Sunday night, 2.2 million Americans witnessed one of the most historic moments in election history. However, if you don't speak Spanish, you might have missed it. In the first ever Spanish-language presidential debate, aired on Univisión, the Democratic candidates directly addressed the largest growing demographic in the country: Hispanics. Republicans were nowhere to be found.
GOP no-shows are a growing trend. In July there was another historic event: The YouTube debate, where people across the country sent in videos of questions to ask the candidates, including one of a cartoon snowman asking a question about global warming. With an astounding number of submissions, this debate showed how serious our generation is about the 2008 election. Again, Republicans blew it off.
By not agreeing to debate in these two new formats, the GOP candidates showed America how truly out of touch they are, and they'll pay for it at the ballot box. Traditionally, old, rich, white men dominated presidential elections, but not anymore.
On the Democratic side we see the most diverse group of candidates in history, with a Hispanic, an African-American and a woman seriously contending for the nomination. On the Republican side we have - surprise - old, rich, white men. Moreover, the Republican party, as a whole, is going further and further in that direction - older and more conservative.
According to longtime Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio, who conducted a survey of his party's voters this year, the Republican party really is getting increasingly older and more conservative. In 1997, 28 percent of the Republican party was age 55 and older and 25 percent were age 18 to 34, which is a fairly equal distribution. In 2007, those numbers are 41 percent and 17 percent, respectively.
The party that is bleeding younger voters is also growing more conservative. In 1997, 55 percent of the party considered themselves conservative Republicans - now that number has skyrocketed to 71 percent.
Skipping the YouTube debate means the GOP gave up one of the most effective ways to reach young swing voters. Considering they have such dwindling support among our generation, the Grand Ole Party might not be grand for so long. The 2008 election is the most important election in the past 40 years, and after eight years of partisan politics and a disastrous war in Iraq, the wave of young democratic voters turning out on election day is sure to come crashing down on the GOP.
The same can be said for Hispanic voters as well. As the largest growing demographic in the country, Hispanics represented just 12.6 percent of the total population in 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. By 2050, that number will almost double to 24.4 percent.
Looking at these numbers in 2000, George Bush, or rather Karl Rove, knew the GOP could not concede this group to Democrats - which they've done for African-Americans, who vote Democratic 90 percent of the time - and started courting them heavily. Although Hispanics ended up voting for Gore by a margin of 62 to 35, Bush made some serious gains over the next few years, receiving 44 percent of Hispanic votes in 2004 to John Kerry's 53 percent.
Then the party of xenophobia and racism took over. With an immigration debate raging in Congress, the Republican party came down hard on the wrong side of this issue, alienating more than 35 million Americans by crying amnesty"" at every possible opportunity and procuring funding to build a pointless 700-mile fence along the border.
Skipping the Univisión debate is emblematic of a Republican party that will continue to ignore an ever-increasing number of Americans. All of this because its radical right-wing base, including one of its candidates, Tom Tancredo, hears the word ""Mexican"" and immediately an alarm goes off in their heads screaming ""BROWN PEOPLE!""
This GOP ignorance must stop. For generations the political elite have ignored entire groups of Americans because they don't donate enough money or don't turn out to vote as often. As both the YouTube debate and the Univisión debate show, this election will be different.
It's time to elect someone who isn't afraid to answer a question from a cartoon snowman, even if the question is asked in Spanish.
Erik Opsal is a senior majoring in political science and journalism. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com
