The Republican Party is headed for trouble at the ballot box. At least, that’s according to New York Times columnist David Brooks, whose bold new column warns of a “millennial apocalypse,” and challenges the GOP to get with young voters or get tossed out of office. He writes:
Brooks’ rhetoric is a tad alarmist, but the general narrative rings true. The conservative movement must do more to compete for young voters, and to start, this means rethinking the GOP’s approach to racial issues.
Millennials are the most racially diverse generation in history. The generation after millennials, Generation Z, will be the first majority-minority generation, and together, the two voting blocs will have massive political influence. And most young people of all racial demographics prioritize diversity, not just minorities. As Brooks notes, “Seventy-nine percent of millennials think immigration is good for America. Sixty-one percent think racial diversity is good for America.”
Conservatives ought to agree in principle — we support equality under the law, and believe that American identity is rooted in shared values, not shared skin color. But due to a combination of bad-faith media smears and irresponsible rhetoric by some high-profile Republicans, many young people see the GOP as a racist party. Comments like Iowa Rep. Steve King’s reference to immigrants as “dirt” and President Trump’s dismissal of immigration from “shithole countries” unfairly paint all Republicans in a negative light.
The GOP can change this by shifting its messaging on immigration. Trump and his allies are absolutely right that there’s a crisis on our southern border, as top immigration officials have warned that the situation is reaching a “breaking point” amid massive, unsustainable levels of asylum seekers and illegal border crossings. Republicans are right to want to stem this flow, by building wall segments and increasing the number of immigration judges working to process asylum claims.
So we can’t allow critics to paint all conservatives as anti-immigrant, when in reality, we simply seek to curb uncontrolled illegal immigration. But Republicans feed into this narrative when they embrace foolish policies that limit legal immigration, such as the RAISE Act, a bill with Trump’s backing that would slash legal immigration rates by nearly 50%.
Antagonism toward legal immigration isn’t in line with conservative principles. After all, the GOP is the party of economic growth, and legal immigrants contribute nearly $2 trillion to the economy each year. Additionally, high-skilled immigration sparks innovation, and legal immigrants are actually less likely than native-born Americans to commit crimes. Given such ample evidence, young people are not going to support a party that’s seen as against immigration altogether.
Republicans also need to make it clear to young people that the Democratic Party isn’t the only party that cares about minority communities.
To do this, they should follow the example of Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who won his election with a relatively impressive 15% of black voters — against an African American Democrat endorsed by former President Barack Obama — and nearly 45% of Hispanic voters. DeSantis achieved this by campaigning on school choice, which has helped minority students in Florida escape failing public schools. He achieved this while also taking a strong position on border security, even wading into controversial territory with a bizarre TV ad “building the wall” with his toddler.
DeSantis’ success shows that the GOP should put more emphasis at the national level on expanding school programs that overwhelming help minority students, while also supporting legal immigrants. If Republicans can manage that, then the supposed “millennial apocalypse” might never materialize.
