GALLUP: Asian-Americans Solidly Prefer Democrats

This is not good. Wake up Republicans! Stop sleeping!




Sixty-one percent of young adult Asian-Americans identify as/lean Democratic by Andrew Dugan WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Asian-Americans -- who were a key part, if sometimes overlooked, of President Barack Obama's 2012 electoral coalition -- solidly back the Democratic Party, with 57% identifying as or leaning Democratic, compared with 28% identifying as or leaning Republican. Thirteen percent are "pure" independents.

However, the data suggest that a substantial portion of Asian-Americans are not entirely wedded to either of the major political parties: 46% first describe themselves as independent or other, and only when asked if they "lean" Republican or Democratic does the Democratic Party garner its majority support within this group.

These findings are based on aggregated data from Gallup Daily tracking surveys conducted throughout 2012, including interviews with 6,465 Asian-Americans. For the purpose of this analysis, respondents are categorized as Asian-American if they self-identify their race as Asian.

Read more: http://www.gallup.com/poll/160775/asian-americans-solidly-prefer-democrats.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=syndication

Democrat 'Racial slurs' aimed at Asian Republican wife draw McConnell's ire

Source: Associated Press

WINCHESTER, Kentucky (AP) — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell lambasted a liberal group on Saturday for criticizing the Asian heritage of his wife, former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, calling its Twitter messages "racial slurs" and "the ultimate outrage."

McConnell forcefully defended Chao, who was born in Taiwan and who moved to the U.S. as an 8-year-old with her family aboard a freight ship.

"They will not get away with attacking my wife in this campaign," McConnell told about 100 home-state supporters at a Republican dinner in Winchester.

"This woman has the ear of (at)McConnellPress — she's his (hash)wife," the group Progress Kentucky tweeted on Feb. 14. "May explain why your job moved to (hash)China!"

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/03/02/mcconnell-chao-twitter-kentucky/1959635/

Harmeet K. Dhillon: California Republicans at a Crossroads

California Republicans are at a crossroads. We need to take a good look in the mirror and be honest with ourselves.  We have many values and traits as Republicans that make us attractive to voters.  From being seen as strong leaders on job creation and fiscal responsibility to understanding the importance of protecting bedrock constitutional, individual and natural rights, we have a value set and message to voters that can win in California again.  But first, we need a California Republican Party that is committed to giving our candidates the tools and resources to engage in hand-to-hand “political combat” and win against our increasingly leftist Democrat adversaries.

I’m seeking the support of California Republican Party delegates to represent the party as its next Vice Chair, from the northern region of our great state.

Many in the media are pushing a narrative that our values are the problem in the hope that our party will abandon those very core principles that we know are critical to California’s future and our electoral success.  Many on the left and in the media attack our values as the culprit for losing campaigns when our candidates are outspent sometimes by ridiculous amounts and rely on a campaign infrastructure that is obsolete and in need of renovation and innovation.

 The next leadership of the California Republican Party needs to get back to the fundamentals of helping qualified candidates win elections.  That means emphasizing what can be controlled and doing it well including:

 1.Raising resources to help our candidates take their message to the voters and compete more effectively with their Democrat opponents who are funded heavily by government labor unions and special interests.
 
2.Reaching into new communities that are “growth markets” for new GOP candidates, voters, donors and volunteers.  We aren’t going to win over voters in new, growing communities if we aren’t willing to invest the time to build deeper, personal bonds.  We must communicate at the grassroots level to build credibility, not just create a new “outreach” plan that makes everybody feel good but accomplishes little.  Our communications efforts need to emphasize new, cost-effective technologies to help our candidates better reach voters in those “growth markets.”
 
3.Recruit and equip a new generation of candidates who reflect the communities they seek to represent and share our Republican values.  We must strengthen our candidate campaign schools and get those candidates ready to face the Democrat attack machine. Every community in California contains conservative leaders; our job is to find them and nurture them.

The California Republican Party is a home in need of renovation.  There is no need to disturb the foundation of its core conservative values, but it’s time to add on a few new rooms for what can and should be a growing family.

A critical element of the party’s success will be for party activists and candidates to step outside their comfort zones in a number of ways. For one, we must adopt the best possible technology now. The party can learn from the successes of our opposition’s voter contact and outreach mechanics so we can spread our message more effectively.  This element of our plan is particularly critical to reaching out and engaging Millenial-generation voters.

