Virginia,
Generally, I would say that I agree with you as far as this election cycle is concerned which I have to admit is very frustrating and a bit discouraging. It is absolutely essential that the party move to shift a significant share of the African American electorate which is made all the more difficult with a clownish candidate like Donald Trump doing seemingly everything that he can to induce antipathy from our minority communities towards the party. I can only see his campaign as doing yet more damage in this area. The party needs to go after 100% of the vote, as a Charlie Baker did in his Gubernatorial campaign here in Massachusetts or even John Kasich did in his re-election campaign as Governor of Ohio. If the party fails to do so, then it is in serious trouble moving forward.
In healthy political times, ethnic identity means little in voting. Yes, the gross inequality of treatment of blacks and whites in politics and economics still hurts. In good times people identify themselves with such statements as "I am a Texan", "I am a graduate of the University of Illinois", "I am a Baptist", "I am an accountant", "I am a Cardinals fan", or "I ski". "I am white", I hope, counts for very little. But it does count for much in the way that peopole see others.
Even more significant is that the non-white, non-Anglo, non-Christian, and non-straight parts of the American middle class find the GOP hostile to their interests. Maybe the anti-intellectualism of GOP operatives and politicians suggests a hostility to some people's ways of joining the American middle class. People see joining the middle class as the result of individual achievement and not the result of capital formation.
Market freedom can at times be seen not so much that people can use the markets to their advantage but instead that the markets are means of enforcing the desires of those in the economic elite.
The 43rd President mucked things up badly with a speculative boom that went bad and wars for profit that turned into quagmires. He was an "Establishment" Republican, and the "Establishment" wing of the GOP (the part that puts most emphasis on tax cuts for the rich, relaxation of regulation, and faith in markets. "Establishment" Republicans except perhaps for John Kasich have been knocked out of the Presidential race.
Here's a bad trend for Republicans: at the same level of income, blacks, Hispanics, and Asians are more savvy about politics than white people.
Poll
