GOP Split on How Dire the Post-Election Straits Are

Older members see perfect ugly storm in '08 loss; youngsters see broader woes
By Gabriel Winant,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 17, 2008 10:52 AM CST
GOP Split on How Dire the Post-Election Straits Are
During last week's Republican governors meeting, Minnesota's Tim Pawlenty was among the leaders of the party's younger generation pointing to its various regional and demographic difficulties.   (AP Photo)

Successive election disasters have the Republican Party split over its health, Politico reports. Older figures, like Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, say it’s been worse, and the GOP just needs to hold tighter to its core principles. But up-and-comers disagree. Says Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, “The Republican Party is going to need more than just a comb-over.”

Young reformers see real trouble in the party’s weakness among minority groups, especially the fast-growing Latino population. Likewise, Republicans have struggled to reach lower-income voters, and are getting pasted among young voters. “The American people don’t trust us, they don’t believe what we’re going to say,” says a former Nebraska candidate for Senate. (More Republican Governors Association stories.)

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