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The Armenian Weekly On-Line
80 Bigelow Avenue
Watertown MA 02472 USA
(617) 926-3974
[email protected]
http://www.a rmenianweekly.com
The Armenian Weekly; Volume 74, No. 36, September 13, 2008
Interviews from the Democratic and Republican National Conventions
1. Q&A with Michael Crowley
2. Q&A with Congressman Mario Diaz Balart
3. Q&A with Congressman Joe Wilson
4. Senator Coleman Chats with the Weekly
5. Karakashian Shares Impressions from RNC
6. Q&A with Aram Hamparian
7. Sarbanes: Obama has Innate Understanding of Community Struggle
8. Congressman Honda: It's OK to Cross Over
9. Congresswoman DeLauro: The Ethnic Vote is Critical
10. Q & A with Andrew Romanoff
11. Villaraigosa on the Ethnic Vote
>From Aug. 25-28, the Armenian Weekly provided daily coverage of the
Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Denver on a blog especially set up
for the Convention (http://dnc.hairenik.com). Weekly editor Khatchig
Mouradian and ANCA-Eastern Region executive director Karine Birazian were in
Denver and conducted several interviews with congressmen, mayors, and
commentators.
>From Aug. 31-Sept. 4, Mouradian and ANCA legislative affairs director Raffi
Karakashian were in Minneapolis-St. Paul to cover the Republican National
Covention (RNC). A blog was setup especially for the RNC, as well
(http://rnc.hairenik.com).
On these pages, we provide a selection of articles and photos that appeared
on the blogs.
***
1. Q&A with Michael Crowley
SAINT PAUL, Minn. (A.W.)-Michael Crowley is a senior editor of the journal
the New Republic (www.tnr.com). He also contributes to the Readers Digest,
GQ, and Slate. On July 23, 2007, the New Republic published an expose by
Crowley-titled "K Street Cashes in on the Armenian Genocide"-on U.S.
politicians hired by the Turkish government to lobby against the Armenian
Genocide resolution in Congress.
Weekly editor Khatchig Mouradian talked to him in Saint Paul on Sept. 1,
during the RNC.
K.M.-How has the RNC been affected by Hurricane Gustav?
M.C.-They have totally thrown the plans off and I think that there are ways
in which it's good for McCain and some in which it's bad. He is probably
very happy to have an excuse to tell Bush and Cheney, "We're very sorry but
it's just not going to work out tonight." I don't think the McCain campaign
was looking forward to their speeches being watched and talked about in the
media. I think they were very happy to have an excuse to tell them to stay
home.
The flip side is that they have very limited time to make their case. They
are the underdogs here and they need to reintroduce John McCain to the
public as a war hero, prisoner of war, a maverick in the Senate, and they
will still have time to do that. However, they may not have enough time to
attack Barack Obama, redefine him, knock him down a couple of pegs from his
big night on Thursday [Aug. 28]. The feeling, particularly with the
hurricane, is that they don't really want to take a nasty tone and I think
that is very problematic for them.
K.M.-What is the Republicans' plan to counter the speech Obama delivered in
Denver?
M.C.-I think their plan is Sarah Palin. All along they wanted to take
advantage of the fact that their Convention was taking place after the
Democratic Convention. They thought that with a big surprise choice like
Palin they could-and I think did successfully-divert the media attention
away from Obama's speech. The Palin pick put kind of a lid on the response
to Obama and his balance in the polls are not as large as people predicted,
so they may have had some success. But there's only so much you can do when
the Democrats had a full week and Obama gave a generally good speech.
K.M.-What prompted you to write that investigative piece on the Armenian
Genocide resolution last year?
M.C.- The denial of the Armenian Genocide defies the overwhelming historical
consensus that the genocide occurred. What first got me interested in the
story was an article I had seen, which said that Richard Gephardt had signed
up on this issue to represent Turkey and that they were paying him a lot of
money. It was the first time I found out there was so much money involved in
this issue. I was only vaguely aware of how high the stakes were for those
involved and how much money was being involved, and how they-prominent
politicians or former politicians-were making a lot of money advocating on
the issue [on behalf of Turkey/the Turkish government]. As I delved deeper,
it seemed like a very revealing case study on how Washington works and how a
deeply grave moral issues becomes yet another issue for lobbying and
deal-making. I was alarmed by how a serious moral question is reduced to
business as usual in Washington.
