Jim Geraghty reports that Reince Priebus’s GOP got it “spectacularly wrong” trying to figure out how to move forward after Mitt Romney’s loss four years ago:
The “Growth and Opportunity Project,” as it was called, avoided making specific policy recommendations to Republicans, with one glaring exception: “We are not a policy committee, but among the steps Republicans take in the Hispanic community and beyond, we must embrace and champion comprehensive immigration reform. If we do not, our Party’s appeal will continue to shrink to its core constituencies only.”
The Gang of Eight bill was the primary congressional effort to follow that advice, and Rubio was arguably the figure who most clearly embodied the autopsy’s recommendations. But three years removed from Rubio’s ill-fated effort, it’s obvious that the GOP dodged a bullet.
Given Rubio’s recent polling strength in New Hampshire and elsewhere, I’d say it’s open for debate whether or not the GOP has dodged that bullet yet. Rubio looks great on paper, but he seems to be stuck in 2012-think on policy, and stuck on Repeat when he’s on the stump.
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