Republicans also need to increase their engagement in their communities beyond politics – such as volunteering in their communities in non-Republican settings, nonprofit groups, the arts, social service organizations, and neighborhood associations. It is in these time honored, grass roots, locally-based apolitical organizations where relationships are formed, leadership opportunities emerge, and volunteers get an opportunity to gain the trust of their neighbors. There is no better way for Republicans to expand their circles of influence than by leaving their computers, engaging with their neighbors in person and becoming a part of their community.

The California Republican Party has the basic tools it needs to excel.  We have great volunteers and committed supporters ready to compete and win. We have an electorate yearning for better leadership than the failed tax-and-spend Democrat crew in Sacramento who are the epitome of what people despise in government but have only been hearing one side of the argument. We, as Republicans, need leadership that will put the party back on firm financial footing with an improved professional operation that is focused on changing those dynamics.

As I watched the many television documentaries on President’s Day about President Lincoln, I was reminded of his belief that even in the toughest times you must stand and fight for what is right.  We must look to our first Republican President and our nation’s greatest leader for the inspiration to bring our state and nation forward behind the conservative policies and values that we know will make life better for our fellow citizens.  Our party must once again provide support and tools for our elected leaders and candidates who will be attacked by the Democrats for doing what is right.

Can we regain that once bright promise for California? Pulling together, I know that we can.  I ask for your support at the California Republican Party Convention and hope you will go to my website to get to know more about me and to get involved with my campaign.  Thank you.

A short video regarding some of Harmeet’s goals as CRP Vice Chair

About the Author: Harmeet K. Dhillon  is the Chairman of the San Francisco Republican Party and candidate for California Republican Party Vice Chairman. If you would like to support her campiagn please go to http://www.dhillonforcrp.com/index.html. On March 2nd (tommorow) she is holding an event in Sacramento for supporters of her campaign.

Campaign site: http://www.dhillonforcrp.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/dhillonforcrp

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HKD4CRPVC

Harmeet Dhillon, candidate for Vice Chair of the California Republican Party, talks about uniting the party in California.

Supervisor Janet Nguyen to Run for State Senate with Support of the Senate’s Republican Leaders

GARDEN GROVE, CA — Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen today announced that she will be a candidate for State Senate in the new 34th district and that she had already secured the support of the Senate’s Republican leaders, including Senate Minority leader Bob Huff and Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Ted Gaines. Nguyen currently represents 60% of the 34th district as a County Supervisor.

“The people of our area work hard to build a better life for themselves and their children,” said Nguyen. “They care about our schools, the local economy and the safety of their neighborhoods. They want and deserve results and care little about the partisan debate in Sacramento.”

Nguyen said that her priorities for the district are to make sure local schools are fully funded, give tax and regulatory relief to small businesses, increase public safety and make sure that seniors maintain access to quality health care. She says the state legislature needs to reduce waste, control spending and concentrate on growing the economy and bringing jobs back to the state.

“Janet Nguyen is a public servant who works tirelessly for the people of her district. She will be a great addition to the State Senate and I am pleased to endorse her,” said Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff.

“Last year, California voters chose to raise taxes. Now we need more responsible representatives in Sacramento who will use those new funds wisely, balance the state budget and not keep coming back to hard working Californians looking for more,” said Nguyen.

State Senator Mimi Walters called Nguyen the ideal candidate for the 34th district. “Janet knows what it takes to run and win tough campaigns because she has done it time and time again. She is a tenacious campaigner and a dedicated public servant,” said Walters.

The 34th district contains the heart of Orange County and all of the area known as Little Saigon. Over 90% of the registered voters in the district live in Orange County, with the remainder in Long Beach.
Janet Nguyen was elected to the Orange County Board of Supervisors in February, 2007.

In doing so, she became the first Asian-American and the first Vietnamese-American to serve on the Board of Supervisors, and the youngest Supervisor ever to be elected in Orange County. In 2008, Nguyen was honored by Latino OC 100 for her contributions to the Latino community. Janet previously served on the Garden Grove City Council and as Vice President of Government and Public Affairs for the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. Janet, her husband and children live in Garden Grove.

During her tenure as a County Supervisor, the County has maintained a balanced budget every year while also being able to set aside money into the reserve. The County of Orange restructured its Retirement Medical and Pensions Programs, resulting in savings of $992 million to the County’s unfunded liability.