***
2. Q&A with Congressman Mario Diaz Balart
SAINT PAUL, Minn. (A.W.)-On Sept. 2, Mouradian spoke with Congressman Mario
Diaz Balart (R-Fla.) at the RNC about Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, Hurricane
Gustav, and his support for the Armenian Genocide resolution in Congress.
Here are some excerpts:
K.M.-What are your thoughts on the way the media is reacting to the
pregnancy of Governor Palin's daughter?
M.D.B.-If we worried about the media's reaction, we would all be depressed
and there would be no election. However, the American people are the ones
who make the decision. Unfortunately, the mainstream media-the left media-is
doing everything to criticize her. The New York Times, for example, has
taken what I would consider a sexist approach in criticizing her. The
American people will see through that, will see that she's qualified, that
she's a maverick, and that she's the right person for that position.
K.M.-How do you assess the impact of Hurricane Gustav on the Convention?
M.D.B.-Senator McCain has always put country before anything else. He flew
there again yesterday not for political purposes, not to get reelected, but
to help the situation after the storm. Now we have two days to get the
message out, and we can do it. We can tell the people why Senator McCain is
the right person at the right time to be president of the U.S.
K.M.-You have remained a supporter of the Armenian Genocide resolution
despite all pressures.
M.D.B.-You can't deny the truth. You can't deny reality. The reality is that
people were killed. And to try to hide that makes no sense. You can't hide
history.
***
3. Q&A with Congressman Joe Wilson
SAINT PAUL, Minn. (A.W.)-On Sept. 2, Mouradian talked to South Carolina
Congressman Joe Wilson about Sarah Palin. He also asked him about the threat
of Hurricane Hanna on his district. Here are some excerpts:
A.W.-Many commentators are questioning the experience of Governor Palin.
What are your thoughts?
J.W.-I have high regard for Governor Palin. I think it is very significant
that she was elected mayor and governor. She has been a reformist. She has
uncovered corruption within the Democratic and Republican Parties. She has a
significant record in a very large state, where she has been very popular
and successful. She has negotiated in a very firm fashion with oil companies
to promote energy independence. I believe she has the right background.
A.W.-Talk about the threat of Hurricane Hanna.
J.W.-I represent the second district of South Carolina and the last
hurricane to hit the district was in 1959. It's very infrequent that we have
hurricanes, but Hurricane Hanna is projected to possibly hit the region that
I represent. But our people are prepared. I served on the National Guard for
31 years and I know our National Guard is preparing to help with the
evacuation, to provide relief and recovery. We understand that this should
be a state issue, a county issue, and a municipal issue. We have got
excellent elected officials who know what to do and the people are prepared.
***
4. Senator Coleman Chats with the Weekly
ST. PAUL, Minn. (A.W.)-Mouradian and ANCA legislative affairs director Raffi
Karakashian caught up with Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman on the first day
of the RNC. Coleman spoke fondly with Mouradian about his trip to Yerevan
and his commitment to supporting Armenian-American concerns.
A member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Coleman was an
outspoken opponent to the State Department's efforts last year to appoint
Armenian Genocide denier Dick Hoagland as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia.
Coleman explained, "I am of the Jewish faith. I cannot imagine an ambassador
to Israel being effective without talking about the Holocaust. I am not sure
how we can continue to have ambassadors to Armenia who can be effective,
unless they give recognition to the genocide."
***
5. Karakashian Shares Impressions from RNC
ST. PAUL, Minn. (A.W.)-The Weekly talked to ANCA legislative affairs
director Raffi Karakashian, who was in St. Paul for the RNC.
A.W.-Talk about your impressions on the first day of the RNC.
R.K.-This is the first time that I have attended a political convention. The
level of excitement demonstrated by all delegates and guests is very
impressive. Nowhere does one find such passionate individuals who are
dedicated to their party and their candidates.
As part of a small group of Armenian-Americans who are here in the Twin
Cities, I feel that it is important to reach out to both political parties.
The Armenian-American presence at the RNC is necessary to ensure that our
issues are heard by both parties.
A.W.-Talk about our Republican friends in key races and how we can support
them.
R.K.-We had the opportunity to meet today with Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.)
who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is one of our most
dedicated Republican friends in the U.S. Senate. Given this year's political
climate, Senator Coleman is facing a tough reelection challenge from a
political newcomer. Our community must do everything to support friends such
as Senator Coleman to ensure victory in November.
