Category Archives: politics

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Go vote, then check out this election eve poll of Asian Americans.

I was wrong on the San Francisco Giants. It was Giants in 4, not 7. But will the Giants be wrong in predicting today’s election? Check out how the home team’s state determines the winner in the presidential race nearly 90 percent of the time on my post at www.aaldef.org/blog.

ELECTION EVE POLL

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund along with the Natioanl Asian Pacific American Coalition for Community Development (CAPACD) conducted a national pre-election day poll. The significance of the poll is that it confirms previous snapshots of the national Asian American community.

We’ve got issues.

This is taken from the AALDEF press release with some added commentary  from me.

* Key concerns: The vast majority of Asian American voters (58%) said that fixing the economy and creating more jobs was the most important issue that politicians should address. Health care and education reform were each cited by 20% of Asian American voters as the most important issue, followed by civil rights/immigration issues (13%).

This snapshot appears to be in line with previous surveys done this campaign season.

 * Political affiliation. Although a large proportion of Asian Americans describe themselves as independent (29%), 41% of Asian Americans are Democrats and 14% of Asian Americans are Republicans.

Confirms the growing independence of Asian Americans, and how the group can no longer be taken for granted and must be addressed by all parties.

* First-time voters.  One in five survey respondents (20%) were first-time voters in the 2012 elections. These Asian Americans are seldom included in mainstream polls. 45% of this group have already voted in states with early voting.

A good reason not to pay too much attention to mainstream exit polls. They’ll never be able to tell you anything about Asian Americans.

 * Voter contacts. Despite their growing interest in the 2012 elections, a majority (51%) of Asian Americans said they were never contacted by a campaign, political party, or community group to register to vote or to vote. Among the 40% who were approached to vote in today’s election, 55% of Asian Americans were contacted by Democratic representatives, 38% by Republicans, and 32% by community organizations.

This I found to be the most startling group of facts. Half of the sample says they were never contacted at all? Where’s the outreach? The outrage?

* Health care. 60% of Asian American voters supported the federal government’s role in ensuring access to health insurance, compared to 23% who believe that people should secure their own health insurance.

I wonder how all the Asian American doctors saw this issue?

* Budget deficit. To address the national budget deficit, 45% of Asian Americans supported a combination of tax increases and spending cuts, with 26% stating that taxes on the wealthy should be increased. Only 14% of Asian Americans supported spending cuts alone to reduce the deficit.

Considering that Asian Americans have the highest per capita income in the country, this is a potentially more meaningful finding. Suggests a sense of tax fairness in the group.

 * Immigration reform. 57% of Asian American voters supported comprehensive immigration reform, with a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants currently in the United States. This support was much higher among U.S. born Asian American citizens (73%), compared to foreign-born Asian American citizens (50%).

This could signify a real divide among native and foreign born Asian Americans. How to interpret it is tricky. 

That more U.S. born want reform isn’t so clear. They believe in rule of law? Are they holdovers from the civil rights era? Or maybe they just want all their relatives here? 

And why wouldn’t more foreign born citizens want a pathway to citizenship? Could it be the just don’t care for more competition from new immigrants? Sounds like they’ve  politically morphed into a Southern White male.

*Undocumented youth. 35% of Asian Americans said they were more enthusiastic about President Obama because of his new policy to stop the deportation of undocumented youth who attended college or served in the military (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). 40% of Asian Americans said their vote was not affected by this policy directive, and nearly half (49%) of Asian American voters aged 18 to 30 were more enthusiastic about Obama after he announced the new policy in June 2012.

 This is the future of Asian America. What they think matters.

* News sources. In describing their main source of news about politics and community issues, 41% of Asian Americans got their news from television; 30% from the internet; 16% from newspapers, and 7% from radio. Among specific ethnic groups, a large proportion of Vietnamese American (45%), Chinese American (40%) and Korean American (36%) voters said that Asian-language ethnic media provided their main source of news.

Sad that newspapers’ decline is evidenced here too. Watch for declines in TV as well, as everything switches over to the web.

