GOP Challenges

Although tomorrow may prove a banner day for Republicans, the GOP still confronts long-term challenges. Trends do not look good. Follow us:

In 1980, Ronald Reagan won 55 percent of the white vote and won the presidential election decisively. In 2008, John McCain won 55 percent of the white vote and lost decisively. The different outcomes reflect the changing face of the citizenry and of the electorate. Diversity is not a politically correct word or concept but a reality. Demography translates into destiny.

The information comes from a New York Times article about the Reagan legacy and the GOP future. In previous editorials we have argued that while the Republican Party must reclaim Reagan's sensibilities and temperament, it need not try to graft his specific policies onto new times. Circumstances change. Principles and states of mind might endure, but their application to specific situations inevitably will vary.

The GOP must do a better job in reaching out to minorities. Yet while McCain and George Bush cultivated good relations with Hispanics, for instance, harsh rhetoric regarding illegal immigration makes legal immigrants, as well as Hispanics born here, feel unwanted. When Republicans attempt so-called outreach, they often do so with a thud. Moreover, stunts such as the attempts by Rush Limbaugh and other entertainers to purge Colin Powell do not exactly charm African-Americans. By the way, Republicans and conservatives practice identity politics all the time. Minorities detect the hypocrisy.

Democrats mistreated Miguel Estrada, whom Bush nominated to a federal appeals court, in part because they feared his ascension would boost Republicans among Hispanics. The abuse of Estrada received insufficient attention from the national media. Still, much of the reaction to Sonia Sotomayor was knee-jerk, ill-formed, and not nearly so wise as a certain Latina. Although prominent Republicans behaved with dignity and discretion, the bloviators may have greater partisan resonance. The base pays too much attention to provocateurs and fools.

We offer the GOP some broad advice regarding policy. To say voters resist big government is not to say they want no government or even negligible government; they want government that works, government that delivers. They prefer frugal competence. The perception is that the GOP has lost touch with essentials. (A stress on roads, schools, and everyday necessities suggests Bob McDonnell understands, and helps to explain his strong campaign.)

Nothing claims permanence in politics, as the GOP's "lock" on the Electoral College so vividly indicates. Coalitions can enjoy extended runs, however. Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal coalition defined national politics for more than 50 years. The movement associated with Reagan, William F. Buckley, Barry Goldwater, and -- yes -- Jack Kemp never surpassed FDR's electoral vigor, yet conservative ideas dominated the intellectual landscape for several decades. Buckley, remember, waged war against crackpots. The conservative mind has lost its elegance and good humor. Anger defines the prevailing mood. The future will not belong to the mad -- but to those whose appeal crosses the color lines.