Why do Jews & Asians overwhelmingly vote Democrat?

• HelloAgain

  2008 - Obama gets 78% of the Jewish vote and 62% of the Asian-American vote
  
  2012 - Obama gets 70% of the Jewish vote and 73% of the Asian-American vote
  
  
  Republicans typically explain minorities' preference for Democrats as being due to their dependence on the government, being given "free things" etc.
  
  Yet Jews & Asian-Americans are the two most monetarily successful ethnic groups in the United States, even more so than whites. What explains their overwhelming preference to vote Democrat in general elections?
• believer

  

  It is true American Jews tend to vote overwhelmingly for Democrats which at first glance seems to be an enigma. It can be said that Republicans tend to be more pro-Israel than Democrats and from a socioeconomic point of view (race, economic status, education, employment, etc.), American Jews technically appear to be conservative if not "Republican" most of the time.
  
  I've had discussions with several Jewish friends about this very topic and they all generally see themselves as fiscal conservatives but social liberals. Social liberals because they tend to empathize with those who claim to be persecuted. Personally I think it's largely due to the fact that socialist idealism is embedded in the greater East Coast mentality more than anything else.
  
  Regarding the shift of Asian Americans from voting largely Republican to largely Democratic the past couple of decades I believe this is because Asians are less likely to value "individualism" and they do not necessarily view Big Government as a major problem. I also believe that Asian Americans do not particularly like the link between conservative Christians and the Republican Party. There's also the erroneous belief fostered by socialist educators at all levels, the leftist mainstream media, and the Hollywood elite that the only party willing to see non-whites as equals is the Democratic Party.
• HelloAgain

  lol at believer deleting his post
• CenterBHSFan

  

  Who cares who deleted their posts or why. What are YOUR thoughts on the matter?
  
  Personally, I don't know why they vote the way they do. I don't really care, either. I do, however, think it's irrational and downright ignorant to vote straight party lines in today's political climate (or in any other timeperiod). No matter which political side you sit on, you're never going to be totally satisfied.
• HitsRus

  

  Cognitive dissonace. Catholics typically have voted democratic also, despite that most find abortion repugnant. Likewise, Jewish people support the Democrats despite the party's soft support of Israel.
  
  Asians, because of their religious traditions (buddhism) may have more socialist tendencies, and less cultural value for individual rights and liberties.
  
  
  Democrats, I think have done a good job in dividing us up into little groups and targeting hot button issues, then claiming they stand for that group, even when it is not true. They create the perception that they do, and they get out front and define the issues in their terms , and and then work behind the scenes to destroy the credibility of those that dare question that perception.
• gut

  HitsRus;1635919 wrote: Democrats, I think have done a good job in dividing us up into little groups and targeting hot button issues, then claiming they stand for that group, even when it is not true. They create the perception that they do, and they get out front and define the issues in their terms , and and then work behind the scenes to destroy the credibility of those that dare question that perception.

  That's the nail on the head.
  
  But I'd like to see a breakdown of demographics by state. Large numbers of Jews in CA, NY and IL - Dem strongholds and people can't help but be influenced by their surrounding community. Same for Asians.
• Manhattan Buckeye

  ^^^
  
  this is correct. The vast majority of Asians live in coastal DEM-strongholds. The Asians I know in Texas tend to lean GOP just like the rest of the state.
  
  Generally speaking, Asians get the short end of all sticks. They are too successful to belong to big government programs, and just white enough that they don't benefit from affirmative action.
  
  Just to be clear, I am speaking of Eastern Asians (Koreans, Chinese-Americans, Filipinos, etc.), not Southern/Middle-Eastern Asians.
• HelloAgain

  gut;1636007 wrote:But I'd like to see a breakdown of demographics by state

  2012
  
  Jews
  Ohio: 69% for Obama
  Florida: 68% for Obama
  
  Asians
  Virginia: 66% for Obama
• Manhattan Buckeye

  That is Northern Virginia...i.e. the big government dependent state that Mitt Romney (not a fan, but he's damn smart) warned us about. Richmond and the southwest VA is hugely Republican. Hell, the city of Richmond fell apart because of the people sick of big government, big taxes and big intrusion rebelled (no pun intended).
• HelloAgain

  Manhattan Buckeye;1636057 wrote:That is Northern Virginia...i.e. the big government dependent state that Mitt Romney (not a fan, but he's damn smart) warned us about. Richmond and the southwest VA is hugely Republican. Hell, the city of Richmond fell apart because of the people sick of big government, big taxes and big intrusion rebelled (no pun intended).

  The sample was from all of Virginia.
• Manhattan Buckeye

  No shit idiot, the population base is in Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria, not south of Fredericksburg where the real South begins. That was my point. Notice that the Virginia Tech shooter was from the wasteland known as Northern Virginia, which is just DC south. It sucks. And they are all dependent on government or government contracts.
• HelloAgain

  Manhattan Buckeye;1636065 wrote:No shit idiot, the population base is in Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria, not south of Fredericksburg where the real South begins. That was my point. Notice that the Virginia Tech shooter was from the wasteland known as Northern Virginia, which is just DC south. It sucks. And they are all dependent on government or government contracts.

  Virginia's breakdown in 2012 across the entire population was 51% for Obama. 66% of Asians in Virginia voted for Obama, so it stands that Asians in Virginia also follow the trend of being more likely to vote Democrat. Which helps to answer the earlier question of whether Asian's population density around traditional Democrat stronghold states was what accounted for their statistical lean towards Dems.
  
  It is interesting that your first thought when discussing Asians in Virginia was the VT shooter. Wouldn't have been mine, personally.
  
