Why don't Asians vote Republican?

[Badger]

Minorities only like the Democratic Party because the Democratic Party panders to them and they believe in affirmative action instead of hiring a person based on their skill.  The Republicans are not very popular with minorities because the Republicans don't pander to their every whim.

Actually, most minorities don't like the Republican Party because it considers any attempt to legislate fair hiring and employment practices as contrary to "hiring a person based on their skill", and further treats any non-superficial minority outreach as "pandering to their every whim".

[Badger]

Minorities only like the Democratic Party because the Democratic Party panders to them and they believe in affirmative action instead of hiring a person based on their skill.  The Republicans are not very popular with minorities because the Republicans don't pander to their every whim.

Actually, most minorities don't like the Republican Party because it considers any attempt to legislate fair hiring and employment practices as contrary to "hiring a person based on their skill", and further treats any non-superficial minority outreach as "pandering to their every whim".

"Fair hiring"?  So you're telling me that if a some random black dude and a white intern, with far more experience, walk in to get a job, which currently had 5 whites and 4 blacks employed, the black guy gets the job because there aren't enough black guys?  That's ridiculous.  Not to mention extremely stupid.

What I was trying to show you by directly paraphrasing your own words, is that it's exactly the condescending, chip on the shoulder, all civil right laws are just made to unfairly screw whites attitude that was so prevalent in your own post is exactly the reason minorities have such widespread distrust and antipathy towards the GOP.

Thanks for missing the obvious point; that says much about the GOP's liklihood of ever reversing it's inability to get minority votes. Instead it'll just keep blaming minorities for not voting for them rather than take responsibility of their own failures here.

[Badger]

Back to the topic thread....

Don't forget economics as a big part for more recent Asian immigrants. While the stereotype of East Asian immigrants maybe be the Filipino daughter of a doctor who's an honor roll student or the South Vietnamese anticommunist ex-army officer who now owns several convenience stores in Cali, recent immigrant communities of Cambodians, Vietnamese, the Hmong, and even the Chinese have major problems with unemployment, poverty, discrimination, drugs, gang violence and urban ghettoization that rival anything we typically think of in the African-American or Hispanic 'hood'.

It's no surprise these communities currently vote overwhelmingly Democratic for the same reasons as African-Americans and more recent Hispanic immigrants, and are quickly growing in number. Consider the Twin Cities in MN with one of the largest Hmong populations which IIRC, just elected their first Hmong state senator.

[Badger]

All I'm saying is that a person should not be hired based on their color or "equal opportunity" crap.  They should be hired because they are good at their job.  Is that so wrong?

<sigh> No, that's not so wrong at all. But probably 90+% of minorities (yes, African-Americans too) would agree with this statement; that's not the reason Republicans get only a tiny sliver of minority votes. It's because Republicans like yourself make it clear that any anti-discrimination legislation is merely--to use your own words--"pandering to their every whim" on "equal opportunity crap". Reread your posts and think about it: why would many minorities want to vote for a party like the GOP that pushes that message?

I'm not trying to pick on you, man, it's just your sentiments are fairly typical from what I've heard from many Republicans. And like most Republicans you don't seem to understand how much minority voters are (justifiably) turned off by it. It's not a matter of terminology or repackaging this message like Michael Steele naively believes, it's about just catching a clue. Your post is indicative of the general Republican misconception that discrimination in employment, housing, etc. mostly disappeared along with segregated water fountains 40 years ago. While paying bare lip service to the fact discrimination still "exists" (kinda like the Siberian Tiger "exists"--damned rare and disappearing quickly) and is a bad thing, the GOP's main focus is that essentially any civil rights legislation is bad because it threatens white people.

Bottom line: As long as the GOP considers any civil rights legislation as "pandering" on "equal opportunity crap", it will never get more than a sliver of the minority vote.

Nor should it.

[Badger]

Well what do you suggest Republicans do?  Change their ideals in order to garner more voters?

God forbid. <rolls eyes>

Look, Republicans can keep your ideas intact if you want. Congragulations: you are the party of Nixon's "southern strategy" that caters to white flight sentiment. Great.

But in return, just stop hypocritically whining about the miniscule share of minority votes the GOP gets as somehow being the fault of minorities. Or at least don't be surprised at the results.....

[Badger]

Back to the topic thread....

Don't forget economics as a big part for more recent Asian immigrants. While the stereotype of East Asian immigrants maybe be the Filipino daughter of a doctor who's an honor roll student or the South Vietnamese anticommunist ex-army officer who now owns several convenience stores in Cali, recent immigrant communities of Cambodians, Vietnamese, the Hmong, and even the Chinese have major problems with unemployment, poverty, discrimination, drugs, gang violence and urban ghettoization that rival anything we typically think of in the African-American or Hispanic 'hood'.

It's no surprise these communities currently vote overwhelmingly Democratic for the same reasons as African-Americans and more recent Hispanic immigrants, and are quickly growing in number. Consider the Twin Cities in MN with one of the largest Hmong populations which IIRC, just elected their first Hmong state senator.

Well, Vietnamese vote Republican, but anyway...

(Actually, I don't know if recent Vietnamese immigrants vote Republican. There may be a divide between those who fled Vietnam during/after the war and those who immigrate now.)

Significant divide, IIRC. Original refugees were relatively wealthy/middle class, many strong Catholics, and virulently anti-Communist. Later day refugees vote Democratic largely for the same economic reasons recent Hispanic immigrants do.

[Badger]

How many African American Republicans are serving in Congress? None.

How many Hispanic/Latino Republicans are serving in Congress? Four, I think, and they're Cuban Americans and some have said that they don't really qualify as real Latinos. (Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the Diaz-Balart brothers, and Mel Martinez).

How many Asian American Republicans are serving in Congress? One (Joseph Cao - and he'll be gone in 2010).

How many Native American Republicans are serving in Congress? None. 

How many women are Republicans are in Congress? 21 (out of 91) in both the House (17/74) and Senate (4/17).

How many Jewish Republicans in Congress are there? One (Eric Cantor).

How many LGBT Republicans in Congress are there? None.

Yeah I wouldn't exactly call the Republicans the party of the minorities but more so the party of old angry white men. Republicans don't necessarily hate minorities (aside from homosexuals); they just, well, how do I put this diplomatically, don't tolerate differences?

Isn't David Dreier gay?

As for the Republicans' poor showing with minorities, I would argue that it has more to do with their resistance to social programs, class warfare, and their lack of pandering to minority groups. 

"Class warfare"? This, from conservatives who scream from every radio mike and rooftop that raising the top tax bracket back to 39.5% for the wealthiest 1-2% of Americans = "OMGZ OBAMA IZ A SOCIALISTS!!!!"? Sure....

More to the point of your post:  In other words, its the minorties' fault they vote Democratic because they're suckers for "class warfare" and "pandering".
Go with this argument. Please. I'm sure the GOP will be pulling down a majority of Latino votes and over 30% of African-Americans by decades end with this cleverness.

"I don't understand what minority voters don't like about our party? Other than our policies, messaging, and nearly 50 year record of solidly opposing civil rights and ballot access, why are minorties so reluctant to vote Republican?"