The GOP's diversity debacle
After an election in which Mitt Romney lost the black, Asian and Latino vote by landslide margins, the news just got worse for the Republican Party.
With Florida GOP Rep. Allen West’s concession Tuesday, the face of the GOP got a little whiter, ending an election season in which the already undersized contingent of black, Hispanic and Asian Republicans in Congress grew even smaller.
Continue ReadingFor a party that’s struggling to present a public face that looks more like America, the 2012 election represents something close to a worst-case scenario.
(Also on POLITICO: Republicans run from Romney)
The number of African-American Republicans in Congress, which stood to double thanks to several highly competitive candidates, was instead cut in half, to a single member. The last Asian-American Republican retired and wasn’t replaced. In a year when a record number of Hispanics were elected to Congress, House Republicans ended up losing two of their already small contingent. Puerto Rico GOP Gov. Luis Fortuño, a rising star who campaigned for Mitt Romney in Florida, was another 2012 casualty.
In the Senate, there was a GOP ray of hope with the election of Ted Cruz, a Cuban-American from Texas. But in a chamber that will have a record number of women next year thanks to the election of four new Democratic women and the reelection of six female Senate incumbents, the number of female Republicans actually declined by one.
The final tally: Democrats have 16 female senators, Republicans only four.
(Also on POLITICO: Jindal: ‘We … don’t need to be saying stupid things’)
All in all, Nov. 6 was a grim day for a party that already had a glaring diversity problem.
“Let’s face it, the Republican Party has to do a better job of fielding and electing candidates that look and talk like the America of the second decade of the 21st century,” said Michigan-based GOP consultant Dennis Lennox.
Unlike in past years, the problem wasn’t exactly a lack of serious prospects. The GOP had a handful of celebrated and well-financed black and Latino challengers — among them, House candidates Abel Maldonado of California, Vernon Parker of Arizona, and the best-known of them all, Mia Love of Utah — but all of them fell short in the end.
Maldonado and Love failed to oust Democratic incumbents; Parker lost a race for an open seat in Arizona.
They weren’t the only setbacks in the House: West and Hispanic Reps. Francisco Canseco of Texas and David Rivera of Florida all were defeated in their bids for a second term. While West lost for reasons related to a mismatch of style and district, Canseco and Rivera lost in seats with high percentages of Hispanic voters.
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Read all 309 comments in our forumGive it a break. A diverse group of idiots is still a group of idiots. Just ask Sheila Jackson Lee. She knows all about idiocy.
Its not that the GOP is not diverse, its not as diverse as the left.
And the left and their sycophants in the media portray this as racist. Any attempts to diversify are treated as weak attempts to cover up racism.
Nevermind that any "minority Republican" is instantly labeled an Uncle Tom or turncoat by the open minded, enlightened liberal establishment.
Republicans won't change their supply-side beliefs, which gives the financial elite even more incentive to squeeze the working poor.
But by taming its nativist anti-immigrant wing, the Republican Party can do the nation a favor by supporting genuine immigration reform.
I'm not sure if centrist Republicans can defuse the anger that right-wing blowhards have inflamed.
smorrow66: "And the left and their sycophants in the media portray this as racist. Any attempts to diversify are treated as weak attempts to cover up racism."..........................Don't go telling the truth. The left gets all sweaty and really nasty then. They'll call you names and stuff, and then pee all over their legs.
if republicans want to win on a national level again they will ditch the religous right and embrace gay equality and immagration reform. otherwise why bother to run candidates who will lose by increasing margins. liberalism is a dead end street that most people see out through after a while so a socially liberal but fiscal conservative party with a method of tax reform and self worth will fair much better than a message of collectionism and common poverty.
It boils down to a simple fact. The GOP cannot go into the 2016 election convention with a lily white zealot Christian sea of faces. They cannot nominate a Santorm like candidate with positions on abortion that scare almost every woman, young or old. They cannot have the same zealot driven platform. They cannot be the captive of Limbaugh and FOX. It's not a matter of tactics it's a matter of understanding the diversity of this country. They cannot be the party of NO. It will be 2016 not 1950. The GOP must "get it" or be losers forever.
