The GOP’s Asian-American Fiasco

If you are trying to figure out why the Republicans lost this presidential election and why they will probably continue to lose more in the future, forget for a second Latino voters (well, only for a second) and think for a few minutes about Asian-American voters.

In fact, let’s think about them strategically. Say you are a Republican politico who is analyzing the economic status, social mobility, and cultural disposition of various demographic groups and the voting behavior of their members.

And here is this bloc of voters who, let’s see, tend to gravitate to the private sector with many of them creating and managing small businesses. Actually, some of them belong to the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans, and most are doing quite well in terms of income and job security. They also are very family-oriented and subscribe to more traditional values.

Based on these and other social and economic indications, Asian-Americans as an electoral bloc should be natural political ally of a Republican Party that is, after all, committed to the principles of the free market, supports the interests of small businesses, and celebrates hard work and family values, which is probably the way to describe what Asian-Americans are all about.

Read more: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-gops-asian-american-fiasco/

Asian-American Republican Women

3 Reasons School Choice is Growing

Universal Health Care for the Ownership Society

Sooner or later, Republicans will be forced to offer a pragmatic alternative to the Affordable Care Act. We haven’t done this because health care is a miserable political swamp for the GOP. It forces us out of our comfort zone, leaving us to confront problems that do not yield to our favorite, market-driven solutions. We can’t put this off forever. We need to move past slogans and build a plan.

The fundamental problem with health care as a market is that the “consumers” in a medical marketplace are typically ill, sometimes seriously so. A patient’s vulnerability creates a coercive effect which ruins the price-setting mechanisms of a market. This means that the tools we love most in other scenarios fail us here.

We can’t simply stand pat. Our current system is an escalating disaster. It is vastly more expensive than anything found elsewhere in the world. Its costs fall heavily on businesses ($500bn a year) and local governments ($400bn a year). Our system chains families to an employer, since individual coverage is grotesquely expensive.

Employers are groaning under spectacular costs, while retirement is being priced out of reach by the dangers of medical costs. And this system punishes the activity that our economy most needs – entrepreneurship.

The Affordable Care Act takes the existing model and buries it in a blizzard of bureaucracy. It mandates individual coverage without creating any realistic method of making it affordable. It retains our dependence on employment-based insurance while creating burdens on business which will cost millions of Americans their coverage. It is less a solution than a crisis engineered to force a solution.

Occupy thug calls Michelle Rhee 'Asian b-tch'

 

 

A recent occupy protest at the Department of Education turned ugly when one protester, a public teacher, called school choice champion Michelle Rhee an “Asian bitch.”

 

The protest last week was part of a week-long series of events organized by a group called Occupy DOE 2.0. Members oppose the education agenda of reformers like Rhee, and want federal policy to de-emphasize standardized tests, which have recently become a rallying point for teachers unions.

Ceresta Smith, a teacher in Miami-Dade County, called Rhee “an Asian bitch.” Later, she said that her language was extreme, but appropriate.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/04/10/occupy-thug-calls-michelle-rhee-asian-bitch/#ixzz2QHahpxax

GOP hires two to boost Asian-American outreach

The Republican National Committee is stepping up its outreach to Asian-American and Pacific Islander voters, as it becomes increasingly apparent that they’re a crucial swing vote in battleground states and districts across the nation.

They’re trying to catch up with Democrats, and polls show the GOP needs to move fast as AAPI voters have been leaning more and more heavily toward Democratic candidates.
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus today announced Stephen Fong as the committee’s national Asian and Pacific Islander field director and Jason Chung as its national communications director for Asian and Pacific Islander engagement.

Priebus said Fong – a longtime Republican operative originally from California, and a former president of the San Francisco Log Cabin Republicans – “brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience, particularly at the grassroots level, which will be invaluable in building our new and unprecedented community-based field operation to engage with all voters.”

Read more: http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2013/04/09/gop-hires-two-to-boost-asian-american-outreach/

Ken Yang for Arkansas State Auditor

Ken is a native of Benton, Arkansas, and first generation immigrant of Taiwan. His father fled China in 1949 during the Communist Revolution and later with Ken’s mother immigrated to the United States in 1983.

Ken’s parents are owners of a Chinese restaurant in Arkansas and he was taught at an early age the value of hard work. It has allowed Ken to live and pursue the American Dream to this day.

Ken graduated from Benton High School summa cum laude and lettered in high school tennis.

Ken’s immense love and passion for politics and helping people grew with his participation of Arkansas Governor’s School, an invitation to the National Model United Nations for high school students, and an internship at the Saline County Prosecuting Attorney’s office. He would later serve as the Saline County District Court case coordinator at the Prosecutor’s office at the age of 20.

Ken went on to attend Hendrix College where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and was presented with an Outstanding Leadership and Service award. He also was an academic honors athlete and lettered in NCAA III tennis.

Following college, Ken was offered the position of Campaign Manager for then State Representative Mark Martin’s campaign for Arkansas Secretary of State at the age of 21. In this capacity, Ken spearheaded volunteer organization, coalition outreach, fundraising, and communications strategy for the campaign. He was also  a key surrogate for Martin.

Ken’s efforts steered the campaign to an historic victory. Mark Martin became the 1st Republican Secretary of State elected in Arkansas since Reconstruction.

