Nevada Republican Assembly Minority Leader Pat Hickey let his lips get a little too loose on a local talk radio show when he admitted that the only way Republicans can win is if minorities and young people don’t vote.
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Hickey said, “We have some real opportunities in 2014. This is a great year in an off presidential election. Seemingly no Democrat at the top of the ticket against Sandoval.No Harry Reid. Probably where we had a million voters turnout in 2012, we’ll have like 700,000. A lot of minorities, a lot of younger people will not turn out in a non-presidential year. It’s a great year for Republicans.”
Republicans know that when minorities and younger people show up to vote, they lose. This knowledge is behind everything from voter suppression efforts to their optimism about 2014. It is a little stunning to hear an elected Republican admit that if the full electorate shows up, the GOP expects to lose, but it’s the truth. The only chance that Republicans have of winning elections outside of their red state base is if Democrats don’t show up.
The backwards thinking in the GOP is amazing. Instead of trying to expand the size of the Republican Party by courting minorities and young people, Republicans are perfectly happy to only win off year elections. Actually, the lesson that the Republican Party has learned is that they should try to shrink the size of the electorate, and turn every year into an off year election. Republicans are more interested in preventing Democrats from voting than they are in convincing Democratic supporters to vote Republican.
This logic is why House Republican are perpetually appealing to their base with an endless stream of votes against Obamacare. They think that the electorate will be Republican in 2014. They don’t expect Democrats to show up and vote. The best way to throw a monkey wrench into their plan is to not take a break in 2014. Work just as hard as you would on getting your friends and family to the polls on Election Day.
Republicans are counting on Democrats sitting out 2014. The message is clear. The only way that they can win is if Democrats don’t show up.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
