Barack Obama Bangalore Fan Club
Barack Obama Bangalore Fan Club
Date: Tuesday, November 04, 2008 3:23 AM
<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 1934 -- 11/04/2008 >>>>>
Barack Obama has a growing fan base in India. They are very excited that Obama
promised to make India his "top priority". One of the groups of admirers calls
themselves the "Barack Obama Bangalore Fan Club". They are a small group of
activists who raised money for Obama's campaign, made phone calls, and sent
emails to people in the U.S. urging them to vote for Obama.
They even staged rallies in Bangalore to show their support.
So why the enthusiasm for Obama?
One of the reasons they adore Obama so much is that he wants to raise the H-1B
cap. In a recent interview with the Indo-Asian News Service Obama made two
things very clear -- he wants to give amnesty to illegal aliens and he feels
that we need to import more foreign workers.
I will also increase the number of people we allow in the
country legally to a level that unites families and meets
the demand for jobs employers cannot fill.
That quote might sound like something Bush has said many times, but according
to that news service it was straight out of the mouth of Barack Obama!
Bush, McCain, and Congress tried and failed to pass a Comprehensive
Immigration Reform bill to give amnesty to illegal aliens and to hand out more
H-1B visas. The failure of that bill, and the political cost that came with it
doesn't seem to deter Obama who seems ready to push for something
similar:
I support comprehensive immigration reform that includes
improving our visa programmes, including the H-1B programme,
to attract some of the world's most talented people to
America.
The Bangalore Fan Club is not alone among Indians that are hoping Obama wins
the election. In the town of Tirupur in Tamil Nadu the knitwear union workers
chant "Om Obama". Just FYI: "Om" is a Hindu word for veneration.
Still another group in India planned to present a statue of the revered Indian
monkey God to Barack Obama. I wasn't able to find out if Obama ever accepted
the monkey God.
http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14783168
India will be my 'top priority', says Obama
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/ET_Cetera/Campaign_outsourcing_Bangalore_techies_root_for_Obama/articleshow/msid-3669298,curpg
-2.cms
Campaign outsourcing: Bangalore techies root for Obama
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/ET_Cetera/Entire_town_in_south_India_praying_for_Obama_win/articleshow/3671963.cms
Entire town in south India praying for Obama win
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7468662.stm
India monkey god idol for Obama
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14783168
US Presidential Election 2008 IANS
India will be my 'top priority', says Obama
Thursday, 23 October , 2008, 12:55
Chicago: A stronger relationship with India and a close strategic partnership
will be a "top priority" of a Barack Obama administration, says the Democratic
presidential candidate.
"The US should be working with India on a range of critical issues from
preventing terrorism to promoting peace and stability in Asia," Senator Obama
said in an exclusive interview with IANS, the first with a South Asian
journalist after his nomination for the presidency by the Democratic party.
Obama leads McCain 50-44 percent
"Joe Biden and I will make building a stronger relationship, including a close
strategic partnership, with India a top priority."
On his agenda for working with New Delhi, he said: "I also believe India is a
natural strategic partner for America in the 21st century and that the US
should be working with India on a range of critical issues from preventing
terrorism to promoting peace and stability in Asia."
In the interview, Obama elaborated on a wide range of issues, from
comprehensive immigration reforms and making globalisation and trade work for
American workers, to seeking the active participation of the Indian-American
community in the process of change that he has advocated.
He said he would support "comprehensive immigration reform", including the H-
1B visa programme "to attract some of the world most talented people to
America".
Obama explained that he wanted to end abuses of the H1-B visas that is used by
highly qualified specialists to work in US. He added that he would make
"immigrant workers less dependent on their employers for their right to stay
in the country, and would hold accountable employers who abuse the system and
their workers".
The Obama administration, he said, would seek to strengthen ties with the
"vibrant" Indian American community and encourage their "active engagement...
in making the change we seek".
He asserted the Democratic nomination was running on the manifesto of
"inclusiveness, optimism and hope" that would translate into a "progressive
presidency".
On the contentious election topics of outsourcing and globalisation, he
said: "We know that we cannot and should not put up walls around our economy."
US Presidential Election 2008
Acknowledging that global competition "is a fact that cannot be reversed",
Obama said, "But we must find a way to make globalisation and trade work for
American workers."
Obama has deep roots in Chicago, having started his career as a community
organiser in the city. From his days as an Illinois senator, he has had strong
links with the city's growing Indian American community. He has worked
regularly on issues ranging from reforms in immigration and campaign finance,
to health care and education, with Illinois' premier Indian political
networking group, the Indo-American Democratic Organization.
