Assessing the GOP Brand

The GOP needs leadership. As long as Rush and Beck are seen as the GOP leadership and not someone like say...Tom Ridge...the GOP is in serious trouble. In the long run, the GOP just needs to let America forget about the past 8 years. We have short-term memories. We'll forget how Bush, with the full support of the GOP, almost ruined the country.

It often comes down to which individual candidate you hate most, with party identifiers taking a backseat. Send Russ Feingold to my State and I'll vote for him if he ran for my local House seat over the republicans running for it. I wouldn't choose him over either of my republican Senators though.

Shannonlee, no doubt the GOP needs another Ronald Reagan.

Someone with a lot of charisma to make people forget what the GOP stands for... enriching the rich.

Until someone comes up with a model where non-whites will vote for Repubicans in large numbers, there is no point in talking about the GOP Brand.

A better question is what will U.S. economic, political, and cultural life be like when the U.S. is less than half white, a one party state, and living with progressive social engineering, nanny state policies.

"A better question is what will U.S. economic, political, and cultural life be like when the U.S. is less than half white"

Well that depends a lot on how long it takes half the country to realize that non-white people are people too, now doesn't it?

According to the graph (if it's accurate), the Dems lost 20% and the GOP lost 15%.

Further data that backs up the notion that the dems will be hurting next year.
It won't be 1994 again, but it will most likely even the playing field.
And I love it when the playing field (in politics) is even.

For the record, Roro.....

Mexicans are white.

There are only three races: Caucasoids, Negroids, and Mongoloids.

The day that a FORMER Mexican (or any other nationality) takes the Oath of Citizenship, he/she becomes just as much an American as you and I are.

So let's just cut out the race-warfare and call each other Americans, shall we?

JD,

As long as the government (federal, state, or local) is willing to give a black, Hispanic, American Indian, or Pacific Islander a contract, a job, a college scholarship, a grant, college admission, or some other set aside, then we are not Americans. The government makes us hyphenated Americans and treat everyone differently. Look at how the government draws districts to ensure that blacks are elected.

The real question is whether a country that looks like the Detroit, Baltimore, El Paso, South-Central LA can really complete on the world marketplace. The left keeps claiming that the education will make up the difference dispite the 50 year failure of the schools to help the poor and educated. The right keeps claiming that imported poor Hispanics will become productive middle class Americans despite all of the data that shows otherwise.

So as the demographics of the U.S. change the first question is can any conservative political party survive adn the question, based upon the voting of majority-minority districts, is no. The second question is what will politics and governance be like when the U.S. is majority non-white. Based upon places from Balimore to Los Angeles show that it will not be pleasant for what is left of the middle classl.

JD said: "For the record, Roro.....

Mexicans are white."

Just a two cents worth; most Mexicans are not white (Caucasoid). Many Mexicans are from the Mongoloid or Negroid races. (Indegenous people, and the descendents of over 1M slaves brought from Africa to the east coast of Mexico.) Many many Mexicans are meztiso, meaning a mixture of Mongoloid or Negroid, both or either one, along with Caucasoid via Spanish/ Greek/ Italian bloodlines brought by Conquistadores. There is a sizable population of Chinese and other Asian groups which would be considered Mongoloid. There are communities of people of German heritag and some Mexicans claim 'pure' Spanish, Italian, Greek and French bloodlines... the latter from the occupation of Mexico by Maximiliano and Carlotta. There are also a tiny minority of Mennonites who immigrated there long ago: they are from the Caucasoid race.

Up to date, there are also many other systems of racial classifications, with this old one of Caucasoid, Negroid, Mongoloid, being considered arcane, esp since DNA markers seem to point toward far more varigations of race than just three.

The brand? Dull, unappealing, and a turn-off when it's "Dems Lite" or a comic-book token opposition.

That goes for conservatism in the USA as well as for the GOP, though the GOP is in worse shape.

It's not going to be easy to develop the GOP as an attractive, positive alternative (when they must say "no" to so many childish people and to so much that is wrong, especially in and with Washington), or find people willing to engage in the equivalent (with overdue downsizing of the scale and scope of government, especially in Washington) of doctors researching and practicing themselves out of a lot of work by permanently ending a lot of disease.

I wouldn't put to much stock in those percentages. You have to factor in the levels the loses came from with the percentage of people that will support either party no mater what they do.

The only people giving the GOP positive ranks are those hard core conservatives that will never, for any reason, give the GOP a poor ranking.

It is hard to drop lower when you've already bottomed out.

"Mexicans are white."

Someone might want to clue superdestroyer in on that one, eh? Besides the fact that this is clearly not a true statement, I was referring to sd's comment about "less than half white", in which he was clearly denoting Latin@s as not white.

"he/she becomes just as much an American as you and I are."

Well, technically, they were always Americans, as Mexico is in the Americas. Pretty much everyone from an American country other than the US thinks the fact that the US = "America" in our eyes is pretty darn stupid. But that aside, even when a person of Mexican origin takes the oath and becomes a US Citizen, they are still subject to the same race bating as those who have not for things like having the audacity to speak Spanish or eat tacos or listen to folklorico music. So maybe you should ask those actually stirring up the racial pot (ahem...superdestroyer) to cut out the race warfare, eh?

roro,

If I visit almost any college campus in the U.S. , there will be a black students unions, a Latinos Students organization, a Chinese students association, and a Korean students association. However, there will not be a white students union or association. So Latinos are in a different category (the always vote for big spending Democrats category)

I will consider Latinos/Hispanics white when they stop receiving government preference and set asides.

