(The above cartoon logo for the GOP is by Lalo Alcaraz at laloalcarez.com.)I have posted before about the poor showing the Republican Party had among young voters in 2012 (and also 2008). And even the national GOP leaders know they need to do something to turn that around. Their problem is that their base doesn't want to temper their rhetoric or change any of their far-right policies to reach out to those young voters.
How bad is the problem? Well, in the last election their presidential candidate only got 36% of the votes of those between 18 and 24, and only 38% of those between 25 and 29. Those are certainly not acceptable numbers, especially when combined with equally bad numbers among women and minorities -- and it could spell a long drought for the GOP in national elections.
And young Republicans know this. The College Republican National Committee (CRNC) recently issued a report in an effort to get the national party to make the necessary changes that would let them once again appeal to young voters. Among other problems, this report said the party was losing young voters over their vicious and over-the-top rhetoric, their attitude toward the LGBT community, and their treatment of Hispanics.
Perhaps most telling are the words young people use to describe the Republican Party -- like "close-minded", "racist", "rigid", "old-fashioned", "rich", and "religious". Those are definitely not terms you want people to think of when they think of your party, but that is how a huge majority of young voters see the GOP.
One thing which makes this issue even more important is that researchers have recently concluded that most people establish voting patterns that last for a lifetime when they are young. That means that the GOP may not be losing these voters for an election or two, but for many decades to come. And with the shrinking white vote (and growing minority vote), that could spell disaster for the Republican Party for many elections to come.
I can understand why the CRNC issued the report. They are experiencing first-hand the difficulty the party is having with young voters. But I expect their report will be shelved as quickly as the report from the GOP's national leaders that asked for policy changes and less divisive rhetoric. The party's teabagger base loves their far-right-wing policies and vicious rhetoric, and they are not ready to give it up -- not even a little bit.
The Republicans made a big mistake by appealing to and accepting the racist, fundamentalist, and anti-government elements in our society. Those elements have now seized control of the party in many states -- and until the moderates are able to take control back from them (if that is possible), the party's importance on the national stage will continue to be diminished.
