Historic Rise Of New Generation Of Asian American Politicians

August 28, 2012
Written by Manny Otiko in
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Governor Jindal led the historic response to Hurricane Gustav by successfully moving 1.9 million people out of harms’ way, the largest evacuation of citizens in the history of the United States, including the largest medical evacuation in history moving more than 10,400 people from hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical facilities. Information/Photo Credit: gov.state.la.us

Historically prominent in the fields of academia and technology; Asian Americans are now making waves in the political arena. 

 Just recently, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal was named as one of the front-runners for the Republican vice presidential nomination, but the position eventually went to Rep. Paul Ryan. Jindal is the child of Punjabi immigrants who settled in Louisiana and a former Rhodes Scholar. 

In California, Attorney General Kamala Harris is a rising star with whispers of becoming a potential presidential candidate. Harris, a Bay area native, is the child of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father. Another politician billed as a GOP rising star is Indian American Nikki Haley, Governor of South Carolina. 

 According to Toby Chaudhuri, co-founder of SocialxDesign, a political consulting firm, Barack Obama’s success in the 2008 Presidential election motivated the boom in Asian American politicians. Chaudhuri credits Obama for helping to break the invisible racial barrier in politics. 

 "Obama was the higher risk candidate because of race, but his victory helped Americans wake up to a new dawn and new possibilities," said Chaudhuri. "President Obama's election helped break the bamboo ceiling. It helped create a remarkable political moment for Asians and Pacific Islanders in America. Obama’s election combined with an unprecedented amount of political activity within the community and a catastrophic political climate created a sea of change for Asian Americans in politics."

 Asian Americans have mixed views on Obama. "Although Asian Americans overwhelmingly like President Obama, with nearly three-quarters viewing him favorably, they feel much less so when it comes to his job performance," Chaudhuri said. "On the issues, Asian Americans aren’t happy with the economic situation, but believe the country is moving in the right direction."

 He adds that the success of Asian American politicians such as Haley and Jindal is a mixed blessing to the Asian American community. He said it was good to see them breakthrough the racial barrier, but he is not too thrilled with their conservative policies. 

 alt"Many believed their victories would mark a turning point for Asians in America but were disappointed," he said. "Some publicly supported Bobby Jindal and Nikki Haley to make a big statement that an Asian American can be the governor of a Dixie state as a candidate from a historically white-only party, but they're both very conservative Republicans, and most Asian American's aren't, so there are a lot of mixed feelings about them. As born-again Christians, Jindal and Haley could corner the Mother Theresa vote, but Mahatma Gandhi would've voted against them on principle."

 According to Chaudhuri, Asian Americans lean toward the Democratic Party, although the Party does not always reach out to them. 

 "Recent polls show that Asian Americans identify overwhelmingly as Democrats – more than three times more than Republican – but less than a third were contacted by the Democratic Party in the last two years, while 37 percent of Republicans said they heard a great deal from their party over the same period," he said. "Independents barely heard from either party even though they are usually prime targets."

 However, Chaudhuri, who served as a deputy press secretary to Vice President Al Gore, political appointee to President Clinton, and a strategic communications consultant to President Obama's race-based White House initiatives and the State Department, is optimistic about the future for Asian American politicians. 

 "Asian Americans are on the rise," he said. "They’re gaining popularity and strength, institutional capacity and political sophistication. They are enjoying an expanded coalition and witnessing an exciting new generation of leaders who are transforming America’s political debate, putting forward new priorities to fix our troubled economy. Taking these voters for granted in the short-run will have a big impact in the end because they’re on a fast rise and they’re very loyal. They’re looking for leaders who will stand up for them and address their issues."

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