Spring Break
Why Asian Americans Voted for Obama
Thomas Chen '09
Issue date: 2/3/09 Section: Opinion
At a gathering of 2000 Asian American leaders and activists in May, Obama personally phoned in to declare, "I am a Pacific Islander…I consider myself one of you," placating many who still harbored resentments that Obama neglected to mention "Asians" in some of his stump speeches stressing racial unity. After Obama's historic victory, blogs and forums of the Asian American community were abuzz with excitement. The San Francisco Chronicle published an article trumpeting Obama as the first "Asian American" president, and AsianWeek, a San Francisco-based newspaper serving the Asian/Pacific Islander American community, speculated about the prospect of the first real Asian American president in the near future. Inspired by Obama's multi-racial background, childhood story, and his message of change, this year's election has witnessed both increased political activism and support for the Democratic ticket among Asian Americans.
According to the Census Bureau, Asian Americans are defined as individuals with family origins from the Far East, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Subcontinent, ranging from recent Pakistani immigrants to former South Vietnamese refugees. With a small population-slightly over two percent of the U.S. voting population-the Asian American community's diverse nature prevents it from forming one cohesive voting bloc.
However, many Asian Americans have recently left traditionally overrepresented states such as California and Hawaii and settled in battleground counties such as Fairfax County in Virginia and Clark County in Nevada. Asian Americans account for more than five percent of the population of Virginia and Nevada. Nationally, they are the fastest growing ethnic group, ballooning from a population of one million in 1960 to 15 million today.
Asian Americans have already made significant strides in flexing their collective political muscle. In the 2006 Senate election in Virginia, infuriated by incumbent Senator George Allen's offensive "macaca" remark, Asian Americans' votes may have tipped the control of the Senate to the Democrats; the race was decided by a razor-thin 9,329 votes. Exit polls conducted by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund showed that Asian Americans voted 76% to 21% for Allen's opponent, Jim Webb. Numbering 160,000 and determined to hold the incumbent senator accountable, Virginia's Asian American electorate helped decide that contentious race.
According to the Census Bureau, Asian Americans are defined as individuals with family origins from the Far East, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Subcontinent, ranging from recent Pakistani immigrants to former South Vietnamese refugees. With a small population-slightly over two percent of the U.S. voting population-the Asian American community's diverse nature prevents it from forming one cohesive voting bloc.
However, many Asian Americans have recently left traditionally overrepresented states such as California and Hawaii and settled in battleground counties such as Fairfax County in Virginia and Clark County in Nevada. Asian Americans account for more than five percent of the population of Virginia and Nevada. Nationally, they are the fastest growing ethnic group, ballooning from a population of one million in 1960 to 15 million today.
Asian Americans have already made significant strides in flexing their collective political muscle. In the 2006 Senate election in Virginia, infuriated by incumbent Senator George Allen's offensive "macaca" remark, Asian Americans' votes may have tipped the control of the Senate to the Democrats; the race was decided by a razor-thin 9,329 votes. Exit polls conducted by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund showed that Asian Americans voted 76% to 21% for Allen's opponent, Jim Webb. Numbering 160,000 and determined to hold the incumbent senator accountable, Virginia's Asian American electorate helped decide that contentious race.
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Free plagiarism essay
posted 1/11/10 @ 8:21 PM EST
I think that iot depended on people for whom they voted.
Essay Writers
posted 3/12/10 @ 1:44 PM EST
I think the answer is hiding in your question...=)
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