The Overlooked Minority: The Asian-American Voter
If the Republican Party is looking to reach out to a growing minority, they ought to focus on Asian-Americans. This election season, 51% of Asian-Americans received no phone calls — from either party — telling them to get out to vote. Asian-Americans are a minority among minorities (3% of the electorate, compared to the somewhat larger African-American and Hispanic voting populations), and Democrats ended up taking the majority of Asian-American votes because Republicans worried more about Hispanic voters. The outreach for the next election should start now, and the Asian-American voter should no longer be ignored.
Americans don’t seem to truly understand Asian-Americans. There was a tremendous backlash against the so-called “Tiger Mom,” an Asian-American parent who promoted high standards for her children, a parenting style for which her daughters actually thank her. Vice President Joe Biden said to an Indian: “You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. … I’m not joking.”
I’m not laughing.
My mother always told me: “If you’re a ditch digger, be the best ditch digger you can be.” There’s nothing wrong with an honest day’s work as a gas station attendant or a cab driver. We’ll work hard and take a job that others might think is beneath them. Asians will take you where you need to go.
Biden may only see first-generation Asian-Americans at low paying jobs, but Asians are often the doctors who save lives and the engineers who patent the latest technological inventions.
According to the 2010 census, those who identify as Asian include 3.8 million Chinese-Americans, 3.4 million Filipinos, 3.2 million Indians, 1.7 million Vietnamese, 1.7 million Koreans, and 1.3 million Japanese. Currently Asian-Americans constitute 3% of the electorate, but that number is growing and Asian-Americans are the fastest growing racial group.
There’s a lot of focus on demographics and the Hispanic population right now, but almost zero discussion of the Asian-American factor. Obama won 70% of the Asian-American vote in 2012. Note that there was an “Asian-Americans for Obama” group but no Romney counterpart.
If you don’t play, you can’t win.
The Republican Party should focus on Asian-Americans because the GOP is most reflective of the Asian-American dream. Many Asian-Americans are first-generation legal immigrants who should be responsive to the Republican message of equal opportunity. They are highly educated and typically do not benefit from the policies of racial preferences as African-Americans and Hispanics do.
Foreign policy and the economy were some of the most important issues for Asians-Americans, and if there had been some outreach, Asian-Americans may have voted in larger proportions for the Romney-Ryan plan. Indian-Americans in particular are the wealthiest demographic group, but are largely untapped as possible political contributors. Republicans belong to the party of Bobby Jindal and Nikki Haley. It’s time the leadership recognized that.
Asian-Americans are here to stay. Reach out to us. We could decide the next election.
Related at PJ Media from David P. Goldman: Stop talking about the Hispanics for a moment — what about Asian-Americans?
It really doesnt matter.
The only thing left is to organize White Europeans under Identity Politics so that we may defend our rights, and promote our well being under the Socialist Democrat system.
If you don’t play, you can’t win. – Maya
Truer words were never spoken. All in on (White European) Identity Politics.
Ms.Noronha
I have invited Indian associates to Republican party meetings since in discussions they had seemed to agree with the economic and to a large degree with social goals of the Republican party. They seemed to be disturbed by the prayer that started the meeting and never attended another meeting. As I see it Republicans, at least in Texas, are not going to stop the practice of starting meetings with a prayer and Indians are not going to stop being disturbed by it. If you have a suggestion, I would like to hear it.
You calmly introduce the guests, make sure they understand, and the group’s members understand the importance of the prayer to the membership without making a federal case over it. Then pray.
These sorts of things only become a problem when people want to make them a problem. We’ve got to overcome middle-class reticence once in a while and communicate about uncomfortable things. The movement is always stronger for it.
And, middle-class reticence is also a virtue.
In contrast, every liberal setting I’ve ever entered (some before my conversion, many by force before and after it, as I was an academic) uses identity as a weapon and cudgel in every possible way.
So that is the choice between the Right and the Left. And demanding special privileges based on race is the first step to that inevitable outcome.
The day is long past when minority groups would “go along to get along.”
Today, Muslims, Hindus, atheists at such a Republican meeting are going to object strongly if there’s any hint that the Christian prayer is anything more than personal, if has anything whatsoever to do with Republican politics.
That is correct.
Pretty soon, that will be the reality for Israel and Jews as well. Jewish supremacists will have to face the hard reality that minorities arent going to acquiesce to Jewish dominion or dominance.
You’re a funny troll. I like you. I can’t decide if you are just a sock puppet for a liberal troll or an actual poster boy for whatever extremist archetype you are trying to pretend you are.
Meanwhile, the Asian side of my family are clear conservatives and would not really care about who is praying to who. They are clear that it is what it is, and there is no need to read some other kind of significance into it. Mostly it seems like liberals who like to put words of hurt and outrage into others’ mouths that bring these sorts of non-issues to the forefront.
I know a lot of (legal) immigrants, and most of them are 100% behind the fiscal side of conservatism, and about 60% behind the social conservatism… and 100% for enforcement of existing immigration laws. Every Asian I know, and most Hispanics, don’t want confiscation of wealth to be the focus of the government because they hope to better their situations and the situations of their families and can see a future where they become wealthy if they work hard for it.
