Published on August 27, 2004

NOTE: This was the first interview given by U.S. Presidential candidate John Kerry to any ethnic media. Therefore, AsianWeek, shared this piece and released editorial rights to all ethnic media to republish the article. It was published in over a dozen different ethnic media outlets at the time.

Interview with Senator John Kerry

At last month’s Democratic National Convention there were a record number of Asian American delegates at 211 people. Senator John Kerry has also added key Asian Americans into his inner circle of advisors including Congressmen Mike Honda and Robert Matsui, and Washington Governor Gary Locke. Still some community activists say Kerry has not done enough and are challenging him to speak out more on issues of concern to Asian America. During a visit to the San Francisco Bay Area, Kerry sat down on Friday for his first one-on-one interview with the Asian American press and talked to Asian Week editor-in-chief Samson Wong. The transcript of this interview follows:

AsianWeek: Last month, Senator, there was this group called New California Media. About thirty Asian American media outlets were concerned about the outreach being done by both your campaign and the Bush campaign, outreach into the Asian campaign. What kind of progress has your campaign made towards doing Asian American outreach. [The concerns] took place in light of your campaign spending $3 million in the Latino and African American community?

Senator John Kerry: We will be spending it. I know we have plans to do it. We have been working with [Congressman] Mike Honda and other leaders in the community to figure out when and where it’s best. I think the decision is made really to wait until everyone is back in school and when we get over that Republican convention. And then will be going down and taking care of this issue. I absolutely know with certainty that we will be advertising and we’ll be reaching out to the various media. No question about it.

AW: You talk about during your town hall meeting, was it a “housing trust,” I believe.

JK: A housing trust fund.

AW: Looking from a standpoint of the Asian American community. There are a lot of homeowners there. But it’s become much more of a challenge 2 especially here we are in the bay area with a median housing prices [of more than $500,000].

JK: Very tough prices.

AW: Can you go into a little detail as to what there might be Asian Americans?

JK: There are a number of different avenues for housing. There are some good existing programs in housing. The section 8 housing, the [section] 236, the different programs in HUD today, which this administration has not been particularly involved in supporting.

But more importantly, we’ve got to get additional revenue into some of the incentives that create low and moderate income housing and the government under the Bush Administration has kind of gotten out of the programs. It’s not doing the things we do. I use to be a chairman of housing. I’ve been a big believer in housing. I don’t think housing is simply housing. Housing is education policy. Housing is drug policy. Housing is community building. Because kids who don’t have regular locations to live are kids moving from school district to school district. It hurts the schools.

AW: We’re talking about homeownership?

JK: Yeah. Well, but it’s all linked, if you’re not building adequate low and affordable income housing, you get shortages. You have to get supply. The supply is tight. Prices are high. Particularly in a community where you have as many people as here looking for technology work, all kinds of work. So, that’s why you got to have the basics.

The other thing is obviously you are trying to keep interest rates low and affordable. That provides access to financing, which is key.

Pricing is a reflection of supply, supply and demand. And we don’t have enough supply of affordable housing.

AW: You touched on interest rates. That’s usually the purview of the Fed, isn’t it. What can you as president?

JK: Have a good fiscal policy. If you have a sound fiscal policy, you have can affect the outcome of the fed towards your monetary policy. Plus if you’re growing the economy, you create jobs. Things are going well you tend to do better in terms of relationships between a better policy of interest rates and so on [and] keep[ing] inflation down.

AW: Something that hit close to home for both of us. Just weeks before the Democratic national convention, there was a Vietnamese American who was killed in Boston presumably … as a result of a hate crime. And then not too long ago, [in San Francisco], just maybe a mile [from] here, there were five [Asian American] teenagers who were assaulted by a gang of youth.

JK: I saw that.

AW: And the sentencing was just pushed off this week. [The assaults occurred] in a neighborhood that’s over fifty percent Asian. That’s really, really too close [to home]. I live in the neighborhood. What can you as president do to prevent these [hate crimes].

JK: Pass hate crimes legislation, number one. Number two, hire an attorney general who is viewed as non-political and enforcing the law strictly according to the constitution. Guarantee we have enough cops on the streets to help maintain order. They’re cutting the cops on the street. …. I led the fight to put a hundred thousand police officers. They’re now cutting those police officers. And have a president be a president who speaks to America’s best instincts. Doesn’t try to divide people on racial lines, doesn’t attack affirmative action, doesn’t try to rile up people’s emotions. But appeals to the diversity that makes America who we are. And I intend to do that.

AW: In regards to your administration. Since, Ronald Reagan’s presidency, the number of Asian American appointments in the White House has been steadily going up. President Clinton made the breakthrough of appointing Norman Mineta as a cabinet secretary. Of course, on the other side, there was Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki, an Asian American. And then…

JK: They didn’t treat [Shinseki] him very well.

AW: No. And his [congressional] warnings are still haunting us.

JK: I find that disgraceful. I think they dishonored General Shinseki in a disgraceful way. His advice was correct. His advice was honest. No professional military officer should be shunted aside because they give their honest opinion in a [partisan]. I believe this administration behaved disgracefully towards General Shinseki.

AW: Was this just General Shinseki, or how about the other military generals?

JK: Others. I think they chilled. There are a lot of active duty military people who feel certainly upset by the way in which the administration has treated their professional advice.

Kerry Staffer: We have time for one more question.

AW: Along those lines. This current administration has appointed quite a few Asian Americans to the White House. And I believe There have been 20, 23 Senate-confirmed presidential appointees. What can you say about your administration.

JK: It will be the best in history.

AW: As far as the number of Asian Americans in your opinion.

JK: In terms of all of its diversity, including Asian Americans, absolutely. I am determined and I have always had that diversity in all my staffs as a senator, as a lieutenant governor, as a prosecutor. I’ve always had a policy of proactive outreach for diversity. I think my campaign right now is the most diverse presidential campaign in history, without any question.

AW: Just one final [question]. On a personal side, I believe that, I don’t know which side of your family. There is one of the families adopted an Asian American?

JK: Yes, my sister.

AW: Can you tell me about her?

JK: My sister adopted a young Chinese girl when she was three years old. And she’s now, gosh, almost seven. And [she’s] a delightful, delightful niece. And she was there at the convention, right on stage with me and everybody. And she’s very quiet.

AW: Was she a child from overseas, or here?

JK: Yes. My sister went to Guangzhou in China She spent three weeks and brought her back from China.

AW: Just my experience, just watching. A lot of girls being adopted over there.

JK: Well, that’s because you know what China does with girls and boys. And it’s a shame that they put a premium on boys. And so that happens.

AW: Thank you for your time.

JK: My pleasure. Thank you. And she [his niece] has a good home and a good life. And that’s what’s important.