Bridget Johnson has written an excellent column about how the GOP has ignored minorities for unknown reasons. Ms. Johnson’s piece remarkably parallels something I’ve written but not yet posted about Hispanics, immigration, etc.
Here’s some money quotes from Ms. Johnson:
Personally, I want to drag our party leaders by the hand around Long Beach, Inglewood, Baldwin Hills, even Watts to get a true picture of the communities and their concerns. It may surprise party elites to see that many of their issues — small-business growth, social values, emphasis on faith, education, fighting crime — are ones where Republican core principles would likely resonate well…
I remember going to a 2006 Labor Day immigration rally in downtown Los Angeles, organized by labor and socialist-activism groups hoping to mirror the 500,000-strong showing by immigrant demonstrators that March. They fell about 499,000 short — but those who did march were easily outnumbered by the Latino vendors who swarmed the sidewalks hawking soda, ice cream, and countless sizzling platters of hot dogs with peppers and onions.
When it comes to the Latino community, the small-business dreamers buoyed by a fierce entrepreneurial spirit would love to hear about lower taxes and business incentives — especially when the left tells them that Republicans just care about white, fat-cat, big business.
True community outreach would also tap into the similarly shared concerns of safe neighborhoods as well as homeland security, good schools, strong families, etc.
But even at this rally, where I saw many residents just wander into the festivities to learn more — and the American-flag wavers clearly turned off by the separatists — there was no presence of pro-business, pro-entrepreneurship parties or organizations, just the medley of usual socialist suspects trying to lure in new members. I know because I took all of their red-hued propaganda — er, literature — and spoke with the far-left recruiters who were sure that James Sensenbrenner had driven all Latinos into the arms of the left, never to return and never to fully question the left’s policies.
She’s right on target and it’s so true: what saddens me most is that most of the minorities I meet and see have conservative values, not leftist values. And the conservative political machine in this country has been conspicuously absent from their recruitment. It’s a terrible blind spot.
She pegged it here:
Republicans fall way short of luring Latinos or Hispanics or whatever for lack of outreach. That is true; good natured honest Latinos are turned off by this. But let’s not also forget there’s a whole bunch of them that stick to the Dems like glue for the handouts.
Great post Henry
On the surface, you can understand it. You would have to spend a lot of money for very little return. For example, bringing the percentage of black voters who vote GOP up from about 5% to 10% would cost a fortune and wouldn’t help much. In the SHORT run…
But in the long run it would be worth it. As others have said the non-white communities tend to practice conservatism in their every day life even if they do not preach or vote it. A well conceived outreach program could cause eventually a groundswell if it coincided with more events like the exposure Rev. Wright request for God to damn America.
It also wouldn’t hurt if GOP politicians had the guts to just stand up and spell out in speeches why low taxes, national security, free market economics, and dropping the obsession with race-consciousness, etc., would be good for them (and everyone), and why socialism and political correctness erode character and infantilize people.
I agree that with Blacks it a harder hill to climb, but you have to try. It’s estimated that George W. Bush carried more than 40% of the Hispanic vote in 2004. If we make it so that the only thing Hispanics hear about Republicans is nativist rhetoric it will be a long time before that number is ever matched by a Republican again.
The GOP has clearly lost its way. All the old pro biz, growth, life, freedom and so on have taken a back seat to such things as “earmarks” and caving in to the left.
It appears this election the average Republican voter will be voting against a candidate rather than for someone.
The GOP needs to stand for something if it wants to grow. Basic principles and leadership will bring in voters regardless of ethnicity.
Two of the big problems for the GOP in attracting Latino voters aren’t so easily resolved. First, Latinos are overwhelmingly opposed to the War in Iraq. Second wide pluralities of Latinos are in favor of universal health care. Unless the GOP is prepared to make a 180 degree turn on these issues, all the talk of conservative values (whatever that means) will mean very little.
miramiradePalmira,
The question is why do they feel that way? Perhaps because the only people talking to them are liberal democrats. I don’t think Latinos are inherently for murderous dictatorships or inefficient socialized medicine.
BTW the war in Iraq was already well underway when 40% or more of Latinos voted for Bush in 2004. And the GOP stance on nationalized healthcare predates that election by a long time too.
So kiss my ass.
Nice try though.
Henry, 100% correct!
I guess it depends on what is considered “nativist rhetoric”, Henry, and I’m not saying that sarcastically because I am sincerely not totally sure what you mean.
FWIW, I agree that some GOPers (Buchanan-ites in particular) hide their ill will toward Hispanics behind the skirt of national sovereignty and border security. But regardless of the ulterior motives of some, these are legit issues, not nativist rhetoric, and many if not most American Hispanics recognize this.
There are also plenty of Hispanics (and others) who barely hide their Rev-Wright style ill will toward America in general and white people in particular behind the skirt of compassion for poor Mexicans crossing a dangerous border, the kind of people who throw bottles and rocks at LAPD and THEN turn their video cameras on.
GOP very definitely needs to just suck it up and deal with the uphill climb of minority outreach, and I think it will be easier with non-Cuban Hispanics than blacks. But at the end of the day, minorities still have to drop the scowl, unfold their arms and receive the GOP when we get to the top or it’s all for nothing.
Zhangliqun,
Nativist rhetoric is exactly as you describe. It’s xenophobic hate mongering that hides behind national security. It’s not like America hasn’t seen it before. Whether it was Irish, Italians, Polish there has always been a segment that said we were in danger of losing our unique Americanness.
As for the elements you describe, it’s a tiny minority that gets a lot of attention from the media. Kind of like those pro-castro Cuban-Americans that the media likes to dig up.