POLITICO should be ashamed of itself for engaging in this sort of racial politics, especially after going out of their way to destroy the candidacy of Herman Cain using unnamed sources...
They're little different than the media in NAZI Germany, which defined Jews as "different" to isolate them from the German people by referring to racial characteristics and emphasizing or creating negative stereotypes..............
And you don't even have the cajones to put a Conservative on your staff, preferring to continue to employ "journolisters" who proudly announce their bias...........
You're nothing more than yet another press agency for the Democrat Party.
It is not the "Diversity of race or gender" that is the GOP problem. It is the lack of allowed "Diversity of Opinion" that is sinking the GOP.
Any candidate that didn't claim to be a sycophant of Israel, was not allowed.
Any candidate that thought the USA should not be the world's policeman, was not allowed.
Any candidate that thought the Defense budget could be cut, was not allowed.
Any candidate that thought the budget should be balanced now, was not allowed.
Any candidate that thought drugs (ie marijuana) should be legalized, was not allowed.
Any candidate that thought the Treasury should stop printing money out of thin air, was not allowed.
George Will was right, the GOP should just disband.
Republicans won't change their supply-side beliefs, which gives the financial elite even more incentive to squeeze the working poor.
BS. Supply side economics was responsible for moving more people out of poverty in America than anything else............ Percentage of paid income tax Income Percentage of taxes paid 1984 1986 1987 $0 - $15,000 5.8% 4.0% 2.8% $15,000 - $30,000 21.1% 16.8% 14.7% $30,000 - $50,000 29.0% 25.9% 23.0% $50,000 - $100,000 22.0% 24.3% 27.7% $100,000 - $200,000 8.6% 10.2% 11.9% + $200,000 13.4% 18.9% 19.8% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Source: IRS
In the table below we can see that the poor benefited most from the economic growth. Not only did they pay less taxes, but the 20% poorest people enjoyed an increase in income of 77 % in 9 years.
Incomes and Social Mobility (1991 dollars) Average Family Income of 1977 Quintile Members in 1977 Quintile 1977 1986 % Change Bottom 20% $15,853 $27,998 77% Second 20% $31,349 $43,041 37% Third 20% $43,297 $51,796 20% Fourth 20% $57,486 $63,314 10% Top 20% $92,531 $97,140 5% All $48,101 $56,658 18% Source: Urban Institute
LIBs want an anything goes society, so the Lib press will push the false narrative of the GOP having to accept change at any cost. After gay marriage, it's on to the legalization of pedophilia for LIBs-FACT.
wayknow: " POLITICO should be ashamed of itself for engaging in this sort of racial politics"......................Rest assured, Wayknow, they aren't. There's high fives all around the offices when they run articles like this. It's their bread and butter - their stock in trade. They run these truly stupid pieces and expect serious conversation. As one poster noted earlier today: "So much bandwidth - so little to say."
and Democrats won't change their smokes and mirros and pretend to be for the working poor, I know you believe Nancy Pelosi is realy working for you - but she's made millions on shady deals like the ones with Visa. Biden is known for his questionable deals with MBNA and then Obama has his with Rezko - though his are minor to the ones you hear about from the real president Valierie Jarrett.
They do not care for the people - the policies they propose are not for the good of the people and they know it.
George Will was right, the GOP should just disband.
LOL..............
The Republicans had ANOTHER massive win at the state level, and now have even MORE Republicans in control of State Houses and Legislatures.................
While Obama won the White House with less than half the percentage he had the first time he won.......
OOOH pLEEZZE.....and which Party fought so hard to defeat Allen West and Mia Love.Look Dems, it's not like your side won in a huge Landslide ! If all of the Republicans would have voted , your side might be on the other side of the fence.Besides, how many voted because they believed this economy was due to Bush.Wait till Obama finishes his 4 more years of destruction and see where you are then.Welcome ALL colors to the 'RIGHT' side! ! If you're not here, no one is stopping you.
wayknow: " POLITICO should be ashamed of itself for engaging in this sort of racial politics"......................Rest assured, Wayknow, they aren't. There's high fives all around the offices when they run articles like this. It's their bread and butter - their stock in trade. They run these truly stupid pieces and expect serious conversation. As one poster noted earlier today: "So much bandwidth - so little to say."
