8Questions with Eugene Liu: Where Are The Asian Conservatives?

By akrypti | Wednesday, September 28, 2011 | 106 Comments

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8a republican 8Questions with Eugene Liu: Where Are The Asian Conservatives?

Lately I’ve been surrounded by liberals. My friends, most family members, co-workers, and colleagues at the non-profits and institutions I serve lean decidedly left. So imagine my elation when I stumbled across Eugene Liu, founder of AsianConservatives.com.

Liu is a Christian conservative of Asian descent. Liberals will assume that someone fitting that description must be stuffy, stoic, and closed-minded. In contrast, Liu is full of humor and wit, and expresses empathy for liberal points of view. Does he agree with Asian liberals? Probably not. That doesn’t prevent him from writing with a great deal of empathy.

His character and the blog AsianConservatives.com fascinated me, and I asked him if he would be open to an interview for 8A. I warned him 8A was a liberal bunch, writers and readers alike, and still Liu was willing to step forward. That’s two tons of awesomeness right there.

His responses to these interview questions resonate with me and express ideologies that I find better equipped to pull our nation out of this recession and provide for a more perfect union. We tried “change” already, and it didn’t work. So it behooves us all to consider what the other wing has to offer.

Moreover, of greater interest to 8A readers, what is the conservative’s view of APA activism exactly? Here, Liu offers a glimpse.

Recent polls find that the Asian American community leans decidedly Left and liberal. Why do you think that is?

Polls, like media outlets, can also slant left or right. I would say, however, that liberal Asian Americans have traditionally been more vocal and active. We can all agree that historically political activism and grassroots organization stemmed from liberal elements. It wasn’t until the recent Tea Party movement that conservatives have really mobilized en masse in the public eye.

I actually believe that the split between liberals and conservatives among the Asian American community mirrors closely to that of the nation as a whole. For every young liberal Asian college student there probably exists a conservative parent. The majority of universities are overrun by liberal academics and administrators. I went to an engineering school in the south (deep red state) and even ended up a liberal until I became a Christian. (And no, we cannot determine whether Jesus was a conservative or a liberal. However, we know he’s a Jew so he probably would’ve voted for Republican Bob Turner in NY-9.)

Perhaps there are also cultural factors at work. And I bet there are plenty of fiscal conservative Asian Americans that lean left on social issues. How would we label them?

Winston Churchill once said, “If you’re not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you’re not a conservative at forty you have no brain.” It’s one of my favorite quotes about politics because it speaks to my own transformation, too (though I am not yet over-the-hill).

I also love that Churchill quote! I’m interested in your transformation from a liberal in your twenties to a conservative in your…still twenties, am I right? We’re all 21 here. Anyway. Based on what you wrote earlier, it sounds like becoming Christian had much to do with your transformation. How? Why? If you had always been deeply Christian since birth, would you have been a conservative in your 20s? If you never became Christian, would you still be a liberal today? Is politics and religion that interwoven? What is the relationship between politics and religion for you?

One of the reasons I became a Christian was the realization of God’s hand in our lives, and that God has a plan for each person, whether he or she knows it or not, believer or otherwise. A person’s ideology is often shaped throughout his or her life, influenced by others (parents, relatives, friends, coworkers, etc.) as well as by personal experiences such as faith. In my case, Christianity certainly steered my ideological meter to right-of-center and perhaps accelerated my ideological determination as a conservative.

Is politics and religion so interwoven? Well, politics stem from ideology, so is ideology and religion interwoven? Yes, but not in the way most people tend to think. There’s a lot of talk surrounding conservatism and religion, and yes, our Founding Fathers sought divine providence in declaring independence from the British crown. But let’s not forget the leftists political philosophers in modern history: Marx, Lenin, and Mao, just to name a few, all had something to say about religion and politics. Even if they did advocate atheism, it is still about religion, except it is godless. There’s nothing wrong with religion and politics being interwoven, but there’s definitely a line we do not wish to cross: becoming a theocracy. And we all should be proud of the fact that so far our Republic still stands not as a theocracy.

