Ethnic Politics

[nclib]

From the thread of religious affiliation and politics, I figured I'd take a stab at listing politics by ethnic group. Feel free to question any of these or to list more.

Strongly Democrat

Jews
Puerto Ricans
Dominicans
Other non-Cuban Hispanic groups (to a slightly lesser degree)

Lean Democrat

Scandinavians
Italians
Irish
Most Asian groups

Lean Republican

Germans
Dutch
Vietnamese

Strongly Republican

Cubans


In general, most people whose ancestors immigrated into the USA in the past 100 years tend to be Democrats.

[Subliminal]

From the thread of religious affiliation and politics, I figured I'd take a stab at listing politics by ethnic group. Feel free to question any of these or to list more.

Strongly Democrat

Jews
Puerto Ricans
Dominicans
Other non-Cuban Hispanic groups (to a slightly lesser degree)

Lean Democrat

Scandinavians
Italians
Irish
Most Asian groups

Lean Republican

Germans
Dutch
Vietnamese

Strongly Republican

Cubans


In general, most people whose ancestors immigrated into the USA in the past 100 years tend to be Democrats.

I would disagree that Jews are strongly Democrat. Reform and Reconstructionist Jews are. Conservative Jews are about 50/50, and Orthodox Jews are Republican. Since Reform Jews are by far the most vocal group, it gives the appearance that we are very left wing. I think that when polling is done that they should break Jews up by sect(as they do with Catholics and Protestants).

P.S. I have a strong suspicion that polling groups call Jewish houses on Friday nights, therefore getting only liberal Jews to answer thier questions.

[12th Doctor]

The Irish are also much less Democratic than they used to be.  I wouldn't say that they lean Republican, but they don't lean Democrat either.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Good list - though I'd put non-Cuban hispanics in the "lean Democrat" column rather than strong.

[12th Doctor]

Good list - though I'd put non-Cuban hispanics in the "lean Democrat" column rather than strong.

Hey Don.  How do you get your things side-by-side in your signature?

[KEmperor]

1)  Jews ARE heavily democrat.

2)  Italians are lean Republican.

[M]

Reform and Reconstructionist certainly lean liberal, but Conservatives do too. The Orthodox are somewhat split, since Orthodox from NY and other large Eastern cities are liberal out of habit if nothing else. Chassidim including Chabad-Lubavitch are definitely GOP. But as a when one examnies the Jewish demographic as a whole and compare it to other peoples, it is second only to African American in terms of votes to dems. (BTW, you left out African Americans as leans stongly left).

[classical liberal]

you forgot to include Arabs as hard-right.

[Lunar]

you forgot to include Arabs as hard-right.

I've seen a lot of arguments that it will switch in 04.  From what I read, Arabs are much less happy with their situation in the United States as they feel discriminated against.

[bullmoose88]

Italians are lean republican (in many areas, strongly republican) even if the reason is that the Irish have been historically democrat.

Yet they always seem to marry each other...

go figure

Germans I'd actually put in the center...or even lean democratic.

Especially in the midwest

[12th Doctor]

The Irish as a whole are becoming less solidly Democratic.  Funny, my Great grand-father Kelly left the Democrats because he didn't like being treated in the same way that the Democrats treat black (and all other minority) voters today.

[English]

What about Koreans, Chinese, Japanese, Scandanavians and British?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

How 'bout the following:

Scottish
Scots-Irish (Northern Ireland)
English
French
Polish
Welsh
Finnish
Greek
Russian

[English]

I would tend to assume all of these groups would lean Democrat, but I'm far from certain.
Poles might be mixed due to the fact most are staunch Catholics. Russians also might be fairly mixed as they're pretty conservative.

[M]

The Russians I know, mostly Jews, are staunch GOPers. Also my liberal Indian friend tells me most Inidans are GOP.

[afleitch]

Pat Buchanan has Scottish ancestry (shudder) yuck.

[12th Doctor]

Pat Buchanan has Scottish ancestry (shudder) yuck.

Are you sure?  I thought he was Irish.

[opebo]

Personally I don't think we WASPs (or should I narrow it down to Anglo-Americans) are really the majority anymore.  But I guess we aren't 'ethnic'.   Anyway I guess we must be solidly GOP?

[M]

Certainly not. What about all those pale-as-the-snow liberals in, for example, New England and Frisco Bay?

I am not sure WASPs are even a lurality anymore, although population is so mixed here it is hard to tell. But I think Celts taken as a group are the plurality, and even if they are divided Irish may constitute a plurality over WASPs.

[bullmoose88]

I'd say the scots Irish (aka ulster irish) which tended to collect from PA to the south...are fairly republican (and for the southern ones, have switched to the GOP since the 60s) (Interesting to note that Reagan/Clinton/Bushies all have ulster irish ancestry)

[TeePee4Prez]

I'm Irish Catholic (Catholic being on the bubble).  It seems younger, working Irish Catholics are Democratic and liberal yet it depends on older ones.  Staunch older, wealthier Catholics are strong conservative though.  I think the ethnic bloc voting has gone out the door.  It's a matter of secular vs. religious and how storngly do you feel.  However, I find older seniors are Democratic because they did not like Hoover.

[bullmoose88]

Uhoh...possibly our first disagreement...

<--part Ulster Scot (and regular scot too)

>P

Hellova game last night.

I'm still pumped.

Interesting to note that Bush narrowly carried the senior demographic in 2000...mainly because he carried those who had just turned 65...where as gore whooped him on the much older crowd.

[opebo]

Interesting to note that Bush narrowly carried the senior demographic in 2000...mainly because he carried those who had just turned 65...where as gore whooped him on the much older crowd.

Who are mostly dead now!

[migrendel]

Well, I can only speak for my family. I have no Catholic ancestry, and it is predominantly Episcopalian, with some Unitarian, Congregationalist, and Presbyterian. All of my ancestors as far back as it is recorded were British or of British ancestry. My family, being abolitionists, voted Republican from the time of the party's founding until 1948, when my grandfather voted for Henry Wallace. Since then, we have supported the Democratic candidates. Why this is, I don't know why. But there was a seismic shift.

[bullmoose88]

Well, I can only speak for my family. I have no Catholic ancestry, and it is predominantly Episcopalian, with some Unitarian, Congregationalist, and Presbyterian. All of my ancestors as far back as it is recorded were British or of British ancestry. My family voted Republican from the time of the party's founding, being abolitionist, until 1948, when my grandfather voted for Henry Wallace. Since then, we have supported the Democratic candidates. Why this is, I don't know why. But there was a seismic shift.

Heh. Right about the time Massachusetts turned from a safe republican to a safe democratic (safe isn't the word) state. Turned almost on a friggin dime.