act that violates our Constitution.”

Regarding foreign policy, Dean said he is the only candidate with previous experience in government who has opposed the war with Iraq from the start. “I have serious concerns about the incre-asingly unilateralist approach to foreign policy we have seen from the current Administration, particularly in the President’s posture toward Iraq.”

On abortion, Dean explained that in his opinion, the government should have no say in what a woman should choose. “It’s none of the government’s business.”

The moderator for the ‘town hall’ meeting was Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance executive director Gloria Caoile.