SAJAforum

UK: London Mayor Boris Johnson "Struts His Funky Stuff"

Last week, London's new Mayor Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson made a pitch in support of the upcoming London Mela, a major festival celebrating British Asian arts and culture that some have called the "Asian Glastonbury." Speaking at the press launch for the festival, which will be held in early August, Johnson urged Londoners to "get on down" to the festival and "strut [their] funky stuff." He acknowledged that he had merely a "passing" acquaintance with bhangra and reminisced about his effort to learn some moves at a cousin's wedding in Delhi:

I was told you had to do "lightbulb lightbulb, motorbike motorbike." I practiced a great deal, and I had my kurta pajama, and my chappals, and my everything else, and I thought I looked absolutely tremendous. And everybody else turned up in a suit. [link]

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PREZ POLITICS: Outlook India's Obama interview

Ashish Kumar Sen, a DC-based contributor to Outlook magazine, in India, scored a lengthy interview with Barack Obama, the first for any South Asian media outlet. I would have asked him how he did it but fortunately he's written a separate piece, "How I Chased Obama."

Allow us to reproduce an excerpt:

What began as a shot in the dark was to soon become an obsession for me. Perhaps it was because I was witness to the Obama mania sweeping America. To watch him campaign during those months was akin to experiencing a rock star inspire millions to dance to his tunes of hope. "Yes, we can"—his campaign slogan read. These simple words, transposed to my very specific situation, suddenly started making a lot of sense.

But before the Obama interview became a bee that wouldn’t stop buzzing in my head, things were already in motion. I called an Illinois-based friend and supporter of Obama who put me in touch with a campaign advisor. She promised to forward my request with a strong recommendation. My selling point: "Outlook may not be distributed in the US, but our website is the gateway to India for expat Indians living in the US."

Three weeks later, I received a call from the Obama advisor. Could I submit a sample of the questions I wished to ask Obama? I did. Days later, in mid-March, I received yet another call from the advisor. What’s your last deadline? "Wednesday," I said, excited. I drew my own conclusions: nobody asks for your deadline unless...

The interview appears to have been conducted by email, and touched upon issues ranging from the nuclear deal - Obama says he's "reluctant to seek changes" - to the irreversibility of outsourcing, to the Islamic world:

If I go to a poor country and speak about both the US obligation to work with poor countries to relieve suffering, and also the responsibility of poor countries to clear up corruption and increase transparency and rule of law and build their civil service, I do so with the credibility of someone with a grandmother who lives in an impoverished village in Africa.

MEDIA WATCH: Gay Rights and the Indian Press

On June 29, hundreds of people in Delhi, Bangalore and Calcutta joined an ebullient rainbow of slogan-chanting marchers demanding more rights for gay people in India. (Jyoti Gupta, my colleague on SAJAforum, covered the coverage; flag graphic from here)

For several years, I have been trying to gauge attitudes in the Indian media towards gay issues and to draw some general conclusions. Although one often hears that Indian society as a whole is not welcoming towards gay people — whether it is conservatives or gay rights activists making the claim — the Indian media, and indeed the Western media reporting on India, are full of gay-themed stories. The question is not whether there is coverage of gay people and the issues that concern them, but rather how they are portrayed.

[Note that whenever I say “gay” in this piece, I mean Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT), and whatever other sexual and gender identities people choose for themselves. I am not a fan of acronyms that try to be all-inclusive because they end up excluding people. The term "queer," a convenient catch-all, is often eschewed by journalists because although it is a word that has been reclaimed by the gay community as a positive label, in some contexts it retains its original derogatory sense.]

All the Indian newspapers whose coverage I regularly follow reported on the marches: The Times of India, the Hindustan Times, and Express India (before and after, actually) as well as NDTV, where it is a “most read” story. It received wide coverage in the West, and I read articles about it in The Guardian, AFP, the BBC, The Washington Post, and even in Gulf News (Dubai) and The Scotsman. Newsweek and Time also had pieces. Notably absent was The New York Times, but their correspondent seems to have been tied up with writing a hard-hitting piece on the stalled nuclear deal.

I found Western and Indian coverage of the event largely indistinguishable, which was surprising because there often is quite a difference. The articles said what happened--several hundred people gathered in Delhi, Bangalore and Calcutta and marched--why it was important for the marchers (because homosexuality, or as the Indian Penal Code colorfully states it “carnal intercourse against the order of nature,” is illegal in India and they want this changed) and who opposes it (among others, the BJP, which is the main party of the Hindu Right).