Several other Republican supporters of our cause are in very tight races
this year-especially co-chair of the Armenian Caucus Rep. Joe Knollenberg
(R-Mich.) and Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.). Earlier this year, Rep. Knollenberg
led an effort, supported by Rep. Kirk, to zero-out all military aid to
Azerbaijan for its continued war rhetoric.
***
6. Q&A with Aram Hamparian
DENVER, Colo. (A.W.)-The Weekly talked to ANCA executive director Aram
Hamparian about the Obama/Biden ticket and the DNC Convention.
A.W.-Talk about the significance of the Obama/Biden ticket for
Armenian-Americans.
A.H.-The choice of Biden as running mate is a very favorable development for
Armenian-Americans. Joe Biden has a 30+ year track record of supporting
Armenian-American issues and has consistently been strong on Armenian
Genocide recognition. He is strong on U.S.-Armenian relations and an
advocate of a durable Karabagh settlement that respects the right to
self-determination.
He brings a powerful moral dimension to American foreign policy, which is,
at the same time, both realist and deeply anchored in our common values as
Americans. Most recently, a couple weeks ago, he was able to secure from the
Bush Administration-unfortunately a largely antagonistic administration-a
significant concession on the question of the Armenian Genocide, forcing the
administration to retreat from the question mark they had put over the facts
of the Armenian Genocide and making it very clear to all that U.S. policy is
one of recognition and that the only reason why the administration has
remained silent has been because of Turkey's threats. His hard-nosed
abilities as a political leader, combined with his commitment to idealism,
in this instance was able to effectively squeeze water from a stone.
I don't think we could have asked for two friendlier legislators to serve on
a national presidential ticket. If you read Barack Obama's remarks to the
Armenian community this January and you add to that the speech that Joe
Biden made at the Marie Yovanovitch confirmation hearing, you will see that
those two have a deep and profound understanding of genocide and a very
clear sense of the imperative of recognizing the Armenian Genocide. They
compares very favorably with the Republican ticket, led by John McCain, who
has made it very clear that he has no intention to recognize the Armenian
Genocide, and has made no secret of that fact.
A.W.-Talk about the role of ethnic groups in the Democratic Party.
A.H.-The Democratic Party has historically been very open to ethnic groups
and recent immigrants. The Armenian-Americans are, of course, represented
across the political spectrum-and we welcome this diversity and the strength
it represents-but I think that most observers would agree that the
Democratic Party makes a special effort to welcome Armenians and other
ethnic groups into the process. One of the ways they do that is through the
National Democratic Ethnic Coordinating Committee, which is a group of
European and Mediterranean organizations and leaders. Arabs, Poles,
Italians, Hungarians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Latvians, all of Europe and
the Mediterranean are represented in this group and they are both a voice to
the DNC and the DNC's voice to these various communities. We had a meeting
with this group today and we are going to have another meeting on Wednesday.
We are part of the fabric of this party, just as we are part of the broader
fabric of American life.
***
7. Sarbanes: Obama has Innate Understanding of Community Struggle
DENVER, Colo. (A.W.)-Mouradian talked to Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.),
a strong supporter of issues of concern to Armenian-Americans, on Aug. 27 at
the Convention Center in Denver. Here are some excerpts:
K.M.-How do you assess the importance of the ethnic vote in the November
election?
J.S.-I think it's going to be critical particularly in some key states. We
have to figure out which ethnic communities in which states will have a
sizeable role to play in the outcome. New Hampshire is an example: The
Greek-American community that I am very connected with has a large
representation in N.H., so depending on what direction that community goes
in N.H. could affect the outcome.
K.M.-What is your message to the Armenian, Greek, and other ethnic
communities?
J.S.-Well, I believe that Barack Obama has an innate understanding and sense
of what it means to struggle as any community. He understands the story of
many ethnic communities: All communities at some point in their history have
experienced obstacles that they have had to struggle to overcome. My sense
of Barack Obama as a person, as a human being, is that he relates very well
to the struggles that people face, and that implies to any communities we
are talking about, including the Armenian community, which has both
struggled and experienced severe tragedy in its history. I think that's
something he understands and it will make him relate very well not just to
the Armenian community, but to many other ethnic communities. That is why I
am hopeful that when it comes election day, those folks will step up and
support him.
