Aug. 20, 2013:
Nine months after Barack Obama’s edge with young people, minority groups and women carried him to re-election, the Republican National Committee is beginning a new campaign to showcase the diversity in the GOP ranks.
Well, this will surely change everything for the GOP. Just like every thing changed on
Feb. 6, 2013:
Republicans are ramping up their recruitment of minority candidates in an effort to combat the demographic trends that helped hand them stinging losses in November.
And just like everything changed on
Jan. 17, 2013:
[The GOP's winter meeting] will be a three-day discussion focused primarily on how to grow the Republican Party by convincing black, Hispanic and Asian voters that the GOP better represents their values than the Democratic Party, according to a party official involved in the planning of the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
And
April 24, 2012:
The Republican National Committee is planning to launch a "black Americans" outreach program as part of their "strategic partnerships" initiative aimed at courting groups that have traditionally leaned Democratic. Web platforms targeting women and Hispanics have already launched.
And, of course, it will change everything just like
Feb. 19, 2009:
Newly elected Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele plans an “off the hook” public relations offensive to attract younger voters, especially blacks and Hispanics, by applying the party’s principles to “urban-suburban hip-hop settings.”
That promise resulted in the
unforgettably hilarious relaunch of GOP.com—complete not just with a picture of Frederick Douglass (to show the GOP's commitment to civil rights) but also with a new blog for Steele, titled "What Up."
Despite Steele's efforts, however, Republicans in 2010 failed to fundamentally diversify their party's racial and ethnic base—but at least they won. Of course, after winning that victory, Republicans took swift action to demonstrate their commitment to minority outreach ... by firing Steele.
And now, nearly three years later, the GOP's problems are worse than ever, so they are once again making big noise about minority outreach. This time, however, they really mean it. Right?