The 2012 US general election has kicked off

The 2012 US general election has kicked off. With the advent of the 2012 New Year, there is an atmosphere of joy and joy all over the United States. However, in the small Midwestern United States...

The 2012 U.S. election kicks off. With the advent of the 2012 New Year, the United States is filled with an atmosphere of joy and joy. However, in the small Midwestern state of Iowa, the air is filled with "political factors." Two days later, the first "frontline battle" of the U.S. presidential election will officially begin in this state, marking the official start of the U.S. election. For the seven Republican presidential candidates, they will soon find that Chinese-American voters are their most difficult "fortress" to conquer - for many years, Chinese-Americans have been one of the lowest voter registration and turnout rates in the United States. "The Republican primaries in Iowa have entered a fever pitch, and voters of all ethnic groups in the United States are very enthusiastic. However, a considerable number of Chinese voters still hold a 'nothing to do with themselves' attitude and are not willing to participate in the general election." Yan Xiaozhe, executive chairman of the Iowa Chinese Association, said in an interview with a reporter from China News Service. In the history of more than 100 years, the voice of Chinese Americans has been very small in American political life. "Only caring about personal career and not caring about the prosperity and decline of the country" has become a common mentality among Chinese people. In particular, the "Chinese Exclusion Act" passed by the United States in 1882 caused long-term political scars on the Chinese. Their complex psychological complex made the Chinese unknowingly build a wall to refuse to participate in politics. Yan Xiaozhe is one of the volunteer organizers of the Iowa presidential election. In the past several presidential elections, he has helped many candidates canvass votes and raise donations. He has often been deeply frustrated by the indifference of Chinese Americans to politics. In his view, this is tantamount to giving up their political rights. "Iowa is the first step in determining the president of the United States and the first stop on the road to the White House. All presidential candidates have spent a lot of money to build momentum here. Now five of the seven Republican candidates have been almost 'permanent' in Iowa in the past six months." Yan Xiaozhe believes that the performance of Chinese-American voters in the state will directly affect the importance that presidential candidates attach to Chinese-Americans throughout the campaign. Yan Xiaozhe told reporters that since 1972, the two parties in the United States have established Iowa as the first state for primary elections. One of the reasons is that the state has half Democratic and half Republican supporters, and the Chinese support for the two parties is generally the same. According to him, there are currently only about 10,000 Chinese out of a population of 3 million in Iowa, of which about 5,000 have citizenship and voting qualifications. There are about 2,500 supporters of the Republican Party, but it is expected that only more than 1,000 Chinese will actually come out to participate in the Republican primary elections. In Yan Xiaozhe's view, although the number of Chinese Americans is not large, they can often play a key role as the "last straw". In the 2008 Democratic presidential primary, Hillary lost to Obama by a few thousand votes. According to the latest polls, Romney and Paul, the leading Republican presidential candidates, have support rates in Iowa of 23% and 21% respectively, with only a two-point difference. The support rates between Democratic Party Obama and potential Republican opponent Romney are 47% and 46% respectively, which is only one percentage point difference. There are currently about 4 million Chinese Americans in the United States, accounting for about 1.3% of the U.S. population. Although the number is small, with the current support rate of Republican candidates and their leading candidates being comparable to Obama's, this 1.3% may become a "critical minority." Analysts believe that this "critical minority" is not a political fiction, but has practical significance. If the turnout rate of Chinese voters is not high, they may lose the best opportunity to become the backbone of the Asian community and lose the attention of the two mainstream political parties for a long time. Therefore, they must not be taken lightly. Yan Xiaozhe pointed out that some Chinese are quite dissatisfied with the candidates competing to make a fuss about China during the election, but in fact the initiative lies in the hands of the Chinese themselves. "According to my experience, whenever I am present, the general presidential candidates will restrain themselves on China issues. Sometimes some candidates attack China on the stage and apologize to me when they come off the stage." Regarding Romney, Gingrich and others who often talk about China, Yan Xiaozhe believes that this is nothing to worry about because of their campaign language. In fact, these people will become quite pragmatic once they enter the White House because they have all had actual contacts or business dealings with China. Romney, who currently has the toughest attitude towards China, has been exposed by the US media that he has been relying on Chinese business to make a fortune in the past few years. Gingrich was also a "hardliner" on China when he was the Speaker of the House of Representatives, but after several visits to China, he began to abandon his original ideas. In this election, he emphasized that he should maintain friendly relations with the Chinese people. On December 18, he also went to Los Angeles' Chinatown to seek votes, becoming the first Republican candidate to visit the Chinese community. "Only when Chinese people take the initiative to speak out can they attract the attention and respect of American politicians." Yan Xiaozhe, who worked hard to help Obama win votes in 2008, revealed that Obama's team still remembers him. In 2010, Obama invited him to the White House to attend a presidential reception to celebrate Asian Heritage Month. Just four months ago, Obama sent him a special congratulatory letter to congratulate him on his 20th anniversary in the United States.