To me things aren’t so complicated between politics and religion. Life, Liberty, pursuit of Happiness, and there’s wisdom in that order of things, too. God gives life, God gives free will, and God gives us the ability to labor so we may enjoy its fruits. Government has infringed upon those “unalienable rights” with abortion, numerous regulatory institutions, and an unbecoming steward of the people’s money. (I know I’ll probably open up a gigantic can of worms with this, but guess what the government has to say about this can: how big is the can? how many worms fit a can? what nutritional label to slap on the can? where do the worms originate from? are they organic worms? how high is the sodium content? will smoking worms be hazardous to my health? etc.)

As an Asian American conservative, what is your mission and vision for the Asian American community?

I want to educate the Asian American community about U.S. politics and how decisions from elected officials impact the lives within the community. When I hear somebody complain about an issue, whether it’s about taxes, the education system, health care, etc., I’ll ask “So what are you going to do about it?” and that usually draws a blank stare. Then I follow up, “You can at least vote.” We need to learn about the power of the ballot.

The overwhelming majority of Asian American bloggers are liberal. Where are the conservative Asian American bloggers?

Obviously, Michelle Malkin is by far the most prominent conservative Asian American blogger. I do agree that we’re a rare breed, and I cannot think of a reason. I welcome any theories others may have…

Since you brought her up… what are your thoughts of Michelle Malkin? Her book In Defense of Internment struck a raw nerve in the Asian American community. Where do you stand with regard to that book’s thesis? Are you aligned with Malkin? Do you diverge from her opinions? What are your opinions on Michelle Malkin as a role model for the Asian American community?

A disclaimer first: I have not read Malkin’s In Defense of Internment. Perhaps we could have another discussion once I’ve read the book. But to comment on her being a role model for Asian Americans… Why not? She’s intelligent, she’s a great opinion writer, and has done well for herself as a conservative voice in the media.

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m willing to bet the farm that there are young Asian Americans in this country who are smart and aspire to be a great writer or a media personality. Malkin can certainly be a role model in that case, and so can Akrypti. (This is the part where I get easier interview questions after kissing up to the interviewer…)

When the media portrays Asian Americans in a racist or offensively stereotypical light, it is often the APA activist Left that come forward to protest, not the APA activist Right. Why do you think that is?

Well, I think “racist” has been used so much in the mainstream media these days that the word has lost its meaning. And I suppose liberals get offended easily with all the political correctness going around? What’s great about this nation is that offensive comments and insults can go both ways! The Civil Rights Movement — that was about racism. Somebody calling me names and making fun of my slanted eyes — that’s just an immature moron stating the obvious.Oh, stop me if you’ve heard this joke before: How do you know if the burglar that raided your house is Asian? (If your valuable electronics are missing and your kid’s homework is done. Har har.)

One of the issues that Asian American liberals tend to be hypersensitive about is the portrayal of Asians in the media. The slanty-eyed thing you brought up is a big deal to liberals, case in point. If that kind of thing isn’t as big a deal to Asian American conservatives, what is then? What is a race-related issue that you would consider a big deal?

(I guess the kissing up part didn’t work…)

Okay, I’m going to say it: Dear libs, stop being so sensitive to every. little. thing. If a popular sitcom doesn’t have an Asian actor, that doesn’t mean the viewers don’t know that Asians exist. If an Asian actor portrays a nerdy student in a Hollywood movie, that doesn’t mean everybody thinks we’re nerds (do you think blacks — ahem, African Americans — are nerds after falling in love with the Steve Urkel character?). It’d be an issue if Asian American citizens were denied voting rights. It’d be an issue if Asian Americans were being persecuted as a follower of Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Falun Gong, or some other religion. It’d be an issue an Asian Americans were being taxed differently than other ethnic groups. It’d be an issue if Asian American parents were prohibited from making babies.

Remember: Life, Liberty, pursuit of Happiness.

Seriously, we’re just Americans. We’re parents, children, teachers, students, lawyers, judges, scientists, artists, engineers, musicians, punks, rockers, goths, metal heads — you get the idea.

Except we’re full of Asian awesome sauce. After all, you cannot spell Caucasian without Asian. Xiexie!