Indeed, markers may point to other criteria....but the overwhelming accepted norm in genetics remains the classification of only three races. There are many races in mexico. The mestizos are a mix between Mongoloid (native indian) and Europeans. There are many mixes, just as their are in the US. But you either "identify" with one. Those coming to the US are mostly of the Caucasian (European) influence.

But to make it shorter. My original point was that Hispanic is not a race - it is an ethnic group.

The word "latin" originates in the language of Europe. The "latin" peoples are from that influence and group.

When you said, "they are always Americans, as Mexico is in the Americas", you kinda are reaching there. I know what you mean, but you have known what I meant as well.
We are the only nation that has the word "America" in our offical name: United States of America. Therefore the term American, is generally accepted to mean someone from the US. We are both North Americans, or South Americans, etc.

And EVERYONE is subject to race bating. Not merely people of color. I personally wish they'd let all Mexicans come to America if they wish. Just as long as they learn English, pay taxes, and take the oath of allegiance. The Mexican people are wonderful. They have a rich heritage that can do nothing but improve our nation.

Every other immigrant group in the past, adopted the culture and language of America. Some don't want the same for Mexicans. I'm not sure why. Instead, they want Mexicans to come here and make enclave communities. This is divisive and not good for our nation.

Dear JD, to add to your comment....working directly with several Mexican (and Central American) populations here in the US, and being a Mexican/ Native American-Spanish woman myself, most of the Mexicans who have come to the US are not Caucasian. They are Indians and meztisos. The number of the upperclass who claim on pure Spanish blood, sometimes immigrate, but in very small numbers. As I outlined above.

Mexicanos don't identify with only 'one' racial /ethnic designation. Scorn and racism in Mexico is rampant and this has caused all kinds of identifications with various aspects of race, or not, depending on the cultural rewards or punishments for being or appearing to be a particular bloodline or set of bloodlines. Nearly identical to process of 'one drop' negative portrayals of lightskinned people in the US, wherein people of various bloodlines pretended to be one thing or another, depending on what was safer, more rewarded.

Hispanic is not a race you are correct, but neither is it an ethnic group. "Hispanic" is a term that Mexicans and others from Spanish speaking countries did not originate. It is a word made up, as I've written about in other posts, by the US government for census purposes, and refers to language group, not ethnicity.

dr.e

Thank you archangel. I stand corrected on the immigration stats.
I actually like it when I'm wrong. I learn more that way.

But I still do not like the divisive tactics being used to keep those Latino immigrants separate from the rest of America. I absolutely love the Latino culture. Their family life and devotion to God is amazing. Being of that decent, I'm sure you agree. Beautiful people. Am I wrong to wish that they learn the language? Everywhere I go, dual-language signs are welcoming me to grocery stores, Wal-mart, and just about everywhere else. Am I wrong to want those wonderful immigrants to come here under the same stipulations as all other waves of immigration in the past?

I would love to hear your perspective on that...

thanks JD, I would like all people who reside in US to be able to speak any language they like AND English fluently. It often, as in my own immigrant and refugee family, takes about 2-3 generations before English language is solidified. It takes time. First only the heritage language, but then English and heritage language, and then often, English all by itself.

When there is often a loss of the original heritage language, then comes a move in later generations to restore the heritage language again in the young ...in addition to fluent English. You're right, it's an endeavor. And it takes time.

I dont mind dual language signs, as you mentioned.... and I also see strongly that a common language can bring people together, regardless of how many languages only spoken by a few. But using language to close out others, divides people. I hope for unifying language, with other languages as one wishes. For good reaasons. Not to destroy.

You bring up a very good insight JD that some of us in my little corner of the world discuss and be concerned about too... that when any group sort of creates or is forced into their own satellite nation (such as our rez/s), or maybe like the many USA's "Little Italy"s, or Little Cuba's or LIttle Polands.... all filled with wondrous people who work hard, and some being ever at the poverty line even so, yet... it is often harder to bring in teachers, helpers, inventors or do major projects amongst the small groups that hold to speaking 'X language only". It's not wrong. It's just that it may close off many opportunities to hear from, be helped by others who currently speak the dominant language.

You know JD, that tone almost means more than the words people say. And I think the English Only movement here in the southwest where I live, had, in many mouths, a really harsh and punitive tone, excluding, exiling, not drawing closer to bridge, unify. However, I also see on other sides, that the tone of wanting to close others out who carry the dominant language, can sometimes also be way too dark, or a response to millenia of 'being under' someone else's sway.

For me, and I see for you too, in different words than mine, that there's an underlying hope and belief in people's goodness when they can easily communicate with each other (we already know fighting with others doesnt even necessarily need words, just harsh looks, closed doors, behind the scenes and upfront actions)... and I hope more people like yourself can communicate that: that it's not meant to rob and pillage others. It's meant to bridge. And the proofs are not in irritations. But in invitations.

I think its a good thing to for all of us who can speak English fluently to also learn another language, even if it comes out translated like Your Food, Good My Mother Like.

I hope that made you laugh. And thank you for asking my thoughts.

dr.e