The Asian Conservative

The Inaugural process always gives me goose bumps and President Obama’s is no exception.  As a matter of fact, being a history buff and after hearing his address I can honestly say hands down it is the most defining and uplifting speech any President has given at his Inauguration.  It was idealistic, uplifting, pragmatic, and delivered in only a way a great orator like Obama can deliver.

Let’s also not forget the crowd.  There was a phenomenal turnout, possibly the largest ever and one that pales in comparison to that of President George W. Bush’s.

“Why am I hailing Obama”, you may be wondering.  I haven’t converted to the left, nor have I began to side with President Obama’s proposed legislation’s, nor have I defected from the right in what some say is the darkest hour of the GOP. Simply put, this is a lesson in leadership, political theatrics, motivational speech, and unconventional campaigning that Republicans must learn from.  We have 4 years (possibly 8 years) to redefine our party and set coarse for a new GOP, a better GOP, and most of all an uplifting GOP.  Let’s put our minds together and set that coarse.

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The current scene of Asian Pacific Americans in Congress is 100% left of center. Not only is this lopsided but also surprising, considering that the total number of representation is minuscule. To this date, only the states of California, Hawaii, Virginia, and Louisiana have now or at one time or another had Asian representation in Congress. This number totals twenty-two and historically has been represented by the Democratic Party.

Our current representation holds at 6 in Congress. Current Democratic Senators such as Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka of Hawaii or Democratic House Representatives such as Norman Mineta, Mike Honda, and Doris Matsui of California, David Wu of Oregon, Robert C. Scott of Virginia, and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii.

Conservatively, our legislators consist of Jay Kim of California and former Representative and now governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal.

While I prefer a stronger conservative base, the miniscule number of representation is surprising. Especially considering the Asian population densities in areas such as Nevada, Washington, Texas, and Florida. The Nevada Asian population is over 88,000 and growing, The state of Washington counts over 447,000, Conservative Texas with a whopping 920,000, and swing state Florida counting over 360,000. These numbers should tell us that if united properly, a constituency could be activated for conservative Asian politics to flourish. And, that with the recent election of Governor Bobby Jindal, in the southern state of Louisiana, hope should be given that an even playing field exists for a new generation of Asian Americans to practice public service.

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