Dear Democrats
In Philadelphia, there are five times as many registered Democrats as Republicans. And the neighborhood I live in (University City) and the circles I run in (liberal Christians, economic development, minority entrepreneurship) are similarly overwhelmingly Democrat.
So I write to the Democrats today, about why it makes sense for you, as a Democrat, to vote for a Republican, David Oh, with one of the five votes you have for City Council at Large. Here are ten reasons you should vote for David and then for your four favorite Democratic at-large candidates:
10. All five of the Democratic at-large candidates will still get seats. The way the at-large seats are apportioned, the majority party gets five and the minority party gets two. There are five D's and five R's you can choose from. All five D's will get about 300,000 votes or more; the two highest R's will get about 100,000. So if you vote for four D's and David, the fifth D you don't vote for will still get a seat.
9. David is the best Republican to have on City Council. But by voting for David and no other Republicans, you will help him get a seat. And David will be the better City Councilperson for you. See below for reasons why.
8. David gets immigration. His law firm handles tons of cases for immigrants. He is on the board of the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians. And he aims to make Philadelphia a truly international city, welcoming of immigrants and the contributions they can make to our culture and our commerce.
7. David wants Philadelphia to grow. There's no reason we need to keep sliding in population. The other cities that are growing are growing because they are friendly to immigrants. Stop being unfriendly to new immigrant residents, start growing as a city.
6. David isn't anti-union. In fact, early endorsements include Teamsters Joint Council No. 53, United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1776, and Fraternal Order of Housing Police.
5. David is the choice of young progressives. Here's a quote from the June 25 issue of the Philadelphia Inquirer: "Bloggers on the avowedly lefty www.youngphillypolitics.com site are floating the idea of casting a vote for a Republican City Council candidate: David Oh. The thinking is that a few thousand Democratic defectors wouldn't hurt the chances of the five Democratic at-large candidates, at least not in a city where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans 5-1. Meanwhile, they surmise, the progressive vote might be enough to tip the balance in the Republican contest to Oh, whom they see as a step up from incumbent Republican Councilman Jack Kelly."
4. David is committed to Philadelphia. Born and raised here, he went to Central and has served on numerous boards in and for the city.
3. A vote for David isn't a vote for George Bush. Last I checked, City Council worked for the citizens of Philadelphia, not for the US Government.
2. David is what we need in a City Councilperson. He's honest, tough-minded, and devoted, as proven by his many accomplishments in his long and illustrious professional career.
1. David has a diverse team of supporters behind him. While he would make history as the city's first Asian-American City Councilperson, and certainly has the support of most Asian groups in the city, his support team is ethnically and politically diverse, demonstrating his appeal to all Philadelphians. He has my vote, and I hope he can count on yours, too.
For more information, please go to www.davidoh.org or http://www.myspace.com/davidoh2007.
So I write to the Democrats today, about why it makes sense for you, as a Democrat, to vote for a Republican, David Oh, with one of the five votes you have for City Council at Large. Here are ten reasons you should vote for David and then for your four favorite Democratic at-large candidates:
10. All five of the Democratic at-large candidates will still get seats. The way the at-large seats are apportioned, the majority party gets five and the minority party gets two. There are five D's and five R's you can choose from. All five D's will get about 300,000 votes or more; the two highest R's will get about 100,000. So if you vote for four D's and David, the fifth D you don't vote for will still get a seat.
9. David is the best Republican to have on City Council. But by voting for David and no other Republicans, you will help him get a seat. And David will be the better City Councilperson for you. See below for reasons why.
8. David gets immigration. His law firm handles tons of cases for immigrants. He is on the board of the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians. And he aims to make Philadelphia a truly international city, welcoming of immigrants and the contributions they can make to our culture and our commerce.
7. David wants Philadelphia to grow. There's no reason we need to keep sliding in population. The other cities that are growing are growing because they are friendly to immigrants. Stop being unfriendly to new immigrant residents, start growing as a city.
6. David isn't anti-union. In fact, early endorsements include Teamsters Joint Council No. 53, United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1776, and Fraternal Order of Housing Police.
5. David is the choice of young progressives. Here's a quote from the June 25 issue of the Philadelphia Inquirer: "Bloggers on the avowedly lefty www.youngphillypolitics.com site are floating the idea of casting a vote for a Republican City Council candidate: David Oh. The thinking is that a few thousand Democratic defectors wouldn't hurt the chances of the five Democratic at-large candidates, at least not in a city where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans 5-1. Meanwhile, they surmise, the progressive vote might be enough to tip the balance in the Republican contest to Oh, whom they see as a step up from incumbent Republican Councilman Jack Kelly."
4. David is committed to Philadelphia. Born and raised here, he went to Central and has served on numerous boards in and for the city.
3. A vote for David isn't a vote for George Bush. Last I checked, City Council worked for the citizens of Philadelphia, not for the US Government.
2. David is what we need in a City Councilperson. He's honest, tough-minded, and devoted, as proven by his many accomplishments in his long and illustrious professional career.
1. David has a diverse team of supporters behind him. While he would make history as the city's first Asian-American City Councilperson, and certainly has the support of most Asian groups in the city, his support team is ethnically and politically diverse, demonstrating his appeal to all Philadelphians. He has my vote, and I hope he can count on yours, too.
For more information, please go to www.davidoh.org or http://www.myspace.com/davidoh2007.
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