QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 8:47 A.M. ET:  From Tunku Varadarajan, in the Washington Examiner, examining the cases of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and GOP candidate for governor in South Carolina, Nikky Haley:

Why has no Indian-American liberal risen as high in the Democratic ranks as Jindal and Haley have done in the GOP? Could it be that because Democrats put more of an emphasis on identity politics, an Indian-American Democrat would have to contend with other ethnic constituencies that might think that it’s “their turn” first? And once you go down the “identity” route, your success as a politician tends to rest more on the weight of numbers—the size of your ethnic constituency, or your racial voting bloc—than on the weight of your ideas. The most striking thing about Jindal and Haley’s success is not that they are Indian-American politicians who have triumphed in conservative Southern states, but that they are conservative Southern politicians who just happen to be Indian American.

COMMENT:  Ah yes, identity politics.  Strange, isn't it, that for minorities it's the Republican Party in which the American dream is being truly played out?  In the Democratic Party, as Varadarajan points out, you have to wait your turn, behind other groups who have first claim. 

Lesson for Dems?  I doubt it.  They stopped learning and developing years ago, which is why I joined the millions, like Ronald Reagan, who left.

June 11, 2010