Asian American conservatives are often viewed by the liberals as apathetic toward Asian American activism and racial inequality. Is there any validity to that view? Where is the Asian American conservative voice in these matters?

That’s an unfortunate perception and by no means a valid view. I think Asian Americans on both sides are sensitive to racial issues. If you don’t see Asian American conservatives at a rally somewhere doesn’t mean they aren’t calling the politicians to give them a piece of their mind on the issue. Again, I think conservatives have just started recently to be more visible with their activism. They do have to thank the liberals for that, to learn from the best.

In 2009 the BANANA Conference was founded. BANANA is an annual gathering of the blogosphere’s most notable Asian American bloggers from across the country. These bloggers are collectively a liberal-leaning, progressive bunch. Where are the Asian conservative bloggers? It’s not called the BANANA Liberal Asians Conference. Any ideas?

Hey, how come nobody invited any of us from AsianConservatives.com? This is the first time I’ve heard of this conference. Sounds like a lot of fun and a great opportunity to network with other bloggers (umm, right, guys?). I definitely will look into it next year (if it’s still scheduled)…

Finally, what are your main criticisms of Asian American liberals?

The same with any liberal: Don’t be so open minded that your brain falls out. Learn to use your sixth sense — common sense. And treasure the traditions and history of America, that we are a nation of free individuals living under the rule of law, that America is a republic and not a democracy, and what the government gives it can easily take away.

Eugene Liu is a Christian conservative of Asian descent. He is the founder of AsianConservatives.com, a blog that serves to further the conservative cause (as if the blogosphere needs another right-wing echo chamber, eh?). Besides politics, he’s also interested in technology and movies.

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http://www.8asians.com/author/akrypti/ akrypti

@mwei@eliu500

Wait. Why are we referring to people as “kkkonservatives”? I recall that Rosie O’Donell was the one who yanked on her eyes on national TV and went ching chong ching chong, and then said it was okay because her hairdresser, who is Asian, said it was okay. And historically, Republicans are the ones who fought to end slavery and the party was conceived from abolitionist ideals.

Eugene was right about APA left and right-wingers mirroring that of the mainstream– such division. Here I thought 8A would be a place where everyone would be willing to meet in the middle and have civil discourse.
http://www.8asians.com/author/akrypti/ akrypti

@Will_Nguyen

Wouldn’t you say many liberals tout the same standard boilerplate as well? No sane American denies that race matters and class matters. However we have differences in opinion on how to resolve racial and socioeconomic disparities.
Will_Nguyen

Racism no longer takes the easy overt forms of Jim Crow, segregation, or the Asian Exclusion Act. Racism rarely does anymore and that’s progress to be proud of.

However, racism and discrimination takes on more subtle and more insidious forms. The phrase “the soft bigotry of low expectations” works well here.

You used the example of Steve Urkel as an attempt to deflect criticism away from shallowness of Asian-American portrayals in Hollywood (i.e. “there was a black nerd on TV once!”). That’s an incredibly inaccurate and misleading analogy.

For every Steve Urkel (has there even been once since?), there are a hundred Denzel Washingtons, Kanye West, JC Watts, Herman Cains, Jay-Zs, Rihannas, Beyonces, Don Cheadles, and Oprahs,. Please name 5 or 6 prominent Asian American pop culture icons that are not Bruce Lee or Long Duk Dong.

Remember when the Last Airbender was completely white-washed? Or how about the “bamboo ceiling” that confines Asian-Americans to mostly technical positions and not leadership positions in the boardroom? (a topic that has been covered well here at 8Asians)

As I said before, underlying behavior and attitudes have to change as a society. We can just say “Equality!” and have it be true.
ellebee11

I voted “excited” Eugene! I’m happy to hear there are Asian-Am conservatives out there! Although I enjoy reading and supporting several Asian-Am blogs, it’d be good to read about views and ideas from both left and right (RIGHT) sides from an Asian-Am viewpoint – for all of us. We wouldn’t want all Asian-Americans to become liberals just because that’s all they read about and how terrible would it be if our young Asian-American generation get caught up thinking “gee, if these people are Asian-American and they are liberals, and I agree with some of the Asian-American issues they talk about, then I must be a liberal too….” That would be so sad.

