The first thing to do is NOT to nominate a GOP candidate who's older than dirt - that's a start.
Second, racial diversity is very important to the younger generation. Whatever the GOP is doing to recruit candidates of color, they need to triple their efforts. So long as the GOP puts up the old, white guys, the young people aren't going to listen.
Third, the GOP has to find a way of talking about the environment in a more sensitive way. No one is saying that AGW needs to be embraced, but we can't continue to call environmental wackos well, environmental wackos.
Lastly, whomever grabs the reigns of the GOP, needs to explain why lower taxes, less regulation and fiscal responsibility are important. It's not enough to be for those philosophical tenants. A successful candidate has to be articulate enough to explain why those principles are important and compelling enough so that the people that have never voted Republican might actually start.
McCain won 57% of the white vote, and an even greater percentage of white people over the age of 29. If demographic trends continue, the next GOP candidate could win 58% or even 60% of the white vote and still lose - in an electoral landslide.
I agree with fielding candidates that are more youthful. With regards to race, the GOP could easily fall into the trap of feeling compelled to nominate candidates who aren’t white instead of going on the merit system.
I also agree with more environmentally friendly policies and messages from Republican contenders.
As for lower taxes, that mantra is too relative to be relevant: like “smaller government”, it is too general for most to get a lock on. So, the Republican Party needs to get way more specific: exactly which taxes does it seek to reduce, by how much, to benefit whom directly, and to have what specific and trackable effect on the economy.