Some Vietnamese Americans breaking from tradition

[struggle4progress]

Vietnamese Americans are traditionally Republican, but some say there's a move toward the left and a generational divide at play in this election
By Suzannah Gonzales
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Saturday, November 01, 2008

... Because of its association with the anti-communist position, the Republican Party has traditionally received the loyalty of Vietnamese Americans, a stance that distinguishes them from other Asian Americans, according to national researchers. But their loyalty to Republicans has started to dwindle this election cycle, researchers and local community members say, especially among younger Vietnamese Americans.

"I can definitely see it," Paul Nguyen , a 21-year-old senior at the University of Texas, said of the generational divide. "A lot of my friends' parents have Republican views, and a lot of my friends are Obama-crazy."

Nguyen said last week that he's undecided, but leaning toward Obama. He said his parents, who live in San Antonio, are strongly Republican.

Nhi Lieu , an assistant professor of American studies at the University of Texas, pointed to McCain's visit to Orange County, Calif., home of Little Saigon , several years ago, when he publicly used the term "gook," to refer to his North Vietnamese enemies. Though older Vietnamese were more forgiving, younger Vietnamese perceived it as a racial epithet, she said ...

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/nation/11/01/1101vietnamelections.html

[BlooInBloo]

1. "younger Vietnamese perceived it as a racial epithet" - No fuckwads. It IS a racial epithet...

Fucking fair n balanced apologists.

[ej510]

13. This is all part of John McCain's history of racism. He is a racist period!

[FrenchieCat]

2. I know a family of Vietnamese who own a Nail Salon.......

and considering the financial hit that their shop has taken from the lack of customers recently......they are voting for Obama.

[eshfemme]

3. Don't even get me started on the McCain gook BS

This got the POW card played INCESSANTLY! Just OMFG, hating on your Vietnamese jailers for their treatment of you means that you are justified in your hate of a particular ethnicity? JUST SO FUCKED UP.

[Aristus]

9. He never quite seemed to have realized that the Vietnamese shot him down,

imprisoned him, and tortured him because he was bombing their country.

I can state with absolute certainty that if he hadn't been bombing them, they wouldn't have shot them down. Blaming the vic, are we, John?

[icetea]

4. well maybe because Vietnamese don't like being called gooks

[Thrill]

5. A 21 yr old senior. Is undecided? How can a young man

who obviously must have some smarts. Be undecided in this election. I think my head is going to explode if I keep reading this nonsense.

[AlCzervik]

6. Republicans like white people, preferably with higher incomes but base voters

are cool for the vote and then you're dismissed.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

7. I went to college and law school with a daughter of Vietnamese immigrants

and she was (in addition to being ridiculously gorgeous) a diehard Democrat, We worked together in University DFL. Racial profiling in politics means nothing, except for Cubans in So. Fl.

[struggle4progress]

10. The demographic generalization may not be racial profiling: there was a wave

of Vietnamese immigrants as US involvement in Indochina ended, and the folk who were leaving Vietnam were generally those who had supported the American intervention -- so they were likely to dislike the anti-war Americans and to respond favorably to the god-guts-guns-glory crowd

[PBS Poll-435]

8. Proudly voted for my Democratic State Rep candidate. Sandra Phuong VuLe

Her family and she immigrated from Vietnam in 1975.

[struggle4progress]

11. Cool! I knew there was a large Vietnamese immigrant community in Dallas from the mid-70s

but hadn't realized that that (once very rightwing insular & prejudiced city) had accepted the newcomers to that extent

Of course, she's lived in the US since she was 6

[PBS Poll-435]

12. She is a lawyer. She has done a lot of pro bono work.

If she doesn't win against Angie Chen Button, I hope she gets close.

[struggle4progress]

14. Well, THAT"S a race that would simply have been impossible in Dallas forty years ago!

[PBS Poll-435]

15. ITA

Yeah for progress!

[Name removed]

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