Young Professionals

I think the GOP should really start to explore ways to make their platform more appealing to voters of color. There seems to be a tendency of the party to ignore urban problems of failing schools, poor economic opportunities, migration tensions, and cultural problems that result from poverty. I think it would be better for the country as a whole if they would participate in coming up with creative solutions for these things. We need more political competition for our votes and more feet on the ground to tackle the problems in our communities. Will the Republican Party make this shift is an entirely different question. I'm betting NO.

I think this is a very relevant topic because I consider myself conservative, but am often disappointed with the GOP's platform. I get so tired of the wedge issues (i.e. abortion, homosexuality, etc.)! While I have pretty conservative values these are not the issues that should be our primary area of focus in politics. The GOP seems to ignore social issues and to me that has been to their detriment. If the GOP tackled issues of poverty, community development, etc. from the perspective of EMPOWERMENT, I think that is very relevant to their agenda and would help to reach people of color. For example, emphasizing business ownershp in minority communities, community-based programs that rely less on gov't funding and more on contributions and resources from the private sector, etc. We don't need to gov't to come in and fix everything is everybody does a little. This would get the dialogue between the parties going in a healthy direction. While I think this will be a difficult step, there is a shift occuring that is forcing the GOP to reevaluate old strategies. I hope they get it soon!