Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny
The future does not look bright for either the Republican Party or it's Tea Party faction. There are more than just a couple of reasons I make this statement, but perhaps the biggest reason is found in the changing demographics of the United States. I touched on this issue in priors posts here, here, and here, but the issue deserves revisiting as it is very likely the single most important factor that will determine the future fate of the Republican party.
Demographic changes as well as other issues the Republican party will need to address effectively if the party is to remain relevant is outlined in some detail by Michael Gerson & Peter Wehner writing for Commentary.
Excerpt: -The first factor is America’s changing demographics. Much has been written on this topic, but the essential datum is the long-term shrinking of those demographic groups, especially white voters, who traditionally and reliably favor the GOP: from 89 percent of the electorate in 1976 to 72 percent in 2012. This decline is partially an artifact of a change in the way the Census Bureau classifies Hispanics, who used to be counted among whites before being placed in a separate category. But it has much more to do with a real, ongoing change in the composition of the American populace. In any given contest, the GOP can overcome this obstacle. Over time, however, the obstacle will grow ever larger.
Consider the performance of Mitt Romney, who carried the white vote by 20 points. If the country’s demographic composition were still the same last year as it was in 2000, he would now be president. If it were still the same as it was in 1992, he would have won in a rout. If he had merely secured 42 percent of the Hispanic vote—rather than his pathetic 27 percent—Romney would have won the popular vote and carried Florida, Colorado, and New Mexico. Republicans, in short, have a winning message for an electorate that no longer exists. {Continue Reading}
The plight of the Republican Party is not hopeless, however, unless it's members do some honest and deep introspection and admit that times are changing what is now only a possibility WILL become REALITY.
Via: Memeorandum
