What did John Boehner actually say about GOP and minority voters?
| Washington
At a Monitor-hosted lunch with reporters on Monday in Tampa, Fla., House Speaker John Boehner was聽asked how Republicans could continue to win elections if the party did聽not do more to appeal to Hispanic and African-American voters.
Reports聽of what he said varied widely.
Jonathan Weisman of reported聽that Boehner admitted his party鈥檚 problems with minorities and thought聽a sour economy would cause minority voters to stay away from the polls,聽hurting both parties.
A more inflammatory report came from ,聽whose headline said that 鈥淏oehner Says Out Loud He Hopes Blacks and聽Latinos 'Won't Show Up' This Election.鈥� The Atlantic Wire, which did not attend the lunch, cited a聽report on Talking Points Memo, a political news site聽known for a liberal editorial voice.
But Mr. Boehner never used the word 鈥渉ope.鈥澛燞ere is what he did say, and the context for it.聽
At the lunch session, Stephanie Kirchgaessner of the聽Financial Times noted that the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal聽poll had Mitt Romney receiving zero percent support from聽African-American voters. 聽
鈥淐an the Republican Party continue to win聽general presidential elections if they don鈥檛 appeal to more voters聽than they are today in terms of nonwhite voters,鈥� she asked.
Boehner replied:聽鈥淵ou know we鈥檝e never done well with those groups. But think about who聽this economic downturn has affected the most: blacks, Hispanics, young聽people. Fifty percent of college graduates are unemployed or聽underemployed. And I think our economic message in this election cycle聽will help us recruit more of those groups than we would have聽otherwise.鈥澛�
He continued: 鈥淏ut I think it鈥檚 important for our party,聽if we鈥檙e going to be a national party, we鈥檝e got to reach out. And聽that means showing up in their neighborhoods. It鈥檚 a tall order, but聽it can be done."
Ms. Kirchgaessner followed up by asking, 鈥淗as it happened so far?聽Is your party doing that right now?鈥�
Boehner responded: 鈥淭his election is about economics. These groups聽have been hit the hardest. And they may not show up and vote for our聽candidate, but I suggest to you that they won鈥檛 show up and vote for聽the president, either.鈥�
Media watchdog website called The Atlantic Wire headline "misleading." The Atlantic Wire has released 聽of its headline.