***
8. Congressman Honda: It's OK to Cross Over
DENVER, Colo. (A.W.)-Congressman Michael Honda (D-Calif.), a
Japanese-American, is a vice chair of the DNC. On Aug. 27, Mouradian talked
to him about the importance of the ethnic vote and the possibility of
Republicans voting for Obama. Here are some excerpts:
K.M.-Talk about the importance of the Asian-American vote and ethnic vote in
general.
M.H.-If you take all the ethnic votes in this country, it's a big number. I
just look at the Asian-American votes and we're something like 3 percent of
the population of votes. And when you lose an election by a fraction of a
percentage point, we become important. All the ethnic votes become very
important. But ethnic communities need to let the people know that they
exist, that they are registered, and that their turnout is increasing. Since
1992, Asian-American Democrats were something like 31 percent and in 2006
they were over 70 percent. In 2008, we should reach somewhere around 75-80
percent turn-out and registration of Democrats among Asian-Americans.
K.M.-What is the probability of crossing over and voting for Obama in this
important group?
M.H.-When ethnics see that issues are correct for the family and their
children, they will cross over from the other party. We speak to all,
including Republicans, and ask them to think about the issues, think about
their children, and then vote, because if you do that you won't go wrong.
You'll end up voting Democratic, you'll end up voting for Obama. It's a
secret [anonymous] vote, if you are Republican. It's OK.
***
9. Congresswoman DeLauro: The Ethnic Vote is Critical
DENVER, Colo. (A.W.)-On Aug. 27, Mouradian spoke with Congresswoman Rosa
DeLauro (D-Conn.) at the Convention Center in Denver. Here are some
excerpts:
K.M.-What is your message to ethnic groups?
R.D.-Ethnic communities need to understand the importance of electing Barack
Obama and Joe Biden. Both Obama and Biden share the immigrant experience.
They understand it. They understand the values that are derived [from it].
Hard work and values are all part of what makes up the immigrant experience
and what our ethnic communities are about. We have two people who are
running for president and vice president who understand this, know what it
means, and want to work hard with these communities so they can achieve
economic success and they can achieve success for themselves and their
families and create the opportunity which is the American Dream.
K.M.-What is the importance of the ethnic vote in this election?
R.D.-The ethnic vote is going to be critical for a win. People are going to
be looking very hard and listening to Barack Obama and Joe Biden. They want
to know that their president has walked in their shoes, understands what
their lives are about.
This is a nation of immigrants and ethnic communities. They need to be
organized, they need to listen, and they need to ask questions. And they
need to vote. They need to come out and vote in what is their best interest.
***
10. Q & A with Andrew Romanoff
DENVER, Colo. (A.W.)-Mouradian talked to Colorado House Speaker Andrew
Romanoff (D-Denver) at "Exhibit Darfur," a photo exhibition dedicated to the
genocide in Darfur held in Denver on Aug. 25.
K.M.-How can ordinary Americans get involved in the Darfur issue?
A.R.-As a first step, people can log on to www.SudanDivestment.org, which is
a website that tells you which of your own holdings are invested in
companies doing business in Sudan. We could divest whatever holdings they
have. I have done that. The second step would be to call Members of Congress
and encourage them to pass more aggressive legislation aimed at the Sudanese
regime.
K.M.-You have championed Armenian Genocide resolutions in Colorado. How
important is the recognition of past genocides in preventing future ones?
A.R.-It's critical. It is said, "Those who ignore the lessons of the past
are condemned to repeat them." We still see denial, disinformation on the
Armenian Genocide. We see people who don't even want to call it what it was.
They are trying to erase a stain on their country's history, they are trying
to rewrite history, blot it out. That's a very dangerous Orwellian trend,
which is very useful to future perpetrators of atrocities.
***
11. Villaraigosa on the Ethnic Vote
DENVER, Colo. (A.W.)-On Aug. 27, Mouradian spoke with the mayor of Los
Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa.
K.M.-Talk about the ethnic vote in the presidential elections.
A.V.-When you think about what America is today, it has always been a place
of hope and opportunity-a destination for those who want freedom. Those
people come from every country in the world-the black, the white, the Asian,
and the Latino-and for all that this country has to offer. They're Greek,
Armenian, Italian, Lebanese, and Israeli. If we [Democrats] are going to
continue to move forward, we should not only be the party of the big tent
but the nation of the big tent that embraces all of us. Every community has
to be able to participate and we all have to be able to benefit.
