Eric Byler - my official artist profile -alivenotdead.com

Jim Webb Introduces Barack Obama's 1st Speech as Democratic Nominee for President of the United States

This videocaptures a meaningful moment for Annabel and for me... witnessing the candidate we'd volunteered for in 2006 introduce the candidate we've volunteered for (in five states) in 2008. This video chronicles the moments leading up to Barack Obama's first speech as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States at the Nissan Pavilion in Manassas, VA.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2uxWKpj97M The spirit of inclusion, fairness, opportunity, and respect that inspired Real Virginians For Webb nearly two years ago is even more crucial in Virginia, and in America, today. We will soon unfurl the Real Virginians banner once again, this time, perhaps we will call ourselves Real Virginians for Obama. And perhaps in a few months time, the proper name will be Real Virginians for Obama/Webb, as Jim Webb is often mentioned as a possible Vice Presidential nominee.

For those who don't know the story, the name "Real Virginians For Webb" was coined by Annabel Park during the 2006 Senate campaign, after the incumbent Sentator George Allen (R) had pointed to an Asian American man during a stump speech and said, "Let's have a round of applause to welcome macaca to America... Welcome to America and the Real World of Virginia." As Annabel explains in this video, our aim was to remind Senator Allen that Real Virginians are not defined by what you look like, we are defined by values that we share.

PS: I had high hopes for Obama even as far back as 2006 when I returned to Virginia to volunteer for Jim Webb. In this video featuring Daniel Dae Kim of TV's "Lost," I cross fade to a famous photo of Jim Webb, his wife Hong-Le Webb, and Barack Obama taken during Webb's Senate campaign.

16 年多前 0 赞s 7 评论s 0 shares

Eric Byler

Macaca is like the N-word. It means "monkey." They say this in Tunisia instead of the N-word. George Allen, the man who said it, used to hang a noose over his office to commemorate the lynching of African Americans during the Jim Crow era, and he used to wear a Confederate pin (not that uncommon around here). Most damning is that, although he claims he made up the word macaca and had no idea what it meant, Allen's mother is FROM Tunisia where macaca is used instead of the N-word. Even if he HAD made up something, though, the point is that macaca was not the guy's name. Most Asian Americans can tell you from experience that when someone calls you something that is not your name to single you out as different and deserving of ridicule, he isn't doing you a favor. Doesn't matter if he made it up. Ching-chong-ping-pong is made up too, but it doesn't sound very nice.

16 年多 ago

Eric Byler

Well, he was UN-elected on Nov. 7, 2006 thanks in great part to Asian Americans voting for Jim Webb by a 3-1 margin (= Many political insiders, including Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean have said that Asian Americans decided the 2006 Virginia Senate race. This was the crown jewel in the Democratic party's remarkable running of the table, sweeping all six of the close races they needed to win to take over control of the U.S. Senate. So we can thank Asian Americans in Virginia for the progress we have made in spite of President Bush, and for the oversight we see happening during the past two years (oversight is the Constitutional duty of the U.S. Congress abdicated shamelessly by the Repulbican-controlled Congress that enabled the Bush administration from 2001 to 2007). The Attorney General scandal is just one of the Bush scandals that have come to light because we have a Democratic Senate. The cheaters of our democracy that are still in the White House would have gotten away with a lot more if Asian Americans hadn't stepped up in 2006.

16 年多 ago

Eric Byler

Annabel and I will soon be writing an AsianWeek column about why Jim Webb is the likely VP nominee. He was ranked number 2 in this column in the Washington Post today: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/06/veep_stakes_the_will_he_or_won.html

16 年多 ago

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Eric Byler, filmmaker, director of "Charlotte Sometimes," "9500 Liberty," "Tre," and "Americanese"

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语言: english
位置（城市，国家）以英文标示: New York City, United States
性别: male
加入的时间: August 27, 2007