PrintMarch 6, 2011
New York Dems Divide and Conquer Conservative Immigrant Group
An substantial immigrant community is experiencing political disenfranchisement, much to the indifference of immigrant rights groups and the media. Coincidentally, this group gave roughly 90% of its votes to John McCain in 2008.
According to the latest demographic data, Russian immigrants are now the second-largest group in southern Brooklyn. They are also wealthier and better educated than the general population. So why do they remain almost completely unrepresented in political circles?Other than Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny, who represents Brighton Beach, there are no Russian-American elected officials, despite the hundreds of thousands of Russians living in other parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island. In fact, there are hardly any Russian staffers in the offices of our legislators, and none of them have high- ranking positions, such as chiefs of staff.The lack of political representation is particularly curious considering that Russian-Americans tend to live in close...(Read Full Article)