80 Bigelow Avenue
Watertown MA 02472 USA
(617) 926-3974
[email protected]
http://www.a rmenianweekly.com
The Armenian Weekly; Volume 74, No. 36, September 13, 2008
Interviews from the Democratic and Republican National Conventions
1. Q&A with Michael Crowley
2. Q&A with Congressman Mario Diaz Balart
3. Q&A with Congressman Joe Wilson
4. Senator Coleman Chats with the Weekly
5. Karakashian Shares Impressions from RNC
6. Q&A with Aram Hamparian
7. Sarbanes: Obama has Innate Understanding of Community Struggle
8. Congressman Honda: It's OK to Cross Over
9. Congresswoman DeLauro: The Ethnic Vote is Critical
10. Q & A with Andrew Romanoff
11. Villaraigosa on the Ethnic Vote
>From Aug. 25-28, the Armenian Weekly provided daily coverage of the
Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Denver on a blog especially set up
for the Convention (http://dnc.hairenik.com). Weekly editor Khatchig
Mouradian and ANCA-Eastern Region executive director Karine Birazian were in
Denver and conducted several interviews with congressmen, mayors, and
commentators.
>From Aug. 31-Sept. 4, Mouradian and ANCA legislative affairs director Raffi
Karakashian were in Minneapolis-St. Paul to cover the Republican National
Covention (RNC). A blog was setup especially for the RNC, as well
(http://rnc.hairenik.com).
On these pages, we provide a selection of articles and photos that appeared
on the blogs.
***
1. Q&A with Michael Crowley
SAINT PAUL, Minn. (A.W.)-Michael Crowley is a senior editor of the journal
the New Republic (www.tnr.com). He also contributes to the Readers Digest,
GQ, and Slate. On July 23, 2007, the New Republic published an expose by
Crowley-titled "K Street Cashes in on the Armenian Genocide"-on U.S.
politicians hired by the Turkish government to lobby against the Armenian
Genocide resolution in Congress.
Weekly editor Khatchig Mouradian talked to him in Saint Paul on Sept. 1,
during the RNC.
K.M.-How has the RNC been affected by Hurricane Gustav?
M.C.-They have totally thrown the plans off and I think that there are ways
in which it's good for McCain and some in which it's bad. He is probably
very happy to have an excuse to tell Bush and Cheney, "We're very sorry but
it's just not going to work out tonight." I don't think the McCain campaign
was looking forward to their speeches being watched and talked about in the
media. I think they were very happy to have an excuse to tell them to stay
home.
The flip side is that they have very limited time to make their case. They
are the underdogs here and they need to reintroduce John McCain to the
public as a war hero, prisoner of war, a maverick in the Senate, and they
will still have time to do that. However, they may not have enough time to
attack Barack Obama, redefine him, knock him down a couple of pegs from his
big night on Thursday [Aug. 28]. The feeling, particularly with the
hurricane, is that they don't really want to take a nasty tone and I think
that is very problematic for them.
K.M.-What is the Republicans' plan to counter the speech Obama delivered in
Denver?
M.C.-I think their plan is Sarah Palin. All along they wanted to take
advantage of the fact that their Convention was taking place after the
Democratic Convention. They thought that with a big surprise choice like
Palin they could-and I think did successfully-divert the media attention
away from Obama's speech. The Palin pick put kind of a lid on the response
to Obama and his balance in the polls are not as large as people predicted,
so they may have had some success. But there's only so much you can do when
the Democrats had a full week and Obama gave a generally good speech.
K.M.-What prompted you to write that investigative piece on the Armenian
Genocide resolution last year?
M.C.- The denial of the Armenian Genocide defies the overwhelming historical
consensus that the genocide occurred. What first got me interested in the
story was an article I had seen, which said that Richard Gephardt had signed
up on this issue to represent Turkey and that they were paying him a lot of
money. It was the first time I found out there was so much money involved in
this issue. I was only vaguely aware of how high the stakes were for those
involved and how much money was being involved, and how they-prominent
politicians or former politicians-were making a lot of money advocating on
the issue [on behalf of Turkey/the Turkish government]. As I delved deeper,
it seemed like a very revealing case study on how Washington works and how a
deeply grave moral issues becomes yet another issue for lobbying and
deal-making. I was alarmed by how a serious moral question is reduced to
business as usual in Washington.
