Republicans' Comments May Hurt at Polls

Virginia Sen. George Allen speaks at the Iowa State Republican Party Convention in this June 17, 2006, file photo, in Des Moines, Iowa. Earlier this month, Allen, twice referred to an opponent's volunteer using a term for a monkey, considered by some to be a racial slur. "Let's give a welcome to Macaca here," Allen said August 11. "Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia." This week, Allen apologized to S.R. Sidarth, who was born in Virginia and is of Indian descent. (AP Photo/Matthew Putney) (Matthew Putney - AP)

This summer, Bush spoke at the convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for the first time in his presidency. The crowd cheered when he said many blacks don't trust Republicans.

At last summer's NAACP convention, Mehlman acknowledged the need to mend fences. "Some Republicans gave up on winning the African-American vote, looking the other way or trying to benefit politically from racial polarization," he said. "I come here as Republican chairman to tell you we were wrong."

Said Frances Rice, chairman of the National Black Republican Association: "I think Republicans have an excellent chance of winning over a good percentage of minority voters."

Some say that's already happening. In 2004, 46 percent of Hispanic men, for instance, backed Bush compared to 36 percent in 2000, according to the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center. While only 11 percent of blacks voted for Bush in 2004, it still was up from 2000.

But there's a long way to go. Associated Press-Ipsos polls from June to August show that 81 percent of blacks, 62 percent of Hispanics and 69 percent of Asian-Americans identify with Democrats over Republicans and independents.

Outreach to minorities can ring hollow if it's not backed by strong policies, said Louis DeSipio, a professor of political science and Chicano/Latino studies at the University of California, Irvine. "Even a candidate that says something offensive, if he then came out and advocated a path to citizenship (for illegal immigrants), then I think voters would pay more attention to that," he said.

Immigration promises to be a key issue with Latinos in the contentious November elections. A House measure approved last year that would make it a felony for illegal immigrants to be in the U.S., helped spark massive street demonstrations this spring. Organizers have worked this summer to register more Latino voters and get those who qualify to become citizens.

Many black voters remain angry over the Bush administration's slow response to Hurricane Katrina last summer, when thousands of New Orleans' poorest residents, mostly black, faced deadly floods. "Katrina hurt the Republicans' credibility with the African-American community," said Stacie Paxton of the Democratic National Committee.

Donna Brazile, a longtime Democratic strategist, agreed. "Republicans are sending mixed messages to people of color, in particular African-Americans and Hispanics. On one hand they would like us to come into the big tent. But once you get in you will see the unwelcome mat remains on the inside."