A San Jose REVOLUTION

The article that I chose is titled Race to oust San Jose Councilwoman Madison Nguyen heats up. The article was written by Denis C. Theriault.

This article discusses the March 4th recall election, in which Madison Nguyen’s future as a Councilmember from District 7 will be decided. Nguyen first came under fire when she voted to name a section along Story Road as the Saigon Business District instead of Little Saigon. The vote infuriated some within the Vietnamese community who view Little Saigon as a defining and sentimental name. The vote sparked numerous protest, including a hunger strike, and national news.

I am a Political Science major and I am also a follower of all things political, so it is logical that I would enjoy this story. This story showcases local politics at its dirtiest because a single vote on something that has no legal or economic impact for community members, has created a situation in which the elected official now finds herself in a battle for her job. A single vote has sparked a revolution that seeks to remove Nguyen from office. Nguyen, in response, has assembled a team of Bay Area political operatives who have devised a strategy to win the vote.

This story is a political junkies’ fix. Fights like this are rarely seen at the local level and even rarer to be in your own community. We usually equate these stories with fights in Washington, or even in Sacramento, as we saw with Governor Gray Davis, but to be in San Jose and to witness the protests at City Hall, or to see lawn signs that advocate for or against Ms. Nguyen, are great for a political follower like myself.