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By J. Patrick Coolican (contact) 
Monday, March 19, 2012 | 2 a.m.
Gov. Brian Sandoval announced last week that he would allow higher taxes to continue rather than sunset next year, as scheduled, and there was a fair amount of kicking and screaming among Republican activists. But just wait a few years, and you might see Republicans around the country looking to their Nevada brethren as a model for how to remain viable in an increasingly unfriendly electoral environment.
Let me explain:
The Republican Party is in serious trouble as a national governing party. I’m not expressing an opinion about the party or its policies, but merely stating a fact of demographics.
The proportion of nonwhite voters, who vote overwhelmingly Democratic, increases every year by half a percentage point. In 2020, nonwhite voters, currently one-quarter of the electorate, will be one-third of the voting pool. Young voters, who are more secular and socially liberal than their parents, have for several consecutive cycles sided, when they’ve bothered to turn out, with Democrats.
(I reported about this in 2009, and Jonathan Chait wrote an interesting piece on the subject recently in New York magazine, but Ruy Teixeira wrote the book on it in 2002.)
Republican office seekers seem strangely blind to these realities.
Most damaging isn’t necessarily the party’s policies or people, but rather, the strange contempt it shows for whole blocs of voters, embodied in Rush Limbaugh’s derision of a woman who believes contraception should be included on her health care plan. Just as important and less commented on, however, is the invective hurled at Hispanic voters, such as during the 2010 Nevada Senate campaign, when Sharron Angle used ads that depicted menacing young Hispanic men, on her way to a humiliating defeat.
A recent Fox News poll had presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney winning just 14 percent of the Hispanic vote.
Strangely enough, voters don’t like to be insulted. Although Democrats are indeed engaged in their own war on a certain set of voters — hurling mockery at bankers and oil executives and others of the 1 percent — the simple fact is there are far fewer rich executives than Hispanics.
It’s quite possible, of course, that a sluggish economy, rising gas prices or some international crisis will deliver the White House and Senate to Republicans, and that an impressive record in office will help the GOP recover their long-term viability.
But hope is not a plan, and it appears Gov. Brian Sandoval isn’t waiting around and hoping for the best.
In a number of key policy areas, Nevada Republicans, if only by default, have taken a more centrist path, despite the noisy, if disorganized activism of its Tea Party wing.
Sandoval’s announcement last week that he wanted to extend taxes scheduled to sunset, drew the ire of Beltway anti-tax emperor Grover Norquist.
But Sandoval’s move could neuter the power of Democrats and interest groups pushing for new taxes for education via ballot initiatives, and he might avoid a nasty fight during the next legislative session.
Note also, Sandoval and other Nevada Republicans have not offered aggressive anti-immigration legislation like in Arizona or Alabama. Doing so would be foolish in a state that is quickly on it way to becoming majority nonwhite, like California.
Hispanics’ portion of the population rose 1 percentage point per year during the past decade.
Sandoval also declined to declare war on public employee unions in the style of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who may be a hero to the talk radio right wing, but has also alienated centrist voters.
Sandoval is also helped by not having to deal with chaotic social and religious issues such as abortion or contraception, which are mostly off the table in libertarian Nevada.
Political parties, like species in the wild, must adapt to changing circumstances, or die. When the South went Republican after civil rights and union membership collapsed, the old Franklin Roosevelt New Deal Democratic coalition crumbled, leading to a series of losses in presidential elections. A political genius from a small backwater state saw it happening and changed the course of the party, guiding it back to a winning path.
His name was Bill Clinton.
Do the Republicans have a Bill Clinton?
The Republicans have gone back to the days before FDR for political philosophy from the world of Herbert Hoover to save America. This old world GOP still wants to revive the nation using the failed strategy of Hoover who did nearly nothing for 3.5 years while the depression worsened. They are looking for another Herbert, not a Bill. No wonder they don't like history, education or science.
"Republican office seekers seem strangely blind to these realities."
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Sounds like something a KGB trained journalist would say, hey Comrade Coolican??
.-)
I didn't leave the republican party, the republican party left me.
I'm a Libertarian. A member of the NRA. A firm fiscal conservative. I believe in low taxes.
I was a member of the Republican party all my life, up until about half way through Bush's first term.
I'm now an independent that votes Democrat. The Republican party has left me no choice.
Dennis hit the nail on the head...
You can read all about it every day here in the Sun's comment section.
If you don't agree with the rantings & ravings of the right, you'll be 'schooled', & nothing short of complete capitulation will suffice!
Rteapublicans have cleaned out every nook & cranny of their own party, outing every last dissenter of their narrow, shallow platform of 'I, ME, MINE!'
(when you think about it, that doesn't leave much room for guests, does it?)
"Well, it looks bad. REAL bad. Mitt, Newt, and that fellow with the odd first name; RICK, is it? Well, they don't have a prayer all 3 of em' put together. What to do, what to do?"
"Hey, what say we take the biggest voting block of the 2012 election... WOMEN, and alienate all HECK out of em'! I mean, REALLY make em' hopping mad! Will that work?"
Sure. Go for it.
Any party that offers up Rick Santorum as a serious candidate in 2012 has not only lost touch with reality, but also has lost any chance of winning in November.
"I didn't leave the republican party, the republican party left me."
I absolutely agree... I was actually very involved in the Republican Party's local Central Committee up north and one day found myself surrounded by 70+ year olds who had no tolerance for anything other than ideals better suited to 1956. It's only gotten worse... it's too bad, cause fiscally I'm a much better fit being an R.
"the current administration puts their principles up on a pedastal then require all citizens to bow down and genuflect in favor of those principles, regardless of the consequences. they represent everything that is wrong with this country."
How true!
I Think you are incorrect again Mr Coolican. republicans can win if they act more libertarian and stop sticking their nose in other peoples business. Raising taxes isn't the real contention especially since the only state that collects more taxes per capita than Nevada in our region is California.
Reps can also win on education by talking with minorities about how school choice works (and is empirically proven to boost scores, college admission, high school graduation and reduce drop out rates and prison incarceration.) Dems are tied down to the union and can't make this argument and in doing so harm many low income and minority Nevadans.
Republicans also did a decent job last session given the circumstances and reduced our spending to pre bubble levels while state Democrats unrealisticaly demanded a 30% hike above our record spending levels.
Republicans should hold th e line on spending and push for reforms to use existing resources more wisely ... Like dumping wasteful corporate welfare and solar subsidies
Mr Becker, under Hoover the US government raised taxes, government spending, created a slew of new beuracracies and even shut down international trade with major import taxes. You have a funny way of defining "doing nothing". ;)
I agree with Dennis except it actually describes both parties.
The Republicans are a strange bunch. They pander to extremists, then wonder why they don't appeal to a broader range of voters. They consistently vote against the individual and in favor of major corporations, yet they have somehow convinced a significant block of voters that they represent their best interests. They want to deregulate everything in the face of overwhelming evidence that this is a terrible idea. They deregulated the airline industry, and now there is less competition than there has ever been, with airlines merging and disappearing altogether. They worked to deregulate financial institutions and they engaged in risky and irresponsible practices that crashed the economy. When there are no rules, businesses do whatever they can to squash competition and maximize profits.
This same bunch wants me to vote to give them the reins to the country again. Good luck with that.
Santorun / Bachmann 2012 - OMG! Dear God PLEASE? LOL!