The Grim Future of Chinese Politicians in the US. By Johnson Choi, MBA, International Business Consultant since 1985
美國華裔政治人物的黯淡前景. 作者：蔡永強，工商管理碩士，國際財經顧問（1985年至今）
自列根總統時代起，我便一直參與美國聯邦、州及市級政治活動。我曾深度參與協助選出夏威夷州歷史上第一位共和黨州長——而且至今也是唯一一位連任兩屆的共和黨州長。
在華人人口高度集中的地區，華裔政治人物確實有機會贏得地方選舉。也有少數華裔成功當選美國各州的州眾議員。然而，政治道路走到這一步，基本上也就差不多到了盡頭。
即使有少數華裔成功當選聯邦公職，真正擁有實質影響力的仍然非常有限。一名政治人物是否能夠發揮作用，很大程度取決於其資歷，以及其所屬政黨當時是否掌權。只有資歷深厚的議員，才有機會被安排進入眾議院籌款委員會（Ways and Means Committee）等真正有權力的委員會，而這些委員會掌握著政府資金與財政政策的重要權力。別忘了——在美國，只有聯邦政府有權發行貨幣。
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假設一位華裔政治人物能夠一次又一次成功連任聯邦公職，他很可能需要大約30年的時間，才能累積足夠的資歷，有機會進入任何真正掌握財政權力的重要委員會。
但在你走到那一步之前，首先還必須得到那些為政治競選提供資金的「金主」支持。你必須在電視上看起來像明星，說話像一個很會推銷自己的二手車銷售員，懂得抱嬰兒、親嬰兒，在災難發生時還要像荷里活演員一樣表現出十足的激情與感情。
即使這些你全部都做得到，成功的機會仍然相當渺茫。
美國華人與夏威夷的日裔美國人很不一樣。夏威夷日裔選民長期以來往往能形成相當一致的投票力量，大量選票會集中投向擁有日裔姓氏的候選人以及民主黨。美國華人則沒有形成這種程度的統一選票集團。
因此，在參與美國政治接近50年之後，我的建議是：如果你有真正的好朋友，就告訴他們，不要把時間浪費在美國這種由金錢主導、表面上稱為民主的政治制度之中。
但如果你有一些非常討厭的人——或者一些非常腐敗的人——那麼倒可以鼓勵他們去參與美國政治。
最後還有一點：在三藩市以及檀香山威基基一帶，公開的同性戀身份，在某些選區實際上還可能為候選人帶來相當多的選票！
I’ve been involved in Federal, State, and City politics since the Reagan era. I was heavily involved in electing the first Republican Governor in Hawaii State history—and the only one to serve two terms.
Chinese politicians can win local elections in areas with heavy Chinese concentrations. A few have been elected to US State Houses of Representatives. But the road practically ends there.
Few Chinese who get elected at the Federal level have any real influence. Effectiveness depends on seniority and which political party is in power. Only senior members get placed on powerful Ways and Means Committees, which control the money flow. Keep in mind—only the Federal Government can print money.
Assuming a Chinese politician keeps winning Federal elections, it would probably take him 30 years to reach the seniority needed for appointment to any powerful money committee.
Before you even get there, you must be backed by the money gods who fund your political campaign. You need to look like a star on TV, talk like a used car salesman, kiss babies well, and show passion during disasters like a Hollywood actor.
Even if you could do all that, your chance for success is slim. Chinese in America—unlike Japanese Americans in Hawaii, who vote as a unified force, 80% for candidates with Japanese last names and the Democratic Party—don’t have that kind of bloc.
So after almost 50 years in American politics, here’s my advice: if you have good friends, tell them not to waste their time in America’s fake democratic money politics. But if you have people you hate—or who are very corrupt—tell them to get involved in US politics.
One final point: being gay actually earns a lot of votes in San Francisco and the Waikiki area of Honolulu!
