http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/...mments-romney-set-us-042536026--election.html New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez: Comments like Romneyâs set âus back as a partyâ LAS VEGASâAfter two days of meetings at the Republican Governors Association conference, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez on Thursday said she heard a lot about the party's need to reach new constituenciesâparticularly women and ethnic minoritiesâbut few specifics about how. As a Republican governor of Mexican descent who won all but four counties in a Democratic state, Martinez has ideas for how the party can reach voters who traditionally support Democrats. But it's going to take some work, she noted, and a touch of humility, from her colleagues. "Republicans need to stop making assumptions, and they need to start talking to younger people, people of color, and ask themânot talk to themâask them, 'What is it that we can do better? How do we earn your vote? How do we earn the ability for you to see that we can be the party that will make your life better and that of your children?'" Martinez said in an interview after the conference here. "But we can't be the ones that come and tell them how things are going to be and how we have all the solutions." President Barack Obama in 2012 expanded his lead among Hispanic, black, Asian and women voters, according to exit polling, leaving many Republicans wondering what they need to do to adapt to the nation's rapidly shifting demographics. The topic has dominated much of the party's postelection soul-searching. Some have placed part of the blame on Mitt Romney for writing off 47 percent of the electorate as inevitable Obama voters at a closed-door fundraiser last springâhis comment, said Martinez, was "ridiculous"âand then, postelection, saying he lost to Obama in part because the president promised "gifts" to minority voters in return for their support. "That unfortunately is what sets us back as a party, our comments that are not thought through carefully," said Martinez, whose name was discussed in the national media as a possible running mate for Romney but who was never vetted for the job. In order to make inroads with minority votersâparticularly HispanicsâMartinez urged Republicans to pursue immigration reform and to begin grass-roots outreach now instead of waiting until an election year to seek votes. "We need to embrace them not just at election time. ... We should not visit them when we need their vote and then walk away," Martinez said. "And then four years go by and we go visit them again. We have to make them part of the solution, and the way you do that is by listening to them and then making that part of 'How do we do this together to make our lives all better?' "And then once you've done it," Martinez added, "you tell them we did it together."
See, this is the thing. The GOP has all this data. They know, regardless of the winger echo chamber says, in the real world, they got their asses handed to them. This is why I think moderates like Boehner will get bolder, voices like this governor, and Jindahl, and Bush, and Steele, will get louder. Did you hear the Steele is thinking about going back to be the GOP chair? If he does do that, and is re-elected, he will have a mandate. That mandate will be to unmake the GOP as the party of angry old white men. The drums are beating, the Tea Party is getting the boot.
It will piss off angry white men like lucrum,mav88,leapup etc but its the best thing they can do for thier party if they ever want to be in the white house again
It is the best thing for the nation. We need a two party system. The GOP understands it's importance and will heal itself.
What Romney said, not eloquently enough, was akin to, ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. Times, they have a changed. What doomed the party and his chances were the comments made by Akins and Murdock. Those were sea change events and shifted the debate from the ecomony to, see what these crazy republicans are all about. Of course, there were other mis-steps Romney made himself, but IMO, Akins and Murdock cost him the election. I suppose if this is what it takes to get the republican party back to their strengths and get the hell out of the bedroom, it's a good thing. They really do need to put some distance between themselves and the radical elements of the christian right and their high minded moralizing. This is especially true when they themselves can't hold up to their own crazy standards of 17th century puritanism.
There you go, Cap'n. I knew you would come around! I, and many like me are rooting for the GOP. No joke. Get outta that social crap and then turn the cannons about spending. Christie will crush whomever faces that new GOP juggernaut. Everyone one know what is wrong. Fiscal conservatives! Divorce those social conservatives and you will win today! That is the new message, and I do hope it does take hold.