Why do Asian Americans vote so heavily Democratic? Political science research has some answers

[Playinghardball]

Kathleen Geier (Washington Monthly): One of the more surprising voting trends in American politics over the past two decades is the dramatic shift of Asian Americans toward the Democratic Party. Only 31% of the Asian American electorate voted for Bill Clinton in 1992, but 73% supported Barack Obama in 2012. What accounts for this change? Working with data from the National Asian American Survey, two political scientists have some answers.

The professors reject a variety of explanations that have recently been offered. No, it’s apparently not because, as David Brooks proposed, Asian American voters are less individualistic or less antagonistic toward government than are other Americans …. Rather, there are are cluster of “push and pull” factors …. Some of the pull factors: Asian Americans like President Obama’s policies on health care, education, and the Iraq War…..

As for the “push factors”: well, the Republican’s anti-immigrant bias and its alliance with the Christian right are not doing them any favors so far as Asian Americans are concerned….

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2012_12/why_do_asian_americans_vote_so041529.php#

[Arugula Latte]

1. Another possible factor:

Forgive the broad brush, but many Asian cultures place a huge emphasis on education. The anti-intellectual numbnuts in the Republican party are not appealing to people who value strong schools and affordable universities.

[Larkspur]

2. That doesn't explain Bobby Jindal or Nikki Halley

who are both of Indian descent.

[lbrtbell]

3. I know many Asians online and IRL

Most of them are Democratic. Second-generation (younger) Asians are becoming less conservative, socially and politically, than their parents.

For example, their parents don't like them dating or marrying non-Asians. But young Asians, for the most part, vehemently disagree with that.

So that's the explanation I've gotten from the mostly younger Asians I know.

[Kolesar]

4. Read down to the letter from a first generation Indian-American

It was "insightful".

[Major Nikon]

5. The GOP's chickens are coming home to roost

Their ideology is specifically formulated to draw in various bigotries and now those associations are costing them and will continue to cost them.

[mainer]

6. And Asian Americans are the wealthiest ethnic group

so this is especially dire news for the GOP.

The GOP's racist attacks on Obama did not go unnoticed.