In any case, Obama is a very good con-artist. And I really can’t believe ppl still drive around w/ “Obama ’08″ bumper stickers on their cars!
Will_Nguyen

@akrypti@mwei@eliu500

The Republican Party of the 1860s that abolished slavery is not the Republican Party of 2011, let alone the Republican Party of a few decades ago.

In fact, de-segregation and the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s prompted Dixiecrats and other Southern racists to join the Republican Party en masse. That’s the Republican Party that now exists: largely rural, confined to the South, overwhelmingly white.

It’s not a coincidence that the Democratic Party is now mainly known as largely urban and coastal with large representations of minorities.
Will_Nguyen

@akrypti “No sane American denies that race matters and class matters.”

I beg to differ.

Eugene said in his ORIGINAL post: “Seriously, we’re just Americans.” He’s de-emphasizing the fact that there are other legitimate factors that contribute to one’s identity.

This is a favorite talking point for conservatives. It allows them to gloss over the fact that there are deep racial and class divisions. But I think the fact that you even mentioned “racial and socioeconomic disparities” shows that you’re more moderate than a lot of conservatives.

At least you acknowledge that they exist and need to be addressed. Most conservatives would call such language “race-baiting” or “playing the race card”.
Will_Nguyen

@eliu500@Ben Ef

Racism no longer takes the easy overt forms of Jim Crow, segregation, or the Asian Exclusion Act. Racism rarely does anymore and that’s progress to be proud of.

However, racism and discrimination takes on more subtle and more insidious forms. The phrase “the soft bigotry of low expectations” works well here.

You used the example of Steve Urkel as an attempt to deflect criticism away from the shallowness of Asian-American portrayals in Hollywood (i.e. “there was a black nerd on TV once!”). That’s an incredibly inaccurate and misleading analogy.

For every Steve Urkel (has there even been once since?), there are a hundred Denzel Washingtons, Kanye West, JC Watts, Herman Cains, Jay-Zs, Rihannas, Beyonces, Don Cheadles, and Oprahs,. Please name 5 or 6 prominent Asian American pop culture icons that are not Bruce Lee or Long Duk Dong.

Remember when the Last Airbender was completely white-washed? Or how about the “bamboo ceiling” that confines Asian-Americans to mostly technical positions and not leadership positions in the boardroom? (a topic that has been covered well here at 8Asians)

As I said before, underlying behavior and attitudes have to change as a society. We can’t just say “Equality!” and have it be true.
http://www.8asians.com/author/akrypti/ akrypti

@Will_Nguyen@mwei@eliu500

Interesting how pointing out your observations of a majority of a certain race is considered bigoted, but doing that to Republicans/conservatives/Tea Partiers is perfectly okay.
http://www.8asians.com/author/akrypti/ akrypti

@Will_Nguyen@mwei@eliu500

(dude why do I have a word limit??)

With regard to your last point, I can’t speak to the blanket generalzation there, but I can address why west coast Chinatowns are largely Democrat. There’s a lot of corruption that goes on. There are certain APA politicians who are very closely aligned with tongs and the very shady business associations, weaseling money from businesses big and small there.
http://www.8asians.com/author/akrypti/ akrypti

@Will_Nguyen@mwei@eliu500

Even if you’re a small little dumpling shop in the red, you will feel coerced into donating money, I’m talking thousands of dollars, to particular Democratic campaigns. If you don’t, you’ll be ostracized by the association you’re part of, which in turn will do more harm to your already tanking business. Why they chose the Democratic party over the Republican, I’m not sure, but somebody at the top of that food chain picked it and groomed everyone top down to align with that party to launch certain people they know into office so that their own businesses will get “taken care of” later on by those politicians they’ve launched into office.
http://www.8asians.com/author/akrypti/ akrypti

@Will_Nguyen@mwei@eliu500

And that’s why west coast Chinatowns are largely Democrat. 90% of them have no idea what any of the parties stand for or who is even in office right now. They’ve been brainwashed into voting a certain way or donating to a particular campaign because somebody they fear told them to so that that person can have tentacles on whoever is in office. Who *are* these APA politicans I refer to? My god. You would be shocked if you knew.
Will_Nguyen

@akrypti@mwei@eliu500

Just stating the facts objectively is not akin to racism or generalizing. What I’ve said about many (but not all) conservatives and Republicans are not disputed. They appear in candidate literature, policy platforms, and formal agendas. It has often come from their own mouths. It’s no secret.

