In both 2008 and 2012, President Obama won a combined 80 percent of theYou can't lose half the population by 60 points and expect to be elected to anything much. But if Republicans want to compete with Latinos (as well as Asians and African Americans), there will have to be a far more extensive evolution than simply supporting comprehensive immigration reform (one of the report's few policy recommendations). The report's big solutions are mostly focused on marketing, as the party still thinks their problems stem from a misperception by the public of its goals:
votes of all minority voters, including not only African Americans but also Hispanics, Asians, and others. The minority groups that President Obama carried with 80 percent of the vote in 2012 are on track to become a majority of the nation’s population by 2050.
As one conservative, Tea-Party leader, Dick Armey, told us, “You can’t call someone ugly and expect them to go to the prom with you. We’ve chased the Hispanic voter out of his natural home.”His natural home? As I've writtenrepeatedly, Latinos are more pro-marriage equality than the general population. Not surprising given that the median age of native-born Latinos is 18. They are also more pro-choice than the average American, and are more hostile to capitalism than Occupy protesters. The GOP is the antithesis of their "natural home".
But instead of admitting their policy deficiencies, we get marketing claptrap like "develop statewide initiatives designed to expand and diversify the base of the state party. The RNC should highlight these successful events" and "Establish swearing-in citizenship teams to introduce new citizens after naturalization ceremonies to the Republican Party" (as if those new citizens don't know which party tried to keep them out).
There is nonsense like, "The Republican Party is one of tolerance and respect, and we need to ensure that the tone of our message is always reflective of these core principles", when everyone knows the party was built on the Southern Strategy after the Civil Rights Act—the exact opposite of tolerance and respect, not to mention anti-gay ballot initiatives throughout the 2000s.
And then there's the creepy stuff like, "The RNC should develop a nationwide database of African American leaders." Do they have a nationwide database of white leaders? And throw in some rank hypocrisy, as the party calls for diversifying its employees, committee members and candidates—the very sort of (worthwhile) effort they've long fought, and continue to fight, in higher education and hiring.
But of course these are just words, and will remain just words. Because as much as they want to pretend otherwise, bigotry is baked into the modern GOP. It cannot be unwound without drastically changing who and what the party is. And just like their problems with conservative media, the solutions just won't fly when the party base won't allow them.