Asian is the New Republican

You remember the old fashioned saying, Brown is the new Black? In politics, I've heard variations of this: Gay is the new Black, and Hispanic is the new Black, and even Black is still the new Black.

(And some of us have even clung to the phrase 40 is the new 30, though a few years ago a friend of mine saw a young person walking by wearing a t-shirt that said 40 is not the new 30. It took a lot of self-discipline, my friend told me, not to punch the little brat in the teeth ...)

So as the Republican party tries to figure out how to make Hispanic the new Republican, it may be more useful to concentrate on winning the fastest growing ethnic group in America: Asians.

But that raises the question: why aren't they Republicans already? Charles Murray has a few thoughts on that, from the AEI blog -- with a big hat tip to the indispensable Daily Caller:

Read more here: http://ricochet.com/main-feed/Asian-is-the-New-Republican/(page)/3

Ron Villanueva — Delegate, Virginia's 21st District

A native of Virginia Beach, Ron Villanueva was involved in his community at an early age, volunteering for local organizations and elected officials on the grassroots level. He soon began working as a Legislative Aide for Senator (then Delegate) Frank Wagner.

In 2002 Ron became the youngest person ever elected to Virginia Beach City Council, winning an At-Large seat. In 2006 he was re-elected as the top vote getter, with over 50% of the ballots cast, running in a field of 10 candidates.

On City Council Ron worked to hold the line on taxes and promote economic growth, such as by attracting international businesses like Operation Smile to Virginia Beach, and working with local leaders and private business to expand operations of others.

His support of the Town Center office/restaurant/shopping complex has further enhanced the business profile of the area, and Ron’s efforts were instrumental in preserving one of the key economic engines of Virginia Beach, Oceana NAS, which was at one time a target to relocate.
In 2009 Ron won the 21st district House of Delegates seat in Virginia Beach, becoming the first Filipino-American (Fil-Am) elected to Virginia state government.

In his first session in Richmond, Ron successfully carried legislation allowing Virginia to drill for oil and natural gas offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. Ron also focused on helping Virginia recover from a slumping economy by opposing tax increases and working to ease the blow of severe budget cuts, on education, healthcare and transportation. (see Legislation section of web site for more details on Ron’s legislation)

Ron is partner at SEK Solutions, a government and military services provider. A graduate of Old Dominion University, Ron spent 8 years in the Coast Guard Reserves. He and his wife Cathy are raising four children and attend St. Marks Church.

[Official Bio from the Delegate's Website]

John Yoo: Why Aren’t Asians Republicans?

 

 

I’ve enjoyed the thought-provoking posts on why Asian Americans went for Obama in such large numbers — at 70 percent, more than any other ethnic group aside from African Americans. My AEI colleague Charles Murray makes some excellent points, as do Rob Long and Ricochet member TheSophist, who sounds like he was separated at birth from me.

 

In fact, having spent some time talking with Norman Podhoretz, author of the excellent Why are Jews Liberals?, on the National Review cruise, I’ve been inspired to write a book on Asians and politics. Taking off on Norman’s book, I may perhaps call it “Are Asians Liberals?”

To me, the similarities between Jews and Asians are compelling. Both have higher incomes and educational levels than the average American. Both hail from a number of different countries and often emigrated here with high amounts of human capital but low levels of material capital. Both come from cultures — despite the broad definition of Asian — that respect and prize scholarship and intellectuals. Both are discriminated against — unconstitutionally, in my view — in college and university admissions, and once, no doubt, in government hiring and contracting. Both prize family values and seem to be more religious than the average voter.

Continue Reading → http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/334436/why-arent-asians-republicans-john-yoo#

Filipino Republicans gather to Watch Presidential Debate

                    


LOS ANGELES, Calif–All eyes were on the second presidential face-off between the incumbent President Barack Obama and his challenger Governor Mitt Romney on Tuesday night. During the 90-minute town hall style debate, both candidates touched on the economy, the environment, and gun control.

There was that question of when the White House fully acknowledged that terrorists attacked the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. And then there was the expected attempt to appeal to women voters, with Romney flip flopping on his stand on contraceptives.

Filipino Republicans gathered a private home in Monterey Park to watch the debate hoping that Romney can solidify his campaign.

 “Romey is sustaining his ability to lead and I think Obama is not making a difference now. It’s just the same Obama talking about not knowing or accepting his problems during his 4 years,” said California Republican delegate Cecil Ramos

Filipinos Leaning Towards Romney

LOS ANGELES – Based on the findings of the 2012 National Asian American Survey (NAAS), Filipinos are showing the most support for presidential candidate Mitt Romney among all Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) racial groups.
According to the survey, the 38 percent of Filipinos supporting the former Massachusetts governor is the strongest degree of endorsement for Romney among all AAPIs.

Among Filipinos, 27 percent identify themselves as Republicans, while only 24 percent identify themselves as Democrats. Meanwhile, almost half of Filipinos (45 percent) claim to be independent or non-partisan.

Filipinos who identify themselves as Republicans outnumber those who identify themselves as Democrats. The survey also found that a larger portion of Filipinos now identify with the Republican Party than any other Asian American group. This sudden growth of Republican support is a big shift from prior surveys, according to the NAAS.

In 2008, 50 percent of the Filipino community voted for President Barack Obama (the Democrat candidate back then) while 46 percent voted for Republican Senator John McCain.

Continue reading → http://www.asianjournal.com/fil-am-news/3-filamnews/17837-fil-ams-lean-towards-romney-survey.html

Fil-Am GOP Leader Lauds Romney-Ryan Economic Plan

SAN FRANCISCO – About 30 Filipino-American seniors from all over the Bay Area gathered Thursday morning at a community center in a largely Filipino enclave in the heart of San Francisco’s South of Market district.

Along with their regular breakfast and a mental health workshop, Rudy Asercion, who directs the West Bay Filipino Multi-Services Inc., also served up a good dose of politics, rallying them to register and vote. He also invited them to the center that evening to watch the vice presidential candidates Joe Biden and Paul Ryan in their first and only televised debate.

A recent national survey of Asian American voters found that Filipinos show the highest level of support for GOP presidential candidate Gov. Mitt Romney. But, at this local debate-watching party at West Bay, opinions are split among supporters of him and Pres. Obama , with some voters still undecided about whom to support.

Watching the debate, Asercion says Congressman Ryan hammered two key issues that resonate strongly with the Filipino electorate: the economy and health care.

Asercion is the chair of the National Organization of Filipino-American Republicans and an elected member of the San Francisco Republican Party Central Committee.

Continue reading → http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=9a37c343636310f31c2aa3225526d30f

Rising Asian-Amer​ican Political Star From Calif. is Romney’s Chief Policy Director

Lanhee Chen in 2007. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

By Frank Stoltze One of Mitt Romney’s top advisors is a rising Asian-American political star from Southern California. As Romney’s chief policy director, 34-year-old Lanhee Chen plays a key role in advising the Republican presidential nominee on foreign and domestic issues. At the GOP Convention in Tampa in August, Asian-American journalists from around the country couldn’t wait to talk to Lanhee Chen.

They peppered him with questions about Mitt Romney’s immigration policy and views on Asia. Chen responded to one of the reporters, “Well, I mean obviously there are some challenges in the region. China is becoming increasingly aggressive in the South China Sea.”

  Chen, dressed in a sport coat and open collar, answered questions easily, until a reporter asked a more personal question, about his role as one of the few prominent Asian Americans inside a Republican campaign for president. “I’m not really ever sure what to say about that, but it is interesting to look around and realize that most people don’t look quite like you do,” said Chen.

Read more »