Louis Capozzi | The GOP's Diversity Dance

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You’re allowed in our Party, but only on our terms.

That was the blunt message delivered to minority voters by the RNC speakers on Monday. But while many media groups are criticizing the RNC’s speaker lineup for being excessively white, it was predominantly minority speakers making three blunt points on minority issues:

Term #1: You’re on your own, no handouts.

Arizona state senator Kimberly Yee (R-20th) shared her Chinese immigrant background while denouncing government regulations and handouts, which she contrasted with “hard work.”

Colorado state representative Libby Szabo stated, “We prided ourselves on earning our way and not having anything handed to us. We the people are the answers to our problems, not the government”

Term #2: You better come here legally.

Day 1 of the RNC was, in large part, a presentation of violence by illegal immigrants against Americans. This violence was then repeatedly used as a justification of Trump’s policies.

Sabine Durden, a black woman, blamed illegal immigration for her son’s death, saying, “We need to enforce our existing immigration laws. We need to secure our borders so no other person needs to go through this agony knowing it could have been prevented. We need to build the wall and Americans need to come first.”

Jamiel Shaw, a black man, said that “every black politician in LA” supported him after his son’s murder, until they learned that the killer was “an illegal alien gangbanger from Mexico.” Shaw further stated that it was proven in court that the killer’s gang targeted black males, but blamed President Obama for not caring about black lives because the killer was an illegal immigrant.

Rep. Szabo made the point less directly, saying, “I was taught to obey the rules, even when I didn’t like them… not following them shows a lack of integrity.” Ahem, dishonest illegal immigrants!

Term #3: We side with the Police, get over it.

The GOP could not have chosen a more appropriate messenger than David Clarke Jr., the black Democratic sheriff of Milwaukee County. He started his speech by saying, “I would like to make something very clear: blue lives matter.” He then praised the acquittal of the Baltimore police officer accused of murdering Freddie Gray and denounced the “malicious prosecution of activist State Attorney Marilyn Mosby.” He went on to blame communities for the increase in crime, saying that “safety is a shared endeavor. It starts with the willing acceptance of people to play by society’s rules.” The message to minorities seems clear: respect the police and follow the law, no matter what. And then he targeted Black Lives Matter directly, saying their actions “transcend peaceful protest” and promote “anarchy.”

Most aggressively of all, the GOP’s black Colorado senate candidate, Darryl Glenn, said, “Someone with a nice tan needs to say this, ‘All lives matter.’” He then denounced Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, saying “they don’t speak for black America, they don’t speak to me.” As for police violence against black people, Glenn said, “If you really want to heal our communities, more men need to step it up to take care of their children. Safe neighborhoods happen when fathers and mothers are at home.” In other words, it’s the fault of black people that they’re being killed by the police.

The primary media critique of the RNC on minority issues is that there aren’t enough minority speakers, that they’re predominantly white. As a Politico analysis observes, only 20% of primetime speakers represent minority groups, a slight downtick from Mitt Romney’s 2012 Convention. But this misses the larger point, especially since that percentage actually over-represents minorities within the Republican Party and is not far off from the minority share of the population.

What’s more significant is that Republican minority voices are not using the opportunity to bridge the divide between the GOP and minority voters. Not only is their message largely the same as white Republicans, they mostly fail to acknowledge the concerns of many people in minority communities. No speaker uttered the phrase “Black lives matter” on Monday other than to condemn a movement that speaks directly to the widespread concern in minority communities that law enforcement unfairly targets them.

Likewise with illegal immigration. Many parts of the Party platform are potentially appealing to Hispanic communities, as evidenced by the success of Bob Dole and George W. Bush in earning the Hispanic vote. And while some Hispanics who legally immigrated to the U.S. could find the GOP’s tough message appealing, around 77 percent of Hispanics favor a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. By taking such a hardline stance and failing to acknowledge the reasons – most of which are hardly sinister - that people come here illegally, Republicans like Rep. Szabo are missing an opportunity to speak directly to Hispanic voters.

As for their anti-welfare message, Republicans don’t have to alienate minority communities. While they might not be able to win minority voters dependent on welfare, many want more equality of opportunity, the chance to get a good education or a job that pays a living wage.

I’m not saying Republicans need to abandon their principles on issues like minimum wage or having a small government, but they could certainly acknowledge that minorities generally have inferior education opportunities and healthcare.

So the issue with the RNC is not necessarily the skin color of the speakers or even what the GOP’s minority voices advocated for, but perhaps what they didn’t advocate for. You can protect police officers while acknowledging that American minorities face discrimination, a greater chance of violence and fewer educational opportunities than white Americans. You can advocate for a tougher immigration system without harshly dehumanizing those who came here illegally.

But the GOP is not doing taking these approaches. Consequently, many minority voters will continue to think Republicans don’t care.

Who can blame them?