The Politics of Race

Joseph Cao became the first Vietnamese-American  elected to Congress Saturday night. Isn’t it wonderful how a Vietnamese-American can run for Congress and be elected? Look how far America has come! Isn’t it great?! Nothing like this has ever happened before!

Now wait a minute. What’s wrong with the paragraph above? One word: racism.

It’s true: Representative-elect Cao accomplished a great and commendable feat indeed with his election, for it proves once again how everyone has a chance in America. However, I like to think this isn’t a new development. I’m not denying racism exists, but I like to hold to the idea that everyone is created equal and has equal opportunities in our grand land. Some, convinced that race was the major factor in Cao’s win, not his conservatism, will most likely come out in the following days and advocate “forced diversity”, an idea that we should handpick minority candidates for their PR and vote-getting benefits, but I would argue that in order to move the conservative movement forward, we should focus not solely on gender, race, or, to a lesser extent, age, but more so on the issues and experience each person brings to D.C.

[I do not believe Cao was picked for this reason, and I am only using his name because of his recent victory. I'm using this as an example to prove my point. This idea is also yet another big reason as to why McCain lost.]

If we begin to pick and choose candidates based solely upon their race, how does that make us any different than those who voted for Obama simply because he’s black? I am by no means saying our party should remain (or become, in all reality) the party of grumpy old white men (thank goodness we’re not). However, diversity is not, nor can it be, a forced concept. A more diverse party base will occur naturally as we return to our Conservative roots. We will attract minority voters. How is forcing diversity any different than artificially saving a bank or insurance company by propping it up with tax-payer dollars? Forced diversity is not the answer.

For our country to move past racism, we must not ignore, but respect, race and ethnicity, but it must not someone’s sole qualification for office. We’ve seen where that can take us. Many said it was racism not to support Obama, but, in the same vein, why was it not sexism to bash Palin? Disclaimer: I am from a mixed ethnic ancestry, which includes Native American, European, and Jewish forefathers. I’m also a white male, which supposedly means I’m an ignorant bigot. Not true, but yet another example of discrimination.

My point is this: voting for someone based upon their race is just as bad as NOT voting for someone based up on their race. It’s still racism. 

I say this to the Republicans who think we should be actively and seeking out minority candidates for the simple fact that they’re not Caucasian. Minority candidates will come on their own once we get a clear message that actually appeals to voters (i.e. true conservatism).

Each person should be viewed for who they are, individually. This gender and racial stereotyping nonsense has to stop. We are all Americans, equally. You are no less of a citizen if you are in the minority or the majority.

Just ask newly-elected Representative-elect Joseph Cao, Conservative Republican. Oh, and by the way, he’s also a Vietnamese-American who emigrated here after the Vietnam War.

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I know I said some tough things in this article. If you’d like to discuss them further, or even put me on what you think is the right track, please leave a comment below. It was not my intent to lessen the importance of someone’s racial or ethnic background, but to point out that people have so much more to offer than their skin color or ancestry.

Tags: Congressional elections, election, Election 2008, Joseph Cao, Palin, racism, sexism