Now that U.S. Representative Joseph cao, the only Vietnamese American in Congress, has voted for the Democrats’ health bill, his fellow Republicans are calling for his head.
Viet voters have been loyal Republicans for years, but they waited a long time for one of their own to ascend to the U.S. Congress. How do you think they are going to react to the attack on Cao by his fellow Republicans?
The GOP’s leaders have assumed the Viet vote – and it has been there for them. I have a feeling however that Viet voters are now ready to bolt the Republican Party. And why not? The Republican party leaders are clearly taking them for granted.
What do Viet voters get out of being Republicans? The President and both houses of the Congress are in blue hands. Viet voters can do the math. There really is no reason to stay in a GOP that doesn’t appreciate them and doesn’t support their only Congressman.
Why are some O.C. Republicans backing this clown instead of supporting Assistant County Clerk Hugh Nguyen?
Here in Orange County viet voters were thrilled to see one of their own, Hugh Nguyen, jump into the race for Tom Daly’s Clerk-Recorder’s office. But as soon as Chris Norby exited that race we saw a number of unqualified Republicans jump into the race, including Daly’s assistant, Renee Ramirez. Other GOP candidates include Orange Councilman Jon Dumitru and political consultant Laura Saucedo Cunningham.
Why aren’t these Republicans supporting Nguyen, who worked for beloved Clerk-Recorder Gary Granville for 12 years? Nguyen is now the Assistant Orange County Clerk – and he has a lot of bipartisan support. But once again, the Republicans are taking him for granted. Viet voters won’t be happy about that! If Nguyen prevails he will be the only Viet officeholder at the County level, with the exception of Supervisor Janet Nguyen – who also has failed to support Nguyen. No surprise there – everyone knows Janet is only for Janet.
Janet has also failed to endorse Quang Pham and Long Pham. And of course she is not helping Van Tran. The only Viet candidate she has ever helped in the past few years has been her Chief of Staff, Andrew Do, who carpetbagged his way onto the Garden Grove City Council last year.
And why are any O.C. Republicans backing Allan Mansoor over County Education Trustee Long Pham?
Janet’s longtime nemesis, Assemblyman Van Tran, is terming out – and sure enough the OC GOP didn’t even try to recruit a Viet candidate to replace him, even though his district includes Little Saigon. Instead, they are backing nutter Allan Mansoor, a Councilman in Costa Mesa. I hear that County Board of Education Trustee Long Pham is running for Tran’s seat. Pham is a lifelong Republican but his party leaders are lining up behind Mansoor. Again, they are taking the Viet vote for granted.
But Orange County viet voters have a choice now. They can register as Democrats. And the local Democrats are putting out the red carpet for them, even though the same Democrats backstabbed Hoa Van Tran when he ran against Janet Nguyen.
Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez does not take Viet voters for granted…
Perhaps they have since learned their lesson. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, who is being challenged by the aforementioned Van Tran and his fellow Republican Quang Pham, is going to be speaking at the kick-off event in celebration of the creation of Orange County’s first-ever Vietnamese American Democratic Political Action Committee.
The brunch will take place on Sunday, November 22nd from 12:30PM to 3:00PM at S Vietnamese Fine Dining Restaurant, locaated at 545 Westminster Mall Drive, Westminster, CA 92683.
$100 – Individual Tickets in Advance ($75 applied to VADPAC Membership)
$125 – Individual Tickets purchased at the door ($75 applied to VADPAC Membership)
Make a secure on-line contribution by clicking on the link here.
For further information or to RSVP, please contact Karen Hinks at (714)848-9395 or email at khinks@verizon.net.
And, as reported here on the Orange Juice by our blogger Jim Benson, Phu Nguyen, prospective Democratic Candidate for the 68th Assembly District, is going to be speaking to the 68th Assembly Democrats on Monday November 16th 2009 at 7pm, at their monthly meeting at Carrow’s Restaurant at the corner of Magnolia and Warner in Huntington Beach.
Phu Nguyen, Art Moreno and Tammy Tran at Lou Correa’s recent fundraising event
And let’s not forget State Senator Lou Correa. His Chief of Staff, Tammy Tran, is Vietnamese. And his recent fundraising event was attended by dozens of loyal Viet supporters. Click here to see pictures from that event.
Young Viet voters in particular are leaving the GOP in droves. The Republicans already lost the Latino vote. Will they now lose the Viet vote too?
Interesting post Art.
I have been wondering when the pardigm shift might occour. Latino’s historically democratic voters swayed toward the Texan Bush.
Many of the up and coming Viet voters know little ort nothing of the history that pushed thier parents right. To boot, many OC kids were educated at CSUF and UCi, not exactly bastions of the GOP.
As these kids who graduated from Bolsa Chica and University High School begin to raise thier own families, or (prior to that)begin to assemble and take an interest in the political scene, who are they going to pick? OBAMA or a 70 year old man?
The face of the OC voter is changing as fast as the face of Western Europe.
Tammy Tran works for both Lou Correa’s and Phu Nguyen’s campaigns. She does ridiculous things to make Phu Nguyen and Lou Correa twins. She uses exactly the same ways to promote both.
Since Tammy Tran is inexperienced in the Vietnamese culture and in politics and her Vietnamese is very weak, she won’t be able to get Vietnamese voters for both. She is also part of the Viet Tan party, which is a dark spot in her background. If both want to gain Vietnamese support, they should avoid Tammy Tran.
