GARDEN GROVE — Assemblyman Van Tran has been making a bit of hay out of Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez‘ claim in a Spanish language interview that the Vietnamese were trying to take her seat for Tran from the majority Latino population 47th Congressional District. While the Congresswoman has clarified her remarks to specify that she war referring to Republicans and Vietnamese supporters of Van Tran, as well as apologized for any offense taken from her remarks, Tran’s campaign continues to hammer on the issue.
Well, all’s fair in love, war, and politics. Van Tran should really know by now that what goes around, comes around.
It seems that everyone in the media, particularly the right-wing media, are focusing on one remark made by Sanchez in an interview, while ignoring the fact that, since his first campaign for City Council in Garden Grove, Van Tran has risen to power and influence in his central Orange County Assembly district on one theme, and one theme only:
“Only we [Vietnamese] can have sympathy and only us [Vietnamese] can understand our concerns. Only we [Vietnamese] will truly care, protect the true interests of the Vietnamese community in many all areas such as economic and social security that we have not long had a voice in the U.S. legislative process.”
Tran and his supporters repeat this theme on Vietnamese radio talk shows on an almost nightly basis. They repeat it in mailings to Vietnamese voters, Rarely do Van Tran’s supporters speak his name without mentioning this point. In a press release sent out on Feb 19, 2010 Tran said (in Vietnamese) translated:
After 35 years living in the United States, the Vietnamese community need to have an official voice in the United States Congress to protect the interests of the Vietnamese community in the United States, as well as promoting freedom, democracy and human rights in Vietnam with more concrete and effective actions.
“It is a common dream, only we [Vietnamese] can have sympathy and only us [Vietnamese] can understand our concerns.” Assemblyman Van said. “Only we [Vietnamese] will truly care, protect the true interests of the Vietnamese community in many all areas such as economic and social security that we have not long had a voice in the U.S. legislative process. “
This clip below is Van Tran’s official speech to the community, calling for people to support him. At around 1:35-1:54, Van says the same thing as in his press release above.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYuDpz8Whdc&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]Â
So if anyone is wondering who is the real race baiter, you do not really have far to look. Assemblyman Van Tran is an old pro when it comes to Race Baiting, Red Baiting, Fear Baiting, and Hate Baiting, etc.
Adapting from Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “The man doth protest too much, methinks.”