Minority voters understand economics

The facts put the lie to racist and sexist Republicans like Mitt Romney and Bill O'Reilly. Indians and other minorities vote Democratic because they aren't blinded by their prejudices. They understand how the economy works and can see that Democrats are better fiscal managers.

Data show minorities--and whites--fare better under Democratic presidents

By Zoltan Hajnal and Jeremy D. HorowitzSpeaking to donors after the election, Mitt Romney attributed his loss to President Obama to the administration's strategy of "giving a lot of stuff" to blacks and Latinos, citing in particular "free healthcare" and "amnesty for the children of illegals."

But data show a more plausible explanation: black, Latino and Asian-American voters, who overwhelmingly voted for Obama, were simply evaluating the long-term record of each party.

The data we analyzed show unequivocally that minorities fare better under Democratic administrations than under Republican ones. Census data tracking annual changes in income, poverty and unemployment over five decades tell a striking story. Under Democratic presidents, the incomes of black families grew by an average of $895 a year, but only by $142 a year under Republicans. Across 26 years of Democratic leadership, unemployment among blacks declined by 7.9 percent; under 28 years of Republican presidencies, the rate increased by a net of 13.7 percent.

The black poverty rate fell by 23.6 percent under Democratic presidents and rose by 3 percent under Republicans.

The results for Latinos and Asians, though based on fewer years of data, show the same pattern. For example, Latino incomes grew an average of $627 a year under Democrats and fell by $197 a year under Republicans. More important, these gains do not come at the expense of whites. On average, white incomes have similarly grown, and white joblessness and poverty have likewise declined, under Democratic administrations. These numbers show that economic condition need not be a zero-sum game pitting races and ethnicities against one another.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Republicans Alienated "Nontraditional" Voters and Letters to Romney on "Stuff."