Reich: Why Romney and Ryan are going down

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bal-robert-b-reich-why-romney-and-ryan-are-going-down-20120918,0,1361883.story

Why Romney and Ryan are going down
By Robert B. Reich

Unemployment is still above 8 percent, job gains aren't even keeping up with population growth, the economy is barely moving forward. And yet, according to most polls, the Romney-Ryanticket is falling further and further behind. How can this be?

Because Republicans are failing the central test of electability. Instead of putting together the largest possible coalition of voters, they're relying largely on one slice of America -- middle-aged white men -- and alienating just about everyone else.

Start with Hispanics, whose electoral heft keeps growing as they become an ever-larger portion of the electorate. Hispanics now favor President Barack Obama over Mitt Romney by a larger margin than they did six months ago.

Why? In February's Republican primary debate, Mr. Romney dubbed Arizona's controversial immigration policy, which authorized police to demand proof of citizenship from anyone who looks Hispanic, a "model law" for the rest of the nation. ...