Red Pill Politics

Hi guys,

To be honest, I’m very frustrated by the back and forth on whether racism is a significant factor in how the Asian and Latino electorate voted in the California primary. I’m hoping the next post will conclusively squash the naysayers and will allow us to then move on to more important topics like trade and global poverty. It’s taken quite awhile to research because…well, there is an absence, a virtual void of articles and books that really delve into Asian and Latino politics. But I do feel that when the evidence is on the table, we will have enough data to begin to understand why these groups voted the way that they have in the past and how that has impacted the current Democratic race.

I have to admit that the biggest insight that I’ve gained through this process of writing the blog thus far has been around our misunderstandings of race and class. It seems that as much as we think that we’ve moved past race (as a Democratic people), we still hold latent misconceptions of other groups. We, the Democratic party, have had a long tradition of sticking up for people often misrepresented and ignored by the majority of the country. We are a party that believes in the fundamental rights of humans to have a fair chance to achieve the American Dream. We believe in economic and social mobility for all. We believe in helping the poor regardless if that costs us a few extra dollars.

And we need to be the group that doesn’t fall back on stereotypes and generalizations when it is convenient to do so. We need to stick up for the underdogs of the world because it is a core tenet of our party and our values…and if we don’t, who will?

I’m especially directing this to my Asian friends. As Asian Americans, we are, frankly, a pretty apathetic bunch. We have the lowest voter turnout of any minority group. But there are things worth fighting for for even if it causes uncomfortable conversations and is inconvenient at a dinner table. It’s worth fighting for…