CBS to McCain: GOP has become 'party of white people' David Edwards

Published: Sunday September 7, 2008





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CBS' Bob Schieffer asked John McCain about the number of minorities in the Republican Party.



Partial Transcript



SCHIEFFER: I want to ask you about the composition of the convention. There were 36 African-American delegates out of 2300-plus delegates there. How can you survive as a party if you become just the party of white people?



McCAIN: We can't. We can't. I saw that information the other day that by, I've forgotten, don't hold me to it, 2042 or something like that, white americans will be a minority in the population of this country. We can't. We've got to reach out. We've got to do a better job. We have to have the Hispanic as well as African-American voters. I've traveled all over this country. I've been to places where there are literally no Republican votes. I have to convince them that I'll be the president of everybody and a Republican party has a job to do. Frankly, it's a job that also spills over into other areas. You've seen the generic ballot.



SCHIEFFER: Were you kind of surprised at all that.



McCAIN: No.



SCHIEFFER: To see that statistic come up?



McCAIN: No. I was obviously disappointed but we need to prove to Americans that this is the party of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. We're the party of Abraham Lincoln.





This video is from CBS's Face the Nation, broadcast September 7, 2008.









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