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The stunning demise of prolific Democratic fund-raiser Norman Hsu is another tragic setback for Asian Pacific American engagement in electoral politics. On the one hand, this must be seen as an isolated incident. Hsu did not share his meteoric rise with the community. Indeed, he often boasted of private meetings with heavyweights like Senator Edward Kennedy, New York Governor Elliot Spitzer and Presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton.
It is also important to note — that whatever his faults in other unrelated criminal matters — that there have been no indications of any improper influence peddling. Indeed, it seems Hsu’s major reward was hanging out with the famous and the powerful.
On the other hand, troubling questions remain. He also developed a significant fund-raising network, mastering the system of “bundling” campaign contributions from multiple donors — many of whom were Asian.
No matter how you cut it, one more high-profile campaign scandal involving an Asian American cannot help but have a chilling effect both on campaign operations, but also on the growing involvement of Asian Pacific Americans in politics.
We must remember, though, that this is an isolated incident; and that our community is making progress. When a similar fund-raising scandal erupted a decade ago, the Democratic National Committee overreacted by screening all Asian-surnamed donors. That kind of racial profiling is not happening today...