BANGLADESH: Another Musharraf Could Emerge, says Christian Science Monitor

Selig Harrison's recent piece in the Christian Science Monitor infers that a new Musharraf could emerge-- in Bangladesh--as its military ruler Gen. Moeen U. Ahmed organizes a new army-controlled political party to challenge two secular parties in the upcoming elections in December. 

But the concern does not simply revolve around the idea of another Musharraf. It also lies within the notion that the United States has failed to press Gen. Ahmed for a crackdown on Islamist terrorist groups like Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, whose leader Fazlur Rehman Khalil is quoted as one of the six signatories of Osama bin Laden's first declaration of holy war against the United States.

While the CIA and the Pentagon search in vain for Osama bin Laden in the mountains of Pakistan, an Al Qaeda affiliate has been quietly building up terrorist bases in the jungles of Bangladesh under the protective aegis of a new military regime in Dhaka allied with Islamist forces.<snip>

Bush administration officials privately endorse mounting Indian evidence that Bangladeshi Harkat agents spearheaded a series of terrorist attacks in India. But the US has conspicuously failed to press Bangladesh's military ruler, Gen. Moeen U Ahmed, for a crackdown on Harkat and for the removal of highly placed intelligence officials with Islamist ties.      

General Ahmed staged a bloodless coup in January 2007, forcing a figurehead president to give him emergency powers. He has pledged to hold elections in December and return power to a civilian government. The Bush administration, while formally urging him to hold the elections on schedule, has so far ignored his increasingly blatant efforts to rig them.<snip>

By its silence in the face of Ahmed's power grab, Washington is signaling that it sees little hope of ending military rule. But it is much too soon to write off the prospects for democracy in Bangladesh, where almost everyone was politicized during the independence struggle against Pakistan. Since then, three free elections have been held, and two previous military regimes have proved to be short-lived.

Read the entire piece here.

Thoughts, folks? Please post them below.

POLITICS: Bobby Jindal signs creationism bill, sans Vedic Creationists

Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana is getting plenty of press this past week, not so much for his vice presidential prospects but for actual legislation he's signing. The latest bill would allow for the teaching of creationism alongside evolution. From Reuters:

The law will allow schools if they choose to use "supplemental materials" when discussing evolution but does not specify what the materials would be.

It states that authorities "shall allow ... open and objective discussion of scientific theories being studied including, but not limited to, evolution, the origins of life, global warming and human cloning."

It also says that it "shall not be construed to promote any religious doctrine, promote discrimination for or against a particular set of religious beliefs, or promote discrimination for or against religion or nonreligion."

Jindal's office declined on Friday to comment. The bill was backed by the Louisiana Family Forum, a conservative Christian group, and the Discovery Institute, which promotes the theory of "intelligent design" -- a theory that maintains that the complexity of life points to a grand designer.

But Christian creationists aren't the only ones who think the curriculum needs to be opened up. One group that hasn't been cited lately is the Bhaktivedanta Institute, a "Vedic Creationism" group connected to ISKCON, which has filed amicus briefs in support of opening up the curriculum beyond Darwinian evolution. According to this opinion piece from 2006 by Meera Nanda in Frontline magazine, the forces behind Vedic Creationism are Richard Thompson and Michael Cremo, who wrote "Human Devolution: A Vedic Alternative to Darwin's Theory." From the Frontline column:

CONV: Q&A with 2008 Daniel Pearl Fellow Umar Cheema

Umar Cheema, a reporter for the News International in Islamabad, Pakistan, is the 2008 Daniel Pearl Fellow at The New York Times. In a panel entitled "Pakistan in Peril" Cheema shared his experiences in the country, which is ranked as the third-most dangerous in the world for journalists.

Journalism has become more independent and is no longer scrutinized as much Cheema says in a conversation with student blogger Bibek Bhandari. Here are excerpts from that conversation.

How is your fellowship going at The New York Times?

I have worked in The New York Times’ metro section, computer-assisted reporting and investigative cluster, and went to the Investigative Reporters and Editors' workshop. I will spend two weeks in the Washington bureau of The New York Times. Then go to Los Angeles to meet Daniel Pearl’s parents and would spend time in Los Angeles Press Club discussing with them different issues about inter-faith harmony, because the purpose of this fellowship is to resolve conflicts, promote dialogues between different faiths.

I am learning about [American]  newsrooms, how they work, and consequently what could I take back home, and what new things could be improved there.

 

What are the major differences you notice between American newsrooms and the ones in Pakistan?