AALDEF will be coming up with more the day after election.

Meanwhile the polls are about to close in some states.

But don’t let that deter you westward Asian Americans. Your vote matters. Always. Still.

 (Check out AALDEF’s official press release on the poll)

 

 

 

 

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Winner? Obama by TKO, but Romney still strong

President Barack Obama seemed to finally figure out what to do in a debate—to assert and negate, in essence to clash and cross swords with Governor Mitt Romney on any issue on the table.

As a result, the second debate was far from the steamroller for Romney as in the first debate.

I expected the town hall format to be a tad more folksy and interactive. But the crowd of undecided voters assembled at Hofstra University were just props in the middle of a real fight between Obama and Romney. Both came out ready, asserting and countering even outside the rigid debate format. It created a challenge for the moderator Candy Crowley, who did an admirable job keeping decorum and keeping the debaters on point, at one time correcting Romney on Obama’s response on Libya, the feistiest moment of the debate.

But to me, while Romney seemed to be level with his last performance, the president’s more energized approach left the lasting overall impression that his performance on this night was greater than Romney’s—maybe even enough to erase the memory of the president’s  first debate lapse. Perhaps for his base. As for undecideds, that’s not so clear.

From the very first question, the style and substance of both was apparent. To the Adelphi student who asked if he would have a job on graduation, Romney had the empathy, but no real plan. Obama came out with an answer that was like a microscosm of the whole debate, including the goal of creaing high-paying manufacturing jobs, a jab in about Romney’s Detroit stand,  tax code revisions, business incentives, energy plans.

In the same two-minute answer, Obama scored his highest response from CNN focus group members with this line:

“We got to make sure we have the best education system in the world, and the fact that you’re going to college is great. But I want everybody to have a great education and we’ve worked hard that student loans are available for folks like you.”

The only negatives for me in the debate came when the combatants crossed the line, turning the civility of parry and riposte into a street brawl. I kept wondering if any of this was scoring with the demographic of choice in this campaign, women.

There were times Obama was clearly getting under Romney’s skin. One point Romney turned to engage Obama on an issue, but instead of taking the bait, the president merely looked at Romney and said in a dismissive tone, “Go on.”

That’s the way to use your status.

Other issues: Romney tried to attack Obama on immigration. But Romney had no response when Obama pointed out that Romney’s key immigration advisor is the author of Arizona’s “Show me your papers” law.

Still, I didn’t see any real knockout blow in this debate. Overall, I’d say Obama won on points in O/R II.

But because Obama played rope-a-dope in O/R I , the race is still closer than it should be.

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Veep Debate: Biden vs. Ryan was all Ward Cleaver vs. the Beaver

Billed as a debate on foreign and domestic issues, the Vice Presidential Debate in Danville, Kentucky was much anticipated. Especially after the Obama no-show.

As debates go, it was civil, to the point and allowed for plenty of clash on some fairly important issues.

When he wasn’t paternal, Vice President Biden featured a toothy smile to indicate his disapproval of whatever his younger opponent Paul Ryan would say.

It struck me a bit like Ward Cleaver debating the Beaver.

But as they started the debate on Libya, Syria, then Egypt and Iran, I kept thinking the debate was way to top heavy on international affairs. Considering that a vice president might attend a state funeral or two, does it matter that Vice President Joe Biden can talk about Israel and Iran and refer to Prime Minister Netanyahu as “BeBe”?  

The debate was a third over when using a national security spin, the moderator finally transitioned to domestic issues like the economy and jobs, and how to get unemployment down to 6 percent. But aside from Biden’s toothy smiles to Ryan’s Romney talking points, nothing we haven’t heard uttered.

It did give Biden an opportunity to talk about the Romney’s “47 percent,” gaffe, which Biden used as the foundation to appeal to regular folk. It did give an opportunity to get the night’s only real laugh, when Ryan tried to apologize for Romney saying: “I think the VP knows sometimes the words don’t come out of your mouth the right way.”

OK, so now we’re set up for other  domestic issues that we haven’t heard about yet?

