The Party That Forgot Its Base: How the GOP Has Failed White America (Part 1)

Republicans cheered “colorblind” meritocracy—but in practice, affirmative action shifted opportunity from white voters to Asians, leaving the party’s base unprotected. This is part one of a three-part series examining the Republican Party’s race-neutral ‘colorblind’ strategy and its effects on its core voters.For decades, white Americans have voted Republican in large numbers. They donate, they volunteer, they show up in midterms. They defend the Constitution, talk about free speech, wave the flag without embarrassment. They are, by every measurable standard, the party’s backbone. And yet, if you look closely, something strange has happened. The Republican Party has built an entire political...