WASHINGTON, March 18 (RIA Novosti) - The Republican National Committee (RNC) plans to spend $10 million this year in an outreach to minority communities, part of a comprehensive strategy unveiled Monday for putting the party back on track after a series of hard-fought recent election losses including the presidential race in November.
“There’s no one reason we lost. Our message was weak; our ground game was insufficient; we weren’t inclusive; we were behind in both data and digital; our primary and debate process needed improvement. So, there’s no one solution: There’s a long list of them,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus in a Washington speech Monday.
“Focus groups described our party as ‘narrow minded,’ ‘out of touch,’ and ‘stuffy old men.’ The perception that we’re the party of the rich continues to grow. That’s frustrating, because… we’re the party of growth and opportunity,” he added.
Changing that perception, Priebus said, will take a concerted and tightly-focused, nationwide effort.
The new strategy is spelled out in a Growth and Opportunity Report created as part of a post-election review by party leaders who spent several months talking with voters, politicians and pollsters, hearing from focus groups, surveying Hispanics and women, and analyzing election results.
The authors of the report call for “hundreds of people, paid, across the country, from coast to coast, in Hispanic, African American, Asian communities, talking about our party… going to community events, being a part of the community on an ongoing basis paid for by the Republican National Committee, to make the case for our party and our candidates.”
“We’ve never put this many paid boots on the ground this early in an off year. We’ve also never been this dedicated to working at the community level to win minority votes household to household,” said Priebus.
Beyond the outreach to historically Democratic populations, the 219 recommendations include:
*An earlier presidential primary, so the Republican nominee is determined by June or July before an election in November, rather than waiting as late as September.
*Hiring a chief technology officer who can develop a 21st century digital, data and tech operation that will help Republican candidates connect with voters in time for the 2014 midterm and 2016 presidential elections.
*Hiring Hispanic and African American communications officers and party leaders in key states, and recruiting candidates for public office from these groups.
*A focus on women voters that includes “booking more women on TV on behalf of the party” and instructing candidates and staff to use “language that addresses concerns that are on women’s minds.”
Priebus said the plan marked a “fresh beginning” for the party.
“When Republicans lost in November, it was a wakeup call,” said Priebus. “To those who have left the party, let me say this: we want to earn your trust again. To those who have yet to join us, we welcome you—with open arms. There’s more that unites us than you know. My job is to make that clear.”