No, there was a reprise on Medicare and Social Security, and taxes. All fine. I’m sure it’s asked because a debate is an opportunity to reiterate some issues and touch all the bases. But does it really matter if it’s the VP and Candidate Ryan? It still sounded like campaign boilerplate–with one exception. Ryan is much more of an idealogue than Romney. Standing alone for the campaign, he made it seem more right-wing than it usually does.

With a quarter-hour left, I was waiting for maybe some question on other domestic issues. I knew we wouldn’t hear anything on affirmative action or immigration. But what about education policy? Or maybe a connection between some spending initiatives to help the states.

But no. Since women are known to be the demographic of Election 2012, the abortion issue emerged. And this was a bit more revealing about the candidates and their positions. Biden’s was best because he was true to his religion but didn’t seek to “impose” it on others. A delicate stand but fair. Ryan sounded like your basic pro-lifer.

Just a few minutes left, doesn’t anyone want to talk about Education? Our children, our public schools? Our future?

No.

How can you have a debate that says it will include domestic issues and not include one second to education?

Every issue they discussed the economy, jobs, or lack thereof. Middle class opportunity.  Education  has to be a part of any solution to build up America for the future. Doesn’t it?

But did we hear any answers from either camp that showed there was a real plan that prioritized education at any level, primary, secondary or higher ed?  

Sadly, no.

Aside from that glaring ommission,  I’d say it was a close debate.

Scoring a debate, you look at clash points. And the debaters did clash. Ryan was better than anyone would have thought, but I don’t think he made the case that the GOP would do better than what we have. That was his burden. Biden stood his ground. Unlike Obama in the first debate,  he didn’t let anything get past him. Overall, I think he won this debate,

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Tale of two tapes: Secret video speaks the truth about Romney as candidate goes ethnic and talks of how it would be “helpful to be Latino.”

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Maybe Mitt Romney was scared that the campaign had gone all foreign policy-oriented  because of that anti-Arab internet video that he secretly was yearning for some other video to change the dynamics of the campaign.

But the video he had in mind was something like the polished one he did that aired this morning on  “Live with Kelly and Michael.”

At one point on this tape, Romney responded to a question about his ability, or lack thereof, of being empathetic with the American people.

On tape, Romney is like his hair. Perfect. He brings up being pastor of his church. And then he mentions his wife’s MS, implying how it shows his compassion.  Ann talked earlier about Mitt’s “good heart.”

That’s the Romney message. 

Instead Romney has to deal with  that “other tape,” the “47 percent” tape secretly recorded at a $50,000 a plate fundraiser in Boca Raton. It’s got the political class buzzing. And you should be buzzing about it too. 

It shows the real Romney as he dishes the high rollers some GOP red-meat.

Said Romney on THAT tape:

“There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax.”

Did he just throw more than  half the American public under the food truck?

Later in California yesterday after Romney’s 47 percent comments were leaked, Romney appeared with hairs out-of-place, at a media opportunity where he tried to explain the remarks away saying he was just  “speaking off the cuff.”

Sort of like Clint Eastwood at the RNC?

Romney didn’t  apologize but clarified that he was showing the difference between those who want a “government centered society” vs. the  one he wants –“a free enterprise, free individual society, where people pursuing their dreams are able to employ one another, build enterprises, build the strongest economy in the world.”

The tape really is Romney.

Romney is the guy who says no to you at the bank.

He’s the guy who  gets his by living off others’ misery.

He’s the guy who makes conservatives yearn for a Bush. Any Bush. For cover.

What should be abundantly clear by now is that Romney’s perfect for a private corporation.

Just not for a United States that’s struggling to get back on its feet.

This is the man who wants to be the nation’s top public servant?

At one point in the secret tape, he attempts to show humor as he mentions his father being born to American parents in Mexico:

“Had he been born of Mexican parents I’d have a better chance of winning this, but he was not,” Romney said. 

Too bad. Then Democrats could be birthers too.

Romney finished off wistfully, saying “It would be helful to be Latino.”

Maybe. But then as the polls show, he would probably be voting for Obama.