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The media and the left have been shameless in trying to promote the phony idea that Republicans and conservatives are somehow anti-Asian-American.
With Trump and Republicans increasing their vote share among this previously reliable Democratic constituency, the left is trying to keep their voters in line by cultivating the same sense of grievance they use to round up black and Latino votes. But, as it is with these other groups, the narrative is wearing thin.
The left particularly pretends to be offended by President Trump's accurate characterization of the COVID virus as the "China virus." The UN Human Rights Council –that includes China and Russia — just issued a report saying that "the head of government [in the US] is essentially legitimizing a climate where certain groups are wrongfully associated with a virus that affects everybody equally."
Of course, it is not about who the virus effects, but where it came from that matters.
The dreadful shootings at Atlanta massage parlors is providing more artificial fuel for their fire. Since six of the eight victims were Asian-Americans, the left immediately used the hateful tragedy to bolster charges of racism.
Biden flew to Atlanta to condemn racism against Asian-Americans even though police said there "was no evidence of a racial motivation." FBI Director Christopher Wray said in an interview with NPR that the investigation into the shootings was ongoing, but "at the moment it does not appear that [it] was racially motivated."
The shooter has denied any racist motivation and cited his own emotional problems with women at massage parlors as the catalyst. But the story was too good not to frame it to support the left's narrative.
The media hysterically reports a 150% increase in hate crimes against Asian-Americans during the pandemic. But read the fine print. The actual number of such crimes is minor. New York City had 28, Boston 14 and Los Angeles 15. And the FBI defines hate crimes very broadly to include vandalism and any "criminal offense against a person or propter motivated by an offender's bias…"
The fact is that Republicans and conservatives generally admire Asian-Americans for their focus on education and their success. In fact, when Asian-Americans sued Harvard University for establishing quotas to limit their proportion of the entering class, the Trump Administration backed them up saying "the record evidence demonstrates that Harvard's race-based admissions process significantly disadvantages Asian-American applicants compared to applicants of other racial groups."
But, as soon as they took office, the Biden DOJ abruptly reversed its position and backed Harvard.
Likewise, at Yale. There, the Trump Justice Department filed a statement with the federal District Court saying that Asian-Americans have "only one-tenth to one-fourth of the likelihood of admission as African American applicants with comparable academic credentials." Biden dropped that suit as well.
The Biden Justice Department is clearly putting the rights of Asian American applicants below those of African-Americans and other minorities. With the marvelous success-orientation of a great many young Asian-Americans, it is of far greater moment whether their racial heritage will bar their way into top quality schools than whether the President accuses China of starting the pandemic.
The charge of anti-Asian-American racism on the Republican right and Biden's pandering is specious and motivated only by political opportunism.
(COMMENT, BELOW)
Dick Morris, who served as adviser to former Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and former President Clinton, is the author of 16 books, including his latest, Screwed and Here Come the Black Helicopters.