When first released, the report from the Republican National Committee’s “Growth and Opportunity Report” (http://growthopp.gop.com/default.aspx) was called everything from “soul-bearing” to a “GOP autopsy report.”

The 99-page report concludes that voters don’t like the GOP to the extent that in focus groups the GOP was seen as “‘scary,’ ‘narrow-minded’ and ‘out of touch’ and that we were a party of ‘stuffy old men,’” said national GOP chairman, Reince Priebus.

If some sort of course correction is not done soon, “it will be increasingly difficult for Republicans to win a presidential election in the near future,” the report warns.

On a national level, the report feeds the fears of GOP supporters that the party will not be competitive as it tries to hold on to its control of the U.S. House, win the U.S. Senate and challenge for the presidency in 2016.

On a local level, if Republican advisers want to study the natural evolution of the GOP, come to Hawaii to see how the GOP lost its brand.

Hawaii does Republicans no favors. This is not the land of the GOP; if anything, Republican true believers in Hawaii speak of the ingrained Democratic culture.

With only eight Republicans in the state Legislature, including just one GOP senator, Hawaii Republicans and opportunity are rarely mentioned together.

David Chang, Hawaii Republican Party chairman, is trying to find the right spark to change that.
“I was impressed with the report; we are not wallowing in self-pity,” Chang said in an interview. “They were brutally honest: We are not seen as a party that cares about people; we are branded as wealthy angry people.”

Chang said the issue now is to show that “we care about everybody and understand different cultures. We care about the American people.”

The report warns, “If our party is not welcoming and inclusive, young people and increasingly other voters will continue to tune us out.”

In Hawaii, Chang said, the party faces voters who are told by Democrats, “Vote for me because I am not a Republican” — and that, Chang fears, is enough to win.

So, he reasoned, if mainland Republicans get a better reputation and “work on the brand,” it will trickle down to the Hawaii GOP.

While there is a discussion of ways to rebrand the GOP by taking a more active role on immigration reform and speaking up against corporate malfeasance, there are many other concerns of interest to voters.

After everyone has been branded and rebranded enough to make Hawaii politics sound like a cattle drive, will local Republicans really pull the trigger?

Will they change positions on issues — gay marriage, for instance?

Chang discounted the need.

Republicans, Chang said, can hold to the issues and views, but need to just change how they communicate their feelings.

“We can be condescending in how we communicate our issues; we believe we are right.

“We can hold the views we do, but if we communicate that in a caring way, I think that will carry away some of the disagreements we might have,” Chang said.

That sort of argument may be easy to make in a campaign commercial and tough to defend in a campaign debate, but for Hawaii’s GOP, every strategy is an uphill climb.

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Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.