LOL! So some guy named Smith knows more about Viet culture than Tammy Tran? I don’t think so…
Hi Art Pedroza:
I enjoy your blog, it’s great. I have some ideas want to share about Vietnamese constituents.
That’s the language problem. Language and culture go hand in hand; language and culture provide the glue that holds it together. I think not many people know about Vietnamese culture here, so I think Tammy Tran is one of those.
I attended many of their events; I see how her Vietnamese language is. She is very low level of Vietnamese speaking, also she can’t think or write Vietnamese’s way like Andrew Do or Van Tran did. How can she convince Vietnamese people vote for Lou Correa or Phu Nguyen? Her incapability to transmit the understanding of situations to Vietnamese community might let Lou Correa and Phu Nguyen to failure.
I just wonder how can she get paid by state’s budget as Lou Correa’s District director, but she can work for so many campaigns ‘office; she work for Do Tan Khoa, too. State’s office and campaign‘s offices are remain separated by state’s law? Is it illegal? she gets a lot of money from working for so many candidates! I support Lou Correa, but not Tammy Tran. She is a greedy woman.
Well, if you say so. Good thing that doesn’t matter with Phu. He’s got DOZENS of Viets working for him. Actually I hear he’s Viet himself.
Hi everybody,
Very interesting discussion!
My friends attended Tammy Tran’s housewarming party this month. She invited about three hundred people to her house with a lot of extravagant food and gifts. Of course, this is her second house that she’s bought in less than five years.
She worked for Lou Correa for about six years but she has enough money to buy two houses while a lot of government staff in California don’t get pay until the end of the year due to the budget crisis.
Where does she get all the money to buy another house and to celebrate?
Tammy Tran has a greedy mind. She uses Lou Correa’s power for her own benefit without him knowing.
Tammy Tran tends to only promote people who take sides with her.
Most Viets don’t like her association with the Viet Tan Party as linked here: http://video.yahoo.com/watch/4431052/11878854
This is a very important factor to why Vietnamese voters don’t like Tammy Tran – even Vietnamese newspapers acknowledge this. I am afraid for Lou Correa because Tammy Tran may cost him this year’s reelection even though he did a lot of good things.
It’s foolish for any ethnic group to vote as a bloc for any party. The black vote is a prime example.
Blacks vote 90% Democrat, even while Democrats truly take them for granted (at best) and actually harm them (at worst). Blacks are victims of Democrat racial grievance mongering even though they are victims of Democrat policies that have helped destroy the black family, creating a cycle of poverty and illegitimacy. Democrats have made them welfare state clients in an evil and dehumanizing way.
The GOP has alienated many latinos. But, they have not been made welfare state clients, yet.
Vietnamese should shy away from the Dems.
Taking a group for granted is dangerous for any political party.
The GOP seems to have only one group the represent, rich and mostly white. What reason have they given any other group to vote for them lately?
The backers of carpetbagger Garden Grove councilman Andrew Do will surely feel the brunt of their poor decision to back a carpetbagger in future elections.
He will be referred to as Albatross Andy due to his carpetbagging. He lives in a huge home in Santa Ana and “rents” in Garden Grove.
It is not just the Vietnamese – they’re taking EVERYBODY for granted. They are taking their very existence for granted. It is not a certain thing that they will be as viable political party in 2012. One should not even assume that George W. Bush will not be the last Republican president.
A party by any other name would whither and die….
And speaking of names, folks: why don’t they just rename themselves the “Tea Party” and be done with it. This is certainly not the Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.
Is it the goal of these clowns that they destroy the GOP in order that it may be rebuilt in their hideous image? If that is the case they’re in for more-than-a-few surprises. That silly party is already “in their image”. Are they serious when they imply that they wish to move it even further to the right? How “far right” can one move before one falls off of the face of the earth? Are they serious?
Watching the utter implosion of the Grand Old Party in the last year has been the gift that just keeps giving and giving. Someone pinch me!
http://www.tomdegan.blogspot.com
Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
Tom,
Thanks for stopping by Orange juice and taking the time to comment. The best thing that could happen to the GOP is for Sarah Palin to go on a two year book tour. THAT should finish them off for sure!
You’ve got an interesting blog going on, too http://www.tomdegan.blogspot.com
Rv- –
My cousin know Janet Nguyen and she told me that Janet Nguyen will not help any Vietnamese candidate. It’s not in here blood, she is all about herself.
Shame on Janet Nguyen for not endorsing none of the Vietnamese candidates. If she can’t help her own people than she doesn’t deserved our vote from the Asian community.
Alot of us in Westminster can’t stand Janet Nguyen. She is not very well like. I will never vote for her again. The next time she runs for election I guaranteed Janet Nguyen will lose! I have alot of money and I will help the next candidate win there election agaisnt Janet Nguyen
Janet Nguyen you think people like you, think again.
YES #7 YOU SAID THE RIGHT THING!!!!
JANET WILL LOSE!! AND THAT IS A PROMISE!
The problem is that Vietnamese are very independent in thought. The party cannot control them and thus fears them. This is not just a OC problem. I have a friend in San Diego that says that County Party has totally ignored Kim Tran who is running for City Council. This is the same Kim Tran who personally registered over 3,000 new voters in San Diego County. Kim Tran is a well known concervative Activist who is also known for being the mother Capt. Elizabeth Pham (F-18 pilot). She is so outspokern and such a patriot, Sad indeed. When will they wake up…
Yeah, I saw that. Her website below. The Endorsed Republican Candidate is having some foot in mouth problems.
http://kimtranforcitycouncil.com/