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Top Links: GOP autopsy report calls party 'scary,' 'out of touch,' with 'stuffy old men'

Top story: Reince Priebus and the Republican National Committee kind of get it—and kind of don't—in the party’s new report on what went wrong in 2012.
RNC head Reince Priebus released his GOP 2012 \"autopsy\" report to tepid reviews Monday. (Photo by Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)
RNC head Reince Priebus released his GOP 2012 \"autopsy\" report to tepid reviews Monday.

Top story: Reince Priebus and the Republican National Committee kind of get it—and kind of don't—in the party’s new report on what went wrong in 2012.

  • Here’s how Republican focus groups described the party in the report: “‘scary,’ ‘narrow minded,’ and ‘out of touch’ and that we were a Party of ‘stuffy old men.’” (RNC)
  • And here’s how Priebus himself describes 2012: “Our message was weak; our ground game was insufficient; we weren’t inclusive; we were behind in both data and digital; our primary and debate process needed improvement…So, there’s no one solution: There’s a long list of them.” (Politico)
  • “Among the report’s 219 prescriptions: a $10 million marketing campaign, aimed in particular at women, minorities and gays; a shorter primary season and earlier national convention; and creation of an open data platform and analytics institute to provide research for Republican candidates.” (The Washington Post)
  • “The report is fundamentally about branding, which is to say politics; it's notably light on policy.” (Buzzfeed)
  • “Interestingly, the RNC report does make one recommendation on policy: supporting comprehensive immigration reform.” (Mark Murray)
  • National Review’s Ramesh Ponnuru is unimpressed with the report, calling the its core premise “false.” And of the report's prescriptions for immigration reform, he writes: "Its analysis is as superficial as I’ve ever seen.” (National Review)
  • "Dick Armey in the GOP autopsy re: Hispanic voters: 'You can't call someone ugly and expect them to go to the prom with you.'" (Jonathan Capehart)
  • “My favorite part of the RNC's ‘Growth & Opportunity Project’ report is when it refers to Reince Priebus as ‘youthful.’" (Jamelle Bouie)
  • And speaking of CPAC, make sure to read this rundown of how a panel on trumping “the race card” devolved into racism. (The New Republic)
  • 10 craziest moments at CPAC. (Salon)