The Washington Post:
In the 2012 presidential election, Barack Obama won 73 percent of the Asian American vote. That exceeded his support among traditional Democratic Party constituencies like Hispanics (71 percent) and women (55 percent).
Republicans should be alarmed by this statistic, as Asians weren’t always so far out of reach for Republicans.
When we examine presidential exit polls, we see that 74 percent of the Asian American vote went to the Republican presidential candidate just two decades ago. The Democratic presidential vote share among Asian Americans has steadily increased from 36 percent in 1992, to 64 percent in the 2008 election to 73 percent in 2012. Asian Americans were also one of the rare groups that were more favorable to President Obama in the latter election.
This dramatic change in party preference is stunning. No other group has shifted so dramatically in its party identification within such a short time period. Some are calling it the “GOP’s Asian erosion.”
Read the full article HERE.
My view: Asian-Americans aren't voting Republican for the
exact same reasons middle-class Blacks and Hispanics aren't voting for the
party: They detect a [racist] strain running through the largely white
conservative movement. A strain that is indifferent to the unique and varied
challenges each of these communities face. But bear this in mind, a party that consist largely of white men, will inevitably pander to white men. Indeed,
there is no better example of this white male "pandering" than the
rise of Donald Trump. The conservative movement loves to claim that it's color
blind; but a closer examination shows a conservative movement — not to be
confused with party officials and the GOP electorate in general, that advocates pandering
to the interest of white men.
Even when "the base" does engage, it gives preference and a platform to those minorities willing to ignore the challenges their own ethnic communities face. In other words, "the base" caters to minorities that will help them advance the interest and priorities of white conservatives (i.e., immigration, Obama's birth certificate and tax cuts, no matter how huge) over the interest and concerns of minorities. It also explains two things: a) why the GOP does so poorly in minority communities and cities and b) why minority conservatives tend to only win in white dominated districts/States.
Prioritizing the concerns of white men may have worked in the past, or when talk radio was in its infancy, but that approach is unsustainable over the long term. Conservatives must understand that ethnic conservatives will no longer take a backseat while they set the political agenda for our communities. Yes, we are conservatives, but we will not neglect the concerns of our local communities to make a few white people comfortable, those days are over.
Even when "the base" does engage, it gives preference and a platform to those minorities willing to ignore the challenges their own ethnic communities face. In other words, "the base" caters to minorities that will help them advance the interest and priorities of white conservatives (i.e., immigration, Obama's birth certificate and tax cuts, no matter how huge) over the interest and concerns of minorities. It also explains two things: a) why the GOP does so poorly in minority communities and cities and b) why minority conservatives tend to only win in white dominated districts/States.
Prioritizing the concerns of white men may have worked in the past, or when talk radio was in its infancy, but that approach is unsustainable over the long term. Conservatives must understand that ethnic conservatives will no longer take a backseat while they set the political agenda for our communities. Yes, we are conservatives, but we will not neglect the concerns of our local communities to make a few white people comfortable, those days are over.
