Saqib,

I’m impressed by the energy of your campaign. I got an email awhile back offering me a bumper sticker, so I stopped by and picked up several. I got a call about a week later, offering me more, and when I came home this past weekend, someone had left another one for me.

I now have some spares, if you know of anyone in Montgomery Village who needs one, and when you get ready to put up yard signs, I’ll drive (see attached picture of my truck).

Keith Leu

If you have an “Ali For Delegate” bumper sticker on your car, please take a picture of yourself standing next to your bumper sticker and send it to info@SaqibAli.org. I’ll create a special entry in this diary just for the “Bumper Sticker Crew”!

:) Susan

Campaign stalwart Antonio Sacin accompanied Saqib on his trip. Antonio very graciously offered to drive Saqib around from neighborhood to neighborhood, while Saqib would jump out of the car to knock on peoples’ doors. After preparing their materials, soft-drinks and precinct maps the two of them were on the road by mid-morning.

Antonio gives the thumbs up! It’s time to hit the road.

Saqib met many area residents that day. He learned a great deal about their concerns. Most seem to be concerned about the overcrowding of roads and schools due to development. It was a great day’s work. All the people Saqib met were very warm and friendly. But no-one was more friendly than Elena Sistani.

As soon as Saqib knocked on her door, Elena ushered him into her house and plied him with snacks and drinks. She introduced him to her 3 wonderful middle-school aged sons and also to her neighbor’s family who were visiting. What a wonderful reception! It warmed Saqib’s heart. Saqib came home and told me that if everyone in District 39 is as loving as Elena Sistani, then we really are in very good shape.

Mucho Gusto Elena!

Saqib and Antonio with Germantown resident Elena Sistani (purple shirt) and her neighbor (green shirt).

:) Susan

Today Saqib had a meeting with Congressman David Wu (Democrat from Oregon) and a group of local Asian-American activists. The meeting was at the home of Dr. John Young, local Asian-American Democratic activist. There were many other Asian American friends and supporters at this meeting.

The Congressman, a friend, greeted Saqib very warmly. They have a very warm relationship. The Congressman offered some very helpful insights and advice for Saqib’s campaign. It was a terrific meeting. At the end of the meeting they all took a group photo (shown above). Saqib is standing in the back row with his hand on Dr. Paul Jung’s shoulder. The Congressman is in the center between the two ladies in red jackets.

:) Susan

Our good friend Bruce Lee sponsored a large fundraiser today at Tandoori Nights Indian Restaurant in Gaithersburg. We thought only a handful of people would show up… Boy were we surprised to see over 50 very good friends pack into the restaurant!! Probably has something to do with their food being so good…. and of course Saqib’s popularity There was so much diversity; men, women, young, old and every single ethnic group under the sun.

After a rousing introduction from Bruce, Saqib addressed the crowd. He thanked everyone profusely for attending and very proudly invited the Steering Committee members up to the front of the room so they could all be acknowledged. They really are a terrific bunch of people.

Then Saqib dove into the substantive issues of governance. For the first time ever, Saqib publicly laid out his positions on some issues. He revealed his “Good Government” package:

• No to real-estate overdevelopment
• No to slot machine gambling
• Yes to more funding for transportation and schools
• Yes to voter-verified paper receipts
• Yes to reform of the Legislative Scholarship Program
• Yes to publicly financed election campaigns

Saqib then electrified the crowd by pledging that during this election campaign, he would forgo campaign donations from special interest Political Action Committees (PACs) and Corporations. He explained that large amounts of campaign donations from special interest groups have a corrosive effect on politics… He is willing to literally put his money where his mouth is and run a campaign supported ONLY by donations from regular people.

Finally, Saqib issued a challenge to all other candidates in the race for Delegate from District 39. He urged them all to issue similar pledges so that this election would yield Delegates accountable to regular citizens — not the moneyed special interests. This amazing challenge was greeted by the crowd with lots of whoops and hollers. What a sight it was!

We’re rolling! Annapolis, here we come! No more politics as usual.
:) Susan

Update 10/28/2005:
This press release gives details of the event.

Nadeem Shake of www.shakefx.com generously designed the following two beautiful images.

The Bumper Sticker Design:

The Lapel Sticker Design:

I can’t wait till the printers give us actual stickers so I can proudly wear mine and stick them on my car!

:) Susan

Saqib chatting with a concerned parent about educational standards

Saqib mingled with students, parents, teachers and adminstrators as kids ran around, ate free pizza, played hopscotch and washed cars. There was even a large truck parked on the grass blaring music.