***
2. Q&A with Congressman Mario Diaz Balart
SAINT PAUL, Minn. (A.W.)-On Sept. 2, Mouradian spoke with Congressman Mario
Diaz Balart (R-Fla.) at the RNC about Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, Hurricane
Gustav, and his support for the Armenian Genocide resolution in Congress.
Here are some excerpts:
K.M.-What are your thoughts on the way the media is reacting to the
pregnancy of Governor Palin's daughter?
M.D.B.-If we worried about the media's reaction, we would all be depressed
and there would be no election. However, the American people are the ones
who make the decision. Unfortunately, the mainstream media-the left media-is
doing everything to criticize her. The New York Times, for example, has
taken what I would consider a sexist approach in criticizing her. The
American people will see through that, will see that she's qualified, that
she's a maverick, and that she's the right person for that position.
K.M.-How do you assess the impact of Hurricane Gustav on the Convention?
M.D.B.-Senator McCain has always put country before anything else. He flew
there again yesterday not for political purposes, not to get reelected, but
to help the situation after the storm. Now we have two days to get the
message out, and we can do it. We can tell the people why Senator McCain is
the right person at the right time to be president of the U.S.
K.M.-You have remained a supporter of the Armenian Genocide resolution
despite all pressures.
M.D.B.-You can't deny the truth. You can't deny reality. The reality is that
people were killed. And to try to hide that makes no sense. You can't hide
history.
***
3. Q&A with Congressman Joe Wilson
SAINT PAUL, Minn. (A.W.)-On Sept. 2, Mouradian talked to South Carolina
Congressman Joe Wilson about Sarah Palin. He also asked him about the threat
of Hurricane Hanna on his district. Here are some excerpts:
A.W.-Many commentators are questioning the experience of Governor Palin.
What are your thoughts?
J.W.-I have high regard for Governor Palin. I think it is very significant
that she was elected mayor and governor. She has been a reformist. She has
uncovered corruption within the Democratic and Republican Parties. She has a
significant record in a very large state, where she has been very popular
and successful. She has negotiated in a very firm fashion with oil companies
to promote energy independence. I believe she has the right background.
A.W.-Talk about the threat of Hurricane Hanna.
J.W.-I represent the second district of South Carolina and the last
hurricane to hit the district was in 1959. It's very infrequent that we have
hurricanes, but Hurricane Hanna is projected to possibly hit the region that
I represent. But our people are prepared. I served on the National Guard for
31 years and I know our National Guard is preparing to help with the
evacuation, to provide relief and recovery. We understand that this should
be a state issue, a county issue, and a municipal issue. We have got
excellent elected officials who know what to do and the people are prepared.
***
4. Senator Coleman Chats with the Weekly
ST. PAUL, Minn. (A.W.)-Mouradian and ANCA legislative affairs director Raffi
Karakashian caught up with Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman on the first day
of the RNC. Coleman spoke fondly with Mouradian about his trip to Yerevan
and his commitment to supporting Armenian-American concerns.
A member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Coleman was an
outspoken opponent to the State Department's efforts last year to appoint
Armenian Genocide denier Dick Hoagland as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia.
Coleman explained, "I am of the Jewish faith. I cannot imagine an ambassador
to Israel being effective without talking about the Holocaust. I am not sure
how we can continue to have ambassadors to Armenia who can be effective,
unless they give recognition to the genocide."
***
5. Karakashian Shares Impressions from RNC
ST. PAUL, Minn. (A.W.)-The Weekly talked to ANCA legislative affairs
director Raffi Karakashian, who was in St. Paul for the RNC.
A.W.-Talk about your impressions on the first day of the RNC.
R.K.-This is the first time that I have attended a political convention. The
level of excitement demonstrated by all delegates and guests is very
impressive. Nowhere does one find such passionate individuals who are
dedicated to their party and their candidates.
As part of a small group of Armenian-Americans who are here in the Twin
Cities, I feel that it is important to reach out to both political parties.
The Armenian-American presence at the RNC is necessary to ensure that our
issues are heard by both parties.
A.W.-Talk about our Republican friends in key races and how we can support
them.
R.K.-We had the opportunity to meet today with Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.)
who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is one of our most
dedicated Republican friends in the U.S. Senate. Given this year's political
climate, Senator Coleman is facing a tough reelection challenge from a
political newcomer. Our community must do everything to support friends such
as Senator Coleman to ensure victory in November.
