Is NYC the most geopolitically diverse city in the US?

[Crawford]

Yeah, SI is kind of a middle ground between Brooklyn and "real suburbia". A giant share of SI mid and south shore residents have roots in South Brooklyn. Visiting grandma or a favorite salumeria "across the bridge" is a big thing.

[mrnyc]

^ not really. staten island has plenty of that homey food here now. the shop people came over the bridge too ya know.

Originally Posted by Docere

Southern Staten Island is the biggest concentration of Italian Americans. I believe it's largely offshoots of Bensonhurst and environs which was the biggest concentration ca. 1980. And it makes sense former Soviets, also initially centered in southern Brooklyn, would head to Staten Island.

keep in mind the north shore of staten is much different and somewhat more like a queens mix and feel. for example, dem. max rose lives around the corner from us in st george. i happen to know this because i voted with him. our seditious, fascist leaning repub. congresswoman nicole malliotakis, who beat rose again, is from great kills and her staten office is by willowbrook/csi -- i dk where she lives today exactly, nor do i care lol, but its down the island. and btw she is cuban and greek, so conservatism in staten isn't just italiano.

[Docere]

I don't know how Greek Americans vote, as it's a rather small population. I find there is a high degree of cultural retention. But they don't really live in enclaves.

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by Docere

I don't know how Greek Americans vote, as it's a rather small population. I find there is a high degree of cultural retention. But they don't really live in enclaves.

i would guess for malliotakis, the area of her upbringing and her cuban side likely plays more into it. i dk tho, i try to ignore she exists.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by Docere

I don't know how Greek Americans vote, as it's a rather small population. I find there is a high degree of cultural retention. But they don't really live in enclaves.

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, Whitestone, Queens & Bayside, Queens have upscale Greek American enclaves.

Astoria is the old neighborhood, and still pretty Greek.

[Gantz]

Another group of people that voted more R during this election is east Asians. These people used to vote D in a lot greater percentages. Even Chinatown area in Manhattan is suspiciously less blue than in the past. Same for Queens and southern Brooklyn areas that have substantial east asian populations.

[Docere]

Zeldin got a very strong 37% in Queens, I suspect that's largely due to Asians.

[Crawford]

The GOP was very successful in framing local schools issues to the Asian-American community. There's a narrative of "liberal dems gonna replace magnet programs with woke schooling" and there's an sliver of truth, though it's extremely misleading overall.

In any case, the Asian community felt targeted during the DeBlasio administration, which harmed Dems post-DeBlasio, even though policies have changed and no longer resemble that period. There was definitely a narrative of DeBlasio pitting racial parity against test-in schooling.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by Gantz

Another group of people that voted more R during this election is east Asians. These people used to vote D in a lot greater percentages. Even Chinatown area in Manhattan is suspiciously less blue than in the past. Same for Queens and southern Brooklyn areas that have substantial east asian populations.

I think this is a temporary, schools-related phenomenon. Lots of single issue voters. I'm on a magnet public school parent listserv, and Facebook page, and it's endless grousing by Asian parents about woke school policies. And my sense is these are Dems, and loathe the MAGA culture.

But yeah, it's kind of amazing that Bensonhurst, which is around 50% Chinese these days, was pretty good for the GOP. The remainder is Italian and former Soviet (and some Hispanics, but very recent, and many are off the books so def. not voting), so the GOP has a shot.

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by Crawford

The GOP was very successful in framing local schools issues to the Asian-American community. There's a narrative of "liberal dems gonna replace magnet programs with woke schooling" and there's an sliver of truth, though it's extremely misleading overall.

In any case, the Asian community felt targeted during the DeBlasio administration, which harmed Dems post-DeBlasio, even though policies have changed and no longer resemble that period. There was definitely a narrative of DeBlasio pitting racial parity against test-in schooling.

the other big issue is asians have been targeted for attacks and beatings during covid. of course the perception is worse, but that will turn a dem red.