I think the major difference is in terms of resources. They are more resourceful here financially, and when you’re financially strong, you can deploy more staff, facilitate them in a better way.

Reporting skills are different. The U.S. media concentrates mostly on storytelling.

How to write a good story, and how to bring human angles to the story. And as far as our media is concerned, and when I say our, Asian media mostly where the press is relatively independent, there is an element of opinion in our reporting that we learned from the British media. The European media overall, it is considered as opinionated media. We sometimes editorialize in our reporting. We give our opinions. I think that is the difference.

In terms of society, the good things I have learned [in the U.S.] is that people respect each other’s opinion. If I disagree with you, it doesn’t mean I am against you. In Pakistani culture, if I disagree people believe that I am against them.

CONV: Plenary session on reporting from the trenches

Media professionals on the campaign trail talked of "living in a bubble", especially journalists embedded with a candidate's campaign, that sometimes could obstruct their view of broader issues and limits their ability to pursue stories beyond the stump speeches.

“It’s frustrating," said Leslie Wayne, reporter for The New York Times who covers politics. "You’re turning to a machine reporting from event to event."

Wayne was part of a panel discussion on “Decision ’08: Reporters in the Trenches” at the SAJA convention. Other panelists include Nick Timiraos, embedded in the Obama campaign for The Wall Street Journal; Rebecca Kutler, news producer at CNN; and, Aswini Anburajan, embedded in the Obama campaign for NBC.

But journalists, who had front-row seats to the primaries, say reporting was factual in response to questions on whether the coverage, especially of the Obama campaign, was unbiased.

Leslie Wayne, a New York Times reporter; Rebecca Kutler, a CNN producer; Nick Timiraos, a Wall Street Journal reporter; and, Aswini Anburajan, a NBC reporter.

 

POLITICS: Hillary's Indian supporters move to Obama

Whither Hillary's desi supporters, now that she's called it quits? A number of outlets, including NDTV, IANS and the Economic Times, have looked into the matter.

According to India-West reporter Ashfaque Swapan a "substantial number" of Clinton's supporters are consolidating behind Barack Obama since he became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. From "Community Democrats rallying to Barack Obama":

Silicon Valley high tech entrepreneur Kamil Hasan, an at-large member of the Democratic National Committee, had withheld his support until the day before the last day of the Democratic primaries.

“I’ve been uncommitted but I had been leaning towards Sen. Clinton, because we have known Sen. Clinton and Bill Clinton in the past,” he said. Then Obama called him June 2, the day before the primaries in South Dakota and Montana, and they had a long conversation.

Obama asked Hasan, one of two South Asian superdelegates, to endorse him.

“I . . . asked about his view on U.S.-India relations and he said that it would be one of the most strategic relationships and he wants U.S.-India relations to improve to the highest level,” said Hasan. He told Obama he should consider including Indian Americans in the administration if he is elected president, and Obama told him he would definitely consider it.

“So based on all that, I endorsed him,” Hasan said.

The article also quotes Clinton supporter Rajen Anand.

“I feel proud of America today that we have elected a man of color. It’s a momentous occasion for Democrats, it’s a momentous occasion for America,” said Rajen Anand, a former president of the National Federation of Indian American Organizations and national co-chair for Indian Americans for Clinton.

Groups like South Asians for Obama have tapped into the youth demographic's excitement for him, and Anand says it'll be hard to overcome bigotry among older Indians.

“The older generation has always been very prejudiced, Indians are extremely prejudiced against people of color,” he said. “That is still there and it will take some time to overcome that.”

<snip>

“When we were working for Hillary here, I found that most of the older generation people were voting for Hillary, not for Obama,” he said. “I don’t think people know him that well. I mean he is charismatic, he can read a speech very well (but) I don’t think they know what his policies are.

“More Asians supported Hillary and more Mexican Americans also supported Hillary. And he has his work cut out to reach out to these people. But I’m sure he will. He is a smart guy.”

More from NDTV, which finds some Hillary supporters vowing to support McCain, while others have already started fundraising for Obama.

PREZ RACE: Bobby Jindal on "Face the Nation," gets Gingrich's approval

[SAJAforum sources, resources about the 2008 race]

Bobby Jindal appeared on the CBS Sunday show "Face the Nation" today, where he was billed as "The Next Reagan?": "I have the job that I want... I am focused on being governor of Louisana."

Even more interesting is what Newt Gingrich, former House speaker and Republican elder statesman had to say right after Jindal's appearance.