With that said, I have no reason to doubt that there’s rampant corruption in ethnic enclaves. It’s typical big boss, “machine politics” at work. It’s how many Irish and Italians started their political connections at the turn of the century.

But just because corruption exists and it happens to be localized on one specific party doesn’t automatically make the entire party or the policy platform they advocate for, suspect or invalid. It just means that politicians, of any affiliation, will always look for someone to scratch their backs.

But speaking as a proud Democrat, I would be the first to call for the immediate ouster or recall of any elected official, regardless of party, if they’re found to be completely in someone else’s pocket.
A_Lee

@eliu500

“All human laws are, properly speaking, only declaratory; they have no power over the substance of original justice. ”

Edmund Burke

Here, original justice is the natural justice established by God. Laws created by mere humans cannot change nature, they can only seek to cope with the consequences of nature. You can declare your “rights” until you’re blue-in-the-face, but it doesn’t make it so. The objective realities of nature do not care for the declarations of men. This is the fundamental nature of conservatism. Societies, and the laws that govern them, cannot be created ex nihilo, they must accept human nature, and the impossibility of changing it.
A_Lee

@mwei ” kkkonservatives”

Tell me, do you believe it is possible to believe in conservative ideology without being evil or stupid?
A_Lee

@ellebee11 That’s true, and that’s why it’s important to speak up, and provide a different view. The key is to stay respectful – you’re not trying to convince the liberal, you’re trying to convince the third-person who’s listening. In this case, the person who is just reading 8Asians, not commenting. It would be sad if people make their political choices not out of a considered view, but simply because from herd behavior.

So, in keeping with being respectful, I wouldn’t call Obama a con-artist. All presidents have to be good at perception management, and Obama is better than most. I disagree with him, but just because he’s good at that part of his job doesn’t make him a con-artist. It just means he’s more effective at getting people to support his policies which I oppose.
A_Lee

@Will_Nguyen “But after the Founders wrote that beautiful phrase, then turned around immediately and declared that black people were worth 3/5ths of a white person.”

The “3/5ths of a person” part is one of the most erroneously understood statements in the Constitution. The slave states wanted their slave population to be counted to their total, for purposes of representation in the House. The free states wanted to reduce the voting power of the slave states, so they didn’t want the slaves to be counted towards that total. 3/5ths was the compromise.

It’s not a statement by the founding fathers about the value of a slave.
http://www.bigwowo.com/ bigWOWO

Fair enough. But let’s talk about specifics. Is it okay for a Christian to kill a doctor who practices abortion? Is it fair to deny full veterans benefits to gays based on an old text from long ago that claims God thinks it’s immoral?

I’m actually probably more interested in the religious question than the political one, although I am interested still in your economic views and why you believe them.

@eliu500
Will_Nguyen

@A_Lee That’s a good point to make, the 3/5ths rule was indeed originally a compromise between the slave and free states.

But my general point still stands. Equality may be touted as a principle, a motto, a slogan, a creed, but it really matters how it is practiced as a society.

There’s no doubt that inequality was rampant in 1776 America, despite the original claim that all men were created equal.
http://www.bigwowo.com/ bigWOWO

@akrypti I probably should’ve come up with an example of the federal government creating laws rather than the SCOTUS interpreting them, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But I think the concept is still similar, would you agree? It still deals with the federal government laying down the law.