Several other Republican supporters of our cause are in very tight races
this year-especially co-chair of the Armenian Caucus Rep. Joe Knollenberg
(R-Mich.) and Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.). Earlier this year, Rep. Knollenberg
led an effort, supported by Rep. Kirk, to zero-out all military aid to
Azerbaijan for its continued war rhetoric.
***
6. Q&A with Aram Hamparian
DENVER, Colo. (A.W.)-The Weekly talked to ANCA executive director Aram
Hamparian about the Obama/Biden ticket and the DNC Convention.
A.W.-Talk about the significance of the Obama/Biden ticket for
Armenian-Americans.
A.H.-The choice of Biden as running mate is a very favorable development for
Armenian-Americans. Joe Biden has a 30+ year track record of supporting
Armenian-American issues and has consistently been strong on Armenian
Genocide recognition. He is strong on U.S.-Armenian relations and an
advocate of a durable Karabagh settlement that respects the right to
self-determination.
He brings a powerful moral dimension to American foreign policy, which is,
at the same time, both realist and deeply anchored in our common values as
Americans. Most recently, a couple weeks ago, he was able to secure from the
Bush Administration-unfortunately a largely antagonistic administration-a
significant concession on the question of the Armenian Genocide, forcing the
administration to retreat from the question mark they had put over the facts
of the Armenian Genocide and making it very clear to all that U.S. policy is
one of recognition and that the only reason why the administration has
remained silent has been because of Turkey's threats. His hard-nosed
abilities as a political leader, combined with his commitment to idealism,
in this instance was able to effectively squeeze water from a stone.
I don't think we could have asked for two friendlier legislators to serve on
a national presidential ticket. If you read Barack Obama's remarks to the
Armenian community this January and you add to that the speech that Joe
Biden made at the Marie Yovanovitch confirmation hearing, you will see that
those two have a deep and profound understanding of genocide and a very
clear sense of the imperative of recognizing the Armenian Genocide. They
compares very favorably with the Republican ticket, led by John McCain, who
has made it very clear that he has no intention to recognize the Armenian
Genocide, and has made no secret of that fact.
A.W.-Talk about the role of ethnic groups in the Democratic Party.
A.H.-The Democratic Party has historically been very open to ethnic groups
and recent immigrants. The Armenian-Americans are, of course, represented
across the political spectrum-and we welcome this diversity and the strength
it represents-but I think that most observers would agree that the
Democratic Party makes a special effort to welcome Armenians and other
ethnic groups into the process. One of the ways they do that is through the
National Democratic Ethnic Coordinating Committee, which is a group of
European and Mediterranean organizations and leaders. Arabs, Poles,
Italians, Hungarians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Latvians, all of Europe and
the Mediterranean are represented in this group and they are both a voice to
the DNC and the DNC's voice to these various communities. We had a meeting
with this group today and we are going to have another meeting on Wednesday.
We are part of the fabric of this party, just as we are part of the broader
fabric of American life.
***
7. Sarbanes: Obama has Innate Understanding of Community Struggle
DENVER, Colo. (A.W.)-Mouradian talked to Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.),
a strong supporter of issues of concern to Armenian-Americans, on Aug. 27 at
the Convention Center in Denver. Here are some excerpts:
K.M.-How do you assess the importance of the ethnic vote in the November
election?
J.S.-I think it's going to be critical particularly in some key states. We
have to figure out which ethnic communities in which states will have a
sizeable role to play in the outcome. New Hampshire is an example: The
Greek-American community that I am very connected with has a large
representation in N.H., so depending on what direction that community goes
in N.H. could affect the outcome.
K.M.-What is your message to the Armenian, Greek, and other ethnic
communities?
J.S.-Well, I believe that Barack Obama has an innate understanding and sense
of what it means to struggle as any community. He understands the story of
many ethnic communities: All communities at some point in their history have
experienced obstacles that they have had to struggle to overcome. My sense
of Barack Obama as a person, as a human being, is that he relates very well
to the struggles that people face, and that implies to any communities we
are talking about, including the Armenian community, which has both
struggled and experienced severe tragedy in its history. I think that's
something he understands and it will make him relate very well not just to
the Armenian community, but to many other ethnic communities. That is why I
am hopeful that when it comes election day, those folks will step up and
support him.