I've noticed a serious decline in their traffic ever since they went after Cain, and I'm seriously wondering, as a Conservative, if I should continue to make them money by giving them "hits" on their site,. which determines it's income making ability.........
Why should I, or any Conservative, continue to read a site and contribute to it's earnings when it's so obviously biased?
If I knew of one that was more fair in presenting a BALANCED prospective, I'd be outta' here..............
I believe that some enteprising person can come up with something better, and if they do, this place will dry up and blow away, or just cater to the KOS crowd...........
The GOP still doesn't get it, do they? It's not about diversity, it's about treating people like they have minds and the right to vote.
As long as they cynically have no faith in Americans, we won't have faith in them. Stop us from voting, we will vote against you in greater numbers; take our jobs to produce more wealth for yoursleves, we will vote against you; try to take away our rights to our own bodies, we will vote against you.
We are Americans.
If all of the Republicans would have voted , your side might be on the other side of the fence.??????If all the women, asians, hispanics, african-americans, gays, progressive whites, radical nuns, elderly, disabled, etc etc, your side might be obliterated. lol
and Democrats won't change their smokes and mirros and pretend to be for the working poor, I know you believe Nancy Pelosi is realy working for you - but she's made millions on shady deals like the ones with Visa. Biden is known for his questionable deals with MBNA and then Obama has his with Rezko - I gave up smokes 20 years ago and don't know what a mirro is...the real president Valerie Jarrett? Really??? lol This thread is gong to turn into a joke, I am outta here.
The GOP still doesn't get it, do they? It's not about diversity, it's about treating people like they have minds and the right to vote.
As long as they cynically have no faith in Americans, we won't have faith in them. Stop us from voting, we will vote against you in greater numbers; take our jobs to produce more wealth for yoursleves, we will vote against you; try to take away our rights to our own bodies, we will vote against you.
We are Americans.
What in the WORLD are you talking about?
It's DEMOCRATS who restrict the military vote count election after election, and it's DEMOCRATS who passed "Motor Voter" legislation everywhere they could, to make it easier for ILLEGALS to defraud us ALL of our vote..........
It's DEMOCRATS in cities like Detroit and Chicago who have jokes made about all the dead voters that vote every election day, and it's DEMOCRATS who , YEARS after the fact, finally ADMIT they stole elections, like John Kennedy did...........
It's DEMOCRATS who use FELONS votes to get people like Al Franken elected, so they can use THAT illegality to jam legislation THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS DON'T WANT down their throats..........
You're obviously high......................
Any black that tries to run as a Republican will be destroyed by the Democrats unless he or she is extremely liberal which does not fit even the cowardly RINO platform but does fit the Democrat platform. Two recent examples are Allen West and Mia Love of Utah who isn't even black but is Haitian, both outspoken conservatives. The Democrats and State-controlled media destroyed them. The black community has been, is and will forever be owned by the Democrat party. There will never be a black conservative Republican elected to the U. S. Congress. Therefore, Republicans should concentrate on throwing all of the racial invectives right back in the Democrats' faces. An example is Congressman James Clyburn who yesterday called nationally syndicated talk show host and constitutional expert Mark Levin, 'a racist', Mr. Levin called Mr. Clyburn 'a Jew hater' and suggested that since anyone that criticizes black or female politicians or members of Mr. Obama's administrattion is called ' a racist' or, in the case of Susan Rice, the incompetent who lied on five Sunday talking head shows that Benghazi was the result of an obscure homemade video that had been on YouTube since June, the female members of the 'black caucus' eviscerated John McCain for criticizing her, calling him a mysoginist, Personally I would like to see the nation's most endangered species, that 'old grey-haired white man' that the Democrats keep railing about, turn the tables and call them 'white race baiters'. Mr. Obama did succeed in one thing, probably the most disappointing and devastating of all of his goals - he successfully divided this country by race and economic status more than it has ever been in its entire history. Democrats should be proud.
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