“every Asian I know…”
Is that you Pauline Kael?
The bottom line is that the majority of Asians dont like Christians, especially White European ones, for a variety of reasons.
The bottom line for what was once a majority White European nation is that we are being demonized and disempowered by people who dont like us. We need to Identity Politic up to protect ourselves, from hostile “Others,” including colonists.
The reason why we have colonists instead of assimilating immigrants these days, is of course multiculturalism, diversity promotion, enforcement of assimilation as racism and bigotry. Balkanized by tribe, ungovernable. Minorities allying with each other against the hated White European Christian.
This isnt rocket science. The Left has promoted this, to gain political power. It worked, because people are naturally inclined to tribalism.
We will all suffer for it. Enjoy!
PS – The reference to Israeli Jews is to illustrate clearly the ugliness that White Europeans are facing. You may wish to turn you head from that reality, and think me a troll, instead. Whatever helps you as an Asian sleep at night. But you are not my intended audience. Im trying to get White Europeans to rally for their own protection and well being, in the face of hostile others.
While you would think so, much like Jews, they vote Democrat.
I think a big part of it is religion – these days at least, the Republican party is that of Christians, Indians and Jews are well, not, and so are somewhat repulsed by some of the rhetoric.
Much like the entrenched Jewish voter, Asian communities are concentrated in cities and blue states so are stuck in LibCommietowns. They are dominated by identity politics and divisive democrat politicians. Successful Asians are sending their kids to corrupt “top” (should be bottom) universities for brainwashing (much like Jews). Many have brought Communist ideology with them and identify more with the home country than with US (Chinese communities). Many are Asian gang infested, mob infested, and drug infested and not the idealized successful Asians you propose are a voting block that are a fit with Conservative ideas, but identify with the urban, hip hop, death culture. Won’t stop the Repuke Rino’s from pandering though.
The Jewish voter is starting to wake up. Romney got nearly 40 percent. Obviously Jews should take issue with the poor treatment of Israel. But in many of the management v. Labor battles within the cities, Jews are often seen as the moneyed bogeyman pushing for privatization. Witness how rahm Emanuel. And pritzger were treated to a near lynching during the CTU strike.
“The Jewish voter is starting to wake up”
Self delusion isnt the answer, bud.
A baby born in America today, will spend much of his adult life in an America in which white Americans are a minority group, less than 50% of the population. That’s the demographic trend.
If the GOP continues to be 89% white (as the exit polls showed), it too will be a permanent rump minority party.
The problem sinz is that Conservative principles and values will have to be ditched by the GOP and instead the adoption and embracing of Identity Politics. Moral and cultural relativism, nihilism.
Sure the GOP may be able to win, but only by surrendering on the principles, values and ideas. So Conservatives lose.
Divide and conquer has worked.
Time for White Europeans to adjust to this new reality and develop insitutions to preserve their culture and protect their groups members rights.
We can mourn what could have been, and perhaps never was. Time to leave childish idealism behind, and get to working on practical measures to deal with the hard reality.
Nice to see a new face here. Disappointed to hear the same old whine: you guys didn’t specially court our ethnicity, and we won’t play unless you do.
Look, either conservatism means that independent-minded people choose to endorse a platform of color-blindness and productivity, or it’s not conservatism. If I wanted to be scolded about my purported failure to “reach out” to different cultures, I ‘d be a lazy democrat. How about you reach out? Because you would be valued for you qualities and work ethic, and yes, your culture and your heritage if you did.
Why didn’t you start a website, then? And if that’s all it takes to build loyality, why aren’t you a democrat?
Bingo!
Check her bio before you judge her unfairly.
Obviously you don’t know who she is.
Indians are great people. But if you are not Indian I advise against ever working for one if there are other Indians in the group.
The only people who can stop identity politics are the identities. On the day they call out the Asian, black and Hispanic tri-caucuses that is the day you’ll have something to say of interest to me politically. If those groups are advocating by ethnicity, it must be at the expense of someone else. Until then I say stop all immigration. How’s that for advocacy?
“51% of Asian-Americans received no phone calls”…………..
I’d wager that 51% of us non hyphenated Americans received no phone calls telling us to get out and vote either. It’s high time for all the ethnic identity groups to drop the hyphens and become assimilated American citizens or get the hell back to whatever they identify as “home”.
As a whole, very damn few of the hyphenated crowd vote with anything in mind except bettering their place in line for even more freebies or looser immigration standards (like we have any to begin with). So they will always vote for the detriment of the rest the country as long as their itch gets scratched.
Maya is advocating to be like the Republicans in California: Democrat Lite. And look what happened to the party here. Democrats will soon have the super majority in the legislature because Californians see no sense in voting for a Democrat Lite when they can vote for the real thing.
We can’t beat the Democrats at identity politics because they’re good at it. I’m in one of the Asian groups mentioned and a conservative. There are many more of us. Republicans need to go back to conservative values and leave identity politics to the liberals.
A call for pandering to Asian-Americans for votes. OK, I’ll bite: what will it cost the GOP to get ‘em on board, and can you guarantee delivery?