Excerpts from the interview:
Immigrants have, over the years, made a critical contribution to the US.
But now the US stands to lose its leadership in the sciences, in part because
of restrictive immigration policies. Do you plan to reform immigration laws so
that the US is once again a magnet for talent from around the world?
Obama: I have played a leading role in crafting comprehensive immigration
reform and believe that our broken immigration system can only be fixed by
putting politics aside and offering a solution that strengthens our security
while reaffirming our heritage as a nation of immigrants. I believe we must
secure our borders, fix our broken immigration bureaucracy, and require the 12
million undocumented to get on a responsible path to citizenship. They must
pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for citizenship. I
will also increase the number of people we allow in the country legally to a
level that unites families and meets the demand for jobs employers cannot
fill.
Many economists have asserted that in an increasingly globalised world, it is
counter productive to restrict the flow of capital, labour and increasingly
jobs. Do you plan to restrict outsourcing, or would you prefer that American
companies respond to this threat by moving up the value chain instead?
Obama: Revolutions in communications and technology have sent jobs wherever
there's an internet connection, and have forced workers in Chicago and Boston
to compete for those jobs with workers in Bangalore and Beijing. We live in a
more competitive world, and that is a fact that cannot be reversed. We know
that we cannot and should not put up walls around our economy. But we must
find a way to make globalisation and trade work for American workers.
Internet plays key role in US polls
The American worker needs to be supported and given the tools needed to
compete in the global economy. So I would pursue common-sense measures such as
offering tax incentives to companies that create jobs in the US, undertaking
policies, such as supporting growth sectors like renewable energy and building
up our infrastructure, that will lead to creation of well-paying jobs, and,
most importantly, investing in education and job re-training programmes. The
US has faced fundamental economic challenges before and it has met them by
expanding opportunity outward, growing our middle class, and investing in the
education and well-being of our workers.
Are you worried about the fragile polity in Pakistan coupled with the looming
presence of terror networks? Would you continue to consider Pakistan as a
trusted ally?
Obama: I want to build a broad-based and lasting relationship with the people
of Pakistan - not just temporary alliances with their government.
While the US and Pakistan must continue to work together to combat terrorism
that has claimed innocent lives in both countries and to destroy the terrorist
sanctuaries along the Afghan-Pakistani border, I will make helping Pakistan
tackle critical challenges like illiteracy, poverty, and lack of health care a
key priority, including by increasing aid in these areas. I will stand up for
democratic institutions, civil society and judicial independence in Pakistan.
I cosponsored legislation with Senator Lugar to triple non-military assistance
to Pakistan and sustain it for the next decade.
What are your views on the demand made by several US companies, including
Microsoft, that the US needs to increase the number of work visas (H1B) to
protect its technological leadership?
Obama: I support comprehensive immigration reform that includes improving our
visa programmes, including the H-1B programme, to attract some of the world's
most talented people to America. I would like to see immigrant workers less
dependent on their employers for their right to stay in the country, and would
hold accountable employers who abuse the system and their workers.
From an outsider's perspective, questions such as whether America is "ready
for a black President" sounds almost medieval. Why do you think a democracy
that is 232 years old is still grappling with such issues?
Obama: Just 50 years ago, nine brave African American schoolchildren sought to
realise the promise of Brown v. Board of Education by walking past an angry
mob and into the doors of Central High School in Little Rock , Arkansas. The
event marked a great moment in America's long march toward equality and
freedom. The federal government put itself firmly on the side of justice and
equal opportunity for all. And this was only the beginning.
That same month, the Civil Rights Act of 1957 was signed into law, and the
Department of Justice Civil Rights Division was created shortly thereafter.
In the years that followed, another Civil Rights Act and a Voting Rights Act
were passed. These laws, and the institutional practices they created, helped
transform our nation into one that is more just, more equal, and more free.
Obama will be an exceptional president: Powell
While we have made significant progress over the last five decades, there is
no question that we have more work to do. Joe Biden and I will build upon our
nation's commitment to equal justice and opportunity for all. We will restore
professionalism to the Civil Rights Division and reinvigorate federal civil
rights enforcement and reform our criminal justice system so that it works for
all, regardless of race, wealth, or other circumstances.
We are running on inclusiveness, optimism and hope, and that will translate
into a progressive presidency on issues of diversity and inclusion.
