Re-Arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic

This phrase fits perfectly well within the description of today's GOP trying to figure out a way to reach Latino voters before this coming Novembers election. Sadly, it is at their own hands, not because of some savvy political ploy by the DNC or President Obama. The recent events including President Obama's executive order regarding immigration or the SCOTUS decisions on the same issue did not prep the path to the GOP's demise, no this path was built of many bricks. Bricks laid by the likes of Tom Tancredo, Russell Pierce, Kris Kobach, JD Hayworth, Steven King, and many many others, including even some in the media.

 They took the bait given to them by FAIR and  John Tanton network and went on a rampage against mostly brown skinned people from countries South of our border. I won't go into the full history of FAIR here, that would take multiple days and hundreds of pages. You can read more about them here.http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-files/groups/federation-for-american-immigration-reform-fair

Ironically, John Tanton is an admitted progressive liberal, yet his biggest fans are staunchly conservative Republicans, mostly older like himself and of course very much Caucasian. Strange bed fellows indeed. So while these bricks were being laid for the past several years by the most ardent anti immigrant proponents, there were some voices of reason that unfortunately were drowned out. Voices like GW Bush, John McCain, Jeb Bush, Dick Lugar, Colin Powell and others. Former RNC Chair Ed Gillespie said this in 2009,  

"It's hard to see a path to the White House that doesn't include us getting a bigger share of the Hispanic vote than 31 percent and a bigger share of the African-American vote than 4 percent,"

In addition, the GOP hired a new chair in Michael Steele, an African American who wanted a stronger minority outreach program. he said this in 2011,

"We stopped talking to people," said Steele of his party's downfall in earlier election cycles. "We stopped trying to connect directly with people. We stopped expanding and reaching. We are the party of Lincoln, we are the party that understands the value of the individual in this American enterprise ... When we stopped talking to our friends in the Latino community and the African American community, and when we stopped engaging with individuals and we make assumptions about, 'Well, they don't vote for us anyway,' that's when we really start to lose. And going forward, we will lose big if we lose sight of the fact that America is not the America of the 1950s or 1960 or even the 1990s. It is a very different day." 

While these newer bricks were being laid with laws like SB1070 and other similar laws in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, and other States, the GOP could have made a strong statement by pulling these bricks out while the cement was still wet. Instead, people like Marco Rubio, the Tea Party darling took out a dry branch and carved his initials in the wet but setting cement. He wasn't the only one. John McCain also caved, as did other more moderate GOP leaders who fell in behind the GOP machine in spite of it's ringing endorsement of "self deportation" Mitt Romney. Are you kidding me folks? The man that hires the guy responsible for SB1070 expects Latinos to back him? Why would we? He brought Pete Wilson to his party, remember him? he is the man behind Prop 187 in California, the single proposition that forever turned California a blue State. Prior to prop 187, California was not a slam dunk for the Democrats. Today, the only reason Democrats visit California is for vacation or for fund raising among the Hollywood elite who fall in line like fats kids near an ice cream truck on a hot summer day.

Speaking of Hollywood elite, that brings me to a conclusion, and the title of this piece. Wouldn't electing Marco Rubio simply be like "Re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic". I think so, which is why I grabbed myself a life vest and hopped on a vessel named The Libertarian Party. While the Titanic (GOP)  is sinking, there is another vessel that you can hop aboard. I believe the name of that ship is the Edmund Fitzgerald. That is the Democrat ship. I will let you Google that name. ;-)  For those that choose to remain on board, I wouldn't get too comfortable, I see an iceberg on the horizon.