Saqib listened carefully to the concerns of teachers and parents. Most were very pleased with the education that their kids were getting at Thurgood Marshall. Many parents were very impressed that someone would come by to ask their opinions and listen carefully to what they had to say… I know from firsthand experience that Saqib is a very attentive listener. Other people are learning it too.

:) Susan

Today I attended an excellent meeting of the Germantown Democratic Club. It was held at the Upcounty Service Center in Germantown during an absolute downpour. I was worried that due to the weather, turnout would be low. But I was pleasantly surprised to see about 10-12 hardy souls showed up to show their proud Democratic spirit. Way to go guys!

We discussed the recently concluded Germantown Oktoberfest event where the club made a terrific showing and President Craig Rice laid out his vision for future events. For next year’s election, they plan a robust GOTV operation and candidate forums.

This club is definitely a force to be reckoned with… Germantown is turning bluer and bluer every day… The Germantown Democratic Club is getting the job done. I’m so proud to help.

Here is a link to the club’s website.

-Saqib

As part of the ongoing effort of “testing the water” for a campaign for the Maryland General Assembly, a Fundraising event was held for Saqib today. The event was held at his family home in North Potomac near Quince Orchard High School…. Of course it’s within District 39.

We didn’t expect too many people. After all, Saqib is not a life-long politician, and doesn’t hail from a large, wealthy, well-connected political family like so many others. So when about 100 people showed up we were stunned! We don’t even know how so many of them found out about the event. They just kept coming in droves! We literally had cars parked around the block.

Me greeting some guests

More people than expected showed up so it was tough to move around

County Councilman (and candidate for County Executive) Steve Silverman also joined the party. He mingled with the raucous crowd and introduced Saqib with a rousing speech that was tremendously well received. He then shocked us all by presenting Saqib with a $250 check and proudly endorsing Saqib’s Candidacy for the Maryland’s House of Delegates. WOW!!! The whole crowd (including Saqib) looked on in ecstatic amazement. Saqib hadn’t yet even declared his candidacy!

Saqib proudly accepting Steve Silverman’s Endorsement and Campaign Contribution

Right after Steve’s Introduction/Donation/Endorsement Saqib took the stage and an exptant hush fell over the crowd. Saqib spoke about his abiding patriotism, his bold vision for Maryland’s future and his deep commitment to civic service. The crowd was transfixed. Saqib then calmly announced that the response to his recent campaigning had been so positive that he had decided to run for election for the House of Delegates. The crowd erupted in cheers and loud whoops of joy. It was a such a spectacle.

The huge crowd stood rapt listening to Saqib’s stirring announcement speech

Many people have been putting in a lot of hours for Saqib lately, but he has definitely been working the hardest out of everyone. This event proved it!

On Towards Annapolis!

:) Susan

This lunch meeting was initiated by the Congressman’s office. They asked me to invite a group of community leaders to discuss some domestic and foregin policy initiatives. I chose Timpano’s Italian Chophouse in Rockville as the meeting place. I was able to assemble a terrificly diverse crowd of about 10-12 community leaders from Montgomery County and Prince Georges County. The Congressman was very appreciative. And I was very appreciative of the Congressman’s efforts to reach out to us.

During this meeting, Congressman Wynn talked about the situation in Iraq. He was very upset that the Bush Administration had misled the Congress with inflated and deceptive information leading up to the war. He told us that President Bush is a significantly limited president in terms of credibility and imagination. Again and again, the Congressman emphasized that military solutions alone would not solve the issues of terrorism. I couldn’t agree with him more…. Although it seems our President hasn’t grasped that concept very well yet.

The lunch itself was excellent. Timpano’s really bent over backwards to accomodate us because they knew they were hosting a VIP. They arranged a private table and a special menu. The manager, Jim, came by to personally greet the Congressman and ensure we had the best service. I was thrilled. It was reasonably priced too.

-Saqib

PS: Timpano’s serves a chocolate dessert with their meals that is to-die-for.

Saqib helps remove a large procelain tub from the farmhouse (Courtesy Charlie Shoemaker⁄The Gazette)

The crew of nearly 40 Muslims and Jews went to work weeding, cleaning, stacking and heaving for several hours last Sunday. We had great fun and accomplished a tremendous amount. And we made great friendships along the way! Afterwards we all ate lots of Pizza and talked about building lasting bridges between various faith communities - not on the organizational level - but on the people-to-people grassroots level. We talked about adopting a “buddy system” where a Jewish and Muslim family adopt each other and invite each other over once a year for dinner.

Very productive and a whole lotta fun!

(Update 9/22/2005): The Washington Post ran a beautiful photo-montage about the event but didn’t make the story available on-line, so I had to scan in the newspaper. You can see the it here.

:) Susan