You have voted for the Indo-US nuclear deal. Would you consider India a
strategic partner with the US in its efforts to promote stability in the Asian
region?
Obama: I am an advocate of strengthening US relations with India, the world's
largest democracy and a growing economic power. I voted for the India civilian
nuclear cooperation deal in 2006 and have since worked to ensure that the
agreement is implemented properly so that Indians benefit from expanded energy
sources and that nuclear proliferation concerns are addressed. I also believe
that India is a natural strategic partner for America in the 21st century and
that the US should be working with India on a range of critical issues from
preventing terrorism to promoting peace and stability in Asia. Joe Biden and I
will make building a stronger relationship, including a close strategic
partnership, with India a top priority.
Indian Americans, like many others, look upon you as an agent of change.
What would you like to say to them?
Obama: As a community organiser, civil rights lawyer, and elected official, I
have spent my career working on issues of importance to Indian Americans.
I am proud to have worked side-by-side with Indian Americans on a variety of
issues, including immigration, civil rights, foreign policy, and education,
and Joe Biden and I look forward to strengthening our relationships with
Indian Americans during my administration. We will reach out to encourage the
active engagement of the vibrant Indian American community in making the
change we seek.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/ET_Cetera/Campaign_outsourcing_Bangalore_techies_root_for_Obama/articleshow/msid-3669298,curpg
-2.cms
Campaign outsourcing: Bangalore techies root for Obama
3 Nov, 2008, 1740 hrs IST, IANS
BANGALORE: Democrat Barack Obama may not be enthusiastic about outsourcing
work to India's Silicon Valley but that has not deterred a group of techies
here from drumming up support for him in Tuesday's US elections.
The Barack Obama Bangalore Fan Club has not only been calling up, SMSing and
emailing friends and relatives in the US to vote for him, it has also raised
Rs 200,000 (about $4,100) from fellow Bangaloreans as contribution to his
election fund!
Since August the Club has taken out 15 rallies, mostly on Saturdays and
Sundays, carrying placards and distributing pamphlets to curious passers-by on
why the US as well as India need Obama in the White House.
"Our road rallies were a huge hit among the public. Along with carrying
placards and distributing pamphlets, our members also gave brief speeches to
the audience who were eager to know more about Obama and his policies and how
his win will benefit India," said Club president Balaji S. Venkat.
"In our rallies we did not ask for funds from public. But money poured in from
several quarters voluntarily. Some have donated a few hundred (rupees), others
donated as much as a few thousands," Venkat told IANS.
The Club is in touch with the Democratic party to pass on the contribution.
"We are also in touch with our relatives in the US and urging them to vote for
Obama."
What made the Club members back Obama and campaign on his behalf though the
two are over 9,000 km apart?
"Obama is for change and so are we," Venkat replied.
"We believe in Obama and his policies. He is a dynamic and energetic leader
and we are hopeful that his policies will have a positive impact in helping
the world and India to tide over the current economic meltdown.
"The very idea of the campaign is to make the Bangaloreans realise that if
Obama becomes the next president of the US, it will do good for the world.
We want all denizens of the city to ask their friends and relatives out in the
US to vote for Obama," added the software professional who works with a city-
based IT company, Strategic Offshore Consulting Services Global.
The Club has only seven core members. But it has several volunteers, mostly IT
engineers and management consultants, Venkat said.
Another member of the Club said: "We believe Obama will bring world peace and
control the current financial crisis.
"Obama is clear about all the contentious election topics, including
outsourcing and globalization. He has stated in his campaign that he would not
put up walls around the US economy and follow a free trade policy."
In an interview to IANS last week, Obama said he would give "top priority"
to build close strategic partnership with India under his presidency.
"His policies towards India are quite pragmatic and this will help in building
close strategic partnership between the two nations. We are hopeful that if he
gets elected, his tenure will give more rights to the Indian American
community," said Venkat.
It seems several Bangaloreans have taken the Club's appeal seriously and have
tried to convince their US-based friends and relatives to vote for Obama.
"After coming to know about Obama's policies through the Club I have asked my
elder brother to vote for Obama and he has promised to do so," said Shruti
Rakesh, an engineering student in the city.
Ranjan Sen, a software professional, said that he was influenced by the Club's
initiative and had asked three of his friends settled in Florida to support
Obama.
The Indian American community will play a major role in the US elections.
The US is home to a 2.7 million strong Indian diaspora and 80,000 Indian
students.
"We have seen what the Republicans did to the world during the Bush rule.
