you only have to look back to the recent presidential election in the United States in the year 2016, the US-Americans with Indian roots largely in agreement: About 85 percent voted for the democratic party, for Hillary Clinton, according to the statistics of the organization of Asian American and Pacific Islander Data. Donald Trump was able to convince a private in Hindi-produced promotional video at the time, only a small part of the Indian Americans.
In the election year 2020, both presidential candidates from the group of voters with Indian roots to their attention. Currently, Indian Americans make up slightly more than one percent of the population in the United States, but as a group of voters and donors, they have become in the past few years, becoming more and more active. They are also one of the fastest growing immigration groups.
Joe Biden was a Statement to Muslims and criticized the hindu nationalist Indian Prime Minister Narendra modi for his handling of the Muslim minority in his country.
the President of Donald Trump, launched in February an advertising campaign in the Internet with pictures of his visit to India. He promised to work closely with India to cooperate and the friendship with modi to further expand. Already in September of 2019 held a Trump in the state of Texas, where more than 452.000 US-Americans with Indian roots, a big rally with the Indian Prime under the Motto “Howdy, modes!”, the tens of thousands of visitors attracted.
“Harris is a powerful speaker”
And now the Democrats have so Kamala Harris, whose mother is from India, as Joe Biden’s partner in the campaign. “It is exciting that a black woman is nominated for the first Time for such a high Post,” says Sangita Gopal, who grew up in Calcutta and around 30 years ago as a doctoral student in the United States.
Gopal Harris’ career has been – her brother, who works as a lawyer in Washington, D.C., had told her of the General Prosecutor and aspiring politician from California. “It is an impressive and powerful speaker,” says Gopal. She still has good memories of how the then Senator from California took the conservative candidate for the Supreme court, Brett Kavanaugh, in the case of hearings in the pliers.
A friend of mine, so Gopal, reported liked the choice of Harris as Biden’s Deputy so good that this is now involved as a Volunteer in Biden’s election campaign. In November, Gopal is to vote for the Democrats, but with Harris’ policies that have nothing to do. The fact that Trump could not be in question.
Actually, the Professor for film studies, a wife and a mother of an eleven-year-old daughter would have chosen, preferring the progressive candidate Bernie Sanders. From the Democrats you wish you India’s politicians draw more accountable when it comes to the rights of minorities in the country: “The incredibly friendly relationship between Trump and modes means that the crimes of the Indian Administration to fall under the table.”
New politicians bring new voters with the
Whether the diehard Trump Fans under the Indian Americans themselves, probably due to the Kamala Harris to change his mind? Unlikely, says Rishi Bhutada, one of the founders of the political lobby group, the Hindu American PAC. His followers looked more on economic factors than on origin.
The fact that Joe Biden, beginning with Harris, however, could change in other respects, the electoral landscape, explains Bhutada in an interview with DW: “I think the biggest impact will be that those who do not choose, in General, may now be committed.” Still not taken by the PAC, the political action Committee, which candidate do you support for the presidential election.
Before you write to the 3000 readers of your email newsletter, are you still waiting to the fact that both parties fill out their questionnaire. Bhutada want to know, for example, how the candidates want to take action against hate crime in the United States, or how the Indian government in the fight against terrorism will support. So far, the group, the Texan manages to volunteer with five other comrades-in-arms has, Kamala Harris, no choice donations. In the past, the Hindu American PAC politicians of both parties has supported and focused on political content.
A milestone policy or
Kamala Harris is seen as a solid candidate in the center for the democratic party, which is neither a radically new Agenda, nor too frumpy. But your identity as a child of immigrants from Jamaica and India, is her identity as a black woman, a special feature in the American political landscape – and something Unprecedented for such a high office as the Vice-President.
It is surprising, therefore, that the Indian community in the USA reason to Cheer. Mindy Kaling, a prominent producer and actress, filmed in November 2019, a cooking video with Harris, in the enthusiasm for the politician over the prudelte.
“Lukewarm” is his enthusiasm for Kamala Harris, but, nevertheless, her candidacy as a representative of Joe Biden an important Moment for many people, says Hari Kondabolu. The Comedian is known for a critical documentary about the Indian character Apu in the TV series “The Simpsons”.
Also, the political scientist Anita Chari, University of Oregon, sees in Harris a symbolic figure. That someone like you who has both the black population of the United States, as well as the Indian references, is part of the party leadership, was important: “What I love about her and her candidacy, is that Indian Americans, South Asians, on the one hand, solidarity with your show and your candidacy on the other hand, as a necessary starting point can make use of to combat racism in the Indian and South Asian community.”
Chari, who grew up in the 1980s as a child of Indian immigrants in Chicago, also observed a slow, positive change: “The Indian-American culture in the United States was a long, long time invisible, and that has changed in the last five years.” Harris had the Potential, in the hostile atmosphere of the Trump government to immigrants, to face. “You can assess situations quickly and well, is a hard-hitting critic of Trump, and with its voice of others.”
author: Julia Mahncke
*The post “Kamala Harris scores with personality, not policy” is published by Deutsche Welle. Contact with the executives here.
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