CAN'T BE WHITES ONLY IN A NON-WHITE AMERICA:

A GOP not for 'whites only' (Clarence Page, November 7, 2010, Chicago Tribune)

What's the most overlooked, underappreciated story from the midterm elections? My nominee would be the surprising new racial and ethnic diversity of Republican congressional and gubernatorial winners — even if we don't see as much diversity among the party's voters.

Republican contenders-of-color had a history-making night, which helps undermine the notion that the GOP is becoming a whites-only party. It's hard to say how much help the new diversity will be in winning over more nonwhite voters. But it already appears to be helping party leaders to become more comfortable with an increasingly multiracial, multicultural voting population. If their success at attracting ethnic minority candidates keeps up, it could attract nonwhite voters, too.