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Roadkingtrax is pretty much right on here.
The Republican Party in Texas, starting with the George W. Bush administration, realized that if they weren't competitive with Latino voters they were going to lose the state. They knew that to win elections they had to consistently get at least 40% of the Latino vote and they've done that.
Today the Texas non Hispanic white population is under 40%. The Dems, by their computations, should be sweeping the state wide offices. Texas Republicans by emphasizing the similarities in social and cultural beliefs of Latinos which they know are compatible with Republican philosophy they have steadily increased their portion of the Latino vote to the point they may soon regularly get a majority of it in statewide elections. Democrat cultural missteps haven't helped. When G.W. Bush was running for President against Al Gore, Gore in a debate said that Mexican independence day was "Cinco de Mayo." Bush immediately exploited that opening saying Mexican independence day is not Cinco de Mayo but "el diez y seis de Septiembre." The 16th of September. It was a small thing but I guarantee Latinos noticed. Texas Republican politicians, at least at the statewide level know this stuff. Most statewide Republican office holders in Texas also speak at least passable Spanish. It's no accident that Bush won 40% of the Latino Vote in his first run for President.
He is also correct that there are Republicans, though their numbers fortunately are shrinking, who do campaign on fears of foreign competition. They do not hold a path to future success for the Republican party. What is a path to success is to reach out to people, like Latinos who are not traditionally part of a Republican coalition but share Republican values in economic and social issues.
He's right, the national Republican should have noticed sooner, especially since the Texas model has been out there for decades.
However, I never underestimate the ability of the Republicans to screw a good thing up.
The Republican Party in Texas, starting with the George W. Bush administration, realized that if they weren't competitive with Latino voters they were going to lose the state. They knew that to win elections they had to consistently get at least 40% of the Latino vote and they've done that.
Today the Texas non Hispanic white population is under 40%. The Dems, by their computations, should be sweeping the state wide offices. Texas Republicans by emphasizing the similarities in social and cultural beliefs of Latinos which they know are compatible with Republican philosophy they have steadily increased their portion of the Latino vote to the point they may soon regularly get a majority of it in statewide elections. Democrat cultural missteps haven't helped. When G.W. Bush was running for President against Al Gore, Gore in a debate said that Mexican independence day was "Cinco de Mayo." Bush immediately exploited that opening saying Mexican independence day is not Cinco de Mayo but "el diez y seis de Septiembre." The 16th of September. It was a small thing but I guarantee Latinos noticed. Texas Republican politicians, at least at the statewide level know this stuff. Most statewide Republican office holders in Texas also speak at least passable Spanish. It's no accident that Bush won 40% of the Latino Vote in his first run for President.
He is also correct that there are Republicans, though their numbers fortunately are shrinking, who do campaign on fears of foreign competition. They do not hold a path to future success for the Republican party. What is a path to success is to reach out to people, like Latinos who are not traditionally part of a Republican coalition but share Republican values in economic and social issues.
He's right, the national Republican should have noticed sooner, especially since the Texas model has been out there for decades.
However, I never underestimate the ability of the Republicans to screw a good thing up.
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