Chip Reid: Would you recommend to John McCain that he pick him as his running mate.
Newt Gingrich: Absolutely. I think Governor Jindal is far and away the best candidate for vice president in the country. I think he is a future presidential candidate. I think he has enormous capacity to keep growing... Look, Bobby Jindal at 37 is fully as prepared at Senator Obama. You could argue that in fact Jindal's experience in the executive branch and the legislative branch is greater than Senator Obama's experience.

Post your comments below.

Our previous Jindal-as-possible-VP items:

• Jindal and a 1994 exorcism
• NYT news story on Bobby Jindal and his agenda
• Coverage of Jindal's weekend with the McCains
• Liberal prof Vijay Prashad writes a funny letter about Bobby Jindal
• Conservative scholar says Jindal should not be on ticket - for now
• McCain to meet with Jindal, Crist, Romney
• April 2008 appearance on the Jay Leno show
• William Kristol says McCain staffers are floating McCain-Jindal ticket
• Rush Limbaugh's push for the ticket | other conservatives' similar push

PREZ RACE: Religious icons in Barack Obama's hands

[SAJAforum's collection of stories, resources and sources about the 2008 race]

This is a photo of Barack Obama's hands and the things he carries around for good luck. From Time's White House Photo of the Day collection:

Amongst the things that Barack Obama carries for good luck are a bracelet belonging to a soldier deployed in Iraq, a gambler’s lucky chit, a tiny monkey god and a tiny Madonna and child.

White House Photo of the Day - TIME via kwout

That "tiny monkey god," of course, appears to be a statue of the Hindu monkey god, Hanuman. I wish the photographer and editors had bothered to be as specific with the Hindu reference as they were with the Christian one. John McCain, as you will see below, doesn't have as many lucky charms.

UPDATE: A SAJAforum reader points out that there is also a Chinese monkey god, described here. If this turns out to be that god and not Hanuman, the point is the same - why such a vague description?

Will this revelation about Obama help him or hurt him or have no effect whatsoever? Post your comments below.

See SAJAforum's collection of stories, resources and sources about the 2008 race.

PREZ RACE: NYT news story on Bobby Jindal and his agenda

[SAJAforum sources, resources about the 2008 race]

Here's what the front page of the New York Times website looked like around noon EST today. Must be the first time that two desis who engender such mixed emotions have been featured in separate stories at the top of the site (click to magnify the screengrab).

On the right, you can see a pointer to a profile of M. Night Shyamalan, whose new movie is opening on June 13. See SAJAforum's roundup of pre-release press.

The other desi, of course, is Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana, who is part of a lot of buzz about the possibility that he might be a candidate to join Senator John McCain on the Republican ticket this year.

Today, the NYT's Adam Nossiter has the piece above was the first serious assessment of Jindal's possible candidacy inside the news pages of the Times. Back in April, columnist William Kristol had floated Jindal's name in the opinion pages (see our coverage collection below). From today's piece:

Religion and fiscal stringency have a friendly home at the state Capitol here, with a conservative, Bobby Jindal, in the governor’s office, a host of straight-arrow novice legislators eager to please him and an honored spot for the Louisiana Family Forum in the old marble halls.

The newly conservative tone of state government is seeping through a host of successful bills — on school vouchers, creationism, stem-cell restrictions and tax and spending cuts — and it is adding to the speculative frenzy here surrounding Mr. Jindal as a potential vice-presidential choice for Senator John McCain.

Politicians here say they are certain that Mr. Jindal would balance a McCain ticket, and not just because he is an Indian-American. The Christian right has a new champion in Mr. Jindal, a serious Catholic who has said that “in my faith, you give 100 percent of yourself to God.”

Bumper stickers saying “Jindal for V.P.” are circulating here, with increased velocity after the governor’s stay two weekends ago at Mr. McCain’s Arizona ranch. Mr. McCain’s schedule has him campaigning in Louisiana next week, according to his Web site.

“He has everything McCain is lacking,” said State Representative John LaBruzzo, a Republican, speaking of Mr. Jindal. “He’s seen as a true conservative, which McCain is seen as less than.”

PREZ RACE: Vijay Prashad writes a funny open letter to McCain

[See SAJAforum collection of sources, resources and more about the 2008 race]

We posted an item from a conservative scholar urging Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal NOT to run this year. Nicole Gelinas of the Manhattan Institute wrote:

If McCain makes an offer to Jindal, it will probably be difficult to resist. But if McCain wants to help Louisiana recover from Hurricane Katrina, he’ll leave its new governor where he is. Jindal’s state needs him more than the nation does.

