Waters pegs the GOP’s woes on poor minority outreach

The Republicans have struggled to maintain nationwide relevancy because they can’t handle the growing ranks of minority voters, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) alleged Wednesday.

Waters, a former chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus and the most senior black woman in Congress, blamed the GOP’s electoral woes on the party’s inability to reach out to minorities.

“There’s a growing minority population all over this country. And they’re just not in step,” Waters said during an appearance on MSNBC. “They’ve never understood how to deal with that growing minority. They’ve never reassessed their direction and their vision. And so it’s coming home to roost.”

Waters’s comments come amidst an open debate about the shrinking of the Republican Party, with Sen. Arlen Specter’s departure of the party and some other Republican lawmakers openly lamenting a perceived regionalization in the GOP.

“They’re just out of step with the majority of the people in this country,” Waters argued. “They have shown that they cannot embrace a policy that connects with most of the people in this country.”