As part of an effort to reclaim local neighborhoods from the control of gangs, Janet joined the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and local law enforcement agencies to obtain a permanent gang injunction against local criminal street gangs.

http://www.janetforsupervisor.com/

Asian Republican Mayors

Jeremy Yamaguchi, 23, is said to be California's youngest mayor. He governs in Placentia. He is joined by fellow Mayor Ling Ling Chang, of Diamond Bar. Both are Republicans. Credit Dave Colby

Obama’s Minimum Wage Gambit

The President’s proposal to raise the minimum wage is as politically clever as it is economically meaningless. The proposal is pointless in practical terms since it can’t become law and wouldn’t help the economy if it did. It is only significant because of what it says about President Obama.

The President is clearly learning how to use Republican dysfunction to his advantage. This gambit invites Republicans to put their most serious weaknesses on display. So far we are giving him what he hoped for and more.

Any Republican response ought to begin by acknowledging the merits of the minimum wage. While it’s true that a wage floor eliminates some jobs, that’s what it is meant to accomplish. In extreme circumstances, people can find themselves without negotiating leverage in the wage market. A wage floor, along with the rest of the social safety net, legislates out of existence certain jobs which are inherently exploitative.

Along the way it incentivizes technological development, supporting careers in fields like computers and robotics which might not exist if the poorest in society could be starved into submission. Eliminating the wage floor entirely would do more than make the poor poorer. It would pull some of the momentum out of higher-paid industries, sucking wages downward for everyone.

While a minimum wage serves a purpose, it needs to be handled with care. An increase in the minimum wage moves the range of available careers higher up the value scale. However, if we shift it too far then lower-skill workers begin to suffer, seeing the opportunities to launch careers fade.

For example, if the minimum wage were hiked to $20/hour, then the window of available careers will no longer include, as an example, the McDonalds restaurant. McDonalds might still provide drive-through service, but they could not afford to pay humans to do the work. Such a high minimum wage might make fast-food automation economically viable eliminating millions of entry-level jobs.

Perhaps your Big Mac would be cooked and served by a mostly-automated restaurant. Your meal would cost a bit more and you might be less likely to get ‘screwed at the drive-through,’ but such a high wage floor could eliminate the entire concept of student employment and make unskilled work almost entirely redundant.

It makes sense to hike the minimum wage significantly if the mass availability of desperate workers is causing technology investment to lag. However, that is the opposite of what we are experiencing. Rapidly accelerating technical advances have created a long-term paradigm shift away from manual labor.

This has spawned twin problems, a frustrating talent drought in knowledge careers (unemployment for IT professionals is around 3%) and vast structural unemployment in less skilled jobs. Raising the minimum wage by a meaningful margin would exacerbate both problems at the same time.

The modest increase Obama is proposing is probably too small to have any effect at all beyond its political value. According the Labor Department, in 2011 about 2% of American workers earned at or below the minimum wage. Most of them were under 25 and white. A tiny minority (3%) of hourly workers over 25 earn at or below the minimum wage. The wage floor does little more than d

etermine how many summer jobs the economy will support. That’s why there is little difference in the unemployment rates between states with a higher minimum wage and those that stick with the Federal rate. Our economy has developed to the point that the minimum wage is largely irrelevant.

The wage floor has no relationship to the most serious problem affecting low earners – our systemic failure to prepare workers to meet the exploding demand for technical fields. It takes years to prepare workers for knowledge careers. Those jobs are going unfilled and businesses are doing their best to adapt to the labor drought.  All told, Obama’s proposal would probably eliminate a few thousand student jobs while doing nothing about our core problems. Democrats are once again using the working poor as a backdrop for campaign photos.

And Republicans can’t do anything about it.

This would be the perfect moment for Republicans to unveil a rational, realistic program to address the collapse in upward mobility among the working poor and minorities. We can’t do that because we don’t have one.  We cannot develop sensible responses to real world issues while locked in an ideological fantasyland in which every problem is solved by cutting taxes, deporting Mexicans or humiliating pregnant teenagers. Jack Kemp is gone and no one has yet emerged with the courage or insight to continue his legacy.

So, the gambit will probably succeed. President Obama and the Democrats are positioned to score a few more political points while struggling Americans languish. For Republicans, it’s yet another opportunity missed.

About the Author: Chris Ladd is a Texan who is now living in the Chicago area.  He is the founder of Building a Better GOP and has served for several years as a Republican Precinct Committeeman in DuPage County, IL, and was active in state and local Republican campaigns in Texas for many years. (Email: chrladd AT gmail DOT com)