So it's only fair that we post a liberal scholar's open letter to Senator John Mccain urging him to pick Jindal. From "McCain's Got a Problem Jindal Can Fix," written with tongue lodges in cheek for NewsOne, a news site aimed at African-Americans:

Sen. McCain, like every president since 1789, you're a white guy. This time around, with the Democrats "making history" and "breaking down barriers," you're starting to look more like a throwback than a slam dunk.

Now, Bobby Jindal is a dark-skinned Indian American. His parents are Hindus from Punjab. Here's the best part: Jindal traded in his Indian name, Piyush, for Bobby, a perfectly American name popularized on The Brady Bunch. No Barack Husseins here; only Bobby, who even had the forethought to convert to Catholicism as a teenager. A Catholic Indian American named Bobby? Take that, diversity mongers!

There's more - a lot more. Take a look and post your comments below.

Our previous Jindal-as-possible-VP items:

• Coverage of Jindal's weekend with the McCains
• Conservative scholar says Jindal should not be on ticket - for now
• McCain to meet with Jindal, Crist, Romney
• April 2008 appearance on the Jay Leno show
• William Kristol says McCain staffers are floating McCain-Jindal ticket
• Rush Limbaugh's push for the ticket
• other conservatives' similar push

Coverage in the Indian press: Rediff | Times of India

NEPAL: Maoist-led parliament declares Nepal a republic, king to leave palace

Nepalese no longer have to bow before the king. They could shake his hands...technically.

The world's last Hindu kingdom, then a secular state, has now been declared a republic, after the Maoist-led new parliament decided to abolish the 240-year old monarchy completely.

King Gyanendra and his wife Komal have been given fifteen days to empty the Narayanhiti Royal Palace (in picture), which will be converted into a museum.

But local news outlets in Kathmandu have reported that the king has already left the palace for his summer residence at Nagarjuna palace (about eight kilometres north of Kathmandu) around 9 p.m. Thursday [local time].

From the BBC News:

A constituent assembly meeting in the capital, Kathmandu, overwhelmingly voted to abolish royal rule.

The Maoists, the largest party after laying down arms and standing in last month's elections, were committed to ousting King Gyanendra.<snip>

The approved proposal states that Nepal is "an independent, indivisible, sovereign, secular and an inclusive democratic republic nation".

Only four members of the 601-seat assembly opposed the change.

Thousands of people have come out on the streets nationwide to celebrate the declaration of republic. The government has announced a two-day public holiday in celebration of the republic.

But not everyone is happy. At least three major bomb blasts rocked parts of Kathmandu on Tuesday and Wednesday. Some royalist groups continue to oppose getting rid of the king and warned that abolishing monarchy could take the impoverished country back into conflict.

King Gyanendra came to power in 2001 after the assassination of the entire family of then King Birendra. Gyanendra remained widely unpopular throughout the years, especially after the royal coup in 2005 during which he dissolved the parliament and took the executive power in his hands.

Two years ago, a reinstated House of Representatives removed all the powers and privileges of the king, declaring Nepal a secular state and no longer a Hindu kingdom.

With this declaration of republic, Gyanendra not only becomes the last king of Shah dynasty but also the last king of Nepal. (Interesting tip: Nepal's first king is believed to be Yalambar, who is said to have fought with the Kauravas in the story of Mahabharata).

With Gyanendra gone, many believe that Maoist leader Prachanda, who led a decade-long armed insurgency, is poised to be the next powerhouse of Nepali politics.

I was pretty amazed by the amount of coverage this has been getting worldwide. Here are some links from news websites around the world. (Feel free to post interesting links on the comments section)

• A republic is born: Nepal ends 239-year-old monarchy
• Prachanda achieves ambition, becomes most powerful man in Nepal
• Nepal abolishes centuries-old Hindu monarchy
• Nepal to End 240-Year Monarchy With Vote for Republic
• Nepal reborn as a republic

What do you think of the political transition in Nepal? Please post your comments below.

PREZ RACE: A conservative says no to Jindal for VP, for now

Nicole Gelinas, a scholar with the conservative Manhattan Institute, says Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal would do more for the Republican party by staying where he is for the time being. From "Leave Jindal Alone!":

If McCain makes an offer to Jindal, it will probably be difficult to resist. But if McCain wants to help Louisiana recover from Hurricane Katrina, he’ll leave its new governor where he is. Jindal’s state needs him more than the nation does.