[Docere]

Another dispiriting trend for Democrats was evident: the continued erosion of support in the Asian American community. Once a staunch Democratic bloc, Asian Americans are now clearly trending into the Republican camp. Zeldin won majorities in Chinese-speaking neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens, carrying a Republican to victory over a Democratic assemblyman who was first elected in 1986. A Chinese plurality State Senate district came close to rejecting an Asian American Democrat, almost preferring a white Republican aligned with Zeldin. Public safety and education remain, by far, the top issues for Asian voters in the five boroughs. Many are on edge over anti-Asian hate crimes and view law-and-order Republicans as their best hope. Others remain enraged at Democrats for supporting a failed attempt to scrap a standardized test for specialized high schools that have large Asian populations.

In Brooklyn and Queens, Asian voters found common cause with Orthodox Jews to support Republicans. In the Hebrew and Yiddish-speaking neighborhoods, this voting pattern is not new, but what changed was turnout: These enclaves all produced enormous numbers for Zeldin, and he was greeted like a conquering hero when he visited a Midwood, Brooklyn, pizzeria on Tuesday afternoon. Zeldin is Jewish, but the zeal for his candidacy didn’t have much to do with his religion. Rather, many observant Jews fear Hochul will crack down on yeshivas that offer substandard English and science education. For Hasidic Jews in particular, this issue is existential in scope — they view safeguarding religious education as paramount and remain wary of secular topics — and many wanted to send a direct message to Hochul: Stay away from our schools. In addition, antisemitic hate crimes remain on the minds of many Jewish voters and they have come to believe only Republicans will keep them safe. Zeldin would not have come as close to Hochul as he did without the overwhelming backing of the Orthodox. Hochul will have to decide, in the coming months, how exactly she should reckon with such opposition.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022...ood-night.html

[Docere]

I wonder if Zeldin won the Jewish vote outright in NYS. In the presidential election the Jewish vote in NY (41%) was about 10 points higher than the national Jewish vote.

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by Docere

I wonder if Zeldin won the Jewish vote outright in NYS. In the presidential election the Jewish vote in NY (41%) was about 10 points higher than the national Jewish vote.

no doubt. but if you looked up that stat surely you could look up the other you are asking. you'll be sure to let us know.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by JMKeynes

There are a lot of Jews in Queens who are the Pro-Israel/anti-Arab type like Zeldin.

Queens doesn't have a ton of Jewish enclaves these days. There's the right-wing Kew Gardens Hills area, and the remaining Orthodox sections of Far Rockaway (which are part of the "Five Towns" area). There are slightly more moderate, but still conservative Modern Orthodox areas like Jamaica Estates and Hillcrest as well.

There's of course Forest Hills as well, which was pretty much the only left-leaning mostly Jewish neighborhood left in the city, but has been steadily drifting rightward. Looking at election results by precinct, it seems Hochul still won Forest Park narrowly.

Really though more of the GOP queens enclaves are still "white ethnic" areas like the Rockaway peninsula areas, Broad Channel, Howard Beach, Middle Village, Whitestone, etc.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Queens doesn't have a ton of Jewish enclaves these days. There's the right-wing Kew Gardens Hills area, and the remaining Orthodox sections of Far Rockaway (which are part of the "Five Towns" area). There are slightly more moderate, but still conservative Modern Orthodox areas like Jamaica Estates and Hillcrest as well.

The Queens Jewish community is growing again, though slowly. The growth is basically entirely Orthodox, though. Kew Gardens Hills is probably the biggest Orthodox neighborhood (probably the most Israeli neighborhood in the Americas), and, yeah, the others are Far Rockaway and Jamaica Estates-Hillcrest area, as well as former Soviets along Queens Blvd. from Lefrak City to Briarwood (so Rego Park, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens).

Originally Posted by eschaton

There's of course Forest Hills as well, which was pretty much the only left-leaning mostly Jewish neighborhood left in the city, but has been steadily drifting rightward. Looking at election results by precinct, it seems Hochul still won Forest Park narrowly.

Forest Hills is heavily Orthodox and Bukharan (Central Asian) Jewish these days. Both vote GOP. In the postwar decades Forest Hills was a secular-leaning majority Jewish area, and remains very heavily Jewish, but the demographics have shifted.