During the 2012 election cycle, Ken joined Newt 2012 as a key member of the national field team with which he traveled to six different states. Ken served as the State Field Director for Ohio and Alabama, staffing the Speaker and top surrogates and managing the field team. Once the Republican primary season ended, Ken was hired on as part of the Romney Victory Field Staff in Ohio. His office consistently led the state in direct voter contact with phone calls made and doors knocked. This would later warrant visits to his office from Governor Romney, Congressman Ryan, and Senator Rubio.

Ken currently handles Governmental Affairs at Arkansas Family Council, an organization of 10,000 families and churches throughout Arkansas with a mission of promoting, protecting, and strengthening traditional family values. He is a Senior Advisor to American Pride Strategies.

http://votekenyang.com/meet-ken-yang/

Dr. Kai Zhang, Carving a Niche as a Unique Coalition Builder

In 2008, Zhang felt it was time to organize Chinese Americans who were of the same political persuasion and work for the common good. He worked with Jim Cheng (now Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade), Tony Yeh and many Chinese Americans to establish the Chinese American Republicans Virginia Association or CARVA. 

He was elected the first president of the association. The organization is affiliated with the State Republic organization, and is directly under the leadership of the Republican party of Virginia.

It is the first Chinese political organization of its kind in the nation, with a clear mission to promote political participation and promote Asian community interests. It has been successful in bringing together Chinese Americans from Taiwan, Hong Kong, mainland China, and in working together for common interests and benefits for the community.

CARVA helps promote other Chinese communities through cultural, commercial or social events. It has worked with the Asian Community Festival, Chinese Traditional Dancing Groups, the Chinese American Chamber of Commerce, Americans of Taiwan Origin, Chinese Sunday Schools and other regional organization. 

 

  Remarked CARVA President Tony Yeh: “He was able to unite Chinese Americans in this region who from different parts of the world and with different backgrounds to work together as a united political force, and provide influence to the regional politics process.”

 

Robert S. Wertz, Jr., Commissioner of the Revenue for Loudoun County, Virginia has known Dr. Zhang for about a decade. “He has helped numerous Republican candidates on the local, state and national levels as a grassroots volunteer.”

He added: “In all my dealings with Kai, he has been diligent, friendly, and unassuming. His interest in service is not for personal gain, but to make the community and Commonwealth a better place to live and work. I have always viewed Kai as a peacemaker, one who looks for common ground to solve problems. He doesn’t sacrifice his beliefs for the sake of consensus, but treats everyone respect.”

Read more: http://www.asianfortunenews.com/article_0412.php?article_id=22

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

Source: AP 

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 for Vice Chair of the California Republican Party

As a lifelong conservative our party MUST win again.  Conservative fiscal values and principles of individual liberty and responsibility will only return to California through the Republican party.  As a small business owner, I want to see California’s economic freedoms restored and taxpayers protected."
 

Harmeet Dhillon was born in Chandigarh, India in the home of a physician. She moved to America at the age of two, living throughout the United States and making her proud to become an American citizen.  As a first generation immigrant who has lived in the Bronx, rural North Carolina, Washington DC and now California, she has gathered a special collection of life experiences that shaped her character, conservative beliefs and American patriotism.


In 2005, Dhillon was elected to the San Francisco County Republican Central Committee.  In 2008, she enthusiastically ran for State Assembly in the eastern half of San Francisco making history as the first Indian American major party nominee for state office in California history. She ran an aggressive campaign, receiving nearly double the vote of GOP registration in one of the most liberal districts in California.  During her campaign,  Dhillon met her husband Sarvjit, a retired nuclear engineer who worked for the Public Utilities Commission after starting nuclear power plants around the country. 

In 2011, after Dhillon was elected Chair of the San Francisco Republican Party, Dhillon and her husband sailed to their own wedding on Angel Island, and were married by a Republican judge. In 2012, she started her own small business, manufacturing and selling California made yarn, inspired by her husband who wanted to purchase products made in California.  Through her small business and her law firm she has created economic opportunity for Californians and knows the challenges job creators face every day from oppressive regulation and taxation.

http://www.dhillonforcrp.com/

Shawn Steel: Republicans can win over Asian voters, if they try

Shawn Steel, California's National Republican Committeeman, and a former chairman of the California Republican Party writes:

In the wake of Mitt Romney's narrow loss to President Obama, much has been said about improving Republican outreach to Hispanic voters. While that is true and necessary, there is another neglected voter demographic with whom the GOP can make more immediate and significant headway: Asian-Pacific Islanders.''

In a national election decided by 4 points or less, tiny pools of voters are crucial. Asians are America's fastest-growing immigrant community, and Asian voters constitute 2 percent to 7 percent of registered voters in half of the traditional 10 swing states. This isn't exactly classified information, yet Team Romney seemed oblivious to it.

In a national election decided by 4 points or less, tiny pools of voters are crucial. Asians are America's fastest-growing immigrant community, and Asian voters constitute 2 percent to 7 percent of registered voters in half of the traditional 10 swing states. This isn't exactly classified information, yet Team Romney seemed oblivious to it.

Shared conservative values make Asians the best potential citizens for rapid integration into Republican Party. For example:

» Economic achievement makes Asians the immigrant group most rapidly assimilated into the middle class in U.S. history.

» Asian-Americans enjoy longer marriages and have fewer children out of wedlock, and their families are more intact than the general population's.

» First-generation Asian-American voters generally distrust government due to experience in their homelands, where bribery was the local currency for getting permits and permission. Generally speaking, they frown on government regulation of their businesses.

The GOP is the middle-class party, and Asians would feel more welcome if properly engaged.
Read more: http://washingtonexaminer.com/republicans-can-win-over-asian-voters-if-they-try/article/2515666