Amerika

The GOP’s diminishing influence – clearly demonstrated by its greatly-reduced power in Washington – is the result of Republicans ignoring their traditional White European American base of support, while pursuing the traditional Democratic support base of non-White minorities. According to the PEW Research Center, White Americans will be a minority in the U.S. population by 2042. Instead of advocating and enacting policies that would prevent the decline of America’s white population, the Republicans have decided to embrace the fateful change that has been underway since 1965, and has elevated Michael Steele to the Republican Party chairmanship.

In addition to electing leaders who disagree with the traditional party platform, the Republican response to their 2008 debacle was an embarrassing attempt to beat the Democrats at their own game by tapping Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal to delivery the Republican response to Obama’s State of the Union Address. It was an ineffective, even comical attempt by the GOP to show that it, too, is racially diverse. It seems the Republicans are trying to recreate themselves in the image of the Democratic Party’s notion of “diversity” by matching the Democrats minority-for-minority. But as recent history has proved, Republican efforts to reach out to minorities have not only been fruitless, but have also irritated an already disappointed base.

In 2008, with a minority at the top of the ticket, the Democrats received an even larger portion of the vote from its younger, expanding base. According to CNN, “The only age group where McCain prevailed was 65 and over, and that by just a 10-percentage-point margin, 54 percent to 44 percent, the exit polls showed. And minorities went heavily into the Obama camp. Blacks, 96 percent Obama to 3 percent McCain; Latinos, 67 percent Obama to 30 percent McCain; and Asians, 63 percent Obama to 34 percent McCain”. The traditional Republican base is declining not just proportionately from an increase in the minority population, but also quantitatively from age. The decreasing Republican membership is reflecting the population trend that shows the numerical decline in the white birth rate. Since the GOP has been the traditional political-cultural home for white people, it follows that with fewer white people entering the human race, then there will be fewer white people in the Republican Party.

John Tait

While I agree with this assessment, I think it’s only partially complete. The GOP is facing what all nations entering their later years face: the replacement of an original, vital population with a rising tide of disillusioned underachievers and imported labor.

This is how Athens faded into obscurity, as well as Rome.

The GOP, if it wants to survive, needs to appeal to the white middle class. It will not do this by chasing cheesy, obvious compromises like running minority candidates, making abortion a pivotal issue, or appealing to our fears of terrorism. The GOP has gotten fat and lazy and the results show it.

Rather, they need to get serious about conservation, as conservatives once were, and start talking hard realities about making America prepared for the future. And yes, they also need to tackle race: most Americans who are responsible, middle-class people don’t wish ill to other races, but they want to live near people like them. That means not just white, but Western European in descent, with traditional values although they will not necessarily be Christian or conservative.

2008’s election should show the GOP that their strategies and even their approach to formulating strategy are ineffective and need to replaced.

Tags: race