Progress and Next Step (fwd)
Chuan Wang (chuan@LSIL.COM)
Fri, 28 Jul 1995 10:50:28 -0700
Forwarded message:
> From sjzhang@leland.Stanford.EDU Fri Jul 28 10:47:29 1995
> Date: Fri, 28 Jul 1995 09:50:36 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Shuanglin John Zhang <sjzhang@leland.Stanford.EDU>
> To: acsss@lists.stanford.edu, chinatown@mendel.berkeley.edu, cssf@ucdavis..edu,
> scea@aimnet.com
> Subject: Progress and Next Step
> Message-Id: <Pine.SUN.3.91.950728094534.760B-100000@elaine49.Stanford.EDU>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
>
> From: Co-Chair of Committee On Immigration, Haipei Xue
>
> Hi, everyone. Based on the talks we have had in Washington with various
> immigration groups and Congressional Asian American Caucus, and the
> actual standing of the bill itself, I am proposing this
> explaination/schedule for the committee and our fellow CSS who have
> joined our campaign.
>
> A). We have achieved a lot in this first week. The pace, the intensity,
> and the momentum it created, will impress and surprise lot of people.
> Various American groups are very much encouraged to see us jumped in. And
> congressional offices and caucus have shown their interest to work with
> us and promote the legislative agneda we share. This is a great begining.
>
> B). We need to keep on working on spreading the word (or the Gospel)
> among the CSS community, and let more poeople know and join us,
> particularly the local CSSAs. We need to have all major schools on board,
> and we have to make sure EVERY state have our regional coordinator and
> CSSA. For when it comes to the final show-down, the little state has the
> same number of senators as the big state like California does. So we will
> have to work hard on the schools until we reach our goal. With a network
> of CSSAs set up, it will provide a powerful natioanal leadership and
> coordination for events such as immigration or any other issues that
> concern CSS community.
>
> C). The Congress will be in recess next week until after the Labor Day.
> This is not a time to work on the Congress in Wahington DC. The gravity
> of the battle now shift to each state and each district. Remember the
> American axiom: "politics is always local." All the CSSAs and other
> Chinese groups should now focus on:
>
> 1). coalition-building. Find out who are there in your state, city, or
> area that share the same agenda with us. For example, local chapter of
> Organization of Chinese America (OCA), local chapter of US-China People's
> Friendship Association. Contact them and make some friends, which will be
> very useful when you later on lobby local politicians or show your strength.
>
> 2). working on your campus. Schools are usually sympathetic to our cause.
> You should try to win support from the school for our position or
> encourage the school to come out with their own. This can be either the
> school's president, senate of the faculty, and student body. In many
> states, state university holds powerful position and influence in local
> politics. So work on your school. If you can do some survey or research
> on, say, the percentage of the Chinese students who graduated from your
> school and work in this country, who are in high tech, doing advanced
> research, teaching in university or college, or promoting trade between
> US and Asia, ect. Come up with some meat, and feed it to local media and
> politicians, for now they have some thing solid to show for others.
>
> 3). launch a public relations campaign. Sooner or later this battle
> will go by way of media. And much of the outcome of this fight will
> depend on the reaction from the media, just as in so many other issues.
> There are a number of ways you can influence (perfectly OK to "influence"
> others in a democracy) the media. You can write to the paper your
> opinions, give the story lines to local TV stations. The catch is to
> provide some interesting, or shall I say sexy, angles that will catch the
> issues and debate of the day. If well prepared, you should make
> appointment with the editorial board of your local newspaper, to
> influence the editorial writing of it. For your congressmen and senators
> pay attention to what the home town editorials say.
>
> 4). With all the preparation and ground work laid out, now is the time
> to go meet your representative or senators. August is the month they will
> come back and stay in their district or state mostly. Call their district
> office tosee whether the congressman or the senator have time to talk
> with you (I mean your group or better still the coalition). If this is
> not possible, find out the schedule for town hall meeting so you can go
> and press him/her on the spot and put him/her on the record. With a
> coalition, you should skillfully suggest your broad base and potential
> support your groups can give to the congressman/senator's future
> reelection. Ask your American firend who knows local politics how to best
> approach them in this critical summer. You can also try to get support
> and endorsement from your state senate or assembly. If you can find a way
> to your governer or liutenent governer (they may not be from the same
> party), and get their support, that will also be a big plus.
>
> D). When the Congress is in session again in September, we will then
> refocus most of our fire on the Capitol Hill. Eqiupped with all the
> ammunition, and well prepared and trained by the long and hot summer,
> reinforced with the coalition troops, we will lobby hard on every single
> congressman/woman on the Judiciary Committee in both House and Senate,
> and once the bill goes to the whole floor, we will reach every one, from
> every state and every district where you study and live. At the same time
> we will also start to lobby on the Administration. If bill remains as bad
> as before, if not worse, we will lobby the President to veto it.
>
> E). All this can not be well done and well coordinated with the spirit of
> volunteerism and sacrifice, though sacrifice we must. The campaign will
> have a better chance to get its goal by conducting a successful
> fundraising campaign. We need to have some fund. To join other national
> coaliton often requires membership fees. To put a political ad in New
> York Times or Washington Post, we need money. Not to mention the time and
> communications expenses those key volunteers have given from their own
> pocket. Money is the grease of politics, if it is put to good use. Let us
> have a good fund-raising campaign.
>
>