The Republican Party is facing soul-searching following the crushing loss in 2012. The party needs to increase the "Hispanic vote". If only Romney spoke more Spanish, did not say "self-deport", and demonstrated an assiduousness to reach out to people whose skin color was darker than his.
However, if Romney had pulled off a greater share of the Hispanic vote -- Bush's 44% in 2004, or as much as Obama's 71% in 2012 -- he still would have lost the election. He still would have lost the election.
No matter how many Hispanics would have voted for Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts still would have lost. Why? The white vote did not turn out in November.
White voters were turned off by a candidate who would have reintegrated American forces into Afghanistan. They did not trust a man who had tacked so far to the right during the primaries, only to surge for the center once again, and show little fight while doing so. "RomneyCare" was Obamacare-lite, and was on everyone's lips during the long, fraught, and long-fought primaries from the middle of 2011 until April of 2012. Romney had no serious plan for bringing down the debts and deficits damaging this country. Most of all, people simply did not believe that guy.
The Republican Party has to accept the unpleasant truth: Romney was a bad candidate. He sucked the enthusiasm out of the base for the whole political process. Yes, Republicans need to reach out to Hispanic voters. More importantly, the party standard bearer must reach out, attract, and impress all voters.
Republicans need not worry. Ted Cruz of Texas, along with more libertarian leaning Rand Paul of Kentucky, along with the compelling legacies of thirty governors, including the first Hispanic female governor of New Mexico, Susana Martinez of New Mexico, are all qualified, capable, and compelling leaders for the future.
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