The Promise of America - Elaine L. Chao

The entire "The Promise of America" video about the life of former Secretary of Labor, Elaine L. Chao.

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:

 

Continue Reading → http://ricochet.com/main-feed/Asian-is-the-New-Republican/(page)/3

MDGOP Launches Asian American Coalition

ANNAPOLIS – The Maryland Republican Party is please to announce the launch of the Asian American Coalition and Coalition Chairman Sastry Dhara. According to Maryland Republican Party Chairman Alex X. Mooney, the new coalition is an essential component to MDGOP’s long term political success and expanding the party’s base throughout the community.

“I’m thrilled to launch the Maryland Republican Party’s Asian American Coalition – one of many revamped initiatives geared at expanding MDGOP’s base,” Mooney said. “Under Sastry’s leadership I’m fully confident our message of fiscal responsibility and personal accountability will gain more traction within the Asian American community.”

The Asian American Coalition is just one of many new coalitions set to be rolled out by the Maryland Republican Party. From our African American Coalition to Small Business Coalitions, the Maryland GOP is committed to expanding our community outreach to build a broad coalition to elect leaders dedicated to putting our economy back on track and Marylanders back to work.

The Asian American Coalition will be lead by Montgomery County businessman and community leader, Sastry Dhara. Mr. Dhara has been an active Republican, serving as the President of the Republican Indian Committee’s Maryland Chapter while playing an active role in Governor Bob Ehrlich’s 2010 campaign. Mr. Dhara’s experience as senior information technology executive, with a proven track record of solid leadership for industries from healthcare to finance, makes him uniquely qualified to build and lead a strong coalition.

“As a member of the Asian American community I know the Republican message of less government, personal accountability, and fiscal responsibility resonates strongly throughout the community,” said Dhara. “I look forward to expanding on the Maryland GOP’s 2010 victories by building a stronger coalition throughout my community, so we can elect more Republicans in 2012 and 2014 and get Maryland back on track.”

http://www.mdgop.org/mdgop-launches-asian-american-coalition/

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#