Tuesday night had some special significance for Asian-Americans. Philadelphians didn't just elect their first Asian-American woman to the City Council, they gave public education advocate Helen Gym the highest vote of the 7 at-large victors. I expect that in a few years she will be on the national stage.
If you're a regular DWT reader, you probably already know I turned into a virtual papist when Francis became Pope. If I thought future popes would be like him instead of like the guy he replaced, I'd probably seriously consider converting to Catholicism.
With Loretta Sanchez running for the U.S. Senate, Orange County's 46th Congressional District is be an open seat in 2016. It's a solidly blue district (D+9), and Obama won it with 59% in 2008 and with 61% in 2012. The district includes Santa Ana, Anaheim and Orange, and the voters are overwhelmingly Hispanic-American and Asian-American.
The last thing the Republican Party Establishment wanted was a raucous racist primary that highlights the disdain with which Republican candidates view minorities. But the party's angry, confused base had their own ideas-- and plenty of power-mad candidates to pander to them, one of whom is a celebrity TV reality star who knows how to command an audience and daily headlines.It doesn't matter what Reince Priebus wants, or what the GOP's 2012 autopsy mandated, or even-- perhaps (we'll see)-- what the billionaire insurgent Koch family wants.
Today Blue America is endorsing progressive Democrat Bao Nguyen for the Orange County congressional seat being abandoned by Blue Dog Loretta Sanchez as she runs for the U.S. Senate. CA-46, once a deep red GOP hellhole represented by right-wing sociopath Bob Dornan, has changed drastically over the last couple of decades. The PVI is now D+9, and Obama beat McCain 59-39% and Romney 61-36%.
