QUOTE OF THE DAY…. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) described the Republican Party’s troubles while speaking to the RGA yesterday.
“We cannot be a majority governing party when we essentially cannot compete in the Northeast, we are losing our ability to compete in Great Lakes states, we cannot compete on the West Coast, we are increasingly in danger of competing in the mid-Atlantic states, and the Democrats are now winning some of the Western states,” Pawlenty said. “That is not a formula for being a majority governing party in this nation.”
As if that weren’t enough, he ticked off a few more challenges.
“Similarly we cannot compete, and prevail, as a majority governing party if we have a significant deficit, as we do, with women, where we have a large deficit with Hispanics, where we have a large deficit with African American voters, where we have a large deficit with people of modest incomes and modest financial circumstances. Those are not factors that make up a formula for success going forward.”
Hmm. Republicans can’t compete in the Northeast, the Midwest, the Sunbelt, or the Pacific Coast. They also can’t win support from women voters, Hispanic voters, African-American voters, or working class families. (He forgot to mention young voters.)
Five years ago, Zell Miller wrote a book called, “National Party No More.” If only he’d gotten the party right, he would have been a visionary.
