GOP to get “hip-hop makeover” says Steele

Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele said that the GOP will undergo a “hip-hop makeover” in order to appeal to Latinos and others.

Steele had this to say in an interview with the Washington Times published today:

(...) 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.”

The RNC's first black chairman will “surprise everyone” when updating the party's image using the Internet and advertisements on radio, on television and in print, he told The Washington Times.

Steele rightfully acknowledged that the Republican Party “missed the mark in the past, which is why we are in the crapper now.” However, he did not provide details as to how it will go about doing so beyond the public relations campaign.

The GOP will need to do a whole lot more beyond commercials possibly featuring Daddy Yankee. Despite my center-left leanings allow me to provide some suggestions:

• How about pushing for real immigration reform and shunning the poisonous anti-immigration rhetoric espoused by some in the GOP?
• Effectively tackling the problems of the weakening economy would certainly help though so would addressing social concerns that are important to Latinos.
• Try using convincing and thoughtful arguments rather than shining the light on uninformed, one-dimensional caricatures.
  

Ads and endorsements can only go so far. For the Republicans to bounce back they will have to emphasize substance over style.

Image- Voice of America
Online Sources- Washington Times, Wonkette, New York Daily News, The Latin Americanist