New York Times profiles John Liu

08.23.06 - Posted by AsiansVote

The New York Times has profiled New York City Councilman John Liu. Here's the lead:

When four young Asian-American men were attacked in Queens this month in what the police called a racially motivated assault, the confrontation yielded a familiar response from the political playbook of City Councilman John C. Liu.

A day and a half after the attack, Mr. Liu appeared at a news conference in his Flushing district office with three of the victims. Their appearances gave many representatives of the English and foreign-language news media their first interviews with the young men, who had been attacked not in Mr. Liu’s district, but in the neighboring Douglaston district of Councilman Tony Avella.
...
Yet Mr. Liu’s tendency to stray across district lines to speak out on issues, particularly those affecting Asian-Americans, has also earned him sharp criticism from some of his colleagues. Some portray Mr. Liu’s aggressive marshaling of the news media as little more than grandstanding, and accuse him of not alerting them to news conferences in their own districts, much less inviting them to stand alongside him in front of the cameras.

The Times wants to raise questions about Liu's tactics. But I'm more interested in results. And as far as I can tell, almost every time Liu opens his mouth, he gets mainstream coverage for the fight for the equal rights of Asian Americans. Furthermore, it could be a net positive if Liu's raising the hackles of his fellow council persons -- maybe they'll be forced to compete by better serving their own Asian American constituents.

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08.23.06 | Candidates & Leaders , John Liu