Sheer ignorance.....and when they asked for more money, he told them he’d have more leverage after the election.
The stat is probably excessive, but the real numbers are still bad.
Why? Indians associate Republicans with a stereotype: rural, white, ill-educated, anti-science fundamentalist Christians, with no interest in anyone else’s view of politics. The party of Sarah Palin is not going to attract many Indian Americans.
Christian converts like Jindal and Haley don’t do much to undermine that. Romney might actually. Indians appreciate that Mormons have little common cause with evangelicals or fundamentalists, and founding Bain Capital off two Harvard degrees is precisely the kind of thing Indians appreciate.
It’s the culture and the history. If you don’t grok them you’re going to be a Democrat. Anyone who feels like an outsider to any degree will be a Democrat. This is visceral and trumps otherwise conservative leanings such as strong work ethic and belief in economic liberty. At least for a generation or two.
If most Indians are like Granny Warren and Ward Churchill is this really a surprise?
Bfl
” “Ron Bhalla, a GOP candidate for Congress from Tennessee’s 3rd district, however says that a growing number of American Indians are believing in conservative principles. “I do know in the past a good majority of Indians were Democratic minded but over the years the trend is changed,” he told India Real Time.
“Whether they’re Democrats or Republicans, small business owners or farmers, Indian Americans in my district are concerned about overregulation, lack of school choice, and other issues the Republican Party is well poised to address,” added Ricky Gill, a Republican Candidate for Congress from California’s 9th district.
“If we break bread over these issues of common concern, I believe the Republican Party can succeed electorally among Indian Americans and other minority communities in California and beyond,” said Mr. Gill, who has been labeled a “young gun” candidate by the National Republican Congressional Committee. “
I’m inclined to agree. Indian-Americans believe in entrepeunership and if Republicans communicate their message effectively to them, they’ll win their votes. Also, if Obama is defeated for reelection, having a few qualified high-profile Indian-Americans in improtant posts will be a plus.
Why do Indian-Americans support Obama? If they do, it's probably because of the states they live in. As a rough guess, well over half of all Indian-Americans must live in CA, NY, NJ, IL, and TX, almost all of them in metropolitan areas. It's likely they'd vote for the Democrat.
All the more so, if -- like many Jews -- they feel a little out of place among people who are strongly Christian. It would be interesting to find out if Christian Indian-Americans (as well as Sikhs, Jains, Buddhist) are as pronouncedly for Obama to the same degree as American Hindus are (according to this article). Also, you have take into account that a lot of Indians are Muslim, and would support Obama given his background.
Free stuff?
The other factor: if you think of yourself as a newcomer, you aren't going to make waves. You're going to try to fit in if you can. Indian-Americans in my area who registered as Republicans in the Bush years are registered as Democrats now. Maybe it goes back to the politics of developing or newly independent countries where people get behind the one big governing party -- the Congress Party in India -- so as not to be left out or antagonize the forces that be.
Very simple - color of skin trumps EVERYTHING for minorities.