In 2012, Mitt Romney won the confederate states by a healthy margin, but Barack Obama won the election. That’s because eight out of 10 nonwhite voters voted for the Democrat.

The New York Times has an interesting story about the blatant racial divide between the two parties and how it threatens to further diminish Republican prospects. A GOP pollster quoted in the piece says his party has to put an end to its racist ways, which run from Richard Nixon’s “Southern Strategy” to Rand Paul’s “Southern Avenger.”

The New York Times via Political Wire:

Fred Steeper, a Republican pollster who advised both Presidents Bush, worries about renewed attention to racial divisions for two reasons.

One is that it could taint what he calls the Republican Party’s “legitimate argument” in favor of self-reliance and smaller government. The other is the difficulty of winning national elections if the Republicans’ hard-line on immigration continues to alienate Hispanics.

“Racism may be a part of it,” especially among working-class whites, Mr. Steeper said of the immigration stance. “The Republican Party needs to stop pandering to that.”

He added, “The Republican Party needs to throw in the towel on the immigration issue.”

Read more

— Posted by Peter Z. Scheer

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#barack obama#election#gop#government#mitt romney#politics#race#racism#rand paul#republicans#southern strategy