If you’re saying that the federal government should create laws defining marriage but let the states manage/regulate them, then I agree, and I think most Democrats would agree as well–I don’t think anyone is pushing for the Feds to actually manage marriage. I’m willing to bet that it’s mostly romantic liberals who fly to Vegas to get married at the drop of a hat, and we need to make sure that that stays in place.
SimonTam

@bigWOWO@eliu500 Murder, in almost any religion is not acceptable. Religious beliefs shouldn’t be judge by the people who mis-represent them for their own purposes or own perversions. In any case, not all Christians believe that homosexuality is wrong or that people should be denied care simply because of their lifestyle. The broad-brushing of people, whether it be by race, sexuality, religion, or politics is wrong.
mwei

I’m surprised you didn’t mention MLK, who was a Republican
mwei

@akrypti@Will_Nguyen@eliu500 you have any credible sources to back this up? spoke to some journalist who’s aspiring to the Pulitzer prize? if your allegations are true, then there’s not one SF/bay area journalist who’s going to jump hoops for your sources.
mwei

@akrypti@Will_Nguyen@eliu500 you have any credible sources to back this up? spoke to some journalist who’s aspiring to the Pulitzer prize? if your allegations are true, then there’s not one SF/bay area journalist who’s not going to jump hoops for your sources.
mwei

@akrypti@eliu500 “I recall that Rosie O’Donell was the one who yanked on her eyes on national TV and went ching chong ching chong”

oh believe me, the hatred for that evil b****h is very strong – but we’re talking about kkkonservatives here, like “I hate the gooks” McCain and “Asian exclusion acts were the best thing ever” Bachman
mwei

@Will_Nguyen@akrypti@eliu500 on a more “neutral note” I hope you’ll call out Obama if they found out that solar energy company had shady backroom dealings… ^_^
mwei

@eliu500@Ben Ef “What aspects of American culture tend to promote harassment of Asians? And how did/does that impede on your ability to be happy?”

if that was rhetorical, then I like it. the simple answer is: “the liberal media” is the biggest perpetrators. but that answer is too simplistic to just blame CNN/Hollywood and doesn’t look into outlets like Faux News…
mwei

@A_Lee@ellebee11 if anybody “slick Willy” is more charismatic to watch than Mr uptight Obama – even his “ebonics” seem forced with that recent thing about dropping the “g” at the end of his speech.
mwei

@akrypti@Will_Nguyen so what are the Asian conservative tactics to resolve those disparities? I honestly haven’t heard anything creative or respectable from the right wing since Eisenhower…
mwei

@Will_Nguyen@A_Lee the key word there is all “MEN” were created equal back in the day…
http://benefsanem.blogspot.com/ Ben Ef

@eliu500

Thanks for your response!

I think that it is actually irrelevant that you think people who harass Asians are ignorant or stupid – and it is irrelevant that they lose credibility with you! With all respect, that in itself seems like an immature and emotional response. It just doesn’t give us much insight into the issue of negative attitudes towards, and routine, normalized harassment of, Asian people in America. Just because someone racially harasses you doesn’t mean that they are stupid or ignorant. This is important because many of these types of people actually have positions of authority over Asians in many areas of life – as well as much influence over, and respect from general society. Labelling such people as stupid or ignorant is simply a way of avoiding confronting the issue.

The most influential aspects of American culture tend to promote racial harassment of Asians. Whenever you see a demeaning characterisation of Asian people either via the media or from the mouth of a political type, then that normalizes and promotes negative behaviour towards Asians. And harassment of Asian people in America is routine. How is that promoting my ability to pursue a happy life?
raymonst

@eliu500@xaynie

“Regarding “life” and health care, I understand there are millions without health care (some of their own choosing) and may suffer in their lives, but I don’t see universal government health care as a solution or mandating it for individuals.”

—

Right now the healthcare industry is left to private insurers and this is what we have:

- The cost of healthcare in the US is astronomical and it keeps increasing (9% increase this year).

- Life expectancy and level of health lag behind other developed nations.

- 6 in 10 bankruptcies are related to medical debt.

Do these look like encouraging stats to you?

Government’s involvement isn’t meant to abolish private insurers. It’s there to keep the private sector in check and provide options for people who can’t get insurance otherwise (because they’re too poor, have “pre-existing conditions”, etc).

If you want to choose a private insurer to get better care, great. You and I can probably do so, but remember there are millions of others who don’t have that luxury.
http://www.bigwowo.com/ bigWOWO

@SimonTam@eliu500 Sure, murder is wrong according to you and me, but I wanted to hear what Eugene’s views are. Not everyone believes that such murder is wrong, which is why some people do it. Most people who call themselves “conservative Christians” are in fact against homosexuality, which is why it’s a perfectly legitimate question.