Not only we saw the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but the economic
condition of the world has witnessed a downward curve because of bad policies
of Bush's regime," said D. Jeevan Kumar, a professor of political science at
Bangalore University.
"Thus it will be a smart decision for the Indian American community to vote
for Obama," he said.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/ET_Cetera/Entire_town_in_south_India_praying_for_Obama_win/articleshow/3671963.cms
Entire town in south India praying for Obama win
4 Nov, 2008, 1220 hrs IST, IANS
TIRPUR: If politics makes strange bedfellows, economics can make even
stranger. Even as Barack Obama and John McCain slug it out in the US president
ial election, the people of an entire town in southern India are desperately
praying for an Obama win.
The economy of the knitwear garment exporting town of Tirupur in Tamil Nadu,
almost 400 km from state capital Chennai, is driven almost entirely by exports
to more than 35 countries around the world. But, as is to be expected, the
exporters' biggest market is the US.
The slowdown in the US and European markets since the early part of this year,
a fluctuating rupee vis-a-vis the dollar and several local problems saw the
town's exports in fiscal 2007-08 dip for the first time since the early 1980s.
Export revenues of the town came down to Rs.99.5 bn ($2 bn) in 2007-08 from
Rs.110 bn in the previous year. Now with the global financial meltdown drying
up US and European orders further, the chances of growth this year too have
disappeared, exporters say.
"We expected growth this year but going by current trends that will not happen
as new orders are not coming in," A. Sakthivel, president of the Tirupur
Exporters Association (TEA), told IANS, adding: "We will probably close this
year with 10 percent negative growth over last year."
"If the present trend continues then Tirupur knitwear units may have to lay
off some 10,000 workers," he warned. But Tirupur's exporters, ancillaries and
workers believe an Obama win will change all that.
"There is a general perception here that a Democrat-led US government is
better for Indian business," Azhill M.S. Mani, president of the Tirupur
Industrial Federation, told IANS.
"Obama is certainly a better bet if we go by his pre-election speeches and
announcements," echoed S.K. Vivekananda, managing director of knitwear
exporter Shakthi Knitting Ltd.
Thus, the 7,000-odd knitwear and ancillary units of the town employing some
600,000 people are chanting Om Obama after Om Labhum, said a local wag. As
Labhum is the local word for profit and Om is a Hindu word for veneration,
most units in Tirupur have Om Labhum written on their sign boards.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7468662.stm
India monkey god idol for Obama
A group of Indians are planning to present a statue of the revered Indian
monkey God, Hanuman, to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
The group decided to order the idol after they read a magazine report
saying that Mr Obama carried a good luck 'monkey king' charm.
They say that a Barack Obama victory would be good for India.
Hindus revere monkeys which they believe are descendents of the monkey God
Hanuman.
The two-foot tall, 15kg gold-polished, brass idol has been made as a
present for Mr Obama because "he will be good for India if he becomes the
next president," according to Brij Mohan Bhama, leader of the group.
Mr Bhama belongs to the ruling Congress party and also runs a textile mill
in the western city of Mumbai.
'Monkey charm'
"We have heard that he carries a small monkey charm in his pocket. So he is
a devotee of Hanuman. That's why we want to present him with this idol," he
said.
Mr Bhama and his friends have also invited Carolyn Sauvage-Mar, chairwoman
of the group, Democrats Abroad-India, to a meeting they are holding on
Tuesday to pray for Mr Obama's success.
The Delhi-based group registers voters, sponsors events and occasionally
hosts Democratic Party leaders visiting India.
Obama stands for change. We are hoping that he will bring about change so
that oil and food prices come down
Brij Mohan Bhama
Mr Bhama is hoping that Ms Sauvage-Mar will pick up the idol and arrange it
to be delivered to Mr Obama.
"They have invited me for the prayer. I am happy to go to bring best wishes
to Obama," she said.
She said she would talk with the organisers and find out whether she would
be able to help in shipping the idol to Mr Obama.
Ms Sauvage-Mar said the people organising the prayer meeting for the
presidential candidate had possibly read a Time magazine article which
mentioned that Mr Obama carried a "monkey king good luck charm".
"Senator Obama has a good luck charm. We don't know whether it is of
Hanuman. But the people here think it is Hanuman," she said.
Mr Bhama says he is an ardent supporter of Mr Obama - even his email
identification is bhamaforobama.
"Obama stands for change. We are hoping that he will bring about change so
that oil and food prices come down," he said.
"India will progress if he comes to power."
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