I’d start with an outreach to Asian small business owners. Another group to reach out to are the Asian churches and Asian Christians in general. State and local Republican leaders need to be more visible in Asian neighborhoods within their districts. Buy ads in Asian newspapers and on Asian radio. Hold town hall meetings in Asian neighborhoods.
There are many White man Asian woman couples in the US. Might be some opportunities for outreach to these interracial couples and their children.
I’m in Austin, and I can tell you the precinct meeting I attended-nobody prayed. The voters: Three white guys married to three Korean women. A white/hispanic couple. A Hispanic guy married to a Democrat.
Come on in- at least in Austin we’re open for business. No cookies, but big hello.
Honestly, I just thought all the engineers, doctors, software writers, nail salon operators, were Republican, and too busy working to mess around with precinct meetings. I didn’t know you didn’t feel welcome and a part of it all. Welcome! Bienvenue! Come on in! Howdy!
Well, that’s one of the nice things about Austin. Texas is only a short drive away.
OK, I know I shouldn’t be flip about it. Still, except for a few unusual precincts, this is just something that Protestants do when they get together in groups. I don’t know why, it just is. It doesn’t bother me but it does bother some people all out of proportion to what I think it should. I genuinely do not think that it is intended to be exclusionary.
It hardly matters any more what ethnic group(s) we try to reach. When the 2012 federal election was obviously stolen and nothing is done about it, and the infrastructure is in place for the Demonrats to steal every other election from now on at will, we no longer have a republic.
This is my experience with the “Asian American” I have been raised with.
My Father was Asian and very conservative. He came to the USA, went to Michigan State Univ. enrolled in ROTC, had a BS in Police Administration, Studied Secret Intelligence, US Gov Office of Strategic Services, Fought in WWII, Asian-Pacific Theater, CIC, Special Agent 301, He earned his American Citizenship. He told me, The USA Constitution was the most beautiful written words he had ever read.
I learned to Stand up when a lady entered the room and whenever and where ever you hear the National Anthem. He could not stand Democrats and was a stanch Republican. Maybe it was because he had a firm grip on what Communism was and brought me up to know it’s evils. I have found most Americans of Asian descendant are fiercely loyal to the USA and this wonderful Constitution. Putting your neck in the noose to defend that Constitution is expected and done so willingly and proudly. If I should die as Nathan Hale so be it! I will have the same regret as he.
We are not a Majority Minority sitting on our butts and crying all the time and do not need coddling just because we are minority minority. Keep your money and handout programs they do not help one’s self respect.
Now, just stand back, we have work to do!
Best regards, my fellow conservative Americans.
Tomto
And for the record, I voted for Nikki Haley, who was endorsed by the Tea Party and Sarah Palin, and was very happy to see her elected, and will do so again. I also just voted for Tim Scott, as I was redistricted out of Jim Clyburns gerrymandered racist set aside seat, this year, after decades of having a racist “represent me” in Congress. I am ecstatic about having a black man represent me, just not a racist hater like Jim Clyburn. I am happy to have the Indian-American Nikki Haley represent me. Besides Jim Demint, both are the best thing to happen to our state representation in a long time.
Haters are gonna hate.
“Next, the Asian vote, which went 73 percent for Obama. Wassup with that? people keep asking me. I can’t improve on Steve Sailer’s explanation: Asians, like everyone else in the world except white European Gentiles, are ethnocentric, so they preferentially vote for the party of ethnocentrism. Duh.”
-Derb
http://takimag.com/article/brooms_and_shovels_john_derbyshire/page_2#axzz2CGZVb6Tu
Sort of a vapid piece. What precisely does “outreach” mean? If it means countering the donkey pandering, I’m all for it, but if it means “we gots this something special here for [fill in the blank] group”, there’s no way to compete with the donkeys. They got all kinds of special somethings.
So what Asians are we talking about? Is there a breakdown of voting of these artificially lumped together, centuries old hating each other or at least competing against each other “Asians”. Why are Indians, Koreans, Chinese, Taiwanese, Filipinos, Vietnamese, etc, etc, etc lumped together? Are Pacific Islanders including the Samoan gangs of inner cities like LA in this group? Are intermarried military males married to Korean, Japanese, etc Asian women in this group?
See the same problem with Jews – religious Jews seem to be very conservative, secular Jews are leftist, commie, self-destructive JINOs – sorry had to get that in.
You just don’t understand. White men = bad. Capitalism = triple bad. Republican = white men + capitalism.
At this point Asians hate republicans by 2:1 and according to the media that is personal rebuke of 50% of my family line.
Well fine. Count me as motivated to pander some more to no purpose.
Fast and Furious did nothing to hurt dems with Mexicans. Biblical level unemployment did nothing to hurt dems with blacks. The continuing implosion of tech jobs except sw in the US has no impact on Asian
voters.
nothing has any impact except skin tone.
Therefore the worst thing that could happen to any minority is to be involved with a party thats not going to win any elections. sorry. no cheese left here. check out the dem pantry.
all the best. to the tiny minority of the various important racial groups that dont vote base purely on skin color if i lumped you in with the majority.