I’m not broadbrushing him; I’m curious about his opinion.
xaynie

@akrypti In all my interactions with you, I feel you really like dramatic, passionate discourse, which isn’t my cup of tea so I’ll stop commenting from now on.

This is sort of discouraging as I would appreciate writers / bloggers / editors / authors / owners / admins / moderators of 8Asian to create a community in which people can voice their opinions without feeling like they are being attacked for their opinions. This, unfortunately, is what I always feel when I discuss things with you.

And you can argue this is a double standard and of course it is- authors are on a different stage than commenters- they put their opinions out there to be discussed so of course there are going to be people who vehemently disagree. But I would expect the author to still respect my opinion and feel like I am contributing to the discourse in some way and is listening to what I have to say. I don’t feel this way when I interact with you. I’m sorry.
mwei

this is where my right leaning self comes out with leftist pragmatism: I’m all for a “sugar tax” and “fast food tax” to pay for preventable health problems related to obesity.
KatherineNguyễn

I am an Asian American who voted for both Conservatives and Liberals candidates in elections. It’s the matter of the issues. I know it’s hard work but I honestly think everyone should do research before stepping into the voting booth.
http://www.8asians.com/author/akrypti/ akrypti

Is firsthand knowledge good enough for you?
http://me.mikelee.org/ mikeleeorg

@xaynie For what it’s worth, I’m really digging your contributions to this discussion. I even Googled the term “Asian Libertarian” after you mentioned it, cuz it was the first time I’ve heard of it and wanted to find out more.

I hope you don’t feel too discouraged from contributing in the future. This is a hot topic, one that akrypti feels strongly about (as you can see ) Maybe some of the other commenters are pushing her buttons a bit, but I’m sure she didn’t mean to stifle anyone’s opinions. No one else from 8A will stop you from sharing your thoughts either. And you’re always welcome to submit a guest post with a counter-point!
jboee

There is absolutely nothing new in what Eugene has to say. He relies on the same twisted, history rewriting logic that so many other conservatives do. The misrepresentation of the founding fathers as faith based individuals is only the beginning. Most of our founding fathers were diests at best. Ben Franklin was an atheist. John Adams was the only true Christian amongst them.

And using Christianity as a defense of conservative values is irresponsible. As a Christian I take deep offense to Eugene’s perspective. I am a liberal because of my Christian faith. At the heart of Christian values is great empathy and concern for our fellow humans. This empathy was sorely lacking during the last Republican debate when audience members cheered for the death penalty. Conservatives are supposedly “pro-life” when it comes to abortions but then they support government sanctioned murder in the form of the death penalty.

And I can’t believe he even tried to defend Michelle Malkin and the Tea Party as remotely sane, political voices is mindblowing. Michelle Malkin is not famous because she is exceptionally intelligent and clever. She is famous because she makes outrageous statements. How can the conservative movement expect independent or even left leaning voters to take them seriously when they have allowed their party to be overtaken by the likes of Michele “vaccines cause retardation” Bachmann, Sarah “I read all the magzines” Palin, Paul “we should let people die” Rand, and Rush Limbaugh.
jboee

@akrypti The difference is stereotypes vs. archetypes. Republicans are in fact more white and old then democrats. There is nothing wrong with stating this. It’s stereotypical to assume that all people of color are brain washed to be liberal. I believe Herman Cain said something to this affect just a few evenings ago on CNN.
jboee

@akrypti

Re 1: You presume that we live in a pure meritocracy. This is a fallicy. Nothing in our society is analyzed purely by merit. If it were there would a whole lot more women in leadership positions. The open, free practice of religion is an entirely different situation then the infusion of religion in the political forum – i.e. forcing politicians to defend their religious beliefs.

Re 2: I don’t really need a role model who makes ridiculous, misleading statements. Michelle Malkin is to good Asian American role model as Rush Limbaugh is to good white man role model.