  But most of all
  
  
• gut

  HelloAgain;1636048 wrote:2012
  
  Jews
  Ohio: 69% for Obama
  Florida: 68% for Obama
  
  Asians
  Virginia: 66% for Obama

  Yes, you've picked two demographics that tend to populate urban areas, which tend to vote pretty strongly Democratic. Although I won't disagree those numbers are maybe 5-10pts higher than you'd expect (with the exception of Ohio, which should be closer to low 50's)
  
  Do you have the numbers for Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati?
• HelloAgain

  gut;1636115 wrote:Do you have the numbers for Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati?

  Overall 2012 Election Results
  Franklin County - 60% Obama
  Cuyahoga County - 68% Obama
  Hamilton County - 52% Obama
  
  Jews & Asians vote Democrat more often than those counties. So even if we assume every Jew & Asian is centered around urban areas(obviously a massive exaggeration) they still vote Democrat more often than their fellow residents.
• HelloAgain

  So far the best explanation we've come up with seems to be: "Because they've been tricked by the media."
  
  What prevents Christian white people from falling from the same "trickery"? Are they inherently more intelligent and less adept to these tricks than their Asian & Jewish peers? That seems unlikely seeing as how Asian-Americans and Jews are more successful on average than Christian whites.
  
  Traditionally, the minority gap is explained away by attributing poverty and lack of education to those groups as the reason they vote Democrat, along with their reliance on government assistance.
  
  Does the fact that explanation doesn't fly here lead anyone to believe that maybe there's something more to the Republicans inability to win over minorities of seemingly any kind? Even the two most financially successful and well-educated groups, minority or otherwise, in the country?
• gut

  HelloAgain;1636123 wrote:So even if we assume every Jew & Asian is centered around urban areas(obviously a massive exaggeration)

  So OH numbers look high, but in fact it's less than 10pts higher than those counties average.
  
  It's not a massive exaggeration. Look it up. Close to 70% of Jews live in major metro areas (Asians are probably pretty similar).
• HelloAgain

  gut;1636154 wrote:So OH numbers look high, but in fact it's less than 10pts higher than those counties average.
  
  It's not a massive exaggeration. Look it up. Close to 70% of Jews live in major metro areas (Asians are probably pretty similar).

  I'd call 30% a massive exaggeration personally.
• HitsRus

  

  So far the best explanation we've come up with seems to be: "Because they've been tricked by the media."

  Can you show where someone here has claimed that? I don't think so....
  
  But it does demonstrate how someone defines an issue such that they can claim the higher ground in the subsequent debate. You would like this discussion to focus around that so that you can easily defeat this, in the same way you stated in your original post that:

  Republicans typically explain minorities' preference for Democrats as being due to their dependence on the government, being given "free things" etc.

  ...and then later...

  Traditionally, the minority gap is explained away by attributing poverty and lack of education to those groups as the reason they vote Democrat, along with their reliance on government assistance.

  What exactly are you trying to get to with this post???...pretty obvious here:

  maybe there's something more to the Republicans inability to win over minorities of seemingly any kind?

  Well Done! You've demonstrated the "Democratic" way.
• HelloAgain

  HitsRus;1636162 wrote:Can you show where someone here has claimed that? I don't think so...

  I would say the very first reply in this thread certainly makes that accusation or worse.
  

  ccrunner609;1635819 wrote:because they are stupid

• Heretic

  

  HelloAgain;1636170 wrote:I would say the very first reply in this thread certainly makes that accusation or worse.

  Well, in fairness, CC is arguably the biggest idiot on the site, so using his opinion as a gauge for anything anyone with a brain would think probably wouldn't be the best of things.
• gut

  HelloAgain;1636155 wrote:I'd call 30% a massive exaggeration personally.

  I didn't exaggerate, I stated a fact. The number is just over 70%. 6.7M Jews in the US, with 4.8M living in just 9 major metropolitan areas.
  http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/usjewpop.html
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_population_by_urban_areas
• HitsRus

  

  I would say the very first reply in this thread certainly makes that accusation or worse.

  Seems more of a knee jerk generalization and an attempt to be funny more than anything else. The kind of a response a 'progressive' would love to jump on and then generalize that as an actual position typical from those rubes from Mississippi and other red states....the perfect strawman to knock down.
• sleeper

  

  Manhattan Buckeye;1636065 wrote:No shit idiot, the population base is in Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria, not south of Fredericksburg where the real South begins. That was my point. Notice that the Virginia Tech shooter was from the wasteland known as Northern Virginia, which is just DC south. It sucks. And they are all dependent on government or government contracts.

  Bingo. Anything that even touches DC is ruined with the federal government.
• isadore

  These people are not followers but opinion leaders. The collective experiences of both groups and the religious teachings of Judaism have given them a social conscience that so lacking in supporters of the Republican Party, as can be observed by anyone reading at this website. The shortage of sympathy for minorities and immigrants, the endorsement of greed and selfishness in Republican programs all reinforce their opinions. Gosh then we have the tea party,.
• Manhattan Buckeye

  ^^^
  
  I take it you haven't dealt with a Jewish businessperson. There is very little social conscience for many when it comes to money and business. The stereotype is a stereotype and no one should judge any Jewish person based on the stereotype, but it exists for a reason. The most uncomfortable personal financial situation we've ever encountered was dealing with a great Jewish guy (we're Godparents of his grandchild and his daughter was matron of honor in our wedding) waiting for an international bank transfer to happen - there was no way for us to even begin to expedite the process which in a post-9/11 world takes time, that didn't keep him from calling me 3 times a day wondering when the transfer was going to happen - very uncomfortable. Fortunately he's relaxed a bit in his retirement days.