My job is to talk these people and learn what they are REALLY like so that American companies can sell them stuff. Guess what. They want the American dream.
And yes it will be easier with Hispanics than blacks. The reason is that Hispanics come to this country as a clean slate. They haven’t had years of anti-Republican propaganda aimed at them.
Zhangliqun,
The Buchanan-ites have left the GOP for the most part and good riddance to them. The so called anti Hispanic theory is pure BS. There is a anti illegal issue and its a valid concern.
Unfortunately too many have bought into the notion the US is becoming anti this or that. The anger is directed at Mexico but people that just get their news from Spanish TV/ and other media just accept it as fact the anger is at every Latino.
Of course readers here and other informed people can seperate fact from fiction.
Henry,
I’m not sure what part of my post merited a “kiss my ass” pero hace tiempo que deje de advininar las mariconerias de los morones. The point I was trying to make, is that Latino concerns about the war and the affordability of health care make them more in tune with the current rhetoric of the Democratic Party. This isn’t to say that the pro-business and lower taxes argument of the traditional GOP don’t resonate with Latinos. But I would encourage you to look around the party and see how many of the old-line GOP are left. I grew-up in a pro-Reagan home in NJ and have watched over the last twenty some-odd years as religious wackos, conspiracy-theorsits, and anti-immigrant nutjobs have taken over the GOP. When a man like John McCain–who has given more to this country than most Americans–is excoriated by drug-addicts like Rush Limbaugh you know the traditional GOP is in trouble. Fix your house, get back to traditional republican arguments about lower taxes (and lower spending)–lose the arguments against things like Evolution and Immigrantion–and maybe, just maybe, Latinos will pay attention to you.
miramiradePalmira,
The snarky tone of your comments on my posts is what you did to merit the invitation to brush your lips against my derriere. Now I will add that homophobic epithet to the list of reasons.
Your argument just doesn’t hold water because as recently as 3.5 years ago 40% or more of Latino voters went for the guy with the (R) next to his name. And the war in Iraq was already on when that happened if I remember correctly. It’s easy for voters to tell a pollster he/she is against the war now (or rather a year ago when things looked really bleak) when previously they were for it. Who is going to remember? Leaders have to live with the scrutiny of their decisions. And if events should suddenly take a turn for the better in Iraq all of the opponents of the war would drift into the background without a peep. But hey that’s politics.
John McCain is reviled by conservatives because he isn’t one and we’re supposed to be the conservative party. I personally despise his ideas about campaign finance reform which I see as an affront to free speech and his votes against tax relief.
miramiradePalmira,
Let me get this straight….I believe in God but attend church rarely but this surely qualifies me as a religious wacko.
I do not believe Hildebeast was named for Sir Edmund Hillary as she has claimed so Im right in there with the conspiracy crowd.
I am in favor of LEGAL immigration so I am in good standing with the other redneck racist bigots. Please dont tell anyone about my personal sponsorship of several Cuban political refugee families…buying them clothes, feeding them, finding jobs for them, setting them up in housing, schools and medical care….all out of my own pocket. If this gets out my standing with the KKK will be in jeopardy.
I listen to Rush, as well as others, so this makes me a big supporter of drug users.
I am a successful self made man with no formal education that believes in free enterprise and self reliance. And to top it off I like women…no…I LOVE women.
So I have absolutely no qualifications to join the Democrats.
The GOP may have strayed with guys like McCain and others but the party is head and shoulders above the democRATS by any measure.
By the way the immigration arguments that are being made by nativists like Lou Dobbs and others aren’t the position of the “traditional GOP”
Take a look for yourself
Henry,
In November of 2004 there was already widespread Latino opposition to the War and to much of the Republican agenda. For some interesting poll numbers see http://www.isacorp.com/links/latinos_072104.pdf. Your point about Bush drawing 40 percent is well-taken but I think two factors may help to explain that–one is the paltry effort that the Kerry camp made to consolidate support in traditional Latino democratic areas such as South Texas and newer Latino settlements in places such as Central Florida. The second–and this one is much more difficult to prove in the absence of polling is that Latinos–like many Americans–bought into the Bush Administration’s rather insistent argument that a vote for Kerry would be seen as an acknowledgement that Americans were repudiating the White House at a time of war and that any such message would jeapordize the war and those who were fighting it. All of this being said, it’s obvious at this late stage that Bush’s support among Latinos was not an endorsement of the war or of his party. In fact, recent polling data shows that Latinos have not only abandoned Bush en masse but have also returned in large numbers to the Democratic party fold.
BTW, my use of the word mariconerias was more in the Spirit of Alvarez Guedes than that of, say, Republican Senator Larry Craig or former Republican Congressman Mark Foley.
Rrrod,
Don’t know how you drew any of those conclusions but I will congratulate you on your support of Cuban political refugee families. Those of us who have been lucky enough to live in this country and succeed have, I believe, an obligation to help these people as we and our families were once helped. In fact, I would go one step further and say that as Cuban exiles we should be especially sympathetic to those people who arrive on the shores of this country looking for freedom–whether to write, to worship, or to feed their families–no matter what country they are from.
Let’s just say we disagree. I believe the reason the inroads the GOP made with Latinos are eroding has nothing to do with the war that affects very few of them, but instead has to do with the immigration debate on which the GOP has branded as being on the wrong side of. Never mind that it was senate Democrats that killed the immigration reform bill a couple of years ago.
Either way, it’s a mistake for the GOP to abandon Latinos because the demographics speak for themselves.
I’m just not buying you liberal viewpoint on the issue.