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Gentlemen:

More than any one I want to believe that it is the messenger and not the message, that conservative virtue if given the right messenger will triumph.

But I want to know beyond all paraventure of doubt that the next time we go to the electorate we have the right combination of message and messenger and I do not want to rely on my own feel-good reactions made while shellshocked.

Similarly, I would not venture an opinion on whether Paul Ryan helped or hurt the ticket because I do not know, I have not seen any data. While it is reasonably clear that we have to do something about the Hispanic vote, how do we know that the solution is to cave on the dream act? Further, how do we know that Marco Rubio will make a difference? Can we just trot out an Hispanic and expect a whole demographic to flip? Besides, how much influence does a Cuban American have with Mexican-Americans?

My point is we do not know and one opinion is about as valuable as the next. We proceed on the basis of what makes us feel good at our peril.

Been asking similar questions the past day or so.

My conclusion thus far has been that Conservatives need to learn how to play better politics, but people keep getting upset that I even suggest the idea…

Also consider perhaps actually studying the electorate, see what the prevailing opinions are, what can be done to make the message more palatable and to whom, etc.

As in, actual research. Not just feelings and hunches.

Just a thought.

"Can we just trot out an Hispanic and expect a whole demographic to flip?"

Of course not. That would be a ridiculous assumption. However it may require a serious program by Hispanic conservatives to educate their brethren on our founding principles, equality under the law, God-given liberty and unalienable rights, and the benefits and unlimited opportunities of freedom vs. socialism and statism. And obviously, this will take time. But capitulating to the open borders crowd would mean an endless new crop of democrat voting immigrants and will cause yet even more drains on the treasury.

I’m firmly of the opinion that pandering to the Hispanic vote is poison. They don’t vote reliably GOP in high enough #s to justify such an amnesty venture at all.

I’d be curious whether GOP minority candidates even fare that much better than White GOP candidates. My unconfirmed hunch is that they get skewered in elections at about the same rate regardless of skin color—though I’d be interested to see an analysis on that. For now though, my belief is that playing race politics isn’t a viable strategy for us.

Ultimately I just can’t think of anything the GOP truly ‘offers’ Hispanics that the Democrats can’t already offer them, and then some.

Making the GOP more like the Dems won’t win elections. We have to provide a meaningful contrast. There’s little sense for anyone to vote Democrat-lite when they can just go full Democrat instead.