It’s easy to see why McCain would consider Jindal. When the 36-year-old governor came to office earlier this year, he already had an impressive record of accomplishment. As a twentysomething in former governor Mike Foster’s cabinet in the 1990s, Jindal reorganized the state’s Medicaid plan, cutting costs and transforming deficits into surpluses. He then served ably in Congress. In his first few months as governor, he has shepherded ethics reforms through the state legislature and started working on an income-tax cut and an infrastructure-investment plan. Jindal is an attractive candidate in political terms, too: he’s young (barely half McCain’s age), and he’s the son of Indian immigrants, a factor for McCain to consider as he prepares to run against either the first black or first female Democratic presidential candidate.

Gelinas says Jindal should concentrate on turning Louisiana around, and bide his time.

As for Jindal’s political future: if he wants to be vice president someday, he shouldn’t worry that this opportunity will be his last. As the nation watches Louisiana recover from Katrina, Jindal has a prominent stage on which to show that Republicans can govern competently, even as other stars in the party—including California’s Arnold Schwarzenegger—struggle to keep their promises. Four or eight years from now, Jindal will still be a young man. By then, if he’s done his job well in Louisiana, he’ll be able to point to his solid, permanent achievements as governor—and even, perhaps, skip the veep step and try for the top spot instead.

More of our Jindal coverage here:

• Coverage of Jindal's weekend at McCain's
• April 2008 appearance on the Jay Leno show
• Rush Limbaugh's push for the ticket

PREZ RACE: Coverage of Jindal's weekend at McCain's

[SAJAforum resources, sources, links for covering the 2008 Presidential race]

That's Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal and his wife, Supriya, at the airport (Phoenix or New Orleans, anyone know?) after their weekend at John McCain's home in Sedona, Arizona. He was one of three possible vice presidential running mates invited to hang out with John and Cindy McCain and various guests, including politicos, business leaders, etc. Also attending were two other possible VP candidates, Charlie Crist, governor of Florida and Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor.

The media, especially the 24-hour cable news networks (see MSNBC screengrab below), have been buzzing about the weekend, but this is just the start of the VP season, and there are plenty of other possible candidates on the shortlist, including Tim Pawlenty, the governor of Minnesota (and host of the 2008 Republican Convention in St. Paul) and Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas.

From WWL-TV's text and video report by Mike Hoss:

Following a weekend with presidential hopeful Senator John McCain, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said he discussed a number of topics with the senator, except the possibility of being McCain’s vice presidential running mate.

“There was never any explicit talk whatsoever about a short list, about vice president, any of that,” said Jindal.

However, the governor did say he had several one on one moments with Senator McCain during his weekend trip to Arizona.

“It was a wonderful weekend,” Jindal said. “John and Cindy were very gracious. Not only did we have a chance to talk to him one on one, as well as in a group, we had a chance to visit with the other senators there, the other business leaders.”

From an analysis by Aziz Haniffa of Rediff/India Abroad, "McCain's invitation to Jindal "strategic":

PREZ RACE: Hillary Clinton compared to Indira Gandhi

Way back in January 2007, Manish Vij of Ultrabrown compared Hillary Clinton to Indira Gandhi.

Hillary’s purported namesake was Sir Edmund, Himalayan strider. But her true predecessor had socialist and authoritarian streaks wider than the silver swirl in her coiffure.

The burning Bush has spoken: America is about new blood, not blue blood; innovation, not repetition. America is the kind of place that ought to have no room for dynasties.

In her Wall Street Journal column this week, former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan brings up Indira Gandhi again:

She was born in a family at war with itself and the reigning power outside. As a child she carried word from her important father to his fellow revolutionaries, smuggling the papers in her school bag. War and rumors of war, arrests, eight months in jail. A rise in politics -- administering refugee camps, government minister. When war came, she refused to flee an insecure border area; her stubbornness helped rally a nation. Her rivals sometimes called her “Dumb Doll," and an American president is said to have referred to her in private as “the old witch." But the prime minister of India preferred grounding her foes to dust to complaining about gender bias. In the end, and in the way of things, she was ground up too. Proud woman, Indira Gandhi.

Post your comments below. 

Earlier on SAJAforum:

• The question of dynasties

PREZ RACE: McCain to meet with Jindal, Romney, Crist

[See all SAJAforum posts, resources, sources about the 2008 presidential race]

For three months now, we have been covering the possibility that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal might/perhaps/could be on the short list for potential vice presidential running mates for Sen. John McCain. The talk suddenly got taken a lot more seriously yesterday, as journalists started reporting that McCain was going to meet this weekend with three possible running mates: Jindal; Florida Governor Charlie Crist; and former Massachussetts Governor Mitt Romney. From "McCain to meet 3 possible running mates" by NYT's Adam Nagourney:

Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, on Friday is scheduled to meet with two Republican governors who have been prominently mentioned as potential running mates, according to Republicans familiar with McCain's plan.

