The Republican Party recently selected Michael Steele to serve as the Chairman of the National Party, who becomes the first African American to hold that post.
But in terms of their overall policies, what does the Republican Party need to do to pick up more votes from people of color? How can the GOP increase their appeal while upholding the party's platform of small government, low taxes, social conservatism, and big business in today's economic and social landscape? Can the Republican Party regain relevance in national politics without increasing voters of color in their base?
I think the GOP should really start to explore ways to make their platform more appealing to voters of color. There seems to be a tendency of the party to ignore urban problems of failing schools, poor economic opportunities, migration tensions, and cultural problems that result from poverty. I think it would be better for the country as a whole if they would participate in coming up with creative solutions for these things. We need more political competition for our votes and more feet on the ground to tackle the problems in our communities. Will the Republican Party make this shift is an entirely different question. I'm betting NO.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Delilah. I think that if the GOP wants to be "back on top" they have to get involved with the issues that everyone is talking about. Education is an important party platform for republicans, but they have absolutely no idea how much it really costs or how to pay for it...healthcare is the same way. The majority of their base are not wealthly business owners, and they need to understand that many in their party have inadequate healthcare with kids who are suffering in underperforming schools.
ReplyDeleteIt's not always about taxes and socialism...democrats are just trying to be creative in finding ways to provide for people who will never "have" in this economy, and it's time for Republicans to JOIN the conversation.
I think this is a very relevant topic because I consider myself conservative, but am often disappointed with the GOP's platform. I get so tired of the wedge issues (i.e. abortion, homosexuality, etc.)! While I have pretty conservative values these are not the issues that should be our primary area of focus in politics. The GOP seems to ignore social issues and to me that has been to their detriment. If the GOP tackled issues of poverty, community development, etc. from the perspective of EMPOWERMENT, I think that is very relevant to their agenda and would help to reach people of color. For example, emphasizing business ownershp in minority communities, community-based programs that rely less on gov't funding and more on contributions and resources from the private sector, etc. We don't need to gov't to come in and fix everything is everybody does a little. This would get the dialogue between the parties going in a healthy direction. While I think this will be a difficult step, there is a shift occuring that is forcing the GOP to reevaluate old strategies. I hope they get it soon!
ReplyDeleteBeginning with Nixon and his "Southern Strategy", the Republican Party have tended to emphasize fear and "law and order" to appeal to their base (those in the Midwest and South). Continuing through the Reagan and to a lesser extent, the Bush Administration, we were given terms like "welfare queen" and the name of Willie Horton.
ReplyDeleteIf the party could win elections without people of color, they would not spare it another thought. The last election exposed their shortcomings as a party: narrow-mindedness and what I would like to term "surface patriotism". If they are truly serious about modernizing the party, it take a re-evaluation of their belief system which means they will have to tone down their rhetoric and start coming up with viable solutions.