***
8. Congressman Honda: It's OK to Cross Over
DENVER, Colo. (A.W.)-Congressman Michael Honda (D-Calif.), a
Japanese-American, is a vice chair of the DNC. On Aug. 27, Mouradian talked
to him about the importance of the ethnic vote and the possibility of
Republicans voting for Obama. Here are some excerpts:
K.M.-Talk about the importance of the Asian-American vote and ethnic vote in
general.
M.H.-If you take all the ethnic votes in this country, it's a big number. I
just look at the Asian-American votes and we're something like 3 percent of
the population of votes. And when you lose an election by a fraction of a
percentage point, we become important. All the ethnic votes become very
important. But ethnic communities need to let the people know that they
exist, that they are registered, and that their turnout is increasing. Since
1992, Asian-American Democrats were something like 31 percent and in 2006
they were over 70 percent. In 2008, we should reach somewhere around 75-80
percent turn-out and registration of Democrats among Asian-Americans.
K.M.-What is the probability of crossing over and voting for Obama in this
important group?
M.H.-When ethnics see that issues are correct for the family and their
children, they will cross over from the other party. We speak to all,
including Republicans, and ask them to think about the issues, think about
their children, and then vote, because if you do that you won't go wrong.
You'll end up voting Democratic, you'll end up voting for Obama. It's a
secret [anonymous] vote, if you are Republican. It's OK.
***
9. Congresswoman DeLauro: The Ethnic Vote is Critical
DENVER, Colo. (A.W.)-On Aug. 27, Mouradian spoke with Congresswoman Rosa
DeLauro (D-Conn.) at the Convention Center in Denver. Here are some
excerpts:
K.M.-What is your message to ethnic groups?
R.D.-Ethnic communities need to understand the importance of electing Barack
Obama and Joe Biden. Both Obama and Biden share the immigrant experience.
They understand it. They understand the values that are derived [from it].
Hard work and values are all part of what makes up the immigrant experience
and what our ethnic communities are about. We have two people who are
running for president and vice president who understand this, know what it
means, and want to work hard with these communities so they can achieve
economic success and they can achieve success for themselves and their
families and create the opportunity which is the American Dream.
K.M.-What is the importance of the ethnic vote in this election?
R.D.-The ethnic vote is going to be critical for a win. People are going to
be looking very hard and listening to Barack Obama and Joe Biden. They want
to know that their president has walked in their shoes, understands what
their lives are about.
This is a nation of immigrants and ethnic communities. They need to be
organized, they need to listen, and they need to ask questions. And they
need to vote. They need to come out and vote in what is their best interest.
***
10. Q & A with Andrew Romanoff
DENVER, Colo. (A.W.)-Mouradian talked to Colorado House Speaker Andrew
Romanoff (D-Denver) at "Exhibit Darfur," a photo exhibition dedicated to the
genocide in Darfur held in Denver on Aug. 25.
K.M.-How can ordinary Americans get involved in the Darfur issue?
A.R.-As a first step, people can log on to www.SudanDivestment.org, which is
a website that tells you which of your own holdings are invested in
companies doing business in Sudan. We could divest whatever holdings they
have. I have done that. The second step would be to call Members of Congress
and encourage them to pass more aggressive legislation aimed at the Sudanese
regime.
K.M.-You have championed Armenian Genocide resolutions in Colorado. How
important is the recognition of past genocides in preventing future ones?
A.R.-It's critical. It is said, "Those who ignore the lessons of the past
are condemned to repeat them." We still see denial, disinformation on the
Armenian Genocide. We see people who don't even want to call it what it was.
They are trying to erase a stain on their country's history, they are trying
to rewrite history, blot it out. That's a very dangerous Orwellian trend,
which is very useful to future perpetrators of atrocities.
***
11. Villaraigosa on the Ethnic Vote
DENVER, Colo. (A.W.)-On Aug. 27, Mouradian spoke with the mayor of Los
Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa.
K.M.-Talk about the ethnic vote in the presidential elections.
A.V.-When you think about what America is today, it has always been a place
of hope and opportunity-a destination for those who want freedom. Those
people come from every country in the world-the black, the white, the Asian,
and the Latino-and for all that this country has to offer. They're Greek,
Armenian, Italian, Lebanese, and Israeli. If we [Democrats] are going to
continue to move forward, we should not only be the party of the big tent
but the nation of the big tent that embraces all of us. Every community has
to be able to participate and we all have to be able to benefit.