The two governors, Charlie Crist, of Florida, and Bobby Jindal, of Louisiana, have both accepted invitations to meet with McCain at his home in Arizona, according to Republican familiars with the decision. One Republican said that Mitt Romney, a former rival of McCain for the presidential nomination wasalso expected to visit him this weekend. Romney's advisers declined to comment.

McCain, after a week of campaigning, is heading home on Friday for three days without a public schedule. His campaign declined to comment on the meetings.

"We don't talk about the V.P. selection process," said Steve Schmidt, a senior adviser.

Still, the names of McCain's visitors and the timing — coming three weeks after the Arizona senator told reporters that he had a list of 20 potential running mates — strongly suggested that he was moving into an intensified phase in his search for a vice presidential candidate.

From a similar story by the Boston Globe's Joseph Williams and Scott Helman:

PREZ RACE: Clinton, McCain, Obama to address Asian American in virtual town hall

A note from Democratic strategist Toby Chaudhuri: "SAJA members might find this particularly interesting. All the presidential candidates just confirmed their participation in a national forum with Asian American voters scheduled for this evening. The event will be streamed online at Punjabi Community Hour Inc. at http://www.passionfortruthtv.com. (Punjabi Community Hour Inc. and Passion for Truth produces two television channels with programming regarding Sikh issues.) The presidential town hall is historic. I'm including a detailed news advisory below. Please be advised."

MEDIA ADVISORY:
SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2008
CONTACT: Toby Chaudhuri, 978-884-8626 or Naomi Tacuyan, 202-460-2644

CLINTON, OBAMA, McCAIN TO ADDRESS THOUSANDS OF ASIAN AMERICANS AT TOWN HALL FORUM TODAY

With Thousands Of Asian American Voters Gathered And Logged In, Presidential Candidates To Make Their Pitch

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., will address thousands of Asian American voters by satellite and teleconference on Saturday. More than 2000 Asian American leaders and activists will gather across the country to discuss solutions to problems facing their community with all the major presidential candidates. Participants plan to gather in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Michigan, Colorado, New Jersey, Texas, Illinois, Massachusetts and throughout California.

The presidential town hall, sponsored by APIAVote, is historic for Asian Americans who represent the fastest growing minority group in the U.S. Studies show that almost one in five US-born Asian-American voters have donated to a political campaign, larger than any other racial community. More importantly, as a bloc, their votes could make a decisive impact in key states this year.

APIAVOTE PRESIDENTIAL TOWN HALL

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2008
*All Times Eastern*

7 p.m.              Sen. Hillary Clinton addresses thousands of Asian American voters and answers questions via satellite. Sen. Clinton will be introduced by Calif. State Controller John Chiang.

7:30 p.m.         Sen. John McCain addresses thousands of Asian American voters and answers questions by teleconference. Sen. McCain will be introduced by Calif. State Assemblyman Van Tran.

8 p.m.              Sen. Barack Obama addresses thousands of Asian American voters and answers questions by teleconference. Sen. Obama will be introduced by Rep. Xavier Becerra.

**NOTE: Media representatives interested in watching the forum remotely may do so online. The event will stream live on http://www.imdiversity.com/townhall.asp and http://wwwpassionfortruthtv.com. For more details about the presidential town hall and local events across the country, please visit www.apiavote.org or here.

INTERNSHIPS: White House internship deadline is June 3

Shukoor Ahmed, about whose LobbyDelegates.com we wrote about in April 2008, sent us an alert about the fall White House Internship. From the full item below:

A White House Internship is an opportunity for current students and recent graduates to experience everyday life at the White House while working with high-level officials on a variety of tasks and projects.

Deadline is June 3 - other details below. Post your comments below.

BURMA: Republican Convention coordinator forced to resign because of junta ties

And now, the Burma cyclone affects the presidential campaign. From the AP/Yahoo story, "Leader of GOP convention quits after Myanmar ties reported":

ST. PAUL, Minn. - The man picked by the John McCain campaign to run the 2008 Republican National Convention resigned Saturday after a report that his lobbying firm used to represent the military regime in Myanmar. Doug Goodyear resigned as convention coordinator and issued a two sentence statement: "Today I offered the convention my resignation so as not to
become a distraction in this campaign. I continue to strongly support John McCain for president, and wish him the best of luck in this campaign." Goodyear, chief executive of lobbying firm DCI Group, resigned a few hours after Newsweek posted a story posted online that the company was paid $348,000 in 2002 and 2003 to represent Myanmar's junta.