Re 3: I also affiliate myself with an institution that includes individuals that I don’t agree with. I’m a Christian but I have to continuously redefine that label for people because it has been hijacked by the evangelical, conservative right. This bothers me. I want people to realize that Christians can be quite liberal and left leaning.
mwei

my plan for paying down the deficit involves throwing all the above mentioned stellar candidates into a big brother style house and let the generated revenues payback into the system.
mwei

@jboee@akrypti was Jesus a hippie anyhow?
mwei

@jboee@akrypti wasn’t Jesus a hippie anyhow?

“Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessio Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.-Matthew 19:21-26″

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090407122942AAsJkPL

but it being the bible and written/translated by so many people, I’m sure somebody can find something to the contrary about rich folks owning the kingdom of heaven ^_^
http://www.8asians.com/author/akrypti/ akrypti

@xaynie

I reviewed what I wrote and I don’t know which part got you thinking I was in attack mode. That was certainly not me in attack mode. In fact, I held back. For example, it’s a litle odd, I would have to say, to call someone a Libertarian after she said she supports government oversight. Anyway that’s neither here nor there, so I didn’t question it further earlier.

I didn’t attack your opinions. And I definitely never attacked you the person. We can disagree, have robust conversation, and still get along. From my vantage point, everybody here is just dandy. We simply don’t share the same politics. That doesn’t mean we can’t all grab a beer together this weekend and have a grand old time.
ellebee11

all Obama’s policies are smoke and mirrors. People may think, based on the words he uses in his speeches, that they’re going to be great and life will be better, etc…. when actually it will make life for the American people worse and our future generations will no doubt suffer. Yes, Presidents have to be good at PR and perception and all that, and bend the truth – I understand. Politicians all have to be persuasive and influential. But I feel Obama and his administration are using some shady shady methods in getting things passed and getting votes. People I know that immigrated from Eastern Europe a few decades back see the writing on the walls. They’ve already experienced such changes back home, hence why they left for America.
eliu500

Dear 8Asians Community:

I’m very glad to see the tremendous amount of dialogues generated by @akrypti ‘s piece. Unfortunately, I’m unable to respond to each of you on this forum (livefyre’s also been flaky for me), but I welcome your direct correspondence nonetheless. My email is eugene(at)asianconservatives.com for those who are interested.

Additionally, I’d like to subscribe to your personal blog if you have one. Please send the site link to me – I’d love to network with other Asian bloggers.

Without a doubt in my mind, I’m certain that all of us have the nation’s best interest in mind regardless of our political leanings and religious affiliations. Let’s continue to strive for a better future together through respectful debates and open dialogues, and make our voices heard (again) in 2012.

Rock on!
mwei

I’m voting for Obama again simply because I can honestly say that my life’s been better under his administration’s policies than under Bush.

I got a great job in the green tech sector and most of my technical Asian peers are doing pretty well in the bio-tech and various engineering fields also.

to take a page from the Republican playbook: you have to pull yourself up by the bootstraps and have the skills that this new century requires. they can’t hire enough “Americans” in various hardware and software engineering fast enough. the question is, are “Americans” willing to acquire the arcane knowledge and skills to thrive in this new global tech economy?
http://twitter.com/JMattHicks JMattHicks

@eliu500 Hey Eugene, Jeremy from Livefyre here. If there’s something we can help with, let us know, and we’d be more than happy to do so!
http://www.facebook.com/koji.s.sakai ksakai1

This is offensive. How can this guy say that Michelle Malkin is a role model in ANY way? She DEFENDED the unconstitutional incarceration of 120,000 INNOCENT Japanese Americans. 2/3 of which were Americans. 1/3 of which were NOT allowed to become citizens. None of which were ever convicted of spying on this country. Since 1942 there is government evidence showing that there was NO military justification for what they did. Oh and she also said that the camps weren’t a bad place. Really? Not a bad place? What does she know? Tell that to people who lost everything and not to mention 4 years of their lives.

Before you make a comment about her, you should learn something about her. This is not a liberal or conservative thing. This is a right and wrong thing
ellebee11

i’m sad to hear that. But I think if you look at Obama’s policies for the long term future for you and for America – it will have negative effects. And you have to work at your “great job” literally till you die.

8 Asians