Why did the Democratic Party do so well in California and some other places (like Nevada) when they had political problems elsewhere? A savvy political post at dailykos makes it quite clear why:

… the voting patterns of non-whites, who overwhelmingly supported the Democratic ticket. While Democrats weren’t the most effective at the national level … it was a different story in California, where Latinos comprised a whopping 22 percent of the state’s electorate, according to the Los Angeles Times. And they voted overwhelmingly Democratic, supporting Brown over Whitman by a margin of 55 points. Whitman said she wanted to be “tough as nails” on undocumented immigrants; her campaign chair was Pete Wilson, who is still persona non grata because of the odious Proposition 187, which denied all public services to undocumented immigrants; she gave a callous and condescending debate response to an undocumented student who inquired as to her position on the DREAM act; and if that weren’t enough, the scandal regarding the treatment of her undocumented housekeeper whom she unceremoniously fired after many years of service perpetuated the existing narrative about Whitman’s hostility to Latinos, and towards lower-income people in general. … The increased turnout among these voters, who lean towards Democrats, likely caused a ripple effect in many of the downballot races.

So, trashing Latino voters and their goals and concerns – and those of other voters of color who also voted in substantial majorities against Republican Party folks — cost Republicans the election in numerous places. But this gets little national news. Why do you think?

Also, one would think the Democratic Party officials would get that message nationally, but as yet they still seem to prefer to play more to their corporate backers than to their base.

The Republican Party officials, some of them at least, seem to partially understand this issue, even as they still say they will not act on this insight:

State Republican Party Chairman Ron Nehring said the election results confirmed that party leaders and candidates needed to build stronger relationships with non-whites…. “The reality is that Democrats have strong relationships with urban and immigration communities that Republicans have not had, and that must change,” he said. “It is not only a matter of politics; it is a matter of mathematics.” But Nehring stressed that he was not advocating a change in Republican policy. “Republicans have stressed for decades that we support legal immigration and oppose illegal immigration,” he said. “Despite saying that, that message has not resonated. It is not only a matter of how we talk about this issue, but how other people hear us.”

Oh, really, not about the anti-Latino, anti-immigrant, frequently racist message itself? And then there is the future of this country’s racial demography, which is ever more Latino folks and other Americans of color. One day soon, at this rate, the Republicans will be lucky to have any significant number of Republican officials in many US areas.