Read the Newsweek piece, by Michael Isikoff. Post your comments - and any updates - below.
[Thanks to Jaya Kamlani for the alert.]

PREZ HYPE: McCain staffers floating Jindal as VP

[See all SAJAforum posts, resources, sources about the 2008 presidential race]

Momentum grows for a John McCain-Bobby Jindal GOP ticket. Today, conservative New York Times columnist William Kristol considered how Republicans could lose this fall if Democrats are united, or if McCain picks a more conventional running mate, i.e., a white guy. From "McCain-Jindal?":

Maybe that’s why, in separate conversations last week, no fewer than four McCain staffers and advisers mentioned as a possible vice-presidential pick the 36-year-old Louisiana governor, Bobby Jindal. They’re tempted by the idea of picking someone so young, with real accomplishments and a strong reformist streak.

It might also be a way to confront the issue of McCain’s age (71), which private polls and focus groups suggest could be a real problem. A Jindal pick would implicitly acknowledge the questions and raise the ante. The message would be: “You want generational change? You can get it with McCain-Jindal — without risking a liberal and inexperienced Obama as commander in chief.” I would add that it was after McCain spent considerable time with Jindal in New Orleans recently, and reportedly found him, as he has before, personally engaging and intellectually impressive, that the campaign’s informal name-dropping of Jindal began.

Writing this morning in Ultrabrown, Manish Vij looks at the implications: "It’s a measure of Republican desperation that they see identity politics as a potential savior: young vs. young, brown vs. brown. The squawk boxes can’t be happy."

See our previous coverage of Bobby Jindal as a potential nominee, including a recent appearance on the Jay Leno show (video below); Rush Limbaugh's push for the ticket; other conservatives' similar push. Post your comments below.

PREZ RACE: Bobby Jindal to appear on Jay Leno's "Tonight Show"

[See SAJAforum resources on covering the 2008 presidential elections]

We have written previously about the buzz about the possibility perhaps/maybe/could be that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is being considered as a running mate for John McCain.

First, we wrote about In February that Rush Limbaugh floated the idea of Louisana governor Bobby Jindal being Senator McCain's running mate, calling him "the next Ronald Reagan." Then, we wrote in March that other conservatives were floating his name, including in a piece called "How McCCain can win the base," the opening sentence was, "This is a time for someone whom everybody knows to be the rising star of the GOP, the new governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal."

Now comes the most mainstream push for Jindal's name, from that all-powerful political entity, the PR department of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

Amidst the growing buzz about possibly being the Vice Presidential candidate on the Republican ticket, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal makes his first appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (Monday - Friday, 11:35 p.m.-12:37 a.m. ET on NBC).

Known to his constituents as simply Governor Bobby, Jindal is the Nation's youngest Governor at the age of 36 and in his first term in office the political pundits have already labeled him the future of the GOP and the next Ronald Regan.  Jindal is the first elected Indian American Governor in U.S. history.

Among politicians who have announced their candidacy on the "Tonight Show": Arnold Schwarzenegger, during his successful run for governor of California in 2003; and Fred Thompson, during his unsuccessful run for the Republican nomination for this year. [See also today's piece in the New York Times by Alessandra Staley about politicians showing up on various comedy and game shows: "...pop TV  is the antidote, a free platform to rub shoulders with viewers who only glancingly pay attention to the news."]

UPDATE: Here's coverage of the appearance (from the AP):

Gov. Bobby Jindal touted Louisiana's hurricane recovery efforts and tossed aside rumors he could be a possible running mate for Republican presidential contender John McCain during an appearance tonight on NBC's "Tonight Show."Host Jay Leno introduced Jindal, 36, as the youngest governor in the country and as a possible vice presidential contender.For his final question, Leno noted McCain's trip to Louisiana last week and asked whether Jindal was flattered to be mentioned as a potential running mate.Jindal replied, "It's flattering, but I like the job I've got now." He reiterated plans to run for re-election.Leno also asked the governor about his Indian heritage and Jindal discussed recent changes to the state's ethics laws, while Leno talked of Louisiana's corrupt reputation.

Here's the video:

The full NBC press release is below. Post your comments, please. [See previous SAJAforum coverage of Bobby Jindal]

TECH: Skewz.com - Online Media Literacy, or not?

Vipul Vyas has recently launched Skewz.com, a site that interprets the "color" of political online news content