Forest Hills also has a growing number of Manhattan-originating affluent urbanite types, however, so will probably remain blue. It was always sort of a Manhattan-ish enclave in Queens, with a more cosmopolitan crowd. It used to sorta be an Upper West Side in Queens, now it's more like a discounted Manhattan with some very observant Jews. Also a growing East Asian community, attracted to top schools. There are a lot of fancy-ish Manhattan- style condos, coops and amenities.

Originally Posted by eschaton

Really though more of the GOP queens enclaves are still "white ethnic" areas like the Rockaway peninsula areas, Broad Channel, Howard Beach, Middle Village, Whitestone, etc.

Yeah, these areas remain white ethnic, and grew much redder in the Trump era.

[Gantz]

Originally Posted by Crawford

I think this is a temporary, schools-related phenomenon. Lots of single issue voters. I'm on a magnet public school parent listserv, and Facebook page, and it's endless grousing by Asian parents about woke school policies. And my sense is these are Dems, and loathe the MAGA culture.

But yeah, it's kind of amazing that Bensonhurst, which is around 50% Chinese these days, was pretty good for the GOP. The remainder is Italian and former Soviet (and some Hispanics, but very recent, and many are off the books so def. not voting), so the GOP has a shot.

I don't think its temporary. As long as colleges nationwide keep discriminating against Asians in admissions, there will be a significant number of Asians voting Republican. Resentment does build up over time. I don't see colleges dropping their race-based affirmative action/diversity policies anytime soon, unless they lose SCOTUS cases. That alone sways many historically very Dem people to vote R in that community.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Gantz

I don't think its temporary. As long as colleges nationwide keep discriminating against Asians in admissions, there will be a significant number of Asians voting Republican. Resentment does build up over time. I don't see colleges dropping their race-based affirmative action/diversity policies anytime soon, unless they lose SCOTUS cases. That alone sways many historically very Dem people to vote R in that community.

SCOTUS is almost certainly going to overturn affirmative action.

50%+ Asian Ivy League schools, here we come!

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by Gantz

I don't think its temporary. As long as colleges nationwide keep discriminating against Asians in admissions, there will be a significant number of Asians voting Republican. Resentment does build up over time. I don't see colleges dropping their race-based affirmative action/diversity policies anytime soon, unless they lose SCOTUS cases. That alone sways many historically very Dem people to vote R in that community.

This is a different topic, and we're gonna have to agree to disagree. All I'll say is that colleges have had affirmative action basically forever, affirmative action is legal and if applied judiciously makes a lot of practical sense, the country would be much weaker if colleges couldn't use anything but standardized scores for admission, and it only became a political issue under a certain divisive orange you-know-who.

And it has absolutely zero to do with the race for NY Gov, NYC schools or U.S. Congress. None have oversight over college admissions criteria.

[Gantz]

Originally Posted by Crawford

This is a different topic, and we're gonna have to agree to disagree. All I'll say is that colleges have had affirmative action basically forever, affirmative action is legal and if applied judiciously makes a lot of practical sense, the country would be much weaker if colleges couldn't use anything but standardized scores for admission, and it only became a political issue under a certain divisive orange you-know-who.

And it has absolutely zero to do with the race for NY Gov, NYC schools or U.S. Congress. None have oversight over college admissions criteria.

We will have to agree to disagree. But don't be surprised if the Republicans make gains in this historically very Dem constituency in the future if things do not change.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by Crawford

The GOP was very successful in framing local schools issues to the Asian-American community. There's a narrative of "liberal dems gonna replace magnet programs with woke schooling" and there's an sliver of truth, though it's extremely misleading overall.

In any case, the Asian community felt targeted during the DeBlasio administration, which harmed Dems post-DeBlasio, even though policies have changed and no longer resemble that period. There was definitely a narrative of DeBlasio pitting racial parity against test-in schooling.

This was a national strategy. It coincided with the Harvard Affirmative Action case currently in front of the SCOTUS.