Beet
Atlas Star
Posts: 28,984
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« on: January 23, 2006, 06:35:26 PM » |
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Of all minorities, Asian-Americans are the only one that is entirely irrelevant.
In terms of direct voting, their numbers are insignificant nationally. In the few states where there are concentrations of Asians, the Democrats (who are in turn the national minority) completely dominate.
In terms of professional matriculation, Asian-Americans, especially Asian-American men, prefer to go into moneymaking fields and also fields that do not require much social extroversion. In terms of professional matriculation for government or public office, this creates a double-disincentive.
In terms of financial contribution, they have a chance to make an impact, but many have only been in this country for one or two generations, and like Jews, have connections to foreign countries. The difference is that Israel is a major ally, while China is seen as a strategic competitor; so the scandals questioning the loyalty of Chinese-Americans in the late 1990s (such as the Wen Ho Lee case) understandably soured many from political activity, including giving.
Indian-Americans have a slightly more favorable climate owing to India's position as a possible hedge against China, but 9/11 changed this, as the US now must balance between India and Pakistan. Further, the vast majority of Indian-Americans are Democrats, while political opportunity is confined to the GOP.
Muslim-Americans are understandably too concerned with protecting their own civil liberties and public image to do much else.
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