Mehlman: Bush legacy points way for GOP future

Ken Mehlman | USATODAY

The opening and dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center this week offers Republicans an important reminder: We can win the votes of non-whites, but only if we try. President George W. Bush won an historic share of Hispanic voters and grew African- and Asian-American support by acknowledging the different and often difficult experiences of many minorities, while pursuing policies that recognized the universal appeal of freedom and opportunity. As Republicans look to the future, our party might revisit this approach.

In the past quarter century, the GOP has won the popular vote just once -- in 2004, the same year Republicans earned 27% of the non-white vote, its highest share in a generation. This was no accident. In the changing demography that is 21st century America, Republicans only win national elections by attracting new faces and voices.

Good policy is good politics, and the anchor for President Bush's growth in non-white support was good public policy. From his first campaign announcement in 1999, President Bush promised to combat the "soft bigotry of low expectations" and close the educational achievement gap between poor and rich students and minority and white students. The parents of children in under-performing schools have the most to gain from education reform and appreciated the president's urgency and commitment to this cause. You can't manage what you don't measure, and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) provided every public school parent with real, timely and accurate information about the performance of their child's school. NCLB tied consequences to performance, increasing resources such as federally funded tutoring and offering more options for parents when schools didn't measure up. NCLB helped close the achievement gaps in reading and math.

President Bush understood that "family values don't stop at the Rio Grande," promoting a comprehensive and compassionate immigration policy. His combination of a more secure border, temporary worker program, accountability for employers and humane resolution of the status of 12 million undocumented immigrants now in the United States provided the road map both parties are following today. President Bush's appeal to Spanish-speaking voters was enhanced when he asked for their support in their native tongue.

The benefits of free enterprise are most critical for those who lack wealth and want a better life for themselves and their children. President Bush's efforts to reduce regulatory impediments to new business formation resonated across demographic lines, particularly those not yet touched by the American Dream. His desire to give families more control over their own earnings by reducing taxes on all families, and the president's willingness to make tax reform progressive, increasing the relative tax burden paid by the wealthy, likewise engendered greater minority community support. Good conservative policies were good politics.

Under President Bush's leadership, our nation made huge strides against the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, displaying extraordinary compassion to non-white communities around the world who were suffering the most. Announced in 2003, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program was the largest commitment by any nation in history to combat a single disease. Between 2003 and 2008, this program supported life-saving treatment for more than 2.1 million people and care for more than 10 million, including 4 million orphans and vulnerable children. Even after leaving office, Bush has continued to devote his time and energy to this life-saving mission.

President Bush worked to strengthen civil society, providing increased funding for faith and community-based programs that supported the recovery of more than 200,000 substance abuse addicts, the matching of more than 100,000 children of prisoners with mentors and helping transition more than 50,000 individuals from homelessness to new residences.

Finally, it's worth remembering what didn't happen under President Bush's leadership. During some of our nation's previous wars, certain citizens were shunned, harassed or worse based on their nationalities. The discrimination against Germans during World War I and the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II are unfortunate examples. Learning from this history and committed to a better approach, President Bush visited a mosque in the days immediately following Sept. 11, 2001. His message and policies firmly established that our nation must not be divided by religion or nationality, and our country would not tolerate treating Arab or Muslim Americans with disrespect.

While there are many strategies our party must deploy as we work to appeal to a changing American electorate, it all comes down to the advice of the late Jack Kemp, the modern father of "compassionate conservatism": people don't care that you know unless they know that you care. As Republicans look towards the future, policies that speak to the common dreams that unite Americans from all backgrounds are worth remembering and in many cases emulating.

Ken Mehlman is a businessman in New York City. He served as 62nd chairman of the Republican National Committee, as campaign manager for Bush-Cheney 2004 and as deputy assistant to the president under President George W. Bush.

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