Hero of the Day: Asian American filmmaker Eric Byler slams Allen, fights for Webb

We proudly announce that Asian American filmmaker Eric Byler has earned AsiansVote.com's very first Hero of the Day award. (No actual physical prize is involved, but O! The glory!)

Byler spent part of his childhood up in Virginia -- now he's headed back home to spend two weeks working for Democrat Jim Webb in his campaign against Republican Senator George "Macaca" Allen. From an article at Imdiversity.com, here's Byler's argument for volunteering for the Webb campaign:

... if the Asian-Pacific American community in Virginia is silent and not heard, and if an openly racist Senator is reelected to lead this state, what would it signify to the nation about Virginia, the APA community, and American politics?

I personally am spending my two weeks in Virginia volunteering for Democratic challenger Jim Webb -- and not just because of the slur incident. Sadly, Sen. Allen’s public service has been as shameful as his personal conduct. He has been a rubber stamp for the Bush administration, voting with the administration 95% of the time, including on such unpopular policies as (1) supporting the invasion of Iraq without a plan for victory, and failing to fully equip, support, and protect our troops; (2) failing to fully fund our education system; (3) voting for tax breaks for the super-wealthy, while allowing middle class tax cuts to expire; (4) voting for $44 billion in tax breaks for oil/energy companies and voting to protect the war-profiteering industry, while letting Virginia’s college tuition tax credit expire.

In contrast to Sen. Allen who has entirely ignored the APA population in this state, Jim Webb is married to a Vietnamese-American woman, speaks Vietnamese fluently, and has strong ties to the Asian-American community. One of the most decorated veterans of the Vietnam War, Jim Webb is a former Secretary of the Navy, a prize-winning journalist, and best-selling author. He was an early and vocal critic of the decision to create war in Iraq. In late 2002, he wrote an op-ed piece that outlined the likely consequences of a hasty and unnecessary invasion. Tragically, history has vindicated this view.

Webb may not have the answers to all questions and quandaries at present, but I do think that he is a leader who will help us find a way out of our current military quagmire. He is also a problem solver with good positions on education, healthcare and the national debt, and he possesses foresight, decency and wisdom. He stands for a modern, inclusive vision of America – not “macaca America”.

That’s the real Virginia and the real America that I think is worth fighting for.

We can't all make it to Virginia to work at Byler's side. But each of us can make a huge difference by throwing even a few dollars towards Allen's opponent, Jim Webb -- or by supporting the embattled progressive in our own local communities.

Click here for the Jim Webb website.

Thanks to Angry Asian Man for the linkage.